rv extension cord
I am planning a cross country rv trip and need to get a power extension cord. What do you feel is the maximum length I will need? Trying to not buy more than needed as storage is a premium on our 5th wheel.
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26 Replies
In Texas and gulf coast, I park my 5th wheel based on my 25ft. 50amp power cord. If your camping where the temps are cooler, then you can get by with 30amp power, I carry a 50ft- 30 amp cord. I hope you do not need a 50ft amp cord
I have about 20' of 10 gauge 30 amp cord with the camper. I bought a camping worthless 20' 10 gauge extension with 30 amp end connectors that were horrible, constantly losing connection. I have used a 100' 10 gauge husky extension cord without issus except it's too large. I now use a husky 50' 12 gauge extension cord and it works great. Runs AC unit summer and 1250 watts electric heat winter. Also runs 330 watt fridge all year. It's not tough to size and assemble a cable to suit your requirements 30 or 50 amps.
Hey there,
We’ve been full-timing for a couple of years now and honestly, a 25 ft extension cord has been the sweet spot for us. Most sites have the pedestal pretty close, but every once in a while, you’ll run into a spot where you’re just a few feet short. It’s rare, but when it happens, you’ll be really glad you have it.I didn’t want to carry a super heavy, long cord either — storage is always a premium in our fifth wheel. A 25ft RV extension cord is easy to store and light enough to manage, but still gives you that extra flexibility when you need it.
If you’re looking for a good one, I recommend this 50A RV extension cord: [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CLXZNPLJ?th=1] and 30A RV extension cord: [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CLXXC4NL?th=1].
It’s durable, handles the load well, and has been super reliable for us so far. Definitely a good balance between having what you need without overpacking.Safe travels and enjoy your cross-country trip! 🚐✨
- The best thing is to get a 25 ft. extension. You won;t need it until you need it. About once a year we will land in a site that we are a couple of feet short of the pedestal.
Ken - My three cents. In all the years of traveling here and there, we have only needed an extra few feet i would say less than half dozen times. We have a 50 amp, with only one a/c, I have a 30 amp shore power cord that I use when traveling, also have one 25 foot 30 amp extension cord, plus one 25 foot heavy 12 gauge cord that I have only needed a couple times, that was to help with someone else needing power when dry camping. I would get one 30 amp extension cord or a heavy 25 foot regular extension cord to use for battery, lights, and misc. stuff. you can run fridge and water heater on gas to keep load to a minimum. While traveling, but may not handle a/c. If storage can be an issue, the smaller of the two should work. OR, you can always wait until you need it, run on battery for the night if you have to, that's why we have fully self contained units. Good Luck & Be Safe ! ! !
- We mooch-dock at a friend's house about every other year. They are kind enough to let us tap the 15A circuit by their front door. But it is way too far for our RV cable to reach, so I'm adding 12 gauge extension cords to bridge the gap.
I still put my Southwire surge guard in line between the RV cord and the 15A extension cords we use. We've had the voltage drop enough to trip the surge guard (not even trying to run the AC).
A 25' RV cord sounds like a good length to help you reach but not risk going too far.
Best regards,
Chris - FWIW, my extension cord resides in the same milk crate as the OEM cord, 30/50 dog bone and various other adapters. Also, if I can find one, I'm going to buy a screw-type 90 degree dog bone adapter that has a standard 4-prong female plug on the other end and only use the Camco extension cord, since it's so much more flexible.
Lyle packnrat wrote:
how long is your rv?
how long is your "factory" cord.
subtract the cord length from the rv length.
add in a couple feet round up and thats how long it needs to be at max length.
just think, if the power is farthest away from your power input spot.
This. Our toy hauler is 43' feet now and the stock cord is about 35'. The inlet is about middle of the camper. I've needed a 15' extension on quite a few occasion in the last 15 months.
On my last fifth wheel, it was 42' and the stock cord was about 35'. The power inlet was in the rear corner of the rig. I only needed an extension once but had to be particular about where I parked less than 5 times ... in almost 6 years of ownership!
For the OP- throw the extension cord in the truck bed. Doesn't take up premium storage space in the fifth wheel and is there when you need it.Michelle.S wrote:
Yeah, that applies to a lot of stuff, and you'd be carrying everything but the kitchen sink if you strictly adhered to it.
You know what that say "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it"
Yep, sure could use 2 or 3 spare tires, just in case. Sure could use those complete set of wrenches, just in case. Sure could use another tow vehicle as a back up, just in case. Sure could use a complete axle set, just in case. The list goes on and on. Sometimes you just have to say, "Okay I'm carrying enough stuff, and I can get by just fine".
Which has been proven over the last 15 years. In fact the only thing I've ever needed and didn't have was another spare tire when the trailer blew 2 tires within 20 minutes of each other. And you know what? I still carry just one spare tie.- You know what that say "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it"
