Our All-Time Favorite Travel Trailer Accessories for RV Camping
When we first started RVing just a little over two years ago, we were 100% clueless when it came to travel trailer accessories for our shiny brand new Keystone Passport. (You can take a video tour of ours here if you’d like.)
Saying we had a few questions was an understatement.
We had questions like…
- What does every RV need?
- Are travel trailer accessories and motorhome accessories the same thing?
- Where is the best place to buy said RV accessories? Walmart, Amazon, Camping World…where?!
So.many.questions.
But thanks to the internet and RVers who were years ahead of us giving much-needed tips, we filled up that Amazon cart with items for our travel trailer, crossed our fingers and hoped we were equipping it with the right things for our year+ on the road.
It didn’t take long for us to figure out what we needed for our travel trailer and what we didn’t. We got rid of a few things along the way and a few accessories became all-time favorites that we were extremely happy to have.
And we want to share those all-time favorites with you.
Also, if you’re brand new to RVing, take it from us – you can do this. The best way to learn how to RV and what the RV lifestyle is all about is to just get out there and adventure. Yes, research and planning are extremely important, but there’s nothing like hitting the open road and experiencing it first-hand.
So, go purchase that travel trailer if you haven’t already. (A Keystone Springdale is a good one to start with.) Get the basic travel trailer accessories you need to hit the road. And go adventure!
Our All-Time Favorite Travel Trailer Accessories
Most of the following travel trailer accessories we used day after day on our 17 months of full-time RVing. Some we started off with and some we ended up buying while traveling. But all of them were well used and help make RV life go a little smoother.
We added a couple of items that we either almost bought or wished we had bought.
All of these RV accessories are specific to travel trailers. For an extensive list of RV gadgets that also work for motorhomes, check out this list of 50+.
For RV accessories for sewer, water, and electric connections, Todd wrote up a fantastic post here.
Already, let’s talk travel trailer accessories shall we?
1. Andersen Hitches Levelers
If your travel trailer doesn’t have leveling features, Andersen Hitches levelers will absolutely be a sanity saver.
They help you level your travel trailer on the first try without any hassle or back and forth mess.
Here’s a video that shows how they work.
2. Tri-Lynx Levelers
We used Lynx Levelers in two different ways:
- As a stable pad for the trailer tongue jack (normally 3-4 blocks)
- As a solid platform to support our four stabilizer jacks (normally 3-4 blocks per jack)
3. Hitchport Hitch Bar and Spring Bar Storage Kit
Instead of storing the weight distribution hitch and the spring bars on the ground, do a quick install of the Hitchport Hitch Bar and Spring Bar Storage Kit.
To give you a better idea and look at this product, Todd put together a handy dandy video.
4. HitchGrip HG712 Hitch Coupling Tool
HitchGrip, an ergonomically designed tool, makes moving and attaching the ball mount to your RV, boat, horse or utility trailer easier than ever before. So easy, in fact, you can hook up and remove your hitch without getting down on the ground. What was once a greasy job is now a neat, clean, and simple task.
HitchGrip makes it easy on your back, too. By stabilizing the weight and evenly distributing the load, HitchGrip gives you enough leverage to lift the hitch with one hand. Just Lift and Go.
5. Trailer Coupler Lock
Protect your trailer with this high-security trailer lock that features a patented mechanism. The lock is made of stainless steel and cast iron which makes it heavy duty and rust resistant.
**Make sure you choose the right model for your trailer or caravan (RV) coupler size and type, referring to pictures provided (photos are for visual reference only) or to our website www.amplock.us **
6. Level – Sun Company Lev-o-gage Sr. Inclinometer and Tilt Gauge
We used a handheld leveler for a year and a half and really wish we would have installed something like this.
This levelers easily mounts with included heavy duty tape and is made with durable materials. It monitors tilt from -50 to 50 degrees and features a large, easy to read display.
7. Trailer Backup Camera
This is one item we didn’t have, but we wished we did.
If we wouldn’t have had our two boys on either side of the trailer helping Todd back in, we would have most definitely ordered this right off the bat. We even had a spot on the back of our trailer, so it was wired for it, ready to go, and would have been pretty much a plug and play situation.
During our travels, we talked to a lot of fellow travel trailer owners and the ones that had backup cameras were extremely happy they did. We also had some conversations with people who had backed into things, wrecking their trailer.
If you have the money and you’re travel trailer is wired for a back-up camera, this is a no-brainer purchase.
If your trailer doesn’t come wired for it, there are many wireless options here.
8. Tire Pressure Monitoring System
This is one safety item we purchased before we left on our trip. Todd watched many videos of travel trailer owners talking about blowouts and the damage it caused their rig.
In addition to keeping you safe on the road by helping you avoid blowouts, a TPMS will extend the life of your tires if you pay attention to what it’s telling you.
We recently heard from a friend that their tire pressure monitoring system alerted them to a problem, most likely saving them hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars and a lot of stress.
9. Weight Distribution Hitch with Sway Control
Why is a weight distribution hitch with sway control important? Etrailer.com explains it well:
A weight distribution system helps to ensure a smooth, level ride and allows you to tow to the maximum capacity allowed by your hitch. It also helps to correct tow vehicle sag, improve steering and stopping, and – when used with sway control – correct trailer sway.
Now, the price tag on these is not cheap.
What Todd ended up doing to save us some money, was purchase a slightly used Equal-i-zer hitch from a private party in our area. After having it professionally installed, it came close to the cost of the new hitch, but we had it installed and ready to go.
We’ve become very aware of travel trailers heading down the road that don’t have some sort of sway control hitch installed. They’re the ones you see who have a hard time keeping the trailer in their lane and also struggling quite a bit on windy days.
If you’re planning on doing a lot of traveling in your travel trailer, especially long distances, we highly recommend one of these hitches.
Both the Keystone Passport and these travel trailer accessories helped us have an amazing, safe and adventurous year and a half on the road! If you have any questions about a certain product, RV living or RV travel in general, ask in the comment section below. We love answering questions and doing what we can to help people RV with confidence.
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Julie specializes in helping you whip up delicious meals in your tiny RV kitchen, as well as RV organization tips and helping fellow RVers make their RV feel like home. Her favorite RVing spot is in Banff National Park in Canada where yes, the water really is that blue and the people really are that nice.
It is wonderful that you explained a HitchGrip will give trailer owners a clean and easy way to safely carry and install our trailer hitch as it helps keep the grease off our hands and hinders us from straining our backs. My father owns a trailer and he often complains how the grease gets on his hands and will suffer from backaches. Since his birthday is coming up, I am going to buy a HitchGrip as a present.
Hi Kristofer,
Really glad my explanation helped you out and I can guarantee he will love it! One of the simplest and most useful devices I have come across for travel trailers.
Take care!
Concerning the Hitch Port. I disconnect the trailer from my truck then re-connect the ball and lock it. I put a lock on the receiver hitch end (the male end) so it can’t be connected to a truck without removing the locks then swing it out of the way. No greasy mess. If theft is attempted, I’ll hear them cutting the locks, and I’ll pray for their survival.