Not all of our adventures involve hopping on a plane. Sometimes, we load up the RV, pack the kids, grab the dog, and head somewhere a little closer to home.
RVing has become another way we explore. It lets us find places we might otherwise drive right past, slow down a little, and spend time outside without having to plan every minute of the trip.
Our RV adventures started with a trip to the Everglades—and you can [read about that adventure here].
Since then, we’ve learned that RVing comes with its own kind of adventure. Sometimes it’s relaxing around a campfire. Sometimes it’s figuring out why something in the RV is making a weird noise. And sometimes it’s realizing you forgot something really important approximately five minutes after leaving home.
Basically, it’s traveling… just with more stuff.
We Also Rent Our RV
When we’re not using our RV, we rent it out through RVshare and Outdoorsy.
Honestly, this has been a great way for us to offset some of the costs that come with owning an RV. The rental income has helped cover the additional expenses of storing it, insurance, taxes, and some of the inevitable maintenance that comes with RV ownership.
It’s even helped pay for new tires and some of the repairs and fixes we’ve needed along the way.
So while the RV definitely costs money to own, renting it out has helped make ownership a little more worthwhile for us.
And who knows? Maybe you’ll rent ours someday and we’ll get to hear about your adventure!
Where We’ve Camped
You can read about our different visits at various campgrounds under the adventures tab. I’ll share the campgrounds we’ve actually visited. These campgrounds are local to use so places throughout Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, so I’ll be adding campground reviews and information as we go.
But here I want to give you helpful tips if you are thiking of owning an RV or already do. Things I wish I had known.
Things We Actually Use
This is where I’ll share some of the RV and camping items we’ve purchased and actually use.
I’m hoping this will be more helpful than a giant list of “things every RVer needs” when half of the things on the list are things I’ve never even heard of.
Some of the things we currently have or use include:
- Camping hammock – for when we want to be lazy outside. Because sometimes an adventure means doing absolutely nothing for a while.
- Outdoor rug – nice to put down over the grass or gravel right outside the camper to hopefully keep some of it out of the RV. Less dirt and gravel inside means less sweeping later!
- Over-the-fire grate – because cooking over the fire makes everything feel more like camping. There’s just something about making dinner over a fire that makes it taste better.
- Clothesline – especially helpful for wet swimsuits and towels. It gives everything a place to dry instead of hanging it all over the camper.
- Dry bags – great for keeping wet clothes, swimsuits, towels, or other gear contained and keeping the rest of our stuff dry.
- Bike rack – because sometimes bringing the bikes makes getting around the campground or exploring nearby areas much easier. And it saves us from having to move the camper every time we want to go somewhere.
- Collapsible wagon – perfect for hauling chairs, blankets, food, beach gear, or pretty much anything else we don’t want to carry back and forth. When you’re packing for four people, having something that carries the stuff for you is a win.
- RV organization/storage bins – because RV storage space disappears approximately five minutes after you start putting things away. Bins help keep everything organized and make it easier to actually find what we need.
- Over-the-door organizers – another easy way to add storage without taking up valuable cabinet or counter space. In an RV, every little bit of storage helps!
- Collapsible kitchen items – bowls, containers, and other kitchen items that collapse or fold down are perfect for an RV. They do the job without taking up half the cabinet.
- Water pressure regulator – helps protect the RV’s plumbing system when connecting to campground water. Not the most exciting camping accessory, but definitely one of those things you want to have.
- RV water filter – helps filter the water coming into the camper and can improve the taste and quality of the water we use.
- Leveling blocks – because nobody wants to sleep at an angle. These help get the camper level when the campsite isn’t exactly… level.
- Wheel chocks – a simple but important safety item that helps keep the camper from rolling once we’re parked.
- RV tool kit – because something will eventually need tightening, adjusting, fixing, or convincing to cooperate. Having a few basic tools with us saves a trip to the store.
- Flashlights – because the campground does not magically turn its lights on when you need to find something outside at 10 p.m. We keep these handy for all the usual nighttime adventures.
- Level – because sometimes “I think we’re level” isn’t quite good enough. This lets us actually check.
- Broom and Swiffer – probably no explanation necessary! 😂 Camping + four people + dirt + sand = these get used A LOT.
- Dog yard stake – gives our dog a designated spot to hang out at the campsite while keeping him safely close.
I’ll keep adding to this list as we find things that make RVing easier, more comfortable, or just more fun.
Things We Want to Add
And then there’s the other list…
You know, the one that seems to grow every time we go camping.
These are things that are currently on our RV wish list or things we’re thinking about adding:
- Dog fence – because our dog would prefer to explore the entire campground. 😂 A portable fence would give him a little freedom while keeping him safely at our campsite. We do use a yard stake and he does love that.
- Portable outdoor table – extra table space would make cooking, prepping food, and setting up meals outside so much easier.
- Zero-gravity chairs – because if we’re sitting outside, we might as well be comfortable. I’m all for anything that makes relaxing around the campsite feel a little more luxurious.
- Better campsite lighting/string lights – because apparently finding your chair, your shoes, or the table after dark is harder than it sounds. A little extra lighting would make evenings outside much more enjoyable.
- Zippered changing enclosure – this would be especially handy for changing out of sandy or wet clothes before going back into the camper. Less sand in the RV = everybody wins.
- Beach/wet gear storage – a dedicated place to toss wet towels, swimsuits, shoes, and other damp gear would keep all that stuff from ending up scattered around the camper.
- Rechargeable lanterns – because having extra light without constantly searching for batteries is always a good thing. These would also be handy for those middle-of-the-night trips outside.
- Bug-repellent lantern – because sitting outside is a lot more enjoyable when the mosquitoes aren’t treating you like an all-you-can-eat buffet.
- Small cordless vacuum – because camping somehow creates an impressive amount of dirt, sand, crumbs, and mystery debris. A small vacuum would make quick cleanups much easier.
- Insulated tumblers – because cold drinks should stay cold, especially when you’re sitting outside on a hot camping day. And somehow everyone always needs a drink at the same time.
- Tire-pressure monitoring system – because checking the tires before hitting the road is one of those boring-but-important parts of RVing. Having a system that lets us keep an eye on tire pressure while traveling would give us some extra peace of mind.
Some of these may eventually make their way onto the “Things We Actually Use” list. Others may sit on this list forever because, apparently, there is a limit to how much stuff we can fit into an RV.
I’ll update this section as we go, so you can follow along with what we’re adding, what we’re loving, and what turns out to be completely unnecessary.