1. Top items we should buy first that we will need (beyond sewer hoses, water hoses, chock blocks)?
NOTHING except for what you need for an overnight at a hotel + making meals. You will find so many "
must have" lists that will cost you thousands on things you don't need.
Buy the bare minimum and the should haves and avoid the rest.
https://learntorv.com/newbie-first-trip-essentials/
2. What are the best brands of power cord adapters and surge protectors, and water pressure regulators?
Camco or power cord adapters.
A surge protector only protects against surges which aren’t very common. What’s more common are miswired pedestals and low voltage. To protect against surges, low and high voltage, and bad pedestals, you want what Progressive Industries calls an electric monitoring system (EMS) or as Hughes calls it “emergency power off” (EPO).
https://learntorv.com/what-surge-protector-is-best-for-my-rv/
For water pressure regulators, look at
RVWaterFilterStore.com.
3. What RV specific tools do I need? I see torque wrenches and all I know is how to spell it...
What tools people carry go hand-in-hand with their skill level. Mine is, “I have to think righty-tighty lefty-loosey when I use a screw driver.”
I don’t carry anything but basic hand tools, a socket kit, a drill, and a Jig saw for doing DIY mods. I’m also not very mechanically oriented.
The couple of “special” things I have that I recommend are:
- torque wrench for properly tightening lug nuts (applicable for trailers, not motorhomes)
- socket extension to make it easier to use
- deep well sockets that fit your lug nuts and water heater anode/plug
- Jack for lifting an axle to change a tire (applicable for trailers, not motorhomes)
- voltmeter and non-contact voltage detector for diagnosing electric problems
4. Your favorite travel planning app?
RVParky.com is my favorite trip planner. It’s free! But it’s missing a couple of features that I think could make it better- namely being able to “pin” or lock-in dates for certain stays.
RVTripWizard.com is the gold standard. It’s pay to play and I’ve heard a lot of new folks say that the user interface can be overwhelming. I’ve known more than a couple of people who paid for it and then never used it because of that. Once you master it, it’s a great tool.
When shopping for campgrounds, I’ll use
Campendium.com,
CampgroundReviews.com, RVParky.com, and even Google for reviews. For boondocking spots, I’ll also check
TheDyrt.com,
iOverlander, and
FreeCampsites.net.
Or, there’s always the option of hiring out with an RV travel agent at
RVTripMakers.com. They can help plan your trip, break it into individual (and realistic) stops, find you places to stay, and for places the planners have been- provide suggestions on anything from hikes to restaurants.
Take a breath and slow down. It's great to be excited, but be careful buying everything under the sun. YouTube is a great resource but understand that a lot of what you see there are sponsored posts (free product in exchange for videos through out and out paid sponsorships).
