After repeated requests for a list of RV tools list, we tried our best to get the most comprehensive and detailed list of tools that you may need while RVing.
Now if you watch the video above, it will become crystal clear that John is officially a “tool-o-holic”. But the first step is admitting you have a problem, and as John emptied out all of the tools he brought to full time RV, it became very clear that he has a problem. 🙂
If we haven’t already met: We’re John & Mercedes, the RV Odd Couple. We sold our house & most all possessions to hit the road and live free, independent, and adventurous lives because life is too darn short! There are affiliate links in this post. This means if you purchase and use our links, it will not cost you a penny more, but we will earn a small commission. Thank you in advance as these help us offset the costs of the blog and creating the video.
So since it’s hard to organize all of John’s Tools, we tried to categorize them. We hope this helps. Remember, John has a collection of tools that has taken him 35 years to accumulate. Some of the items in his collection are no longer available. Some of the items are his exact tools, and others are the best value, quality, and safety for the money. And don’t hesitate to leave a message with any additional items that we may have missed. This article is constantly being updated. So as new products roll out and as we learn more on the road, we’ll have an up to date list of the best RV Tools.
Tire Safety Tools:
- Tire Pressure and Temperature Monitor: Monitoring tire pressure and temperature is an absolute must. We use the following company and recommend them because they quickly replaced the unit when we were having an issue. We got the: TireMinder A1A TPMS w/6 Transmitters: https://amzn.to/2MEPjAI
- Portable Air Compressor: Monitoring Tire pressure isn’t enough. You have to be able to fill tires on the road. And RVs are big, so you can’t stop at any gas station. We highly recommend the Viair because it’s designed for RV’s, lightweight, portable, and adaptable. We actually did a full review on it and you can link to our Viair article here. And here is the Viair we recommend on Amazon. https://amzn.to/2BaszEu
- Tire Iron
- Safety Vest, Neon Yellow: https://amzn.to/2V4R0iE. If your RV ever breaks down on the side of the highway at night, a safety vest can help you stay safe. It’s a small expense when you consider the danger!
- Extendable Breaker Bar, Adjustable Telescoping Handle: https://amzn.to/2UNchZb
- 4-Way Sliding Lug Wrench: https://amzn.to/2GU1fN
- 1/2-Inch Drive Deep Impact Socket Set, Inch, Cr-V, 6-Point, 3/8-Inch – 1-1/4-Inch, 14-Sockets: https://amzn.to/2LoKzCi
- Tire Pressure Gauge: https://amzn.to/2Jck7sS
- Grease Gun: https://amzn.to/2V6kbBY
- Hydraulic Bottle Jack, 12 Ton Capacity: https://amzn.to/2VuzdRp
- Wheel Chock (Pack of 2): https://amzn.to/2DEjPHM
- Orange Cones: https://amzn.to/2VANR9v Again, if your RV ever breaks down on the side of the road, you want to keep safe and make sure other drivers give you enough space. These cones are cheep and light weight.
Essential Electrical:
- Surge Protector: We actually met someone that ruined all of the electrical in his brand new RV because he didn’t have a Surge Protector. Many RV parks have so-so electrical that is in need of repair. Protect the electrical cal with the Surge protector we use, the Southwire Surge Guard 50 amp: https://amzn.to/2PD7Qz8 and here’s the Southwire Surge Guard 30 amp: https://amzn.to/2VMx2Zo
- Dog bone: If you watched our “First Fight/Campground Etiquette” video, you know that not having a doggone almost got John into a fight. Since that experience and since we’ve come to multiple parks that only have 30 AMP, we’ve purchased a “dog bone.” We like the Camco RV Dogbone Electrical Adapter With Easy PowerGrip Handle, 30 Amp Male to 50 Amp Female, 18″ (3750W/125V) (55185): https://amzn.to/2U970LR
- Circuit breaker
- 30-15amp adapter
- Electrical cords 25′, 50′,100′.
Hand Tools:
Ok guys, this can get intense, so we’ve listed the hand tools below. Some of the links are to sets that include multiple items on John’s list. His favorite brand is Dewalt. But shop the brands that you like best. You can use this as a reference to make sure you have all the RV Tools you will need.
- DEWALT 20V MAX Combo Kit, Compact 7-Tool: https://amzn.to/2LaBo8y
- RHINO USA Bungee Cords with Hooks 28pc Heavy Duty Assortment: https://amzn.to/2PHigO3
- DEWALT Medium Trigger Clamp with 12 inch Bar 2pk: https://amzn.to/2DHOFPK
- Torpedo Level: https://amzn.to/2V4Xga8
- DEWALT DWHT10295 Premium Utility Knife: https://amzn.to/2J86F9I
- Pliers Set, 4-Piece: https://amzn.to/2GVsSWZ
- DEWALT 35 Piece IMPACT READY FlexTorq Screwdriving Bit Set: https://amzn.to/2XU9grV
- Caulking Gun: https://amzn.to/2GTxWLj
- DEWALT Mechanics Tools Kit and Socket Set, 168-Piece: https://amzn.to/2GWClgQ
- Channellock Tongue and Groove Plier Set: https://amzn.to/2LoFOZQ
- DEWALT Deep Impact Socket Set, 7-Piece, 1/2″ Drive Metric: https://amzn.to/2LtiKJt
- 24” Heavy Duty Steaks
- Premium RV Slide Out Rubber Seal Conditioner and Protectant – 14 oz – Thetford 32778: https://amzn.to/2VEkaoe
- Heavy-Duty Security Cable, Vinyl Coated Braided Steel with Sealed Looped Ends: https://amzn.to/2LhgpkH
- MASTER LOCK COMPANY 4PK: https://amzn.to/2GMwf15
- Battery Operated Nailer: This is John’s only regret when he had to get rid of his pneumatic tools. The compressor was too heavy at 55lbs. As soon as he decided to leave the compressor behind, he also had to leave behind the air tools that accompanied that. So to keep the tools as light as possible, he would recommend a battery operated nailer. So on his “Father’s Day wish list,” John wants the DEWALT 18-Volt Cordless 1-1/4 Inch – 2-1/2 Inch 16 Gauge 20 Degree Angled Finish Nailer Kit: https://amzn.to/2V4NNdU
- Tape measure
- Screen Setter
- Stud finder
- Crimps
- Hand wrench set
- Wire Cutters
- HandDriver
- Open Ended Hand Driver
- Hexshank
- Square Shank bits
- Tape
- Electrical Wire Snippers
- Wrecking Bar
- Hammer
- Rigid Multi tool (jigsaw, sawazal)
- Blades
- Drill bits
- Dremel
- Rubber mallet
- Grinder
- Telescopic Ladder: Funny story, John sold his telescopic ladder when downsizing for Full time RV life because it weighed 65lbs. If you saw the tools video you know that he has 3 ladders. The combined weight of his 3 aluminum ladders is 22lbs. One of the advantages of having multiple ladders is that he can use a piece of wood and 2 ladders for staging. Since that is “slightly” over-doing it we are recommending a telescopic ladder. Today’s telescopic ladders are much lighter, in the 30lbs range. https://amzn.to/2DPMObA
RV & Auto Wash:
You may not consider RV and Auto Washing to be part of tools, but we find that the RV and Truck get dirty quickly from driving and our adventures. We include these items in our list of RV tools, not because they are essential, but because we really like being able to wash our truck and RV whenever we like and they are light-weight tools.
- Stoner Car Care Tarminator Tar Sap & Asphalt Remover: https://amzn.to/2V6Bnad
- SPX3001 2030 PSI 1.76 GPM 14.5 AMP Electric Pressure Washer with Hose Reel, Green: https://amzn.to/2Sb8CHm
- Camco RV Flow-Through Wash Brush with Adjustable Handle and Integrated Squeegee: https://amzn.to/2V83h5C
- Window Cleaning Solution
- Portable Vacuum
Plumbing Tools:
- Water filter. We are currently using a cheap filter linked here https://amzn.to/2JiONsO, but it’s come to our attention that we need to step up our water filter game. We’re researching a filtration system, like this one, https://amzn.to/2VLTBNO, but we’ll let you know which one we ended up selecting.
- Water pressure regulator: https://amzn.to/2MCoSzD The water pressure regulator is a small cost when you consider the cost of damaging all of the plumbing in the RV! Different RV Parks have different water pressure. If you don’t have a Water Pressure Regulator, you risk harm to your whole plumbing system. $40 up front can save you thousands in the future!
- Water hose, 25″, 50″, & 100, Kink-Free Hose: https://amzn.to/2I4JbBl. Remember, you need multiple hoses. Invest in good hoses. Sometimes the hardware store is far away. And having a Kink-Free Hose makes storage so much easier.
- Hose Splitter: https://amzn.to/31kdZ8L. Sometimes RV Parks only give you one hose connection. This splitter has come in handy multiple times.
- Washers
- Hose Repair Kit
- Plumbing Snake
- Heat Tape
- Pex Cutters
- Shark Bites
- Bio-Pak Natural Holding Tank Deodorizer and Waste Drop-Ins, Alpine Fresh Scent (10): https://amzn.to/2ICE6CF
- Safeguard Nitrile Disposable Gloves, Powder free, Food Grade Gloves, Latex Free, 100 Pc. Dispenser Pack, Large Size, Blue: https://amzn.to/2LbSeDV
Miscellaneous Tools:
The following items are tools that we have with us. They didn’t quite fit into any category but we find them helpful.
- Long Zip Ties (just get the long ones because you always cut them shorter and the long ones are thicker and stronger!
- Gun Cleaner
- Freedom Ropes: Kinetic Energy Recovery Ropes for pulling safely. These roads stretch so they don’t jerk when pulling: https://freedomropes.com
- Furion Back-Up Camera (Not Recommended). https://amzn.to/2KElpOd Our Furion is not cooperating with us. We are going to test the Hallowview https://amzn.to/2KCzT12 and compare the two. We will update this after we test the two out.
- Fire Extinguisher: https://amzn.to/2WwOGlh
- RainJacket
RV Boondocking Basics:
- Champion 3400-Watt Dual Fuel RV Ready Portable Inverter Generator with Electric Start: https://amzn.to/2WnkAgl Even though we don’t boondocks, we’ve used the generator when the RV Park power was down. It was so nice having AC that day!
- Propane regulator
- Funnels
Why are we sharing our RV Tools List?
When we decided to take this huge leap of faith and RV full-time with our family, so many people offered us help. We are sharing about this trip and other RVing essentials to help others considering the full-time rving lifestyle.
We’d like to pay it forward. We’ve created a download of our “Top 10 RV Must Haves.” This download has links to ease purchase. You’ll Join our “RV Odd Squad” and be the first to know about our new adventures, products, and RV living hacks!
Thanks for Joining our RV Odd Squad,
John, Mercedes, Sage & Skippy