We frequently camp off the grid - and oftentimes we don’t even turn the generator on. Most of the RV gadgets and essentials out there require some sort of power source to operate. I wanted to let you in on some of my favorite RV essentials that do not require that you be plugged in or running your generator! These are items that just make your life a little bit easier. Plus… they’re cheap!

The list:

Fridge Bins (Fridge and Cupboard Storage Containers)
Propane Tank Guage/Reader
Toilet Drop-Ins
Grip Mats for your Cupboards and Drawers
Stick-on lights
Waterproof/Mudproof Rugs and Floor Mats
Cast Iron Skillet
Water Filter for Tank Filling
Wheel Chocks/Levels
Fix-A-Flat (and perhaps a new tire wrench)

Fridge Binz. I LOVE these. Most RV cupboards are really tall and have long undivided sections. This means that you put your cans and boxes in all nicely organized at your house and by the time you get to your campsite, you can of beans is in another zip code. It’s especially terrible if you are taking your camper offroad. I use these bins in our cupboards and drawers for silverware, utensils, cans, spices, etc. You can usually find them at TJMaxx or Burlington Coat Factory for $7-10 per bin if you don’t want to order on Amazon. These are great in the fridge as well. I like to put my fruits, eggs, and yogurts in these because it somehow gives you the illusion of more space.

2. Propane level/guage - Don’t be like us thinking you have plenty of propane to keep you warm… then realizing halfway into the night that you actually had only enough to warm the camper till you fell asleep. We bought one of these last year and it lasted the entire season. The $15 we spent was more than made up in the amount of gas we saved with our fill-ups. I am challenged when it comes to knowing whether or not a tank is empty so I always would err on the side of caution and just trade it in. These gauges fit 5-40 pounds. We think you only need one, even if you have dual tanks. We have had success using up one of our tanks and then switching the guage to the next tank when the first is empty.

3. Toilet Drop Ins - This is something I buy in a big container at the beginning of the season and it lasts me the entire year. We sometimes don’t dump our poop out right away when we bring the camper back. If you are leaving your camper sit in the hot sun for a week in between trips, you are going to want to make sure you have some of these in youi tank. I have found that this brand, in either orange or hibiscus scent, do the best job of breaking down the sludge (revolting, I know) and keeping the stank at bay. You don’t want the inside of your camper smelling like a porta-potty. If there are going to be other people staying with us in the camper, I drop an extra in the toilet and it makes a noticeable difference.

4. Cupboard grippers - This belongs in the same paragraph as the fridge bins. You can cut this roll of cupboard grip mat to fit the length of your cupboard or just wide enough to fit under your dishes. A large roll is only $17. This stops all those cans of food from knocking on the backs of your cupboard doors and accidentally pushing them open. If you camp with non-stick pans that are stacked together for travel, you can cut out squares of this for cushioning between pans. This keeps the non-stick coating from being ruined.

5. Stick-On Lights - If you are camping for an entire weekend without a generator, you may want to use these stick-on lights! Our light switches are not in convenient (or even logical spaces) in our RV. These stick-on lights are great for when you need to illuminate a hanging wardrobe, your garage, and even in a cupboard.

6. A mud/waterproof floor mat - When you’re camping somewhere muddy or have dogs, a nice rug/floormat at your door is essential. We have carpet in our bedroom (what were they thinking….) and this floormat is the only reason the carpet isn’t brown. We both track in mud and the dogs track in mud! We’ve got a rug at our main door to catch the stones before walking into the main living area. In my mind, there is nothing worse than stepping on grit in your bare feet!

7. Cast Iron Skillet - This skillet doesn’t need to be too large (if you do most of your camping over the actual fire then you may want to upsize. However, most of the gas stoves in RVs have burners that are close together. This makes cooking with more than one or two pans almost impossible. I love cast iron because it’s extremely durable and gives all of your food a nice crisp. If you do not like shopping online there are usually great deals on cast iron skillets at Burlington Coat Factory, Marshalls, TJMaxx, etc.

8. Wheel Chocks - Levels - When there aren’t' appropriately sized logs or rocks lying around, you’ll wish you had some of these. We are fortunate that our current RV has auto-leveling and will actually lift some of the wheels off the ground if need be. However, sometimes the auto level won’t work because we’re at too much of an angle. You can buy the stacking blocks and they won’t take up much room at all in your cupboard or storage compartment.

9. Fix-A-Flat - On our way to Yellowstone this year we ran over two nails. 2 of our 4 camper tires were going flat in the boonies. Luckily, there was a small service station a few miles off the road that had this for sale. We first tried to remove the wheel and replace it with the spare, but the stock tire iron/wrench was so flimsy that it bent and became unusable! We filled up the tire with this and completely forgot that it had even gone flat. That tire made it for weeks before we took it in to get repaired.