RV Tricks, Tips and Hacks

[Hardrivn]

I have found that every RVr has their own magical tricks and hacks so I figured I would start a thread to share them. Here are my top 10:
1. First a get 2 rolls of non sliding liners and put it in EVERY cabinet (the green stuff in the picture below)
2. Also put it in between every stacked pot, pan, and plate, keeps them from sliding while towing and also keeps the non stick layer from rubbing away.
3. Magnetic Knife holders work great!
4. Containers / bags that you can pull out and look through make things much easier to find.
5. Those 3M plastic hooks with command adhesive are very useful around the camper, the 2 placed on the door under the sink allow us to hang shopping bags as trash bags and when the door closes the shelf pinches the bag mostly closed at the top keeping the smells in.
6. LED Bulb replacement from E-Bay is cheap and makes boon docking much easier on the battery.
7. That's not coffee in there!
To be Continued as I cannot add more pictures.

[Hardrivn]

More tips and tricks continued:
7. Welding Gloves are awesome for working a fire ring, just be careful and quick.
8. A battery cut off switch (marine grade) eliminates the parasitic loss while parked. I personally believe these should be on every camper.
9. A small thermostatically controlled electronic heater is great for keeping the camper warm on cooler nights, Much quieter than the propane.
10. Water filter pitcher seems essential to me.
11. Installing an electronic jack is fairly cheap and easy if you tire of cranking, this one cost me less than $100 on Amazon.

Would love to see and hear your tips and tricks.

[Hardrivn]

Oh yea, forgot we also have a 100 watt folding solar panel kit that we got off of E-Bay for Approximately $150, added a 25 foot battery tender charge connector to it and one to my battery, keeps our battery charged on good during our longest single boon docking trip which lasted 5 days. Granted that is with the LED lights and using them sparingly as my wife is afraid we will lose our water pump when camping

[DC8Captain]

"my wife is afraid we will lose our water pump when camping"

Losing the water pump can be a dealbreaker for staying in your boondocker campsite. I always carry an extra 5 gallon water container, filled of course, for misc and emergency uses though.

[wildwest450]

My tip is 303 protectant for that propane tank cover.


.

[EricNSTL]

Originally Posted by dawniewest

My tip is 303 protectant for that propane tank cover.


.

I was just looking at mine, it is looking pretty bad. Really looking faded. I'll give that a try.

[wildwest450]

Originally Posted by EricNSTL

I was just looking at mine, it is looking pretty bad. Really looking faded. I'll give that a try.

Those black propane covers are a lost cause, but that stuff really helps. Not sure how it does for badly faded ones... couldn't hurt.

[Mole]

Some of my tips:

LED lamps: E-bay is quick, easy and a LOT cheaper than any store front. Learn about lumens (brightness) and color before you buy.

Greasy Ball Hitch: Cover with a plastic grocery bag. Throw bag away when hitching up. Saves washing black grease out of white pants, ladies!

Propane tanks: Look for TWxx where the xx is two numbers on the carry ring. It stands for Tare Weight (empty cylinder weight). Place cylinder on scale and subtract the TW from the actual weight to determine the amount of propane left in the tank. And you'll never get that last pound or so out of the tank.

Stuff bags: Available at large sporting goods stores or some interior stores, these large nylon mesh bags are great for hoses and power cables that you don't want flopping all about in the basement.

Aerosol can of white lithium grease: Great on leveling jack screw threads. Annually to two years.

PTFE oil: Annually on leveling jack pivot points, folding step pivots, weight distribution attachment pivots.

Spare piece of stainless steel rod also known as a car antenna: Can become a myriad of things that you lose like a spring pin, emergency door latch.

Small collection of hand tools: I carry two 12" pipe wrenches, a large Channel Lock pliers, two 4" crescent wrenches, a multi-bit screwdriver and a cheap multimeter at all times. Add to that a size mix of hose clamps, plastic pipe plugs and a few screws for emergencies.

Your mileage may vary, not subject to sales or other discounts, prices not guaranteed, your needs will determine what works best for you. Happy Camping!

[MartyG]

You folks mentioned most of mine. But I'll add: Padlocks and cables. I have four keyed-alike locks I use all over. I'll loop a cable through the rear bumper, and through the grill, spare propane, chairs and cooler when we're off site, and close it with a lock. I use the long-shank padlock to secure the end of a 30 amp extension cord to the 30 am RV cord when in use. (padlock on the wire side of both plug/socket). I bought an RV lock kit from Master that caps the tongue, locks the tongue shackle, and locks the hitch pin. Yes, the key chain to my camper is full!