Completing the Picture 10 Essential RV Tips for the Ultimate Experience (part 3)

Alright, fellow travelers, welcome back for the final installment of RV wisdom forged on the highways and byways of North America! We’ve covered the absolute safety essentials in Part 1, and then dug into the practicalities of making your RV a comfortable home in Part 2.

Now, in this third part, we’re going to look at even more RV tips that enhance the experience of RVing – staying connected, enjoying the outdoors, and adding those little touches that make life on the road even better. Some of these are highly practical, while others lean more towards maximizing fun and convenience based on your personal travel style.

So, let’s wrap up this series with 10 more tips from our years living full-time in our Class A motorhom.

Enhancing Your RV Experience: 10 More Tips from a Full-Timer (Part 3)

You’ve mastered the drive, made your rig a comfortable haven, and you’re out exploring. What’s next? These tips focus on staying connected, enjoying the environment around you, and bringing some extra convenience and fun to your campsite.

For many, grilling is synonymous with camping and RVing. While some RVs have exterior hookups or built-in grills, a good portable BBQ offers flexibility. You can set it up away from your rig, use it even if your RV doesn’t have exterior propane access, and easily clean it outside. Enjoying a meal cooked outdoors, smelling that smoke under the open sky, is a classic part of the RV experience. Just make sure you have a secure place to store it when traveling.

Even with the decent-sized fridge in my Class A, extra cooler space always comes in handy. They’re great for drinks, keeping frequently accessed items easily available outside, or handling overflow groceries after a big shopping trip. A good quality cooler keeps things cold for days and doubles as extra seating around the campfire.

Reliable internet can be hit-or-miss in campgrounds. A basic WiFi booster or extender can help pull in a weak campground signal and amplify it inside your rig. It’s not a miracle worker and depends entirely on the quality of the source signal, but it can sometimes mean the difference between struggling to load a page and having a usable connection, especially if you’re parked further from the office or hotspot.

This is paramount if you work from the road or just value consistent connectivity. Campground WiFi is notoriously unreliable – often slow, spotty, and sometimes non-existent. Don’t rely solely on it. Invest in a dedicated cellular hotspot device or ensure your phone plan has a generous data allowance and hotspot capability. Having a backup is essential for peace of mind and staying connected when you need to be.

Your RV’s furnace and rooftop A/C are designed to heat and cool the whole space, but sometimes supplementary units are more efficient or effective. Small electric space heaters can warm a specific area (like the bedroom) without running the main furnace constantly (using up propane or loud air handlers). Similarly, portable fans help circulate air and can make humid or slightly warm conditions much more comfortable without needing the A/C roaring all the time. They use shore power, so they’re great when hooked up.

Campground fire restrictions due to dry conditions are increasingly common. A portable propane campfire ring is a fantastic solution. You get the ambiance, warmth, and marshmallow-roasting capability of a fire without the sparks and embers that cause fire bans. They’re quick to set up, easy to turn off, and perfectly legal when wood fires are prohibited.

Alright, this one moves into the “nice-to-have” category, but for pizza aficionados, it’s a game-changer. A pizza stone can be used in your RV oven (if you have one), on your portable BBQ, or even carefully placed over a campfire grate to create delicious, crispy-crusted pizzas. It’s not essential for basic RV life, but it definitely elevates campsite cooking if pizza is your thing.

It’s also great for your oven.  You may or may not have “hot spots” in your oven – places where the heat is uneven.  Put a pizza stone above your burner, but below the grill in your oven and watch the heat even out.

Electric bikes (e-bikes) are becoming popular among RVers, and for good reason! They allow you to easily explore local towns, trails, and attractions that are too far to walk but where parking your RV (or even the towed Versa) might be difficult. They’re a great way to stay active and see more. However, they are a significant investment and require dedicated storage space and security. Definitely a luxury item, but one that can enhance your exploration significantly if it fits your budget and style.

If your RV adventures frequently involve lakes, rivers, or the coast, and you plan on kayaking, paddleboarding, boating, or even just being near the water’s edge, good quality lifejackets are essential safety gear. They aren’t needed for everyone, but if water activities are part of your plan, make sure you have properly sized and rated lifejackets for everyone.

Rounding out the list is the humble collapsible wagon. While not essential for survival, it’s surprisingly useful. Need to haul groceries from the car? Taking laundry to the facility? Carrying chairs and supplies to a potluck or campfire? A collapsible wagon folds down small for storage but can carry a surprising amount of weight, saving you multiple trips. It’s a convenience item that pays for itself in saved effort.

And there you have it – 30 tips covering safety, comfort, convenience, and making the most of your time RVing. This lifestyle offers incredible freedom and experiences, and being prepared with the right knowledge and gear makes all the difference. Happy travels, and maybe I’ll see you down the road!