101 RV Accessories for 2023 (Yes, You Need Them)

RV accessories are as essential as an RV itself! Once you buy your first RV (whether it’s a drivable unit or a trailer), you’ll need to stock up with all the proper RV accessories.

The dealers will often supply you with a “welcome bag” containing a few (albeit cheap) essentials. However, even the dealers or private sellers won’t provide enough basics for your first RV camping trip.

Today we’re sharing 101 must have RV accessories. The list will be organized into sections defined by the function of the accessories. Each section with include a “spotlight RV accessory,” which denotes our personal favorites.

Let’s dive in!

Essential Towing RV Accessories

The first step of any RV adventure is getting the unit ready to travel. Towing can mean pulling a trailer or towing a vehicle (if you’re in a drivable RV). These accessories will help prepare you for travel day!

Spotlight RV Accessory | Towing

Our spotlight accessory for towing is the Curt Rebellion HD hitch. This hitch is cushioned and adjustable. If you’re towing a smaller trailer with an overpowered truck, this hitch is a great choice. It reduces sway, cushions the trailer when you hit a pot hole and is priced much lower than comparable hitches.

Additional Towing RV Accessories

• Dometic Aero3 Towing Mirror: If your tow vehicle’s mirrors don’t give you a wide enough view to safely tow, this snap-on option will give you additional peace of mind of travel day.
• Demco Tow Dolly with Surge Brakes: If you decide to tow your vehicle behind your coach with a tow dolly, give the Demco a look! In this article you can see why RV Love uses a tow dolly.
• iBall Back Up Camera: This wireless backup camera is perfect for solo travelers…or RVers who’d rather hook-up the rig without their partners assistance. The camera and monitor setup is universal.
• Roadmaster All-Terrain Tow Bar: If you want to flat tow your vehicle behind your motorhome, this is the cream of the crop. In fact, on Amazon it only has five star reviews as of writing this!
• Roadmaster Spare Tire Carrier: Many RVs don’t come with a spare tire…which is absolutely crazy! Blowouts are more common than they should be. We think its in everyones best interest to be prepared. This spare tire carrier is an essential RV accessory. It works for motorhomes, class c, class b and travel trailers with a rear hitch.
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System: If you can’t see your tire pressure, for all your tires, at all time…you should get a Tire Pressure Monitoring System. These will help you prevent a blowout!

Essential Travel Day RV Accessories

Once you get all hitched up and ready to roll, you’ll need these RV accessories for a successful travel day! From high tech to analog, don’t be caught without these useful tools.

Spotlight RV Accessory | Travel Day

Our spotlighted travel day accessory is the Next Exit Highway Directory. This is an actual book…crazy, right?! In these days of wonderful technology it’s still a good habit to keep a hard copy of this info. The Next Exit Highway Directory lets you know what resources (and restaurants) are on EVERY interstate exit! The book is updated each year.

Additional Travel Day RV Accessories

• Vantrue Dash Cam: It’s a good idea to invest in a dash cam. These can help if you ever need to make an insurance claim. This specific unit records high quality and has night vision.
• RV Trip Wizard: This tool works in conjunction with the RV Life app to route you on safe roads unique to your RV dimensions. This means no unexpected low hanging bridges!
• VIAIR Portable Compressor: This air compressor plugs into your vehicles 12v port and produces enough pressure to easily air up your tires.
• LED Roadside Flares: It’s always good to be prepared! Hopefully you’ll never need these, but for $25 it’s a smart investment.
• Rand McNally Roadside Atlas: Like The Next Exit Directory, this atlas is a great backup resource when internet access fails.
• Bestek 300: This is an inverter that plugs into your vehicles 12v port. Simply, what this means…your travel partner in the passenger seat can power in their laptop while traveling.
• Garmin RV Specific GPS: This stand alone GPS unit is make specifically for RV travel. It includes RV destinations and resource info!
• NOCO Jump Starter: Don’t get stranded with a dead battery. This NOCO jump starter has enough power to jump your vehicle multiple times!

Essential Set Up RV Accessories

Once you arrive to your RV destination, it’s time to unhook & set up camp. These RV accessories are the most important of all. You literally need each of them for a great camping experience!

Spotlight RV Accessory | Unhook & Set Up

The most crucial accessory you’ll own is the RV black water hose. We really like the Rhino Extreme. Sure it costs more than most black water hoses ($40 on Amazon), but for good reason. The Rhino hose stands the test of time and won’t leave you up sh$# creek!

Additional Set Up RV Accessories

• Anderson Levelers: This will easily get you leveled once you arrive to the campground or RV park.
• No-Kink Fresh Water Hose: We love these no kink hoses. They’re easier to handle and are safe for drinking water usage.
• Elbow for Fresh Hose: Every RVer should have one of these elbows. They only cost a few buck, but they’ll seriously extend the life of your hose. The elbow decreases tension on the hose connection.
• Surge Guard by Southwire: This unit acts as a surge protector and a monitor for faulty RV park power.
• Camco Leveling Blocks: Even if you’re using Andersen levelers it’s good to keep a set of these blocks on hand. You’ll find they have many uses on you hit the road!
• X Chock Wheel Stabilizer: Put these chocks in between your dual axel tires to prevent rocking around.
• SnapPads: Put these pads on your leveling jacks for increased stability when leveling. The pads help on uneven terrain and dampen vibrations.
• Sewer Hose Support: This support system lifts & cradles your sewer hose, preventing it to stand the test of time.
• Hitch Lock for Trailers: This universal hitch lock is a good place to begin your security measures.

“Camp Vibes” RV Accessories

These accessories focus on all the things you’ll need to create the perfect camp vibes at your RV site. From chairs to fire pits, these RV accessories are also great gifts for your RVing friends & family.

Spotlight RV Accessory | Camp Vibes

One of our all time favorite RV accessories is the Outland Living Fire Bowl. This is a portable propane fire pit with all the ambiance of a real fire. We love it because even during fire bans we’ve been able to use it because it’s self contained. Additionally, it can turn on and off with a simple switch.

Additional “Camp Vibes” RV Accessories

• Outdoor RV Mat: This is the most essential accessory in the category. RVs are notoriously small (compared to homes). Creating another room outside, defined by the RV mat, is a “must”!
• Zero Gravity Chair: Most camping chairs stink! These zero gravity chairs are the best we’ve used in our 5 years of full time RV living.
• Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker: We love our portable (and rugged) Bluetooth speaker. We’ll bring it outside, easily pair our smart phones to it, and rock out!
• Personalized RV Sign: If you’re extra-friendly, you might want a personalized RV sign for your neighbors to see. These are popular in 55+ RV Parks.
• RV Flag Pole: These telescoping flag poles are easy to install and allow you to fly your flags high!
• Pink Flamingo Yard Ornament: Sure, they’re tacky. We think they’re pretty fun, too! You’ll be the talk of the RV park.
• Portable Corn Hole: Corn Hole is one of the most popular sports among RVers. These portable units are easy to carry and can entertain for hours.
• Inflatable Hot Tub: This may be overkill…but come on…it would be amazing to have this at your campsite!
• Outdoor LED lighting: Set the mood with these colored LED lights!
• State Sticker Map: It’s fun to have a USA sticker map on your RV. You and the kids can use it as part educational and part fun!

Water Purification RV Accessories

Water purification is a HUGE part of RV life. We use multiple pieces to “build” our fresh water purifying system. Below you’ll find many different options suited to your individual travel style.

Spotlight RV Accessory | Water Purification

While many of the purification accessories below are more high tech, we believe the essential first step in water purification is an external Camco water filter. Since day one we’ve used a Camco filter. While we’ve added steps after it, it will always remain our first step in RV water filtration.

Additional Water Filtration RV Accessories

• Acuva UV Ray LED Filter: This filter uses the power of UV rays with the energy efficiency of LED technology. It’s located internally and relatively easy to install. We’ve installed two already!
• Berkey Water Filter: These are stand alone countertop units. While that seems counterintuitive for RV living, the amount of filtration it handles makes it worth it.
• Sawyer Mini: This is a hand held water filter that allows you to collect water from any natural source and filter it in small amounts.

Off Grid & Boondocking RV Accessories

If you want to experience the best of RV life, you’re going to have to get off grid. Boondocking (aka free camping) is one of our favorite types of RV camping. We love it so much that we compiled a list of our 20 Favorite Free Campsites in the USA. These are the best RV accessories for those who want to get off grid.

Spotlight RV Accessory | Off Grid Camping and Boondocking

A small inverter generator is essential for almost every RVer. Even if you have solar power, these generators can quickly top you off after a stretch of cloudy days. We strongly recommend the Honda 2200 generator. They last for decades and have dedicated service centers around America.

You can easily buy a less expensive inverter generator, but we don’t think it’ll stand the test of time.

Additional Off Grid RV Accessories

• Ground Deployed Solar Panels: Thinking about solar? These deployable units are a great way to test the waters!
• Goal Zero Portable Energy: Goal Zero creates many sizes of portable battery packs. These are useful for charging small devices and laptops while off grid.
• Fan-Tastic Fan Vent: Don’t let your ceiling vent go to waste. Install a Fan-Tastice Fan Vent to create awesome air circulation. These can seriously cool off your RV without using a lot of power.
• Lithium RV Batteries: For the hardcore boondockers, you may want to up your battery game with lithium ion technology. These batteries can be drained to zero safely and come with a ten year warranty.
• Mr. Heater Buddy: Create some heat with propane, not your limited electric power!
• Oxegenics Shower Head: We think every RVer should use these. The shower head adds oxygen to the water to decrease water usage without noticing a lack of water pressure.
• 6 Gallon Water Jugs: These water jugs are easy to transport and can hold you over for a few more days before breaking camp.
• 30 Gallon Water Bladder: These water bladders can be hard to transport when they’re full, but 30 gallons will last you a long time!
• Gas Can: Once you have a generator, don’t forget the gas can!
• Composting Toilet: This isn’t for everyone. However, we’ve found that the composting toilet can help us stay off grid longer without having to break camp.
• Large Body Wipes: If you’re conserving water, large body wipes can keep you clean for an extra day or two!
• Solar Oven: Whether it’s for education or practical use, a solar over is a great off grid RV accessory.
• Solar Shower: If you’re in a small travel trailer, a solar shower can be an awesome showering option. It heats up the water without using your precious energy and it won’t fill up your grey tank!

Cellular Internet & Wifi RV Accessories

Staying connected while you’re RVing is very important. These accessories will help boost your signals and keep you entertained. While most of them are pricey, the alternative (being without cell connection) is not very fun!

Spotlight RV Accessory | Cellular Internet & Wifi

The single most important cellular accessory (which changed our RV life for the better) is the WeBoost cell booster. This device can turn one bar of unusable signal into four bars of signal that allow streaming! It was truly a game changer.

Additional Cellular Internet & Wifi Accessories

• Alpha Wifi Camp Pro: The Alpha Wifi Camp Pro can find wifi signals from the nearby area and boost them inside your RV. In practice this means you can more easily access the RV Park wifi. If you’re camping in a parking lot, you’ll be able to pick up signals from nearby businesses.
• Mobile Internet Resource Center: If you want to get all the latest news on cellular internet and see recent field test results, subscribe to this membership. We’ve used it for years as a product guide for the best equipment.
• NETGEAR Nighthawk Mobile Hotspot: If you’re serious about working from the road, you’ll need a powerful hot spot. The Netgear Nighthawk is one of the best available.
• Togo Roadlink LTE Router: This unit works with specific AT&T cellular data plans. It can boost a signal up to 200 ft away!

Safety & Security RV Accessories

Most RVers are very concerned with staying safe on the road. While we believe safety is a state of mind, there are many tools that help us achieve the feeling of security. These are great RV accessories to set you on the right path of RV safety.

Spotlight RV Accessory | Safety & Security

We think one of the best securities measures all RVers can take is buying a can (or two) of bear spray. If you’re in bear country, this is essential! While we only recommend bear spray for its intended use, carrying it with us gives us in our RV gives us additional peace of mind. If it works on a bear, it must work on many things 🤷‍♂️

Additional Safety Accessories

• Solar Powered Motion Sensor Lights: This light can be easily installed outside your RV. It will turn on a night if it detects movement.
• Ring Video Doorbell: We’ve seen more & more RVers installing these video doorbells on their units. It may take a few hours of wiring, but the end result is pretty sweet!
• RV Safe: Protect your valuables with an RV safe.
• Air Horn: Making loud noises is a wonderful way to scare off sketchy visitors or call for help.
• BASU Emergency Alarm: This is great for hiking. The keychain alarm makes a huge sound. It can potentially scare off animals or sound for help.
• Pepperball LifeLite: This is a nonlethal gun, that looks like a flash light and shoots balls full of pepper.
• RVLock: This lock will be an upgrade for 90% of RVs. It has three entry options; keys, keyless & padded.
• Roadside Assistance: As far as which brand to use, your guess is as good as ours. We’ve used Good Sam with positive results. However, we recommend comparing plans & prices.
• Marcell Monitor: Monitor the temp, humidity and power of your RV while you’re away from it!
• CB Radio: This old school device can be quite useful in RV life. It can give you valuable emergency info and used to communicate.

RV Kitchen Accessories

RV kitchens are notoriously small. The pantries are compact and the counter space is limited. These accessories will help maximize the space and transform areas to serve multiple purposes.

Spotlight RV Accessory | Kitchen

Our most uses RV kitchen item is a pour over coffee maker. This allows us to conserve energy and minimize our clean up. The problem with a French Press is that the grounds make a huge mess. The problem with a conventional drip coffee machine is that you may need to turn your generator on to use it.

Additional RV Kitchen Accessories

• Instant Pot: This is the most popular RV kitchen tool around. It makes one pot meals without much clean up!
• Induction Cooktop: If you want to minimize or eliminate your propane use, try an induction cooktop.

• Collapsible Silicone Kettle: This space saving device will make hot water without being overly bulky.

• Roll Up Drying Rack: The roll up drying rack has been our 2nd most used kitchen accessory. It creates a lot of space over the sink for dishes.
• Collapsible Colander: Collapsible everything is a great idea!
• Tension Rods: These are great for your fridge & cupboards on travel day. Never start rolling without them!
• Nesting Bowls: Save that space.
• Silicone Wine Glasses: It’s a smart idea to travel with these wine glasses!

RV Sports Accessories

Each month there are new toys being released for outdoor adventurers. Made for travel, they often fold, inflate or break down into easily portable items. The RV sports gear below is ideal for anyone who wants to get out in nature and explore.

Spotlight RV Accessory | Sports Gear

We love our Oru Folding Kayak. This tandem kayak can carry up to 500lbs of cargo and folds up into an “oversized suitcase”. We carry it in the back of our truck for easy storage. The kayak comes in multiple sizes and forms depending on your skill level.

Additional RV Sports Accessories

• Inflatable Stand Up Paddle Board: These are great for RVers who love the water. They’re rugged, but don’t take up too much room.
• Inflatable Kayak: If you’d rather inflate than fold your kayak, this option is for you!
• Folding E Bike: A folding bike is great because you can easily store it out of sight.
• RV Ladder Mount Bike Rack: If you’re struggling to find a place to mount your bikes, try this ladder mount option.
• Trekking Poles: Don’t go on a hike with out them!
• Dumbbell Set With Carrying Case: Get a light workout at your campsite with these portable dumbbells.
• Yoga Mat: Whether you’re doing yoga or just want a comfy seat on the ground, a yoga mat is a campsite essential.

RV Books (not quite RV Accessories)!

These 11 RV books wrap up our list of 101 RV accessories. From tax help to travel guides, these RV specific books will guide you further through your unique RV Journey

• Living the RV Life: Your Ultimate Guide to Life on the Road
• A Beginners Guide to Living in an RV
• The Ultimate RV Log Book
• The Most Scenic Drives in America
• Secrets of RVing on Social Security
• RV There Yet? Travel Journal
• Road Trip USA
• Take Risks by Joe Russo
• 50 States 5000 Ideas
• National Geographic: National Parks
• RV Camping in Corps of Engineers Parks

Discover the Best Free Camping Across the USA

To be honest with you, we hate paying for camping. There are so many free campsites in America (with complete privacy).

You should give it a try!

As a matter of fact, these free campsites are yours. Every time you pay federal taxes, you’re contributing to these lands.

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We’ll send you the 50 Best Free Campsites in the USA (one per state). Access the list by submitting your email below: