Travel trailer accessories help you create a comfortable home on the go. And the market offers a wide variety of supplies for an enjoyable on-road experience.
If you are an absolute outdoorsy person taking off on a camping trip whenever you can, a travel trailer is a sensible buy. Not just that, it works out cheap and practical if you travel frequently and are constantly moving house. All you need to do is hook your travel trailer to your vehicle and hit the road.
For those of you who have just purchased a travel trailer and are wondering what next, here’s a list of the must-have travel trailer accessories. From the essential to those that promise extra luxury, we’ve included them all. Take a look.
Travel Trailer Accessories – The Essentials
This category discusses the necessities – accessories, and parts without which life in a trailer would be difficult. We are talking about power, water, and a few handy tools for basic maintenance.
Drinking-Water Hose
Every trailer needs a steady flow of fresh drinking water. Buy a good quality potable water hose. They are readily available in stores specializing in travel trailer accessories.
A drinking water hose is not the same as a garden hose. We recommend a lead-free, anti-kink hose for drinking water. You don’t want your water tasting and smelling like cheap plastic. So, choose only those certified as ‘drinking water safe’.
What length should you get? Ideally, a 25 ft hose does the job. Nevertheless, you can get a 50 feet length or two 25 feet hoses.
Sewer Hose
The next on our list of essential travel trailer accessories is the sewer hose. Take it from us, cheap and poor-quality sewer hoses can be a dirty disaster.
A dedicated fitting will ensure proper drainage of all that not-so-great stuff. The perfect length is specific to the trailer. However, we vote in favor of a 15’ or 20’ feet hose.
Water Pressure Regulator
Most new travel trailer owners don’t foresee a problem with high water pressure. It can be very damaging. It causes leaks. It can burst your water pipes. It can flood your trailer. The bottom line – it can destroy your trailer’s plumbing system.
The water pressure level has been observed to be quite inconsistent on camping grounds. Connected to the city’s waterline, it is often hard to tell when the water pressure might increase. This is where a water pressure regulator comes in. It is attached to the main water supply. It reads the PSI level of the water and adjusts it in case it is higher than the recommended levels. There is a wide range of water pressure regulators available at different price points.
It is worth spending on travel trailer accessories like these.
Water Filter
Water quality is a major concern when traveling. And that supplied to parks and camping grounds may not always be fit for drinking. Buying an inline water filter will help. It gets rid of impurities – sediments and particles, that could be detrimental to health. Treated water also tastes better as it does away with the unpleasant taste and smell of chlorine.
Inline filters are attached to the drinking water hose. Different water filters have different capabilities such as sediment removal, taste improvement, and odor removal. Many consider a water filter as an extra, but for us, it is on our list of must-buy travel trailer accessories.
Portable Generator
Do you need a portable generator? Yes, you do!
You need one to power your electronic appliances where you don’t have access to the main electric supply.
Yamaha, Honda, and Champion are the top choices for RVs and campers. They are trusted providers of high-performance, fuel-efficient, and low-noise generators. Given their small size, they fit comfortably in the trailer’s storage. Comparing prices, Yamaha and Honda are more expensive than Champions offerings.
The ideal portable generator depends on the power output you need. For instance, inverter-styled portable generators allow you to run more household electronics than a non-inverter type.
Electric Surge Protector
What a water pressure regulator does for your plumbing system, an electric surge protector does for the electric supply.
An electric surge protector prevents potential damage to electronic appliances caused due extreme fluctuations in the power voltage. Plug it into the power source and safeguard the electrical system in your trailer.
Air Compressor
A flat tire is a traveler’s worst nightmare. An air compressor helps monitor tire pressure. You can use it to inflate your tires just before you take off on your journey.
Lithium Jump Starter
Think about the times you’ve been stranded in the woods all thanks to a dead battery. With a battery jumper in your trailer storage, you can jump-start a dead battery without any extra assistance.
Leveling Blocks
When you go camping, leveled parking spots can be hard to come by. And mind you, parking the vehicle at an angle is not very comfortable. You will have trouble sleeping, cooking, and eating.
Leveling blocks really help balance your camper on uneven grounds. They are among the cheaper travel trailer accessories out there. Just slip a few leveling blocks under the wheels and you are good to go. Do consider the weight of your trailer, diameter of the tire, and adjustability when buying leveling blocks.
Chocks
Chocks work in line with leveling blocks. They help keep your travel trailer in place when parked. It makes up for the absence of automatic brakes on a travel trailer. Travel trailer chocks are made in rubber and plastic. If you have the budget for it, you can also buy metal wheel stabilizers.
First Aid Kit
There’s no going outdoors without one! Keeping a well-stocked first aid kit has you covered in case of mishaps – should there be one. Choose a lightweight, compact design for the convenience of carrying around.
A few first aid kits on the market also add in a smaller kit. Thus, it dispenses with the need to carry the complete medical kit when you go trekking, fishing, or hunting.
Hand-held Vacuum
A lightweight, handheld vacuum proves to be an extremely functional travel trailer accessory. Travel trailers get dirty. With everything situated in the same place, it’s not like you’d be able to leave your soiled shoes at the front door. Besides, being on the road means a whole lot of dust.
A broom doesn’t cut it given the space constraints and the flooring options. These long-handle vacuum cleaners help clean out even the hardest to reach areas. To add, they are built as lightweight and compact designs making them highly portable.
Travel Trailer Accessories – Creature Comforts
You may be the kind that likes to rough it, but a few comforts never hurt. Here’s a list of travel trailer interior accessories that help you create a cozy home away from home.
In an RV, space is a luxury, and so the goal is to stretch the available space using collapsible designs and multifunctional items.
Travel Trailer Kitchen Accessories
Dish out the best tasting meals with the following travel trailer kitchen accessories.
One-pot Cooker
Invest in a cooking pot. These multifunctional cookers make cooking quick, easy, and convenient. They combine the functions of multiple kitchen appliances into one thus dispensing with the need to buy separate appliances. They preserve the nutrients in your food, while also being healthy and easy to clean.
– Check Out Our Tips For 5 Easy-To-Pack Road Trip Snacks To Try
Portable Coffee Maker
Need that cup of coffee to start your day?
There is an extensive range of quality travel trailer coffee makers that can give you from a single travel mug up to 12 cups of steaming coffee. With a travel trailer’s limitation on space in mind, they are made in compact sizes. A few also fit under the cabinet saving precious countertop space. They come cheap as low as $25.
Stove Top Oven
For those of you that love oven-cooked dishes do think about the stovetop oven. Some recreational vehicles include an oven, but in case yours doesn’t have one, you can buy a stovetop oven. It is a hassle-free, budgeted travel trailer kitchen accessory.
Stove Top Cover
A stovetop cover is an extremely useful travel trailer accessory if you are looking to create some extra countertop space.
It sits right above your stove giving you a place to rest your coffee machine or hold your mugs. You can also use it to chop vegetables. The cover protects your burners too.
Other travel trailer kitchen accessories worth buying:
- Collapsible storage bowls – They don’t take up too much storage space.
- Organizers for plates, cutlery, and the refrigerator – They protect fragile items and keep them for rattling when you take the road.
- Countertop ice maker and a few ice trays for chilled drinks on the go.
- A refrigerator fan that regulates temperatures inside the travel trailer especially during the summer months; they also help cool the refrigerator.
- Camping usually means plenty of barbecues and grilling. Think of a portable gas grill that enhances the outdoor cooking experience.
Travel Trailer Bathroom Accessories Showerhead
Among the travel trailer bathroom accessories, we advise upgrading the shower head first. Most travel trailers come fitted with a showerhead. These stock fixtures are generally flimsy and break very easily. They aren’t very efficient either. The features to look for in a replacement include a good pressure level, a handheld design, and an on-off toggle feature to conserve water.
Don’t forget to add some toilet chemicals to your list of travel trailer accessories to purchase. Flush the tank with chemicals to get rid of unpleasant smells, break down toilet paper, and prevent blackwater tank clog ups.
Toilet paper used in a travel trailer is different than that used in homes. Take note of it when you go shopping for travel trailer accessories for the bathroom.
Travel Trailer Bedroom Accessories
Mattress Pad
At the end of a long and tiring trek, you want a good night’s sleep. Not to forget, for a few, recreational vehicles are their primary place of residence. This makes a mattress pad an important travel trailer accessory.
A bad mattress will have you waking up with a sore back and stiff joints. You should invest in a high-quality mattress pad designed for travel trailers. They are slightly different from those you would use in your home.
RV mattresses are made in sizes that fit tighter spaces such as bunks and pop up areas. A 6 to 8-inch profile is a standard size. A few factors to consider include the weight of the mattress (lightweight is preferred), temperature regulation, pressure relief, body support, firmness, and noise.
Don’t forget to get some good quality sheets for the bed.
Travel Trailer Accessories for the Outdoors
You cannot go camping and not enjoy the outdoors. The whole idea is to take a break from life and reconnect with nature. This is our list of travel trailer accessories to help you explore the great outdoors.
Camping Chairs
There’s an unexplainable joy in sitting around the fire, under the open sky chatting away with friends and family. And, you wouldn’t want to do that sitting on a rock, right?
Camping chairs make the outdoors comfortable. Get a couple of foldable, recliner chairs. Your back and bottom will thank you. What should you look for in a camping chair? They should be comfortable, durable, portable, and offer optimum support, especially for your back.
Zero Gravity Lounge chairs have the best reviews.
Foldable Camping Table
Complete your outdoor camping setup with a foldable camping table. They can hold your food and drinks as you lie back and gaze at the stars. The good thing about camping tables is they can also double up as work tables.
Outdoor Mat
This travel trailer accessory for the outdoors is none too fancy, but very practical. It serves a dual purpose. First, spreading out a mat in front of your trailer will help extend your outdoor seating space. It also keeps your trailer floor spotless. It ensures you do not carry dirt, sand, and mud into the trailer.
So, if you are a stickler for cleanliness, we would recommend buying an outdoor mat, also popular as patio mats. It will reduce the amount of sweeping or vacuuming you will have to do.
And a Few More…
Think about getting a folding stool too. You will be surprised how handy a travel trailer accessory it is, especially if the step of the trailer is a little high or you need to remove something from the top cabinets.
Buy a walkie-talkie. For people moving out in groups, it helps you stay in touch.
Purchase a pair or two of gloves for when you are dealing with unpleasant stuff, the black water tank for instance.
Although most travel trailers have in-built charging stations, they sometimes fall short. Keep a spare battery charger at hand just in case you need one.
Weak WiFi signals can be annoying. Boost the Wifi signal and add a layer of security to the network with a Wifi Ranger.
So, whether your travel trailer is your home or just a temporary shelter on recreational trips, equip your travel trailer with these accessories for some comfort on the fly.
- Written by Boyan Minchev