That is a really great question and I think to some extent it changes and of course is VERY specific to the person. That being said here's some things I need

A corkscrew - I am not a big drinker but nothing else can really do it's job and although we originally didn't have one then added one we added one quickly

Extra outside chairs - we started with 2 and now have 6 . We spend a lot of time outside and around the fire and have had more guests than I ever originally thought

Tiki torches - in the NE bugs are a pain so we have 4 torches and setup a bug perimeter which is pretty and keeps the bugs away

Rainy day stuff - for us it's books and movies but originally we had nothing for rainy days and about drove each other crazy.

Here's Lees list

Water manifold
Quick connects
Extra hoses
Surge protector
Voltage regulator
Water regulator

Extra little folding tables
Fire gloves

As we travel with dogs, an Xpen is a requirement. Let's them be outside without being tied up and I can relax without constantly getting up to untangle them. I also must have my cast iron skillet, it is so versatile for cooking inside or out. Before we retired, we never traveled with a TV, but in January, when we started full-time, we broke down and bought one and had an antenna installed. Great to have on rainy or snowy days. Also for tracking storms in Iowa.

A Progressive Surge Protector
A water pressure gauge to determine whether we need the water pressure regulator
A water pressure regulator to keep RV plumbing from bursting
A voltage meter to monitor how much we are taxing a park electrical system

Tiki torches are a great idea to! Didn't think of that. We will probably be traveling mostly in the Southeast.

I don't have a cast iron skillet, but I've always wanted one. I could see how that could be very versatile.

WD40 and duct tape sounds really useful.

MPMomof3 wrote:

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What's a blue boy?

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Meredith,

A "blue boy" is a generic term for an RV sewer tote cart.  Because most of them seem to come in the color blue, that is how the name started.

Sewer Totes at Amazon

They are used when camping somewhere that you don't necessarily want to hook up to the RV and tow it to the dump site.  However, with some RV's that have large black and grey tanks, it can involve numerous trips to dump both tanks it that is needed.  We've had a Thetford (seen at the link) and have only used it once, but we don't travel much.  The one occasion that I used the Thetford was to empty the grey tank because it filled before we moved from our one-week vacation spot.  When we left after the week, we visited the dump station and dumped both tanks at that time.

If you are planning to be in places that have sewer at each site, they are unnecessary.

Terry

MPMomof3 wrote:

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Thanks for the mar tip. We just bought stair treads today. I have a camping world nearby so I can check there for a rug to go in front of the steps. Haven't heard of Reflectix. I will have to check that out to.

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 Here's a shot of Reflectix over my windows:

 

It comes in 2 and 4 ft wide rolls. There are a few styles, the most common being the double-bubble, double-sided reflective surface, which is the one I use. It is very light weight and folds up easily for storage under your bed or in a closet. I got mine at Lowes, but it is readily available at hardware and many big-box stores. It is a radiant barrier reflecting 97% or so of all infrared radiation making it much better at insulating than it's R-value would indicate. There are other brands of thin, foam-core radiant barriers that work well too. Here's a link to a competing brand that shows just how this type of reflecting barrier works: http://www.videcomp.com/reflectech/astrofoil.html

Chip

 

The Bear II, I feel for you. I am trying not to be a pack rat wife. :). Hence the reason for my question.