Whether you are heading out on an adventure with no plan or made a reservation at a quaint campground, you definitely don’t want to be left wondering if you remembered to pack all the necessities. As an avid camper, first growing up with my family and now with my own, nothing was worse than setting up camp and realizing you forgot a major toiletry item. It can really put a damper on your trip and your wallet.
This is a list of the items that as a tent trailer owner I believe to be necessary when camping.
1 – Wheel Chocks
A surefire way to have a bad start to your adventure is having your trailer roll away. Once your trailer is in position, chocking the tires is key to keeping it in place. The old school way of doing it was placing a rock or piece of wood in front and behind the tire. Which I guess is fine if you want to lay awake at night wondering if the trailer is going to roll. But that’s all part of the adventure, right?
A better way for wheel security is to use plastic wheel chocks. They are low in price and easy to store. Placing one in front and behind each tire will keep it from rolling away. If you really want to lock your tires into place, then using a single tire chock like the BAL single tire chock would be a wise purchase. Fitting around the tire you would ratchet it until it tightens around the tire. It isn’t going anywhere now.
2 – Trailer Leveler
Nothing is worse than a trailer that isn’t level. Water won’t drain properly. Food rolls off the table. You wake in the middle of the night with a massive headache because you are sleeping at an angle. This can make for a very bad next day.
Once you have officially backed in or pulled through to your campsite it is time to check the trailer’s level. I have yet to find one that left me perfectly level. Not even paved campsites. You’ll need something to tell you if you’re level. Levels come in a variety of forms. A small level from a local hardware store does the trick nicely. Or it can be a special one that sits on the tongue of the trailer that shows both front/back and left/right level. Front to back is always an adjustment of the crank. Left and right need some help.
So how do you level left and right? Well glad you asked. You could go old school and find rocks or wood to drive up on, but that just adds to the setup process. It also doesn’t sound like a good start to your camping adventure. I recommend either the purchase of plastic stacking blocks or a tire leveler from a company like BAL. It acts as a jack to slowly lift the lower side of the trailer. The blocks mean you will need to move the trailer in order to drive up on the blocks. The tire leveler fits around the tire and literally jacks up the side.
3 – Fresh Water Carrier
Depending on how you choose to camp in your tent trailer, chances are you will have times when you need to fetch water to add to your fresh water holding tank. Many places may have a location where you are able to fill up before heading to your site. This makes it nice for a short trip. However, many campgrounds don’t offer this and you have to rely on water spigots placed around the campground. This means you are going to need to carry it multiple times. Especially when you have a 30 gallon holding tank.
This is easily accomplished with the use of a water container. Just know that the smaller gallon amount means more trips. Also, know that the more gallons it holds the heavier the container will be. Of course a way to remedy having to carry it is the use of a wheeled luggage carrier. A funnel helps greatly in making sure that all that collected water gets into the tank and not around your feet soaking them.
4 – Potable Water Hose
If you have a hookup site that includes water, then a good hose is in order. Depending on where the spigot is (sometimes not where it is convenient) determines the length of hose you will need. A 25’ hose should be able to accommodate a majority of sites you end up on. I personally have never needed anything longer. But to be safe, you could just go with a 50’ one. It is also a good idea to have spare washers for the hose. They tend to dry out if not used and, in my case, fall out while traveling.
You may also want to invest in a water pressure regulator. This helps keep the city water pressure at a safe level coming into your trailer. Plastic is good but brass is better.
5 – Grey Water Collecting
All that water in you’re holding ends up getting used and it has to go somewhere. Ideally, into the sewer on a full hookup site. But for the most part that isn’t the case, and you’ll need to collect it for later disposal at the campground dump station. Just like containers for your fresh water, containers are also available for the water that goes down the drain in the sink or shower (if you have one). Don’t confuse this with black water (poop). We will talk about that later.
These containers come in a variety of gallon sizes. The larger ones may also have wheels and the ability to attach it to your trailer hitch for transport to the dump station.
6 – The “Icky” Black Water Collecting
If your trailer comes with a bathroom, I use this word loosely, you will eventually need to dump all the waste it has collected during the breaks of your adventure. Toilets come in different styles. The one in my Fleetwood is a marine style toilet which holds about 5 gallons. But I swear it is less especially with a family of 5. If I planned right then I am at a full hookup (mainly for wife and daughter) and all I need to do is hookup to the sewer connection.
However, if our campsite doesn’t have a sewer hookup hopefully there is a dump station. If this is the case then I take my larger gallon container from #5 and use it since it is already hooked up and collecting the water from my sink and shower. Then I connect it to my hitch and slowly drive to the dump station and empty the content. It’s a good idea to use gloves for this.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you have room in the storage container before trying to empty the toilet. I don’t think I need to discuss what the outcome will be.
There are trailers that actually have a separate container below the toilet. All that is needed is for it to be removed and drained. (Future How-to Coming)
Bonehead Mistake: I forgot the type of campsite I had one time. Believed it was full hookup (water, electric, sewer) and upset the family when I got to the campground and found out I misread the reservation (no sewer hookup) and I didn’t bring the container. It worked out because the campground had really nice bathrooms/showers and they gave us tokens for each day to use it. Could have been disastrous. I now make sure I bring it just in case. (It also helps keep the fridge closed when packed.)
7 – Small Tool Kit
Using a small plastic box (shoebox size) gather together a small tool kit with a couple screwdrivers, an adjustable wrench, pliers, electrical tape, and duct tape. As you camp more you may need to add tools based on need. Being able to repair a small problem on site will allow the adventure to continue. I can do a full repair once home.
You may also want to place a spare set of keys in the box. If you use a key to open or unlock something on your trailer it is a good idea to keep a spare.
8 – Fuses
Now here is a little item that you can easily forget about. And trust me I have. Somehow while out on our adventure we managed to blow a fuse. The first thing I did was search every drawer in the trailer hoping I had one. I didn’t. But I already knew that before I started looking. I needed one quickly because our fridge was what went out. Time to make the trek to a local store. Grabbing my sunglasses from the glove compartment I noticed this little box. Surprise! Fuses. Happy dance! Of the one I needed there was one of. Problem solved.
My advice is to keep a small supply on hand of the kind you need. Maybe placing them in your small tools kit. Check your trailer fuse box and make a list of the ones there and how many. It would also be wise to make sure that the switches are labeled correctly.
9 – First Aid Kit
No camping adventure should happen without a first aid kit on hand. Although the adhesive bandages are great for small cuts and scrapes, getting one with gauze bandages for larger wounds and medical tape is ideal. You never know what can happen.
One summer adventure had both my younger son and wife with major road rash. My son crashed on his bike and while attempting to get him back to our trailer, my wife crashed on her bike. Those little bandages weren’t going to cover the mess they made of their hands, arms, and legs.
So now not only do we have all those items, but also single use ice packs to relieve swelling, spray antiseptic, burn cream, ACE bandage wrap, ibuprofen, Benadryl, tweezers, and sunscreen. It’s not quite a field combat medical kit, but it’s close.
10 – Notepad and Pen
This might seem like weird items to have but they can seriously help in making sure you have the items you need as well as what you need to stock up on. Before any adventure my wife and I make a thorough list. I create the list with everything already mentioned. We make the menus. We create the grocery list. We check off each item purchased and then cross it off when it is physically placed in the trailer.
These items also come in handy when you get to a campground. My wife and I like to take walks after dinner and check out other sites. We write down the site number and make notations if it is close to water, a bathroom, walking paths, or if there is shade and is it easy to back into, etc. Then we compare them to the campground map. Basically, we want to know if the site will be a good location for us to be able to relax and enjoy our stay.
Wrapping It Up
BONUS – A Broom!!!
I know it is even silly to mention it. Or is it? Ever get to a campsite and find the table dirty. Use a broom. Plus you WILL track dirt inside the trailer no matter how hard you try to keep it out. A broom also makes a great fly swatter and spider squisher (or relocator).
Whether you use a standard size, collapsible, or whisk one, a broom along with a dustpan is a valuable piece of tent trailer equipment. Don’t be one that asks the question, “Where’s the broom?”
