First-Time RV Camping Checklist: Nothing Left Behind

Your first RV trip fails in one of two ways: you forget something critical, or you pack so much the rig handles like a barge. This checklist fixes both. I’ve broken it into five categories — vehicle, safety, kitchen, comfort, and documentation — so you can run through it the night before you pull out of the driveway.

I’ve spent the last decade testing gear in everything from Class A diesel pushers to 19-foot travel trailers. First-timers make the same mistakes every time, and it’s never the sleeping bags. It’s the 50-amp adapter. The sewer hose support. The surge protector. The $12 items that strand you at a campsite at 9 PM with no good options.

Run this list before every trip until you stop needing it.

Vehicle & Hookup Checklist

This is where first-timers get burned hardest. RV hookups have a sequence, and skipping steps costs you.

Pre-Drive Checks

• Tire pressure checked (cold, before driving — most RV tires run 80-110 PSI)
• Lug nuts torqued (re-torque after first 50 miles on a new trailer)
• All slide-outs fully retracted
• Awning rolled and latched
• Antenna lowered
• Leveling jacks fully retracted
• Hitch ball torqued and locked, safety chains crossed and connected
• Breakaway cable attached (trailer only)
• All exterior compartment doors latched
• Refrigerator switched from propane to 12V or “auto” mode for travel
• Water heater and water pump switched off
• All interior cabinet doors secured

Campsite Hookup Gear

• 30-amp to 50-amp adapter (or vice versa, depending on your rig)
• 25-foot and 50-foot shore power extension cords
• Surge protector — older campgrounds with dirty power will fry your converter without one
• Fresh water hose (dedicated white drinking-water hose, not a garden hose)
• Water pressure regulator (campground pressure spikes kill RV water lines)
• Inline water filter
• Sewer hose kit with extensions
• Sewer hose support/slinky
• Rubber gloves for sewer connections
• Wheel chocks (at least 4)
• Leveling blocks — I use Lynx Levelers, they stack and store clean

The surge protector is the one item I’d never leave home without. Campground pedestals at older state parks throw voltage spikes that fry your air conditioner, microwave, or converter in seconds. The Progressive Industries EMS-PT30X runs about $130 and has saved my rig twice. If you’re buying a rig you’ll keep long-term, get the hardwired version.

For the water pressure regulator, go adjustable. Fixed regulators set at 40 PSI work fine, but adjustable models let you dial up to 60 PSI when flow is weak. The Valterra Brass Adjustable Water Pressure Regulator costs under $20 and threads onto your hose before it hits the rig.

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Safety Checklist

RVs have fire and CO risks a tent camper never thinks about. Propane appliances, generator exhaust, and enclosed sleeping spaces are a combination that demands specific gear — and demands that gear actually works when you need it.

Fire & Gas Safety

• Smoke detector — test it, replace the battery if the rig’s been sitting in storage
• CO/propane combo detector (many RVs have these built in; verify it works before you leave)
• Fire extinguisher rated ABC, mounted accessible near the exit
• Propane leak detector spray (Camco makes a good one for $6)
• Propane tank(s) full and valve closed during transit

Roadside & Emergency

• Jumper cables or jump starter pack
• Reflective triangles or road flares
• Basic tool kit: screwdrivers, pliers, adjustable wrench, electrical tape
• Duct tape and Flex Seal tape for emergency roof or seal repairs
• Spare fuses for your rig (check the fuse panel, buy the sizes you see)
• Tire plug kit and 12V compressor
• First aid kit — a real one, not a 10-bandage travel pack
• Flashlight or headlamp with fresh batteries
• Backup phone charger / power bank

The first aid kit matters more in an RV context than most people plan for. You’re often an hour from urgent care, and campsite injuries — propane burns, cuts from gear, twisted ankles on uneven ground — happen regularly. I’ve carried the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Weekender for six years. It covers the real stuff without eating a full cabinet shelf.

If you’re traveling solo, skip the jumper cables and get a lithium jump starter instead. The NOCO Boost Plus GB40 starts gas engines up to 6 liters and diesel up to 3 liters, weighs under 3 pounds, and doesn’t require another vehicle. I keep one in every rig I run.

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Kitchen & Food Checklist

RV kitchens are functional but stripped down. You’ve got a 3-burner propane stove, a microwave that runs on shore power, a small oven, and a refrigerator that’s half the size of what you have at home. Pack for what’s actually there.

Cookware & Utensils

• Non-stick skillet (10-inch fits most RV burners cleanly)
• 2-quart saucepan
• Dutch oven or large pot for pasta/soups
• Cutting board (flexible silicone stores flat)
• Chef’s knife and a paring knife — leave the full block at home
• Spatula, wooden spoon, ladle, tongs
• Can opener (manual — don’t rely on the electric one you have at home)
• Colander
• Mixing bowl (doubles as a serving bowl)
• Dish soap, sponge, drying rack or towel
• Paper towels
• Aluminum foil and zip-lock bags in multiple sizes
• Trash bags

Food & Beverages

• Coffee setup — drip maker, French press, or pour-over depending on your preference
• Enough dry/canned goods for one extra day beyond your trip length
• Cooking oil, salt, pepper, and your go-to spices in small containers
• Condiments in travel-size containers (don’t haul a full bottle of ketchup)
• Reusable water bottles for everyone
• Cooler for overflow if your RV fridge is small

Running a smaller trailer with a 6 or 8 cubic foot fridge? You’ll want a supplemental cooler for drinks and overflow. The YETI Tundra 35 holds ice for 5+ days in summer heat and fits in most exterior storage bays. Around $300, but I’ve had mine eight years and it still seals like new. It’s the last cooler you’ll buy.

One thing first-timers consistently skip: a real coffee setup. The built-in drip maker, if the rig has one, is usually underpowered and slow. I travel with a GSI Outdoors JavaDrip — collapsible pour-over, 3 ounces, and it makes better coffee than any countertop machine I’ve used in a rig.

Comfort & Living Checklist

This is where people over-pack. You don’t need to recreate your living room. You need to sleep well, stay clean, and not be miserable if the weather turns.

Sleeping

• Bedding for every sleeping surface (RV mattresses are often short queen or odd sizes — measure before you buy fitted sheets)
• Pillows
• Extra blanket — RV AC units overcool at night and you’ll want it
• Blackout curtains or window covers if the rig doesn’t have them
• White noise app or small fan if you’re a light sleeper near a generator

Bathroom

• RV-safe toilet paper (breaks down in black tanks — regular TP doesn’t)
• Black tank treatment (Camco TST or Happy Campers)
• Shower caddy and toiletries
• Quick-dry towels — they take up less space and dry faster in small bathrooms
• Plunger (small, dedicated to the RV)

Outdoor Living

• Camp chairs (one per person, minimum)
• Folding table if your rig doesn’t have an exterior one
• Outdoor rug for under the awning — keeps dirt out of the rig
• Bug spray and citronella candles
• Sunscreen
• Headlamps for everyone (not just one flashlight for the group)
• Firewood or a way to source it locally (don’t transport firewood across state lines)

The outdoor rug sounds optional until you’ve spent a weekend watching everyone track campsite dirt and pine needles across your floor. A 9×12 polypropylene rug runs about $40, rolls up tight, and stores in an exterior bay.

For headlamps, I put a Black Diamond Spot 400 in every pack I send out the door. 400 lumens, red night-vision mode, runs on AAA batteries you can find anywhere. $40, and I’ve never had one fail on me.

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Documentation Checklist

Unglamorous. Get it wrong and you’re dealing with rangers, tow companies, or insurance adjusters without the paperwork you need.

• Driver’s license
• Vehicle registration for tow vehicle and/or RV
• Proof of insurance for both
• Campground reservation confirmations (printed backup, not just on your phone)
• RV owner’s manual — keep it in the rig, always
• Roadside assistance membership info (Good Sam, AAA RV, or Coach-Net)
• Emergency contact list (written down, not just in your phone)
• Any required permits for your destination (National Park passes, fire permits, etc.)
• Health insurance cards
• Prescription medications with enough supply plus two extra days

Roadside assistance is the one I’d push hardest on for first-timers. A standard AAA membership doesn’t cover RVs over a certain length. Good Sam Roadside Assistance covers your tow vehicle and RV together, handles tire changes on rigs up to 10,000 lbs, and runs about $80/year. One tow call without coverage will cost you $400-800 depending on where you break down.

What First-Timers Actually Forget

These aren’t dramatic omissions. They’re the items people assume someone else packed, or that the campground will have.

• Sewer gloves. You will need them. Pack two pairs.
• Power adapter. If your rig is 30-amp and the site is 50-amp (or vice versa), you’re not plugging in without one.
• RV toilet paper. Regular TP clogs black tanks. Buy RV-specific before you leave home.
• Leveling app. Download one before you go. Bubble levels work, but a phone app is faster when you’re tired and just want to be level.
• Clothespins and a small line. Wet towels and swimsuits need somewhere to go.
• Spare key. Lock yourself out of an RV once and you’ll never skip this again.
• Doormat. Small, rubber-backed, lives at the RV entrance. Saves your floors.

One more: a quality multi-tool. Not a $15 gas station special — something with real pliers, a locking blade, and a screwdriver that won’t strip. The Leatherman Wave Plus has been on my hip for 11 years. It’s fixed more campsite problems than I can count, from tightening a loose hitch ball to cutting a stuck awning strap in a windstorm.

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Print It, Run It, Modify It

This list covers a 2-5 night trip to a full-hookup campground. Boondocking or dry camping adds a generator checklist, solar setup items, and extra water storage. Traveling with kids or pets adds another layer on top of that.

Print this and run through it the night before departure, not the morning of. Morning departures are chaotic. Night-before checks give you time to make a hardware store run if something’s missing. I’ve been doing it this way for 15 years and I still catch something I almost forgot every single time.

The problems worth having on a trip are the interesting ones — weather, wildlife, a road you didn’t expect. Not a dead battery or a blown water line because you skipped the pressure regulator.

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