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When we started RVing we quickly realized there are a TON of things you need to buy before you hit the road. The sales folks at the dealer will likely try to sell you a lot of them but before you buy the store, we're going to tell you what we haven't needed in 19 months on the road.
Disclaimer: We know we all RV different so the following items are what OUR FAMILY has not needed. You CAN get by without them. We also would love to have some of these items on our list as it would make life much easier - it simply isn't essential. So if you are try to not break the bank, consider leaving these things behind.
1. WiFi Booster - Yes it can be handy for RV parks but unless you have a direct line of sight to the signal it likely won't make a huge difference. And if you boondock a lot like us, there may not be any wifi signal to pick up anyway. We DO have a cell phone signal from TMobile that they sent us for free.
2. Toys - You don't need a ton of toys even if you're traveling with kids. They learn to love what they have and we swap out a lot. Also, they love to play outside!
3. Big Cooler - These take up a ton of space. We have a Yeti bag and a backpack cooler that we use for day outings. Other than that, we always have our refrigerator with us! Check out this backpack cooler - https://amzn.to/2YNjP1I
4. RV Furniture - You don't have to keep what comes in your RV! You can replace anything and sometimes that helps make space or lose weight.
5. Camping Gear - We went camping once outside of our RV. We ended up leaving our tent and other gear behind. Our house comes with us!
6. RV Toilet Paper - What a gimmick! As long as your TP is "septic safe" you can use it. Just make sure you manage your tanks properly and you are set.
7. Coffee Pot - These are great to set the night before to have coffee ready in the morning but they come with a counter top space price tag. We use a french press and it is wonderful and stores easy. Check out this awesome french press - https://amzn.to/2PDLRs8
8. Fancy Water Filtration System - We know a lot of people have fancy water filters like a Berkey and we're sure they work great but for us, we simply use an RV carbon filter. No one has gotten sick from water contamination in 19 months. Lucky or money wise? You decide.
9. Heated Hose - You can use heat tape and insulation to save money instead of buying an expensive hose. If you are going to be in cold weather for an extended period of time you may need one but we are getting out of the cold asap!
10. Fancy Levelers - Some people have some expensive leveling gadgets. We use a basic water bubble level and yellow leveling bricks. It gets the job done.
11. Firepit - Can you believe we took one with us? We thought we would want it for all the fires we were going to have when there wasn't a pit available. Turns out we don't have many fires as full timers. And if there isn't a ring, we don't need one. We dropped it off pretty quickly.
12. TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) - While very convenient you can simply use a manual tire pressure gauge to check on your tires.
13. Dog Bed or Kennel - Cinder doesn't have either. She sleeps on our couch and has her own blanket. She rides in the car when traveling and stays inside the RV when we run errands and things.
14. Solar Package - While we would LOVE to have one, if you are boondocking you can get by with good batteries and a generator.
15. Toaster - Single purpose items like this take up too much space. We use our griddle to toast bread or our oven.
Bonus: Hundreds of blankets! Or sheets... We had a ton of extras and seem to keep getting rid of them. They take up a lot of space and cause extra laundry!
Did we miss anything? What would YOU add?
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