Gear We Trust

Stop researching. Stop returning junk.

We've owned four RVs and logged 135+ defects on one of them, so we've bought a lot of gear — the good, the useless, and the "why did I trust a 40-review listing." This is the stuff that actually holds up, with the honest downsides included.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. We don't sell RVs and we take zero manufacturer or dealer money. Some links below are Amazon affiliate links — if you buy through one we earn a small commission at no cost to you, and it never changes what we recommend.

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If you buy nothing else

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The four where a bad — or skipped — purchase actually costs you real money or a ruined trip.

The full list

Everything we'd buy again

Filter by category up top, or search. Every pick is something we'd put our name on — and we tell you what to watch out for.

Ratings and review counts change daily, so we don't print them here — tap through to see Amazon's current numbers, price, and reviews. We keep this list short on purpose; if something stops being the best pick, it comes off.

The one people agonize over

Surge protector: which one?

Electrical protection is the pick people email us about most. Here's the honest "buy this one if…" — no wrong answer, just different rigs and budgets.

Save your money

What we DON'T recommend

No affiliate links here — nobody pays us to say this. These are the RV-aisle traps we watch people waste money on.

✕Cheap fixed plastic pressure regulators

The $10 non-adjustable ones choke your flow to a trickle and still don't protect you well. Spend the extra ten bucks on brass with a gauge.

✕"Surge protectors" that are just power strips

A dogbone adapter or a basic strip is not surge protection. If it doesn't say joules or EMS, it isn't guarding your rig.

✕Amazon-churn EMS units with unicode names

Fancy fonts, three months of reviews, a brand you'll never find again for a warranty claim. On the thing protecting a $100k rig? No.

✕Knockoff tank-treatment "drop-ins"

The bargain pods mask odor for a day and don't break down tissue — then you're renting a sewer auger. Not the place to save $4.

✕No-name TPMS with 40 reviews

A tire monitor you can't trust is worse than none — you'll ignore the false alarm that turns out to be real. Buy the brand full-timers actually use.

✕Anything with a manufacturer's logo on it

Branded "RV" accessories are usually the same part with a markup. Buy the gear, skip the badge tax.