Over the years, we’ve used hundreds of gadgets and gear to make our RV journey easier. With Christmas around the corner, I thought it might be good to share some of the gear we’ve used the most over the last 12 months that would make great gifts for favorite journeyer.
Oh, and some of these are affiliate links, but 100% are things we love and use all the time.
Cooking for RV Life
Green Mountain Grills Smoker
This has been one of my favorite cooking gadgets for years. Ours is the old Davy Crockett model, which they don’t make anymore, but the Trek and Trek 2 still get great reviews. Smoking gives me extra time to not mess up dinner — or at least ruin it slowly. It’s small, RV-friendly, and we use it everywhere.
4 in 1 Folding Spatula
This little convertible spatula folds down tiny and packs a ton of features into one tool. Great if you’re cooking in a small motorhome, van, or trailer and need gear that does more than one job.
Fish Spatula
One of my favorite kitchen tools. You can flip pancakes, stir, sauté, and even do a little cutting with the small serrated edge. It’s super lightweight and surprisingly versatile.
Sleeping
Portable Sound Machine
We’ve tried about ten different sound machines over the years, and this one beats all of them for the size. It’s not the loudest one in the world, but the brown noise mode is fantastic, and it’s tiny enough to take anywhere — in the RV, hotels, rentals, even fly-in RV trips. We use it every single night.
Staying Fit
Adjustable Dumbbells
These look weird, and they feel weird compared to a classic dumbbell, but they adjust quickly, they’re reasonably priced for adjustable weights, and honestly we like them better than the Bowflex ones we’ve tried. These are what I use the most.
Exercise Bike
This isn’t anything fancy — just a lightweight, fold-up bike that’s around $120 — but it’s done everything we needed. Easy to tuck away, easy to use, and perfect for when we’re trying to stay active on the road.
Workout Bench
This one wasn’t originally on the list, but I’ve loved using it with the dumbbells. It folds up compactly, fits in tight spaces, and makes strength training so much easier in the RV.
Doing Manly Stuff
Curved Needlenose Pliers
These are one of my most-used tools. The curve lets me grab things that fall into weird RV spaces or bend metal pieces back into place. I pick these up constantly, and they’ve saved me more times than I can count.
Phoenix Headlamp
I’ve taken this thing everywhere — even on backpacking trips. It’s small, lightweight, has a solid beam and a great red-light mode. They make brighter and longer-lasting headlamps, but this one hits the sweet spot for everyday RV use.
Dewalt Blower
I upgraded to the bigger Dewalt blower this year, and it puts out four times the power of the smaller one I used to carry. Still hangs on the same hooks, barely bigger, and super helpful at both campsites and at our home base in Tennessee.
Making the RV a Home
Coffee Machine
We bought this on sale last year for about $500 (normally around $800), and we’ve worn it out in the best way. It grinds the beans, froths the milk, and makes your espresso with the push of a button. For the space it takes up, it does everything.
Apple HomePod Mini
I didn’t think I’d love these as much as I do, but they’ve been awesome in the RV. They work reliably when we switch internet sources, tie into our Apple setup, can be used as an intercom to talk to the kids, and even have built-in temperature sensors so I can check the temps in different rooms. Just a great “make it feel like home” upgrade.
Filming
DJI Action 5 Pro
About 80% of our content now is filmed either on my iPhone or this action camera. The Action 5 Pro is small, affordable, and perfect for capturing memories or starting a YouTube channel. The Action 6 just launched, but I haven’t tested it yet, so I’m sticking with what I know works.
DJI Mic 3
This is the tiny mic I clip in my hat. It has a long range, great audio quality, and handles wind really well. If you want clear audio without diving into expensive camera gear, this is an awesome place to start.
If you're curious our full list of gear we use for RV Life, here's my more exhaustive list of tools.
Until next time, see you down the road!
- Nathan
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