Just bought our first Hybrid camper and we know it is a little small but we are hoping we can make do for a few years in it. I want to know what are some must haves and great things to want for the camper. We are putting a list together, "WE NEED" it and a "WE WANT" list.Help me fill this list out.

To answer your question you need to tell a little more about what you want to do, and how. How many travelling? Kids? Want wild remote areas, or resort style campgrounds with tennis courts and swimming pools? To figure out what you need, try staying in your camper in your driveway to learn what you and your family prefer. Keep list of all the things you run back in the house for, and then decide whether to always transfer stuff or buy new for either home or camper. A weekend or two in the driveway to learn how to make everything fit and work will make your first short trip to a campground go a little smoother.

kerrlakeRoo wrote:To answer your question you need to tell a little more about what you want to do, and how. How many travelling? Kids? Want wild remote areas, or resort style campgrounds with tennis courts and swimming pools? To figure out what you need, try staying in your camper in your driveway to learn what you and your family prefer. Keep list of all the things you run back in the house for, and then decide whether to always transfer stuff or buy new for either home or camper. A weekend or two in the driveway to learn how to make everything fit and work will make your first short trip to a campground go a little smoother.There are 4 of us camping a 2 year old, 5 year old and my wife and I. we are doing both resort style and state park camping. We don't have anything we can transfer other then some tent camping stuff. We have a hybrid and want to know if we need get some sleeping bags as they are lighter and will dry faster if they get wet over a comforter. Moisture will get every where just need to make it not as bad.

In very broad general terms, and YOU will need to select the specifics:1. Personal hygiene items, everything from the tooth paste to the Q-tips to the hair spray, bath towels to toe-nail clippers.2. Food preparation items. This actually falls into a couple categories.A. Inside cookingB. Outside cookingAre you planning on cooking on the camper stove inside? Then you need to consider your pots and pans. Are you cooking outside? Then you need to consider what will be your heat source? Electric griddles, BBQ's, fire pit, Coleman Camp stove, crock pot, Dutch Oven? Then have the utensils to make that happen. We have pots and pans that will work over a fire pit and on the trailer stove top, but we also have 2 electric griddles (which we use 99 percent of the time) outside. So that also means extra extension cords.3. Some kind of first aid kit, at least some extra bandaids.4. Outside lighting for after dark ... consider both battery powered and AC powered lighting... Flashlight to awning tackie-lights. Still, something to light the dark.5. Your food, your toys, your hobbies, (including television watching, computers, I-pads, cell phones, any other type of electronics for entertainment), fishing pole, magazines.6. Dinner wear. Dishes to eat off of, if that be plastic, paper, or Grandma's old china, you need to have something to eat off of and with (forks, spoons, plastic or metal)7. Trailer set-up. A. Something to level the camper. The tires should be on some kind of leveling blocks, if that be wooden boards or Lego-style pads. You need something to level under the tires and under your stabilizer jacks and tongue jack.B. Something to plug the camper into electricity with (an RV extension cord... 30 amp or 50 amp, depending on your camper.) 50 foot or 25 feet lengths, whatever you may think you'll need. We carry enough for about 175 feet.C. Water supply? Garden hoses. Usually white is designated for drink water, but some of us old timers refuse to give up that old green hose laying in our yard. Your choice. Take your own chances with how strong your immune system has become. Mine's pretty good after 63 years.D. Sewer (black and grey tank) hoses. Here again, there are expensive ones and cheep ones. Your choice. We've had both, and they both eventually fail. Length? That's a matter of preference. I like to make sure I have at least enough to reach from the sewer outlet on my camper to the farthest end of the camper and about 10 feet beyond that. Sometimes, weird campgrounds will have the sewer drains at the rear of the campsite pad. I carry about 100 feet of hose all the time. Usually use only 30 feet of it though, because of the location of my drain on the camper.D. Chocks! Most important. Chocks. Get chocks and use them every time you unhitch the camper, even in storage, and even on flat ground. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER forget to chock, even if you think it's not necessary. Do it! There are several different kinds and styles of chocks. But even a 2x4 can be used as a chock.E. Outside furniture (folding chairs, collapsible hammocks, outside kitchen set-ups, folding end tables, substitute picnic table in the event you are ever somewhere that might NOT have a picnic table. Outside ground mat (your choice), outside lighting.F. Bedding? Sheets, blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, electric blankets? (oh yea, really nice for Spring, Fall, and Winter camping). Something for every bed in the camper, and tailored to each person's likes and dislikes who will be using that bed space. 8. Odd's and ends: Like extension cords for any appliance you may have with you. A small tool set, including a hatchet and a utility knife. Here again, take only tools that are needed for the camper and only what you are able to fix on the spot. More is not necessary. Items like duct tape, electrical tape, bungie cords, rope, cloths pins, string, extra batteries for any battery operated device you bring along. Are you planning on bringing your own firewood? You may want a tarp to cover the fire wood and some way to pin it to the ground (like tent stakes). Do you have pets? Dog dishes, leashes, pet food, dog shampoo? It's all up to you.Basically, anything you use in your house, you will most likely use in your camper too. Think of your camper as an extension of your house, and stock it that way. Only you know what your likes and dislikes are, your style of living, and how much you can afford to spend, beg, or borrow to stock the new camper. But, once it get inside the camper, keep it there. Get a second one to replace the one in the house, or buy new for the camper. And, by the way ... you will always, and forever going forward, be stocking your camper. Three years from now, you'll throw out all the unused "stuff" and 2 years later, you'll be doing it again. It never ends. It's important to control your compulsive instincts to want to razzle and dazzle everyone with your great accumulation of camping gadgets. It's not necessary. And eventually, you'll find there is really nothing special about camping gear and stuff in your house, except maybe where it's used.Good luck! Enjoy! And congrats on the new camper!

CA83 wrote:...... We don't have anything we can transfer other then some tent camping stuff. Transfer it all, even the tent too. Keep everything at least the first year with your new camper. You'll be surprised how much of the "old stuff" you will use with the new camper ... including outside camp stoves if you have one. And bring the old tent along. It makes a great outside extra room for storing stuff after setting up the camper. And if the mother-in-law ever comes along ... she has her own bedroom! :) We have a hybrid and want to know if we need get some sleeping bags as they are lighter and will dry faster if they get wet over a comforter. Moisture will get every where just need to make it not as bad.I don't think you'll have that problem with a trailer, even a hybrid. You're going to be much, much drier than in a tent. Consider using sheets and blankets, and at best, a sleeping bag that can open up and become a blanket. When we moved from our tent, we kept our sleeping bags. We found, even in our pop-up, they were just so hot, we started using blankets. Never went back to sleeping bags. By the time we got our first trailer, we'd already given those sleeping bags away. ... Consider blankets and sheets, just like in your house. And by the way ... electric blankets are absolutely wonderful!

CA83 wrote:We are putting a list together, "WE NEED" it and a "WE WANT" list. Help me fill this list out.Just answered this last week in another thread ... "Initially you NEED whatever it takes to safely Park & Power your trailer for the manner in which you intend to use it. That means -* a method of leveling the trailer side-to-side* a means of safely chocking it so it can't shift once disconnected from the tow vehicle* a means of feeding it fresh water, whether connected to an on-site water tap or one near your site, or whether you have to go collect it elsewhere in the campground and later transfer it into the trailer's fresh water holding tank* a means of off loading waste water, both while you're still camping and later when you're leaving and want to empty those waste tanks at the campground dump station* a sufficient means to power the trailer, whether you're on a site offering shore power or whether you're running on battery. That may mean additional main service cable so you can reach the campground power post or when dry camping sufficient battery reserve to get you through your anticipated stay without excessively depleting the battery or batteries.Beyond that about the only "must have" I personally would recommend is a poly weave under awning ground mat so you're not tracking dirt / sand into the camper. Anything else can wait, acquired only as you find you might actually use it.Pics of my own solutions are in my gallery."

New to Trailer camping, what are some must haves, and wants

Blazing_Zippers
Explorer II
Feb 03, 2019
We have a "TAKE" list on the computer and print it out before leaving. It lists everything we might need to "take" on a trip. Like, cameras, fish gear, food, coffee, shoes & clothes, snacks, drinks, etc. Also lists things we need to do before leaving the house--like, mail pick up, water the lawn and plants, etc. Before we walk out and lock the door, we go over the list one last time-once we had forgotten our passports.
Have fun. You'll get in the grove in no time.
ZINGERLITE
Explorer
Feb 03, 2019
Make a couple shake down runs at a near by camp ground. You can either run to the store or head back home to grab something. After a couple of trips you'll have a good idea of what you want.

I end up tailoring my camper to the trip now. If were leaving for a week or so i brink everything and the kitchen sink. if its a quick weekend up north where we wont be doing much hanging out at the camper then i pack light. Clothes, coffee provisions and maybe breakfast stuff. Might even want to toss a pack of hotdogs and smore stuff in the fridge. on long trips i pack everything. I even go through my tool box in the garage. bring things i don't need.

Some trips are for relaxing at the camp ground and some trips with the camper were just using it as a hotel room on wheels.

think about your trip as your packing. Grab things from the house. If you keep finding yourself saying "ah ****, that pot is in the camper" buy another next time you go out. If you find yourself constantly annoyed by something you never use and its always in the way at the camp sited then take it out. Alot of items i thought id need get tossed.
OleManOleCan
Explorer
Feb 02, 2019
At some campgrounds a small TV and 50' of cable connects you to campground cable TV.
Other campgrounds lack TV access, some lack WIFI and Internet too.
Carry a book, and games. Rent movies to watch on a laptop.
travelnman
Explorer
May 05, 2018
If you boondock the equipment is somewhat different and essential like toilet
paper which you normally don't need to take in a private campground or state
park. Generator would be useful and some sort of protection from all kinds
of animals some intelligent and others not so. Don't mean to alarm you but
it is sadly essential today. Insect repellent could be your best friend in
many places where ticks and no "seam's room. We landed in beautiful park in
British Columbia with a wonderful swimming pool overlooking snow covered mountains and a lodge but no one was around. That's because it was "no seams'"
season and explained why folks were dressed in netting from head to toe. These
bugs were worse than deer flies and could suck blood quicker than you could
lift a hand. Your life depended on getting back to the camper while you
still had some left. I could hear others laughing at us that day. Then we went to the ocean and got bit by jellyfish floating in the beach area that would have been the last straw except some college girls were laying around with wardrobe malfunctions. Suddenly the scenery helped me to forget the jellyfish. Well if your lucky enough to have this happen then you will need sunscreen and a big beach towel. My most sought after item when looking for a camper today is the size of the fresh water holding tank. I recommend sixty gal plus for a week with kids and then conserve as much as you can anyway you can. Hauling five gal jugs of water and holding them above your shoulder to pour down a little hole in the RV can take some skill and endurance. If your still in the popup phase please ignore this last part but if your planning to upsize some day keep
this advise handy.
ppine
Explorer II
Apr 30, 2018
A great woman.
some really good dogs.
wool blankets and down sleeping bags
good chairs
a couple of Dutch Ovens
a decent bottle of whiskey, a little weed
some Grateful Dead CDs
ependydad
Explorer
Apr 30, 2018
I have an article for just this reason:
http://learntorv.com/newbie-first-trip-essentials/

I talk about the NEED TO haves, SHOULD haves, and WANTS/NICE to haves.

Hope it helps!
lewisr
Explorer
Apr 28, 2018
A must have for the kids is a sleeping bag, especially at their age. It was at the top of the list for my kids. Let them pick out their very own.
postmandug
Explorer
Apr 27, 2018
fitznj wrote:
in addition to the above:

- a pack of playing cards
- a board game or two
- a few books/magazines
- sipping whiskey !!

#4 is very important!
I was looking in my bar a few weeks ago for a bottle of bourbon from a barrel pick some friends did. Nowhere to be found. Walked in the TT one day and remembered I’d put about 6 bottles of GOOD bourbon in a cabinet to share with others while camping!

??
hokeypokey
Explorer
Apr 21, 2018
I bought a spiral notebook from Dollar Store. It’s got my checklists in there. You will absolutely discover things you wished you had brought, so jot it in the notebook then it gets packed next time. A good thing to remember is unload and leave home the things you find you won’t need. It takes up your valuable space.
FF286
Explorer
Apr 21, 2018
As someone mentioned popup gizmos will help in the summer, they help keep the bed area much cooler. Electric blankets for cold weather. Last year on spring break it was cold enough for small snow showers with the canvas walls and air below the bed it was cold.