RV essentials

I've been thinking about our time in the RV and what it took to be on the road.  There are 9 items that we could not have lived without.  Without further ado. 

#1 Back up camera:  There was no way to see out the back of the RV and at 22' long you really want to know what's going on behind you.  We found ours on amazon and kept it on all the time using it like a rear view mirror.  You can shop it HERE.

#2 RV lock:  As it turns out you can open almost any old lock on an RV with ANY key.  I tried it.  The key to our shed opened the RV.  Not good.  We tried a different electronic lock prior to this one and returned it.  For the 5 months we traveled this lock held up great... I think there was one instance when it went a little screwy but we had the key to open it.  You can shop it HERE.

#3 Safe:  It's great to have the additional security when traveling.  This safe fit under our dining bench and we bolted it to the ground.  Never had any problems with it at all and only had the change the batteries once in 5 months. You can shop it HERE.

#4 Solar charger:  The cigaret lighters in our RV didn't have a strong charge so the Garmin would often die very quickly.  This solar charger kept it going for hours on end.  Although it really doesn't charge itself in the sun (it would take about 2 days I'm guessing) we charged it every night with power and it held up throughout the day.  You can shop it HERE.

#5 Hydro Flask:  The best water bottle ever.  We used these all day every day and I'm still using it now while living in our house.  Keeps liquids cold forever and even when the bottle is extremely hot when left in the sun the liquid inside is cold cold cold.  You can shop it HERE.

#6 Phone adaptor: This little thing came in so handy.  We used our computer screen mounted to the wall as a tv and were able to plug Tim's iphone into this adaptor to stream Netflix.  A few downfalls... You have to download the shows you want to watch because it wont let you stream directly.  Since updating the phone we had trouble using it with Netflix at all but it worked with Amazon shows.  I don't understand technology, but it's worth looking at.  You can shop it HERE.

#7 AeroPress coffee maker:  So this one is more for Tim because I don't drink coffee but he has tried many many different coffee makers and this is by far his favorite.  This is another product we are still using now in our home.  It was perfect in the RV because it's small and easy to use.  It only makes one cup though so if you need coffee for a lot of people you may want something bigger.  You can shop it HERE.

#8  Cooling vest:  This one is for the dogs (Cudi and Bo).  They rode in the RV secured under the dining table and during those hot days the ac (when it was working) didn't reach far enough to keep them cool.  These vests made a considerable difference for them and stayed cool for several hours.  You can shop it HERE.

#9 Mattress:  Last but not least, probably the most important, was our mattress.  I'm a terrible sleeper as it is, so the thought of sleeping in a tiny bed in an RV for 5 months was concerning.  We partnered with Brentwood Home to have a custom mattress made and it was AMAZING, and all natural!  I actually slept better on it than any full sized mattress anywhere.  We love it some much we have one in our home now (queen size)  You can shop it HERE.