RV Starter Gear Checklist
The essentials most new RVers need before the first night.
The essentials most new RVers need before the first night. Free, private, and it shows its working.
How to use this tool
Start with hookups, leveling, and safety – those are the items that end a trip if missing.
Check your owner’s manual for fittings and amperage before buying.
This tool is for planning and education only. It does not store your entries. Read our disclaimer.
What the checklist covers
27 items in 5 groups:
- Hookups: 7 items
- Setup and leveling: 4 items
- Safety: 6 items
- Tools: 5 items
- Living: 5 items
Tick items as you go, print the page, or clear it and start again. Nothing is saved to our servers.
Tips for more accurate results
- Buy hookup, leveling, and safety items first, because missing ones can end a trip.
- Check your RV’s amperage and fittings in the owner’s manual before ordering adapters.
Related guides
When this tool helps most
Use it before your first trip, and keep it for each new rig. Hookup, leveling and safety gear come first, because a missing item there can end a trip.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Buying decorative extras before hookup and safety gear.
- Ordering adapters before checking your RV’s amperage and fittings.
- Forgetting a dedicated rinse hose for the sewer connection.
Step-by-step guides that use this tool
These guides explain the decisions behind the numbers, so you can act on your result with confidence.
Understanding your results
- Essentials first: hookup, leveling and safety gear come before comfort items.
- Progress: tick items as you buy them to see what is left.
- Links: each item points to the guide that explains how to choose it.
Two quick scenarios
New owners
A first trip usually needs hoses, a surge protector, a pressure regulator, leveling blocks and chocks before anything else.
Boondockers
Off-grid campers move power, water storage and waste gear higher up the list.
Before you rely on the numbers
- Match electrical adapters to your RV’s amp service.
- Use a drinking-water hose for fresh water.
- Test detectors before the first trip.
- Carry tools for small roadside fixes.
Keep planning with RV Gear hub and RV gear shortlist.