We bought a bunch of stuff when we were outfitting our new RV. You really can’t go on your first RV trip without purchasing things like wheel chocks, a basic water filter, a sewer hose support, and 50 to 30 amp power adapter. A memory foam topper for our RV mattress was also a must-purchase before our first trip. We also purchased RV tire covers as well as a spare tire cover, because we knew the RV would spend a good portion of the year parked in our yard and we want to do everything we can to protect the tires from the sun. All in all, we felt pretty prepared for our first RV trip, but as much as we planned, made lists, and purchased stuff in the weeks after buying our first RV, we noticed several things on our first camping trip that we still needed! Here’s what we bought when we got home from our RV first trip.
Affiliate links are used in this post.
I knew we needed an outdoor mat to help keep the dirt out of our RV and to give us a more comfortable (and prettier) space for our chairs. For our first trip, we had only purchased a small outdoor entry mat, because we weren’t sure what size we wanted for our outdoor living space. I am glad that we waited to buy one, because after our first RV trip, I new I wanted a really large mat. Lots of the outdoor rugs on Amazon marketed to RVs are 5×8 and I wanted to be confident that a 9×12 mat was the right size for us before I invested. We purchased the 9×12 Glamplife mat made from recycled polypyrene which is reversible and very easy to clean. We also appreciated how modern and stylish their designs are, since our RV has a pretty modern look too.
2. A High Quality Camping Chair
Our camping chairs were ancient and falling apart, so we were excited to pick out new chairs. Ryan wanted a chair with sturdy arm rests and I ended up with a fancy lumbar support chair.
3. A Camping Stool
We’re big ‘feet up on the coffee table’ type people, so Ryan definitely felt the absence of some sort of footstool. We ended up buying a set of two camping stools, so they can serve as additional seating if needed and fold up with the rest of our chairs. We also use it inside sometimes when we’re sitting on the couch and want a footrest.
4. Dim Light Options
After putting our boys to bed, we try not to turn on the lights. Our RV has some lights in the living area that you can turn on individually but the bathroom light was way too bright. We added a dimmer switch as soon as we got home. We also purchased a USB rechargeable book light to clip next to our bed for a dim light on that side of the RV.
This one completely slipped my mind as we were stocking the RV. But as soon as I turned off the shower, I realized my mistake! I knew there would be at least one of these moments on our first camping trip. After we got home, I measured the space and had a surprisingly hard time finding a mat small enough for the space!
I love ice, and after our first RV trip, I knew 1 ice cube tray wasn’t going to cut it. We really love these hexagon ice cube trays, because they freeze really quickly. We don’t want water sloshing around the freezer on drive days because the ice cubes aren’t fully frozen!
7. More Kitchen Towels
We’re not really paper towel people. We have a roll on our kitchen counter and I really only use it for raw chicken or bacon grease. We use a lot of cloth kitchen towels, and I realized I needed to pack several more than I initially grabbed. My kids are messy, and I want a big stack so I can throw 1 or 2 into the laundry bag every day and not worry about running out.
Bonus Item:
Another item we realized we needed was some sort of booster seat for our kids to sit at the dinette. We have 2 small boys and they do not fit well at the dinette, so we DIYed some additional cushions. One acts as a booster seat under our almost 2 year old and the other sits on the wheel well under their side of the table to give them something to rest their feet on.
Want to hear more about the beginning of our RV journey? Check out 5 things we learned on our first trip or click the RV Life tag below to find more RV posts.
