The complete equipment manifest for your trailer — what to own, what to stock, and what to verify. New owners: use this to build out your setup before your first trip. Experienced owners: run it once a season to make sure nothing's been used up, broken, or left behind.
The items on this list are the ones you stock once and check periodically — not the trip-specific gear you pack and unpack each time. They live in your trailer, in assigned locations, and their job is to be there when you need them. Missing one of them mid-trip usually means an improvised solution at 9pm in a campground with a weak camp store, if a store at all.
Organizing this gear by bay matters more than most people realize when they're setting up their first trailer. Tools and maintenance supplies in one bay, utility connections in another, emergency gear in a dedicated accessible location. The test of your organization is whether you can find what you need in the dark, under stress, without thinking about it. That's the bar.
These never leave the RV. Keep physical copies in a labeled folder in the glove box or a dedicated document pouch.
Check these monthly. CO is odorless. A failing propane detector has killed people. This gear costs less than one campsite.
Trailer-Specific Spares. These items cost almost nothing and make the difference between a minor inconvenience and a ruined trip. The trailer lug wrench is the most critical — the lug nut size on most trailer wheels is different from the tow vehicle. The wrench in your truck won't fit.
Power Tools Worth Packing. These items seem like overkill until you need them. The drill alone saves you from a miserable roadside tire change in 90°F heat. The leaf blower prevents hundreds of dollars in slide seal damage in 2 minutes.
These stay permanently. You'll need them at every campsite. Never leave home without them.
Restock after every trip. These should always be in the trailer so you're never starting from zero.
Store your sewer hose, gray water hose, and drinking water hose in separate labeled compartments. Once they share a space, your brain will never fully trust any of them again.
Print your emergency contact list and laminate it. Phones die, screens crack, and your spouse may not have the roadside assistance number memorized at 2am in a campground with no signal.
Keep a sticky note on your pantry cabinet labeled 'Restock after every trip.' The items that get used and forgotten — toilet paper, baby wipes, tank treatment — are the ones that wreck a departure morning.
Essential items that should permanently live in your trailer include: sewer hose and connection fittings, water pressure regulator, drinking water hose (separate from utility hose), electrical adapters (30A-to-50A and 50A-to-30A), wheel chocks, leveling blocks, tire iron and jack, basic tool kit, emergency roadside kit, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, fresh water and tank treatment supplies, and spare propane. Keep them in assigned locations so nothing gets forgotten between trips.
Review the permanent packing list at the start of each camping season and after any trip where you used, consumed, or removed something. A quick once-over takes 20 minutes. The most commonly depleted items are consumables: toilet paper, paper towels, tank enzyme treatment, dish soap, and cooking staples. Safety items like smoke detector batteries and fire extinguisher charge should be verified annually.
At minimum: a lug wrench and scissor jack matched to your trailer, a basic set of screwdrivers and pliers, electrical tape, pipe sealant tape (PTFE/Teflon tape for water fittings), a headlamp with fresh batteries, and a multimeter for diagnosing 12V issues. If you tow a single-axle trailer, also carry a spare trailer tire and the tools to change it — roadside trailer tire service is slow and expensive.
All 10 checklists, works without cell signal, installs to your home screen in one tap.