10 Essential RV Accessories Every Beginner Needs (Plus a Bonus 11th)
Updated: Oct 7
If you just bought your first RV, congratulations — you now own a house that occasionally tries to kill your electrical system, flood your bathroom, or roll away while you're grilling. I say that with love. I've made every single mistake on this list myself, sometimes more than once, which is exactly why I put it together.
Here's the thing nobody tells you at the dealership: the RV itself is only half the equation. The other half is a small pile of gear that costs a few hundred bucks total but stands between you and the kind of "learning experience" that ends with a flooded floor or a fried converter. None of it is glamorous. None of it will show up in the brochure. But every seasoned RVer you meet at a campground has all ten of these items, usually because something bad happened before they did.
So consider this your shortcut. These are the essential RV accessories for beginners I'd want my own family to have before their first night away from home — what each one is, where it goes, and why it earns a spot in your rig.
1. A Water Pressure Regulator
What it is: A small brass fitting, usually with a gauge, that screws onto the campground's water spigot before your hose does.
Where it goes: Right at the source — thread it onto the campground's city water connection first, then attach your drinking water hose to the other side.
Why you need it: Most RV plumbing systems are only rated to handle somewhere in the 40–60 PSI range, but campground water pressure isn't regulated the way your house is. Some sites push well over 100 PSI, especially if you're camped near the well pump or pump house. That kind of pressure will crack fittings, blow seals, and turn your bathroom into a water park while you're at the campfire. A $12–$20 regulator is the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy for your RV's plumbing.
2. A Drinking-Water-Safe Hose
What it is: A hose specifically rated as lead-free and drinking-water safe — usually white or blue, and clearly labeled.
Where it goes: Between your water pressure regulator and your RV's city water inlet. Keep it separate from any hose you'd use to rinse the sewer connection.
Why you need it: Your average garden hose from the hardware store isn't rated for drinking water — the linings can leach chemicals you don't want in your coffee. Buy a dedicated potable hose, label it clearly (a piece of tape works fine), and never let it touch the ground near your sewer hookup. Grab two while you're at it — a short one for tight spigot situations and a long one for when the water hookup is clear across the site.
3. An Inline Water Filter
What it is: A canister filter, usually white and about the size of a coffee thermos, that threads inline with your water hose.
Where it goes: Between your pressure regulator and your drinking water hose (order doesn't matter much, but I like the regulator first to protect the filter housing).
Why you need it: Campground water quality is a mixed bag — sometimes great, sometimes tasting like a swimming pool. A basic inline filter knocks out sediment, chlorine taste, and odor so your coffee and drinking water don't taste like the county fairgrounds. It's not a substitute for a full RV water treatment system if you're planning to full-time, but for weekend warriors it's a huge upgrade for not much money.
4. A Surge Protector or Electrical Management System (EMS)
What it is: A hardwired or portable unit that plugs into the campground's power pedestal before your RV's power cord does. Basic versions guard against surges; a true EMS (electrical management system) also protects against low/high voltage, open ground, and reversed polarity.
Where it goes: Plugged directly into the pedestal, with your RV's shore power cord plugged into it — never the other way around.
Why you need it: Campground electrical pedestals see a lot of wear, and it's not unusual to find one with wiring issues you can't see just by looking at it. A bad power pedestal can send voltage spikes or reversed polarity straight into your RV's electrical system, which can fry your converter, your appliances, or worse. Match the amp rating to your RV — a 30-amp rig needs a 30-amp protector, a 50-amp rig needs a 50-amp protector, and they are not interchangeable with an adapter. If you only splurge on one item on this list, make it this one or the water pressure regulator — they're the two most common "learned it the hard way" stories I hear.
5. A Sewer Hose Kit (With Support and Gloves)
What it is: A flexible sewer hose, usually with a clear elbow fitting at the RV end, plus a support that keeps it angled downhill, and a dedicated pair of gloves you never use for anything else.
Where it goes: Connected from your RV's sewer outlet to the campground's sewer connection, propped up on its support so gravity does the work.
Why you need it: Nobody loves this job, but everybody has to do it. The clear elbow fitting lets you actually see when your tanks are running clear (a genuinely useful upgrade over guessing), and the support keeps the hose from pooling and backing up on you. Buy the gloves and keep them exclusively for this task — your future self will thank you.
6. Wheel Chocks and Leveling Blocks
What it is: Chocks are wedges that keep your RV from rolling once parked. Leveling blocks are stackable pads that get your rig sitting level side-to-side and front-to-back.
Where they go: Chocks go against the tires immediately after you park. Leveling blocks go under the tires (or the tongue jack, for towables) before you settle in.
Why you need them: An unlevel RV isn't just annoying — your refrigerator (especially older absorption-style fridges) can struggle to cool properly if it's parked off-level, your doors and drawers can swing open on their own, and it's just a miserable night's sleep. Chocks are a basic safety item any time you're parked on any kind of grade. Both are cheap, both live in your storage bay permanently, and both get used literally every trip.
7. A Basic RV Toolkit and Spare Parts Kit
What it is: A small toolbox with the sizes of wrenches and screwdrivers your specific RV actually uses, plus a stash of spare fuses, hose washers, and a roll of self-fusing silicone repair tape.
Where it goes: In an easily accessible storage bay — not buried under everything else.
Why you need it: RVs run on a mix of 12-volt fuses that blow more often than you'd expect, especially early on while you're still learning your rig's quirks. A blown fuse can knock out your fridge, lights, or slide-out, and it's usually a two-minute fix — if you have a spare on hand. Check your owner's manual for the exact fuse sizes your RV uses and keep a handful of each.
8. A Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
What it is: A set of sensors that thread onto your tire valve stems (or mount inside the tire) and send real-time pressure and temperature readings to a monitor you can see from the driver's seat.
Where it goes: On every tire — tow vehicle included, if you're towing.
Why you need it: A blowout is one of the most common and most preventable RV emergencies out there, and it almost always starts with a slow leak or overheating tire you couldn't see or feel from the driver's seat. A TPMS gives you a warning while there's still time to pull over safely instead of finding out the hard way at 65 miles an hour. If you want the full picture on handling a blowout if one does happen, I've got you covered in my [RV 911 emergency guide].
9. A Fire Extinguisher and Working Detectors
Let's drop the jokes for a second, because this one matters. Every RV comes with a smoke detector, and most come with a propane and carbon monoxide detector too — but "comes with one" and "has a working one" aren't the same thing.
What it is: A fire extinguisher rated for your RV (check that it's rated for the right classes of fire — most RV-rated extinguishers cover multiple types), plus working smoke, CO, and propane detectors.
Where it goes: The extinguisher mounts near the main exit, within easy reach — not buried in a cabinet. Detectors should already be installed in your RV; your job is testing and maintaining them.
Why you need it: Propane, batteries, and confined spaces are simply part of RV life, and a small issue can escalate fast in a space that size. Test your detectors before every single trip, replace batteries on a schedule, and know where your extinguisher is without having to think about it. This is the one item on this list that genuinely isn't optional, and it costs less than a tank of gas.
10. A Roadside Emergency Kit
What it is: A kit with jumper cables or a portable jump pack, a tire iron and lug wrench sized for your rig, reflective triangles or road flares, and a basic first aid kit.
Where it goes: In an accessible exterior storage bay, ideally one you can reach without unloading half your gear first.
Why you need it: RVs break down in the same unglamorous ways cars do — dead batteries, flat tires, dead phones at exactly the wrong moment. Having the basics on hand means a minor roadside hiccup stays minor instead of turning into a multi-hour ordeal on the shoulder of I-24. If something bigger goes wrong, my [RV 911 emergency guide] walks through exactly what to do for the scarier stuff.
Bonus #11: A Good Headlamp
I said I'd sneak in a bonus, and here it is. You will, without exception, end up doing something outside your RV after dark — hooking up water, chasing down a breaker, backing into a site while your spouse waves flashlights at you from three different angles. A decent headlamp means you can actually use both hands instead of holding a phone flashlight in your teeth like I did for my entire first camping season. It's a five-dollar fix for a problem you didn't know you had yet.
Squatch Tips
Store your water items (regulator, hose, filter) together in one labeled bin, separate from your sewer gear. Cross-contamination is a mistake you only make once.
Do a "pre-trip walk" before every departure: chocks stowed, detectors tested, fuses checked. It takes five minutes and catches most problems before they become problems.
Don't buy the fanciest version of everything on this list right out of the gate. Get the reliable basic version first — you can always upgrade once you know what actually matters for how you camp. If you want more on avoiding overspending early on, check out [8 Things New Campers Waste Money On].
New to the whole picture of what RV ownership actually costs beyond the sticker price? My [true cost of ownership] post breaks it down honestly.
Print This: Essential RV Accessories for Beginners Checklist
[ ] Water pressure regulator
[ ] Drinking-water-safe hose (x2 if possible)
[ ] Inline water filter
[ ] Surge protector or EMS (correct amp rating for your RV)
[ ] Sewer hose kit with support and dedicated gloves
[ ] Wheel chocks
[ ] Leveling blocks
[ ] Basic toolkit sized for your RV
[ ] Spare fuses and hose washers
[ ] Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
[ ] Fire extinguisher (RV-rated, easy to reach)
[ ] Working smoke, CO, and propane detectors (tested!)
[ ] Roadside emergency kit (jumper cables, tire tools, first aid)
[ ] Headlamp
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