Spring is within the air! For many RVers this implies it’s time to tug the RV out of storage and get it prepared for the upcoming tenting season. I personally gained’t want to tug mine out of storage since I’m presently staying in it, however I’m positively serious about my spring and summer time travels proper now, and which means serious about spring RV upgrades.
In our decade of full time RV journey, we’ve finished a couple of totally different RV upgrades. There are some that had been particularly good to have, together with a handful of improve concepts I’ve had on a to-do checklist for some time.
On this article I’ll share essentially the most helpful upgrades our RVs have had, in addition to a few of the upgrades we’d prefer to make sooner or later.
Our Favourite RV Upgrades
On this part I’ll talk about the most effective RV upgrades we’ve got had in our previous rigs and in our present trailer. These are all upgrades I might advocate to any RVer.
Improved RV Vent Followers
Higher RV vent followers are simply the most effective improve I ever make to any rig. In our motorhome, we took out the factory-installed vent fan in our rest room and put in a MaxxAir vent fan as a substitute. The factor labored wonders when it got here to pulling air via the rig and cooling issues down with out operating the A/C.
As soon as we noticed how nicely that fan labored, we made time to stand up on the roof and restore the Unbelievable Fan the earlier proprietor had put in. Collectively, the 2 followers saved us cool and cozy regardless of the place we traveled, and I might advocate a MaxxAir Vent Fan or Unbelievable Fan any day.
Rain-Proof Vent Covers
When deciding which form of fan to place in our motorhome rest room, one of many causes I selected the MaxxAir vent fan was the truth that it included a rain-proof cowl. We’d had these covers on all of our vents and followers on a trailer we owned previous to the motorhome, and so they had been superb.
The covers allowed us to maintain the vents open and the followers operating even when it was raining. This was wonderful whereas boondocking, however we even used it with hookups at occasions as a result of typically contemporary air is so good to have blowing via the rig.
Slide Toppers
One other improve we loved for the primary time on our motorhome? Slide toppers. I didn’t notice till having them simply how superior slide toppers may very well be. These items saved water and particles from sneaking within the RV once we pulled the slides in. Additionally they helped preserve water from pooling on high of the slide-out, one thing that may in any other case rapidly result in leaks and water injury.
Sadly our present trailer doesn’t have a slide topper, however it’s one thing I’ll be searching for as we store for a brand new rig.
Upgraded Bathe Heads (and Sink Taps)
One of many first issues I love to do when transferring into a brand new RV is change out the bathe head. Manufacturing facility RV bathe heads are simply horrible. They don’t present good water stress, however typically nonetheless use extra water than different showerhead choices.
As a substitute of those terrible little showerheads, we like to put in Oxygenics showerheads rv, which give loads of water stress whereas nonetheless holding water utilization to a minimal.
After I can get to it, I additionally like to vary out sink taps. Manufacturing facility RV kitchen sink taps are by no means nice, so swapping it for a family faucet is at all times preferable. We additionally modified out our rest room sink faucet just lately and it’s been fairly nice. The tap comes up increased and additional away from the rear of the sink than the unique, making it a lot simpler to make use of.
Upgraded RV Mattresses
One other factor I do instantly after shopping for any RV? Change the mattresses. It’s no secret that the mattresses included in RVs from the manufacturing unit are horrible, and altering them out is a comparatively fast and straightforward factor that actually does make an infinite distinction.
Most just lately, we modified our bed room mattress to a mattress from Amazon. It’s surprisingly snug for the way cheap it was, and I shall be transferring it with us once we change rigs as a result of I adore it a lot.
Upgraded RV Tires
Yet one more factor that’s fairly horrible straight from the manufacturing unit? RV tires. That is very true for journey trailers, which have a tendency to return with a few of the most cost-effective, least-durable tires I’ve ever seen.
We’ve by no means bought a model new RV, however even once we purchase used models, I make some extent of fixing the tires immediately in the event that they present any signal of harm or put on, or if the manufacture date on them is greater than 6 years again. Protecting tires I’m undecided about simply appears so dangerous, and having a blowout cannot solely injury an RV quite a bit, however can be tremendous harmful.
RV Photo voltaic Setup
One other favourite RV improve was our tremendous superb solar energy system. In a single rig, this included 4 rooftop photo voltaic panels, a photo voltaic charger, a 3,000-watt inverter, and three 100-amp-hour lithium batteries. We might run off of this setup for weeks with out hooking as much as energy or operating the generator, and the liberty this gave us was simply unimaginable.
In our present rig, we’ve got a smaller, extra moveable setup that features a moveable 150-watt photo voltaic panel with an included photo voltaic charger, two 100-amp-hour lithium batteries, a 2,000-watt inverter, and a battery charger. The batteries usually are not wired into our RV system. As a substitute, we simply plug the RV into the inverter. We selected this route as a result of we plan to vary rigs in some unspecified time in the future and need to take the system with us.
RV Upgrades We’d Like to Make
Beneath are a few of the upgrades I hope to make to our rig sooner or later. These are upgrades that I’m virtually certain will make life simpler or extra satisfying.
Gutter Extenders
Let’s discuss gutter extenders. These are a small and seemingly foolish improve, but it surely’s one I positively need to deal with quickly. Gutter extenders connect to the ends of your RV gutters and direct water runoff away from the perimeters of your RV. That is good as a result of it prevents the black streaks which might be typically brought on by the driving gutters.
The extenders are cheap and straightforward to put in, so I think about they’re a worthwhile funding.
A/C Mushy Begin
An RV A/C smooth begin has been on my checklist of needs for some time now. The factor is superb as a result of it reduces the quantity of energy wanted to begin your RV air conditioner, which means you may run your A/C even when the one hookup out there is a 20-amp outlet. Some RVers with smooth begins put in will even run their air conditioners utilizing a small 2,000-watt generator.
This might be a wonderful improve for anybody who enjoys boondocking however solely has a small generator. It might even be excellent for individuals who do numerous “moochdocking” in driveways or need to run their A/C when parked in their very own driveway.
Tire Strain Monitoring System
I’d additionally actually like to have a tire stress monitoring system. As talked about above, a blowout could cause some critical injury to an RV and in lots of conditions it can be extremely harmful. Staying on high of tire upkeep may also help keep away from numerous blowouts, but it surely isn’t a foolproof methodology. A tire stress monitoring system would assist us keep away from tire points throughout our travels.
Upgrades That Don’t Work for Us
The upgrades under are ones I’ve thought of however determined gained’t be a great match for my household. I’ll clarify why they don’t work for us so you may decide when you really feel the identical approach.
Tankless Water Heater
The latest restore we made to our present RV was changing a leaking water heater. When researching what alternative water heater I needed to place in, I got here throughout tankless RV water heaters. These appeared actually cool in idea, however I ended up deciding a tankless heater wouldn’t really work for us.
You see, whereas tankless RV water heaters are good in that they supply countless scorching water and require little or no house, they’ve a few points that I simply couldn’t get previous. For one factor, you must wait a number of seconds for decent water to start flowing after a faucet is turned on. This can be a downside when water or tank house occurs to be restricted, one thing that could be a common prevalence for us as a result of we actually take pleasure in boondocking.
On high of that, it appears these water heaters require a specific amount of water stress to be activated. We’ve heard a couple of totally different RVers complain that some campgrounds don’t have sufficient water stress to make the water heater kick in, one thing that completely wouldn’t work for us.
Residential Fridge
One other improve I’ve thought of and determined in opposition to? A residential fridge. We’ve recognized a number of individuals who have made the change to a residential fridge. In some circumstances it was so they might have extra fridge house, one thing the residential fashions positively do supply. In different circumstances, it was as a result of their RV fridge broke and the residential choice was a lot cheaper.
I can see how extra fridge house and a less expensive alternative for a damaged unit can be tempting, however I don’t assume I might select to have a residential fridge in my RV if I had choices. It’s because residential models don’t have a propane gasoline mode, which means they should have fixed entry to energy. As you may think, this doesn’t work out nice for avid boondockers except they’ve a really strong solar energy system. We actually like boondocking, so this simply wouldn’t work nicely for us.
There you’ve it, the RV upgrades we’ve got actually loved prior to now, those we hope to take pleasure in sooner or later, and even those we’ll possible by no means make. Which of them will you select to deal with this spring?
