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

[CA83]

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.

[welove2drive]

A fan to circulate air inside and to blow away the bugs outside.
An electric skillet. Nice for cooking outside along with the camp grill. Toaster. A small white folding table to set outside the trailer for cooking, drinks.
We have a basket drawer in our freezer in the basement where I stash camping food, fish, cooked burgers, leftovers, steaks all ready to grab and go.
I bought the smaller size, mustard, mayo, etc. They fit nice in the trailer fridge door. Refill as needed.
I also keep small bottles/containers of oils, spices, sugar, flour, etc. in the trailer. Keep utensils in covered containers. Mice will get in there.
We re-purposed a kid size tackle box to hold tools, screws, light bulbs, the special square head screwdriver.
We love our Shark Rocket vacuum.
Keep a few changes of clothes, shoes, beach sandals,seasonal and jackets, gloves, hats, $1 store rain ponchos so you don't have to pack clothes each trip.
A tray w/sides for carrying plates, food, etc in and out of trailer.
We usually have pen / paper to write down things to remember to replace, buy when we get home.
We have 3 one gallon jugs that we fill with water at home. They ride in the shower. We don't like to drink the water out of the holding tank.
A notebook for a trip journal.
Broom, rake, Axe, fireplace poker and shovel. Bucket (many uses)
A short wood box step for times when it is a big first step in to trailer due to leveling.
Outdoor extension cord.
We have over time duplicated what is in the house. It is our second home.
#1 favorite part of the trailer is the awning! Bathroom and bed off the ground too!
Happy Camping!
Marcia

[coolmom42]

Good advice from Dutchment Sport.

Additionally..... don't take every single thing you think you MIGHT need. I guarantee you will not be more than an hour from a Walmart or Dollar Tree or grocery store, wherever you go. Take what you KNOW you will need and what there is a high probability of needing.

Add some way to make notes and add items to a list, whether it's a phone app or pencil and paper.

[PAThwacker]

Other needs such as portable gray tanks, aquatainers, collapsible tanks, macerator pumps, jump boxes, 2000 watt portable generators and pupup gizmos. Join popupportal or popup Explorer to learn about hybrids. I’m way more advanced than pulling into a campground and plugging in. Most of my camping was at state parks with only electric. Some state parks have no hookups. You will learn what is required gear. Pots and pans. Dutch ovens, chuckboxes, and folding kitchens. Learn why trailers come with full outdoor kitchens. You will be doing 90 to 100 percent of cooking outside.

[rbpru]

My must haves include a spare tire and the tool and knowledge to change them.

Take your best guess at what you need, go camping. There is a Wal-Mart in the next town if you really need it.

I still have "must have" items in their original packages that folks said I could not live without.

Over time your camping needs are dictated by how your camping style evolves.

Be safe

[PAThwacker]

You will learn quick what your next trailer needs. At minimum 15” running gear, 4500 lb axles 50-90 gallons of water. 30/30/30 tanks are refilling fresh and dumping gray if you are State Park camping at 11 am on a Saturday. Been there done it. Now I avoid Campgrounds and strictly boondock with my pup.
I bring 48 gallons of water for two people or 80 gallons if my kids come. I bring bikes, canoe, fishing gear, games, toy bin, ect. Kids infant to 3 was bringing bob strollers, pack n play ect.

[Lwiddis]

The first three, fitznj, aren’t necessary IMO.

[fitznj]

in addition to the above:

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

[SoundGuy]

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."

[DutchmenSport]

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!

[DutchmenSport]

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 cooking
B. Outside cooking


Are 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]

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.

[kerrlakeRoo]

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.