Tis the season for buying useless crap for friends and family. If you’re shopping for anyone who enjoys hiking and/or RVing, here are some items we’ve found particularly useful or enjoyable during our travels!

For Hiking

Osprey Day Pack

We take this pack on pretty much every hike we do while Airstreaming. We also have a second, slightly smaller Osprey day pack for shorter hikes where we just need to carry water and snacks, but this bigger Talon 22 will hold, for example, two extra water bottles, two burritos, a small container of dog food, a pile of snacks, and discarded clothing layers.

Collapsible Water Bottle

This is a new purchase, and it makes it easier to stuff layers into our Osprey pack as we heat up and drink down our water supply. We bought ours in Escalante.

Brooks Trail Running Shoe

In Santa Fe we both bought Brooks trail runners and loved them so much we quit hiking in our boots and just wore these for all hikes and trail runs. Bonus: with our new hiking shoes, we found that we could fit longer hikes into a day by jogging the flats and downhills. Now that we’re home, these are still our go-to hiking shoes, and we only wear our big boots if we’re backcountry camping and need the extra support while carrying packs.

For the Yard

CGear Sand-Free Mat

These mats are fantastic. We use two as our “yard” at campsites: they keep our feet (and therefore the Airstream entry) clean, they’re soft and comfortable to walk on, and they don’t kill grass underneath–although some campgrounds have a blanket “no mats” rule and don’t care that your mat is fancy. If you look at many of our campsite photos you’ll spot the orange mats in action, like in Houghton, Buena Vista, and Cortez.

MidWest Exercise Pen

Usually when we set up our yard, we put up a fence so Bugsy can hang out with us and not be tied up, as she doesn’t tie well. Or at all. We have three of these exercise pens; using the included bolt snaps to connect them, we can pull them out into whatever shape we need, with the Airstream closing the shape. To keep Bugsy from ducking under the trailer on the Airstream side of the shape where there’s no fence, we unroll a segment of low wire garden fencing. Works like a charm.

Helinox Swivel Chair

We have two Helinox camp chairs: one that swivels, and one that doesn’t. These chairs collapse down into bags that are small enough to strap to a backpack and take backcountry camping (which we have done, to the amusement of our camping buddies), which means they stow away nicely on the Airstream. And, they’re comfortable! We’re big fans of Helinox.

Camco Portable Propane Gas Grill

We had another portable grill, but it had trouble getting the requisite amount of propane from the connection to the RV. The one we got is similar to this one, and it has been stellar so far.

JBL Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker

The Airstream comes with a nice sound system, but for relaxing outside the trailer you’ll want bluetooth speakers. This compact cylinder has done a good job brightening our yard with music, and is easy to pack away when we don’t need it.

For the Living Room

Brindle Waterproof Designer Memory Foam Pet Bed

This bed fits perfectly under our dinette table, and has withstood crazy Bugsy’s playing, toy mauling, and energetic napping. You can see how nicely the bed sits under the table in the What’s in Bugsy’s Suitcase post.

E-More® Mini 2 x 2 HDMI Switch Splitter

This switch may not seem very exciting, but what it gives you access to is: This is what you use to connect a DirecTV box (and Dish, I assume) to the Airstream entertainment system. I am hoping J will write a post about using DirecTV on the road, but as a brief overview: The Airstream comes with a one-to-two HDMI splitter that splits a single input from the DVD player into two outputs, for each of the two TVs. The 2×2 splitter allows us to have an additional HDMI input from the DirecTV box go to the TVs. We travel with a DirecTV dish and tripod, and a DirecTV receiver borrowed from our house. More on this soon.

For the Kitchen

NutriBullet Pro

This is the best blender for RV living! It’s small and easy to store, and it’s convenient for making smoothies for car travel and sauces for camper dinners.

Corelle Livingware 16-Piece Dinnerware Set, Service for 4

Didn’t everyone get Corelle for their first set of dishes? They’re not fancy, but they’re lightweight (always a consideration for trailer provisioning), sturdy, microwaveable, and come in many cheerful patterns. We have the set pictured, plus two bigger bowls (about twice the size of those in this set) for the bowl meals we like to make.

Marna Pink Piggy Steamer, 6-9/10″

These piggies are the best. We have a larger version at our non-wheeled house, and have given several as gifts. If you like to microwave food but don’t like to clean explosions out of the microwave, you need a piggy. This size piggy covers our Corelle bowls nicely.

Victorinox 8 Inch Fibrox Pro Chef’s Knife

This is my favorite knife at home in my “real” kitchen, but when we started our Big Trip, I thought I’d be okay with a lesser knife. Wrong. The first Amazon Prime order we placed from the road included this Victorinox knife. Its performance is great, and way cheaper than high-end chef’s knives.

Black Teavana Perfectea Maker: 16oz

J is the tea drinker in the family, and this is his favorite kitchen gadget. He steeps tea-for-one for a few minutes and then sets the tea maker on top of his mug, which triggers the release of the tea through the filter. Easy peasy.

Better Houseware Collapsible Tea Kettle

We got this because it collapses (and on in a trailer you’re always looking for space savers), but we use it so much that it’s never dry enough to collapse for travel, so when we are on the road it sits in the sink. Also, because we use it so much, it sits out on the stove all the time, so it’s nice that it’s interesting-looking. It does collapse down to nothing, and it holds enough water for both J’s tea and my coffee (I use a pour-over brewing cone for my coffee, if you’re interested.)

Under Cabinet Paper Towel Holder

We recently upgraded from a paper towel holder that sticks to the counter, to a paper towel holder that sticks on under the cabinet. It freed up so much counter space!

No Spill Ice Tray with Lid

Not sure why it took us three years to get one of these. If you use ice and your trailer is mobile, you’ll need an ice tray with a lid.

Yeti Tumbler

This is one of those things we didn’t think we needed until we were gifted them. Love them for coffee in the morning and cocktails in the evening!

For Cleaning and Comfort

3″ Foam Mattress Topper

I can’t find the actual topper that we have, but it’s basically like this TemperPedic. The Airstream mattress (and I imagine any RV mattress) leaves a bit to be desired, but with our foam topper we are happy campers at night. The experienced Airstreamers at AirForums recommended at least a 3-inch topper in order to sleep comfortably on an Airstream mattress, and now that we are also experienced Airstreamers, we can report that we concur.

Brooklinen sheets

Fancy sheets are a splurge that it took me a long time to wrap my head around… but if you think about it, you spend a third of your life in bed, so bed is one place you *should* splurge! We got Brooklinen sheets for our bed at home and love them so much we just ordered a set for the Airstream. Use this link for $25 your first order!

Desiccant Dehumidifier

Three exhalers in one small metal tube → condensation on the windows. We had a smaller dehumidifier on this list initially, but we had to upgrade to a more powerful model, and it does a fantastic job keeping our house dry. Be warned: it’s big, but we think it’s worth the space it takes up. It fits under the bed for travel.

Black & Decker Dustbuster Cordless Lithium Hand Vacuum

At the start of the Big Trip, we thought we could get by with just a hand broom. No. You need a vacuum of some sort (especially if you’re traveling with a dog… and a man), and this one has been great for us. In Utah, with its fine red dust that gets EVERYWHERE, I was vacuuming multiple times a day!

Swiffer sweeper with wet pads

It took me six years of scrubbing the Airstream floor on my hands and knees until I finally bought a Swiffer before our January in Florida trip, and I kick myself every time I use it for not getting one sooner. If there are ever feet on your floor, whether human or animal, shod or bare, you will want some sort of mopping device.

For Safety and Security

DAX Tactical LED Flashlight Kit

(Currently not available on Amazon; link is to similar product) After going through cheapies that give out crappy light and die early deaths, it’s nice to have reliable, strong, adjustable flashlights for late-night dog walks.

Trimax Wheel Chock Lock

We don’t often use the chock lock, but it gives great peace of mind when we need it. We’ve used it when boondocking, in questionable campgrounds, and when storing the Airstream at a big storage facility. It’s heavy-duty and easy to hook up. Theoretically, a thief could remove the wheel that is locked and still drive off with your trailer, but that would take a really motivated bad guy. We may still get a tracker gizmo at some point…

Air Compressor

We try to stay on top of checking the air pressure in the Airstream tires, especially since a tire exploded in Montana and then again in Utah a couple years ago. It’s not easy to find a gas station with air AND with easy access for a big trailer, so we carry our own compressor.

For Boondocking

Scepter Water Can (5-Gallon)

We have four of these cans for off-the-grid camping. They pack perfectly in the truck bed with ratchet tie downs and pour easily into the Airstream’s freshwater tank with the integrated spouts that store within the cans, on the underside of the black cap you can see in the photo.

For Campgrounds

Conntek 50A Male to 30A Female RV Power Pigtail Adapter

This is another item we haven’t needed to use much, but it sure is nice to have when we have needed it. You may pull into a big commercial campground and all they have left is a 50 amp spot, but you have a 30 amp trailer. No problem! Or, you may be plugged into the 30 amp supply and add a heated hose to a separate outlet, and suddenly the 30 amp circuit starts tripping (that happened to us in our current long-term spot where we are living). Switch to the 50 amp supply and everything is happy! I don’t know why that worked, but I’m glad we had the adapter.

For Winter Airstreaming

Camco Pump Converter Winterizing Kit – Lead Free

Remember our post on winterizing your Airstream? Step 8 includes “Disconnect the hose running into the filter and attach your 2-3 foot section of hose.” That part of the process is actually pretty annoying because space is so tight in that cabinet, and this pump converter kit lets you skip the disconnect hose 1-connect hose 2-disconnect hose 2-connect hose 1 nonsense. Hooray!

Camco TastePURE 1/2″ ID x 25′ Heated Drinking Water Hose

This is our newest Airstream purchase, just in time for winter. We appreciate having running water in below-freezing temperatures, and this hose will keep us watered through the cold months. Of course, you can rely on your freshwater tank when temps drop below freezing, but you could put lots of wear on your pump that way. Our pump is noisy, too, so I like to avoid using it when we can!

Vornado Vortex Heater

Living full-time in a metal box through a Virginia winter requires a lot of propane if you’re mostly relying on your furnace to keep you warm. Since we brought this little room heater into our house, we’ve been toasty as can be, using maybe 1/3 as much propane as we would have otherwise.

This is just a sample of some of the items that have made our Airstream life more organized and pleasant. I didn’t include some of the more boring things like drawer separators, plate holders, storage bins, toilet paper, and black tank treatments, but would be happy to share suggestions if you are interested. Happy shopping!

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