10 Tools That Must Be and Are Very Important to Carry When Traveling with Van
Imagine arriving at your destination only to find your RV’s cabinet hinges have loosened up, you leak the kitchen sink, your taillights are out and you have a leak in the roof!
At one point or another, these things have happened to us. We have an RV tool kit with everything you need.
Table of Contents
Why You Need An RV Tool Kit?
Driving an RV down the road can be compared to owning a home that goes through earthquakes and hurricanes at the same time.
Things go wrong because of this and need to be repaired. Whether you are handy or not, it is helpful to have a set of tools for simple fixes or major repairs.
Sometimes a problem can be patched up to prevent further damage until a proper fix is made. You might be out of luck if you don’t have the tools or supplies you need.
How Can I Decide What to Put in My Tool Kit?
Depending on Space & Weight
How much space you have in your RV and how much weight you can carry is one of the most important considerations.
A person traveling in a small truck camper can’t bring the same amount of tools as a person in a large fifth wheel.
As a person who wants to carry as many tools as possible, I have had to scale my tools to fit in the RV that we are in.
It Depends on How Handy You Are
You only need the basics if you don’t have much experience fixing things and can’t do advanced repairs.
If you know how to diagnose and fix electrical problems, then you will need a basic electrical set in your RV tool kit.
Is it possible for mechanical repairs or maintenance to be advanced?
You need to find the tools that take up the least amount of space and do the most work if you want to be successful.
Important Tools to Carry
Tire Pressure Gauge
You can get a built-in tire pressure gauge if you buy the viair. A simple handheld unit to quickly check tire pressure is a good idea to have onboard.
Viair Air Compressor
All RVs need air to roll on their tires. The best on-demand air compressor we have found so far is the Viair.
We tried a lot of cheaper models and had a lot of failures.
We would not be going back now that we have upgraded to the Viair. The 400P-RV unit is one of the things we own and recommend.
Jacks
If you have a towable or smaller drivable RV, it is important to be able to lift a tire to change it.
Jacks can be used to help with getting unstuck, leveling, and anything else that requires more force than you can apply manually.
A bottle jack with an additional screw lift is carried by us.
Cordless Drill Set
In my opinion, a drill is one of the most important tools. It doesn’t work to screw the screws back in with a screwdriver when they come loose in the RV.
I think it’s a good idea to have an impact driver for more difficult situations. It is a matter of opinion about the brand. Most other brands will do the trick if we use the same brand we use.
Basic Socket Set
The bare minimum for basic fixes should be the above items, which are general tools that come in handy for many tasks.
Many of the tools come in sets with bags or boxes that you can use to organize them.
Headlamps
It is a must for RVers to have good flashlights. Sometimes you need good light at night and sometimes you need dark spaces to look into.
Headlamps are great because they keep both hands out of the way.
Magnetic Flashlight
I recommend that you have a flashlight with you to mount to the RV.
Not only will this keep your hands free to work, but you will also be able to shine consistent light in areas that your headlamp won’t reach.
Eternabond
When an RV will leak is not a question of if, but when. A small crack or tear in the roof can be a sign.
Sometimes it’s a seam that has opened up. One of the simplest and best ways to patch a leak is with Eternabond.
Most leaks can be sealed up with this sticky roof tape. This tape has been used a lot by us and we love it!
In addition to patching leaks, it holds our solar wires to the roof and has also patched our RVs.
Nitrile Gloves
You are going to be messing with caulk, sewer, fuels, and other nasty things if you own an RV. That is the reason you need a good set of gloves.
I like the thicker nitrile gloves better than the cheap gloves we keep for the sewer.
Tow Strap / Chains
I always carry a tow strap or chain because we tend to get stuck in situations where we need to help others.
It’s up to you if you want to carry a tow strap.
You should keep in mind that many tow services won’t rescue you offroad. If you do carry one, make sure it has enough capacity to rescue an RV.
Multimeter
It is a good idea to have a basic understanding of DC electricity if you are going RVing. If you use this tool, you can figure out if you have power or not.
I recommend everyone have a multimeter and know how to use it. This is the one I use and I love it.
Wire Cutters
No electrician’s tool kit is complete without a couple of wire cutters. Even if you don’t call yourself an electrician, you’ll find yourself using wire cutters more often than not.
Angle Grinder
It might seem crazy, but we have used our full-sized angle grinder a lot.
We have done some extensive repairs so maybe we are a bit out of the norm. You will find it helpful if you predict a lot of repairs in your RV.
Heat Gun
This is one tool I would never leave home without. You never know when you might need some heat.
We took a heat gun to the ocean and used it. You can use this tool for many things, from breaking bolts to heat-shrinking.
I`m a current Law Enforcement Officer working within the Counterterrorism Bureau in New York State. I have been Camping for over 20 years. My styles of camping include tent, car, truck, van, and RV travel trailer. I have a YouTube channel where I teach all types of camping with an entertaining method: https://youtube.com/@TheSmallsRVAdventures
