We've lived in our Airstream for 5 years and I remember how overwhelmed we were when we first started RVing. We had no experience owning an RV or even camping in one. If you are new to RVing, here is a list of must haves to get you started on your RV journey. Whether you plan on full-timing or just camp on the weekends, these essentials will make RVing possible!

#1. Sewer Hose

First things first, you'll definitely need a sewer hose, or as we call it a "stinky slinky". If you are completely new to RVing, you'll need to know that this hose is what carries your #1 and #2s from your rig to the sewer. We highly suggest this RhinoFLEX sewer hose kit. It includes a translucent elbow which seems disgusting but its necessary to make sure your tanks are completely empty.

#2. Sewer hose support

One thing that really sucks is when the sewer pipe is really tall and you have to pick up the sewer hose to drain it into the sewer. It's frustrating and time consuming so we recommend this Sidewinder sewer hose support to help everything drain properly.

#3. Holding tank deodorizers

Cleaning and maintaining your holding tanks is very important. There are many deodorizers and cleaners out there but this is the one we have used and as of now we have been pretty pleased! We recommend adding a pack every time we dump our tanks.

#4. Drinking water hose

We absolutely love our Zero-G hose. It is our dedicated drinking water hose. We chose this hose because it is lightweight and kink free. When choosing a drinking water hose, double check to make sure it is drinking water safe. Your drinking water hose will be what you use to connect to city water connection or what you use to fill up your water tank.

#5. Black tank flush hose

When RVing, having 2  hoses is necessary. One will be solely for drinking water and the second needs to be used only to flush the black tank. This hose will connect from the water source to the black tank flush that sprays the inside of your black tank clean. We flush our black tank every time we dump because we primarily boondock and making sure our tanks are completely clean allows us to boondock longer. Any type of garden hose will work for this.

#6. Water Hose Splitter

This splitter comes in handy! We use it to give us the flexibility of adding a second hose when we are connected to a water spigot.

#7. Water Filter

Water filtration is top priority when traveling from campground to campground and state to state that has different water regulations. Having clean safe water for your rig and for drinking is very important. We started out using a Camco RV Water Filter that connects in between the spigot and your rig but have recently switched to the ClearSource Ultra RV Water Filter System. The ClearSource is a 3 stage water filter that includes the VirusGuard filter in the third stage that blocks even viruses, which are much smaller than bacteria. The VirusGuard filter also provides protection against heavy metals such as lead and iron. You can get $25 off a purchase of $250 or more HERE or use the code STREAMING.

#8. Water Pressure Regulator

A water pressure regulator will help you control the water pressure coming into your rig. Some RV parks have really high pressure which can damage your rig if its not controlled. There are some campgrounds that require you to have a regulator so make sure to check your campground rules before you arrive.

#9. Wheel Chocks

RV wheel chocks are a basic necessity. As a new RVer make sure to grab a few of these before picking up your rig. RV wheel chocks serve as a stabilizer to prevent front and back movement. Make sure to always put them under the tires before unhitching.

#10. Leveling Blocks

Leveling blocks are yet another basic item that every RVer needs. These blocks are used to level your RV from side to side. They are also used to place under the stabilizer jacks and tongue jack.

#11. X-Chock wheel stabilizers

We hands down recommend X-Chocks as a basic need because they truly help reduce movement and shakiness of the RV while walking around inside. The X-Chocks go in between the tires to help stabilize the tires even more.

#12. Portable air compressor

This little air compressor is compact and fits just about anywhere. It is good to have on hand, especially when traveling through different elevations!

#13. Tire pressure monitoring system

Here is another must for anyone who travels whether it be fulltime, part time or just for vacation. Before taking off to travel fulltime, we made sure to purchase this Tire Pressure Monitoring System for our Airstream tires. These sensors attach to each tire stem. It gives us peace of mind driving down the road because we can always glance at the screen to monitor what our tire pressures are doing.

#14. Surge Protector

Even though we love boondocking, we have to plug into shore power occasional. We never plug into the electrical grid without our surge protector. Power surges can happen unexpectedly and can cause serious damage to your RVs electrical system. We suggest the surge protector below because it's already protected us from a large power surge!

#15. Electrical power adapter

We recommend having multiple power supply adapters for your rig to prepare you for any campground situation you may be in. If you have a 50amp rig, I suggesting having a 30amp to 50amp adapter along with a 15/20amp to 50amp adapter. For a 30amp rig you will just need a 15/20amp to 30amp adaptor. You may not be able to run everything inside your rig during these times, but it makes it nice to be able to run your refrigerator and/or microwave. This also will allow your batteries to charge while stationary. Having a 10/3awg extension cord is great to have in your arsenal as well.

I hope you've enjoyed this list and it's helped you find the basics needed to begin your RV journey. Be sure to head on over to our Amazon Storefront for a full list of all the products we use!