Spring is in the air! For most RVers this means it’s time to pull the RV out of storage and get it ready for the upcoming camping season. I personally won’t need to pull mine out of storage since I’m currently staying in it, but I’m definitely thinking about my spring and summer travels right now, and that means thinking about spring RV upgrades.
In our decade of full time RV travel, we’ve done a few different RV upgrades. There are some that were especially nice to have, along with a handful of upgrade ideas I’ve had on a to-do list for a while.
In this article I will share the most useful upgrades our RVs have had, as well as some of the upgrades we’d like to make in the future.
Our Favorite RV Upgrades
In this section I will discuss the best RV upgrades we have had in our past rigs and in our current trailer. These are all upgrades I would recommend to any RVer.
Improved RV Vent Fans
Better RV vent fans are easily the best upgrade I ever make to any rig. In our motorhome, we took out the factory-installed vent fan in our bathroom and put in a MaxxAir vent fan instead. The thing worked wonders when it came to pulling air through the rig and cooling things down without running the A/C.
Once we saw how well that fan worked, we made time to get up on the roof and repair the Fantastic Fan the previous owner had installed. Together, the two fans kept us cool and comfortable no matter where we traveled, and I would recommend a MaxxAir Vent Fan or Fantastic Fan any day.
Rain-Proof Vent Covers
When deciding which kind of fan to put in our motorhome bathroom, one of the reasons I chose the MaxxAir vent fan was the fact that it included a rain-proof cover. We’d had these covers on all of our vents and fans on a trailer we owned prior to the motorhome, and they were amazing.
The covers allowed us to keep the vents open and the fans running even when it was raining. This was excellent while boondocking, but we even used it with hookups at times because sometimes fresh air is so nice to have blowing through the rig.
Slide Toppers
Another upgrade we enjoyed for the first time on our motorhome? Slide toppers. I didn’t realize until having them just how awesome slide toppers could be. These things kept water and debris from sneaking in the RV when we pulled the slides in. They also helped keep water from pooling on top of the slide-out, something that would otherwise quickly lead to leaks and water damage.
Unfortunately our current trailer doesn’t have a slide topper, but it is something I’ll be looking for as we shop for a new rig.
Upgraded Shower Heads (and Sink Faucets)
One of the first things I like to do when moving into a new RV is change out the shower head. Factory RV shower heads are just terrible. They don’t provide good water pressure, but sometimes still use more water than other showerhead options.
Instead of these awful little showerheads, we like to install Oxygenics showerheads rv, which provide plenty of water pressure while still keeping water usage to a minimum.
When I can get to it, I also like to change out sink faucets. Factory RV kitchen sink faucets are never great, so swapping it for a household faucet is always preferable. We also changed out our bathroom sink faucet recently and it’s been pretty great. The faucet comes up higher and further away from the rear of the sink than the original, making it much easier to use.
Upgraded RV Mattresses
Another thing I do immediately after buying any RV? Change the mattresses. It’s no secret that the mattresses included in RVs from the factory are horrible, and changing them out is a relatively quick and easy thing that really does make an enormous difference.
Most recently, we changed our bedroom mattress to a mattress from Amazon. It is surprisingly comfortable for how inexpensive it was, and I will be moving it with us when we switch rigs because I love it so much.
Upgraded RV Tires
Yet another thing that is pretty terrible straight from the factory? RV tires. This is especially true for travel trailers, which tend to come with some of the cheapest, least-durable tires I’ve ever seen.
We’ve never purchased a brand new RV, but even when we buy used units, I make a point of changing the tires right away if they show any sign of damage or wear, or if the manufacture date on them is more than 6 years back. Keeping tires I’m not sure about just seems so risky, and having a blowout can not only damage an RV quite a lot, but can also be super dangerous.
RV Solar Setup
Another favorite RV upgrade was our super amazing solar power system. In one rig, this included four rooftop solar panels, a solar charger, a 3,000-watt inverter, and three 100-amp-hour lithium batteries. We could run off of this setup for weeks without hooking up to power or running the generator, and the freedom this gave us was just incredible.
In our current rig, we have a smaller, more portable setup that includes a portable 150-watt solar panel with an included solar charger, two 100-amp-hour lithium batteries, a 2,000-watt inverter, and a battery charger. The batteries are not wired into our RV system. Instead, we just plug the RV into the inverter. We chose this route because we plan to change rigs at some point and want to take the system with us.
RV Upgrades We’d Love to Make
Below are some of the upgrades I hope to make to our rig in the future. These are upgrades that I’m almost sure will make life easier or more enjoyable.
Gutter Extenders
Let’s talk about gutter extenders. These are a small and seemingly silly upgrade, but it’s one I definitely want to tackle soon. Gutter extenders attach to the ends of your RV gutters and direct water runoff away from the sides of your RV. This is nice because it prevents the black streaks that are often caused by the driving gutters.
The extenders are inexpensive and easy to install, so I imagine they are a worthwhile investment.
A/C Soft Start
An RV A/C soft start has been on my list of wants for a while now. The thing is amazing because it reduces the amount of power needed to start your RV air conditioner, meaning you can run your A/C even when the only hookup available is a 20-amp outlet. Some RVers with soft starts installed will even run their air conditioners using a small 2,000-watt generator.
This would be an excellent upgrade for anyone who enjoys boondocking but only has a small generator. It would also be perfect for those who do a lot of “moochdocking” in driveways or want to run their A/C when parked in their own driveway.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
I’d also really love to have a tire pressure monitoring system. As mentioned above, a blowout can cause some serious damage to an RV and in many situations it can also be incredibly dangerous. Staying on top of tire maintenance can help avoid a lot of blowouts, but it isn’t a foolproof method. A tire pressure monitoring system would help us avoid tire issues during our travels.
Upgrades That Don’t Work for Us
The upgrades below are ones I have considered but decided won’t be a good fit for my family. I’ll explain why they don’t work for us so you can determine if you feel the same way.
Tankless Water Heater
The most recent repair we made to our current RV was replacing a leaking water heater. When researching what replacement water heater I wanted to put in, I came across tankless RV water heaters. These seemed really cool in theory, but I ended up deciding a tankless heater wouldn’t actually work for us.
You see, while tankless RV water heaters are nice in that they provide endless hot water and require very little space, they have a couple of issues that I just couldn’t get past. For one thing, you have to wait several seconds for hot water to begin flowing after a tap is turned on. This is a problem when water or tank space happens to be limited, something that is a regular occurrence for us because we really enjoy boondocking.
On top of that, it seems these water heaters require a certain amount of water pressure to be activated. We’ve heard a few different RVers complain that some campgrounds don’t have enough water pressure to make the water heater kick in, something that absolutely would not work for us.
Residential Refrigerator
Another upgrade I have considered and decided against? A residential refrigerator. We’ve known several people who have made the switch to a residential fridge. In some cases it was so they would have more fridge space, something the residential models definitely do offer. In other cases, it was because their RV fridge broke and the residential option was so much less expensive.
I can see how more fridge space and a cheaper replacement for a broken unit would be tempting, but I don’t think I would choose to have a residential fridge in my RV if I had options. This is because residential units do not have a propane gas mode, meaning they need to have constant access to power. As you might imagine, this doesn’t work out great for avid boondockers unless they have a very robust solar power system. We really like boondocking, so this just wouldn’t work well for us.
There you have it, the RV upgrades we have really enjoyed in the past, the ones we hope to enjoy in the future, and even the ones we will likely never make. Which ones will you choose to tackle this spring?
