What are the best RV camping essentials?

Why you should trust this guide

I put this list together from real time spent living and traveling in a trailer, not from a spec sheet skim. Each of these five items earned a place because it solves a problem that actually ruins trips: bad pedestal power, over-pressurized water lines, leaking sewer connections, unlevel sites, and dead batteries when you camp away from hookups. I have plugged in at good campgrounds and sketchy ones, and the gear that survives both is the gear I kept.

I want to be clear about what this is and is not. I did not run these products through a controlled facility or take my own instrument readings. What I can speak to is how they behaved on the road across months of regular use, plus what each manufacturer states about its own product. Where a product has a weakness, I say so, because every one of these has a trade-off you should know about before you spend money.

How we researched

My approach was simple and use-driven. I rotated each item into normal camping life and judged it on the jobs RVers actually care about: does it protect the rig, does it hold up to repeated setup and teardown, and is it easy enough to use that you will not skip it when you are tired after a long drive. For the electrical and plumbing protectors, the key question was whether they intervened correctly when something was wrong at the pedestal or in the water line. For the sewer kit, leveling blocks, and power station, it was durability and convenience across many cycles.

I also weighed cost against consequence. A surge protector or pressure regulator is cheap relative to the appliances and plumbing it guards, so I leaned toward the sturdier, better-built versions even when a budget option exists. For the leveling blocks and power station, I considered storage size and weight, since space and payload are always tight in an RV. The manufacturer specifications quoted below are the company’s stated figures, and my comments describe what I observed in ordinary use.

Progressive Industries EMS-PT30X

If you buy one thing on this list, make it this. The EMS-PT30X is the first thing I plug in at every site, because it tests the pedestal before letting power flow into the RV. Progressive rates it for 30 amp, 120 V service with a 3,600 W capacity, and it guards against over and under voltage, open ground, and open neutral. At a campground in New Mexico it flashed an open neutral warning, and that single catch likely saved my air conditioner from serious damage.

The build is what sets it apart from the cheap plastic units. It uses an all weather shield assembly for outdoor durability, the housing is metal and lockable, and Progressive backs it with a lifetime warranty. It is also made in the USA. Beyond surge absorption, the real value is the fault detection that simply refuses to pass bad power through, so problems get stopped at the post instead of inside your rig.

The honest trade-offs: it costs noticeably more than a basic plastic surge guard, and the lockable design only matters if you also buy a lock and remember to use it. You also have to match the amperage to your RV, so get the 30 amp version for most trailers and the 50 amp model for fifth wheels. Plug in the wrong rating and it will not help you.

Camco brass water pressure regulator

This adjustable brass regulator is the one I recommend over the cheap red inline pucks. Camco makes it from certified lead-free brass, lists it as safe for drinking water, and builds in automatic pipe burst protection through a PSI guard. The adjustable model adds a gauge, which is the feature that earns the extra money. I set mine to 50 PSI and stopped worrying about it.

The gauge is not a gimmick. It lets you actually see what a park is pushing into your hose, and one Texas park was sending 110 PSI down the line, which is enough to stress fittings and plumbing over time. Brass also handles freeze cycles better than plastic, so it holds up across seasons. Camco notes the regulator uses patented technology, and in regular use mine has held its setting reliably.

The trade-off is cost and a small amount of fuss. The adjustable brass version is meaningfully pricier than the fixed plastic ones, and because it is adjustable you do need to set it correctly, since a knob someone bumped is a knob that can be wrong. Brass is also heavier and can seize if you let mineral buildup go unmanaged. Pair it with a good filter and your water system should last the life of the rig.

Valterra Viper sewer hose kit

The Viper kit is the sewer setup I trust because cheap hoses split, leak, and ruin a trip fast. The kit includes two collapsible 10-foot hoses with rotating fittings, and Valterra builds the hose from 25 mil thick material with 135 mil protective beading for added strength. Pre-installed rotating fittings with bayonet hooks create a leak-proof connection, and after months of dumping every few days mine still sealed perfectly.

The detail I appreciate most is the clear view adapter. The 90-degree fitting is transparent, so you can actually see when the drain runs clear and confirm the tank is empty. It sounds unpleasant, but it is the difference between a clean disconnect and carrying odor home with you. For storage, each hose collapses from 10 feet down to about 50 inches, which matters when bay space is limited.

The trade-offs are real. The collapsing accordion design can trap residue in the ridges, so it needs a thorough rinse to stay sanitary, and any sewer hose is a consumable that will eventually wear out no matter how good it is. The clear elbows also discolor over time. None of that changes my recommendation, but treat it as gear you maintain, not gear you forget.

Lynx Levelers

Lynx Levelers are the leveling blocks I settled on after trying wood, plastic ramps, and inflatable bags. They are modular interlocking blocks that configure to fit most leveling tasks and stack like building blocks to raise a wheel on an uneven site. Lynx has manufactured them in the USA since 1992, includes a sturdy storage bag with a nylon handle, and backs them with a 10 year warranty when you register the product.

What won me over was the combination of weight, durability, and storage. They survived multiple drives at full GVWR without cracking, they stack compactly into their bag, and they work for more than just tires. The blocks also help with appliance stability and proper water drainage when you need a small, controlled lift. A 10-pack handles the large majority of campsites.

The honest limitation is grip and reach. On loose gravel or soft ground the stacked blocks can shift if you do not seat them well, and a single 10-pack will not give you enough height for badly sloped or rough boondocking spots. If you camp off pavement often, plan to carry 20. They are also plastic, so while durable, they are not indestructible under abuse.

Jackery Explorer 1000

For dry camping, the Jackery Explorer 1000 is the unit that turns an RV into a comfortable base without a generator. The current version delivers a 1,500 W AC output with a 3,000 W surge peak, charges from 0 to 100 percent in about an hour, and uses a durable LiFePO4 battery that Jackery rates for a 10 year lifespan. It carries two USB-C ports, a USB-A port, a DC car port, and AC outlets, plus app control for switching charge modes.

In practice it ran my CPAP, laptop, and lights for two nights off-grid before needing a recharge, which is exactly the use case that matters when you are away from hookups. Pair it with a 100-watt solar panel and you can stretch boondocking much further. I prefer it over a built-in generator because there is no noise, no fumes, and no maintenance, which makes it welcome at quiet sites where a generator would not be.

The trade-offs come down to capacity and cost. At 1,000 watt-hours it will not run high-draw appliances like a residential air conditioner or an electric kettle for long, so it is best for electronics, CPAP, fans, and lights rather than heavy loads. It is also a real investment, and recharging from solar alone is slow on cloudy days. Match your expectations to its size and it is a quiet, capable off-grid companion.

What to look for

• Match the amperage: Buy electrical protection rated for your service, 30 amp for most trailers and 50 amp for larger fifth wheels.
• Prioritize materials: Metal housings and brass fittings outlast plastic across heat, cold, and freeze cycles.
• Demand fault detection, not just surge absorption: The best protectors refuse bad power instead of only soaking up spikes.
• Look for visibility: A pressure gauge or a clear sewer elbow lets you confirm what is actually happening instead of guessing.
• Weigh storage and payload: Collapsible hoses and compact leveling blocks save scarce bay space and weight.
• Plan for off-grid needs: A power station sized to your real loads beats a noisy generator for quiet, maintenance-free camping.
• Check the warranty: Lifetime and long-term warranties signal a company that expects its gear to survive RV abuse.

The verdict

For protecting your rig from bad power, the Progressive Industries EMS-PT30X is my top pick overall, since it stops faults at the pedestal before they reach your electronics. For plumbing, the adjustable Camco brass water pressure regulator with a gauge is worth the extra money over the cheap inline units. For waste, the Valterra Viper sewer hose kit seals reliably and lets you see when the tank is empty.

For getting level on uneven sites, the Lynx Levelers stack compactly and shrug off full-weight drives. And for camping away from hookups, the Jackery Explorer 1000 runs your essentials quietly with no fumes or upkeep. Buy the protectors first, because they guard the expensive systems, then add the leveling blocks and power station as your camping style demands.