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Outfitting My New RV Home

Personally, I think this part is both exhilarating and mind-numbing. Buying the RV is not the end of the buying process. If this is your first unit, you will have to completely outfit it just like a new house. The good news is, your purse will be less heavy and it will be easier to sit on your wallet. Unfortunately, that is also the bad news. I’m sure it is much easier if you are trading up from another RV though there will still be some expense involved.

You can easily tell at places like Camping World who has purchased a new RV. Watch for the person who actually needs a cart to shop and has that cart filled. I was one of those people. It’s an awful lot of fun until you get to the cash register. Don’t forget about looking for some of the household goods at department stores and thrift shops. I found a pants hanger at a regular store that cost half as much as the same hanger at the RV store.

For my rig, besides the usual household items, I also added a water pressure regulator, new water and sewer hoses (best to start fresh) , replacement for a broken water tank drain valve, new hot water tank rod (just to start fresh), twin magnetc rods that let me hitch up my trailer alone, tire chalks to prevent rolling, tire covers to prevent sun damage, new propane tank hoses with easy hand on/off connectors (wrenches are a pain), sheets to fit my short queen bed, straps to hold down my video equipment while moving, towing mirrors, foam daisies to put between my pots and pans to prevent scratches, a small folding table for the living room, RV toilet paper and toilet chemicals, a toothbrush rack, and clear travel-secure holders for soap and a razor in the shower. If I had not just bought the necessaries and had gone for the “gee that would be nice” stuff too, I would have needed two shopping carts!

The biggies for me were an electric front jack and a satellite TV dish. Since I use an equalizing hitch to tow, it can be a real pain jacking up the trailer into a “V” to connect and disconnect and then jacking down. An electric jack with night lights makes this very easy at any time and it is incredibly easy to install (particularly if you can snag your brother into doing it for you 😉 ). The satellite dish for TV anywhere is really nice to have when cable TV is not available. It runs off the same satellite receiver you use at home. Installing it was not at all simple so I recommend leaving it to professionals or snag that knowledgeable brother again. My brother also recommends buying that silly little hanging orange sign to remind you that the satellite dish is still up before you hit the road. That could be a nasty surprise. There are omnidirectional satellite dishes that look like round blobs on the roof. Those are really nice since they don’t have to be cranked up and aligned but they cost around $1200.

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