Most car owners have a handful of items in their vehicles in case of an emergency: spare tire, jack, jumper cables, tire pressure gauge, and a maybe a tiny first-aid kit. Usually, that’s about it. And that’s fine if you’re driving across town or commuting to work.
But when you’re going RVing, you could be out on the road for weeks or months at a time. And if you’re boondocking, who knows where the closest service station will be? So it’s very important to always have the right equipment at the ready in your RV, wherever you go. We recommend assembling three kits: a basic roadside emergency kit, an emergency preparedness kit, and an RV maintenance kit.
As you’re assembling your kits, think about all the potential scenarios you could be in. For example, it might be warm now, but if you’re heading to Alaska or plan to camp in the winter, you’ll need to plan for snow and cold!
Here are three checklists to get you started. Depending on your plans, you might need to add to or subtract from the lists.
Basic Roadside Emergency
- Flashlight
- Batteries
- Cell phone
- Cell phone charger
- High-visibility cones or reflectors
- Road flares
- Emergency reflective triangle
- “Emergency help” distress banner for windshield
- High-visibility vest
- Wheel chocks
- Tow rope (6,500 lb capacity)
- Tire repair kit
- Jumper cables
- Hydraulic bottle jack or hi-lift jack
- Extra fuses (refer to your owner’s manual to determine amperage sizes needed)
- Motor oil and coolant
- Water (for coolant)
- Ice scraper
- Traction aid (kitty litter or sand)
- Shovel
- Window breaker/seatbelt cutter tool
Emergency Preparedness
- First aid kit
- Fire extinguisher
- Emergency hand-crank radio with NOAA / FM / AM, LED flashlight, USB mobile phone charger
- Waterproof poncho
- Emergency food bars
- Emergency drinking water pouch – 4.22 oz.
- Aquatabs (20 tablets) – water purification tablets
- Hand warmers (4 pairs)
- Waterproof matches
- 12-hour lightsticks
- Emergency “Coast Guard” whistle
- Emergency communications planning cards
- Emergency blankets
Basic Maintenance Kit
- Tire-pressure gauge
- Screwdriver set
- Allen wrench set
- Crescent wrench set
- Socket wrench set with spark-plug sockets
- Pliers: slip-joint, groove-joint, needle-nose, electrical
- Hammer
- Wrenches: 4-way lug, torque, oil-filter
- Wire cutters
- Mechanical or elastic tie-down straps
- Military parachute cord
- Tie wire
- Utility knife
- Soldering gun & rosin-core solder
- Shop rags
- Carpet scrap for working under coach
- Waterless hand cleaner
- Work gloves
- Vinyl/latex gloves
- Safety goggles or glasses
- Mechanics coveralls
- Funnel
- Epoxy patch kit
- Duct tape
- Electrical tape
- Exhaust system tape
- Hose repair kit with tape
- Hose clamps, assorted
- RTV (for resealing water/oil connections)
- Portable air compressor
- Emergency aerosol tire sealer/inflator (disposable can)
- Battery terminal sealer (aerosol)
- Automotive electrical wire – 14/12 ga.
- Electrical connectors, assorted
- Multimeter with readings of voltage, ohms and amps
- Electrical continuity tester
And, of course, having roadside assistance to call in an emergency is a must! We’re part of the Priority RV Network—which means you can travel nearly anywhere in the country and get service support from this network of private dealers. We also provide a year’s subscription to Coach-Net for free. Coach-Net is like OnStar for RVs, and it provides an extra assurance that our customers are always within reach of help if they need it.
Don’t wait till you’re in an emergency to decide you need an emergency kit for your RV. Build your RV emergency kits before your next trip!
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