The 12 Gifts of Christmas that make RV life more luxurious
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Sometimes people have a preconceived notion that full-time RVers are "roughing it" through life, but in reality, we can choose to have as many of the creature comforts of a home as we want, just in a smaller space. What makes up for the small space is the fact that we get to take our home with us to some of the most incredible destinations in the country. Full-timers Less Junk, More Journey told it best: The RV is like a part of our family, coming with us and experiencing these moments right alongside us.
All that said, of course we all have moments where we wish our RV gave us just a little bit more – more space, more heating/cooling ability, more stability (both in terms of comfort and the simple fact that it's a rolling earthquake down the highway and shimmies whenever anyone walks around or a large gust of wind blows in). And, despite being self-proclaimed minimalists, we have no problem spending a little bit more money on items that we know will improve our lives. Over the past few years, we've gotten pretty good at learning what's worth the splurge, and we're excited to share some of those products with you as part of our 2024 holiday gift guide. The theme: Anything that has made our life as RVers just a little bit more luxurious. We're listing 12 main items, plus some bonuses. So come with us as we share some of our favorite ways to bougie camp year-round!
1: LevelMate Pro
Lots of RVers list their "must-haves" that they recommend new RVers get before they hit the road. The LevelMate Pro is not one of them. In a sense, it's an expensive way to do the same thing that a bubble level can do. In a more accurate sense, it's a major time and energy saver that's been worth every penny. Contrary to the advice of other RVers, we deemed this little device a must-have for us. We installed it on the wall of one of our bathroom cabinets so that it's centered in our RV, and when we pull into a campsite, we check the associated app, which connects to the device via Bluetooth, and the app tells us how much we need to raise our right/left and front/back to level our trailer. We've had some moments where our LevelMate runs out of battery and we need to level manually, and it's not fun. It's also not super accurate because we have vinyl flooring in our rig, and we know that those planks aren't totally even. We've had to recalibrate our LevelMate a few times over the years, but now it seems to be accurate down to its lowest measurement of a quarter of an inch. This little device adds so much ease to our unhitching process, that it allows us to settle into our campsite so much faster, so we can enjoy bougie camping that much sooner!
2: The Wacko RV AC Silencer
We've had the RV AC Silencer on our air conditioning units for so long that we need to remind ourselves just how loud our ACs were before the installation. We even did a decibel test to gauge the difference, and it's enormous. Saving our hearing is its own luxury, but on hot days, we aren't distracted by the overpowering blowing noises that make it hard to even hear ourselves think. Camping with two air conditioners is luxurious, but the Wacko RV AC Silencer really ups the ante. There was nothing wacko about our choice to add these silencers to our units! Just be sure to purchase the silencer that goes with your specific brand of AC: GE/Dometic or Colman.
3: Intex Canopy Island Inflatable Pool Float
Since we're on the topic of staying cool, I basically made this floaty famous last summer when we found ourselves in the hot desert heat of Wyoming. It was a splurge for my birthday after eyeing it for, well, basically the entire time we had been RVing. I kept convincing myself that I wouldn't use it enough because I wouldn't have waterfront sites often, but summer 2023 changed all that. We spent a lot of time hanging out by lakes, and the floaty became a staple. It's always exciting to have a waterfront campsite, but this ups the wow factor even more. Definitely a fun and luxurious "extra" that I have personally found well worth the price. FYI: I don't bother using the shade because it's time-consuming to set up. Sometimes I wish I had it, like on particularly hot and sunny days, but I'd rather try to fashion my own shade that's quicker to set up. However, the inflating process is easy, especially with a rechargeable air compressor that doesn't need to be plugged in.
4: Portable Camping Table with Folding Tabletop
We're not the types to set up our outdoor space when we arrive to a campsite, but over the years we have tried to figure out the best ways to make use of our patio. We liked the idea of having a table where we could dine at al fresco, but all the ones we tried were too cumbersome or not a good size. Then we saw a bunch of portable tables getting recommended by fellow RVers. They are lightweight and foldable, so they wouldn't take up much space in storage. More importantly, everyone claimed they were quite sturdy. There are tons of different brands that make these tables, but we went for a Villey table that was more budget-friendly, and we've been extremely pleased. Setup is a breeze. We just take it out of its storage bag, extend the legs, unroll the tabletop and snap it on, and we're good to go. We can use it at dining table or coffee table height. This table was a long time coming, but now that we have it, our patio time is way more enjoyable.
5: Solo Stove Mesa
Our extra table space on the patio means we have more room for our Solo Stove Mesa tabletop firepit. Anthony gave me this firepit as a Christmas present after our first year of traveling, and I honestly didn't know how often we'd use it, but it's been perfect for our patio. We've also used it on our picnic tables, even sometimes doing a "double fire" using the Mesa and our campsite fire ring. We've found that the ease of setup motivates us to use it often. We have both wood and pellets, and even though the small size means we need to replenish the fire more often, overall it works great. It's also quite aesthetically pleasing! Get a starter pack that includes the stove, carrying case, roasting accessory kit, fire starters, and pellets.
6: HotLogic Mini Portable Food Heater
Because we tow a trailer, we do not have the luxury of being able to grab food from our fridge during travel the way many motorhome travelers can. We pack our drive day snacks into the truck and designate stops if we need more food. We prefer to travel this way, but sometimes it's nice to have hot food on the road without needing to stop. This is where our HotLogic comes in handy. If we have a checkout around lunchtime, I'll cook up something while I'm packing up the rig, and I'll put it in a container inside the food heater. It's basically an insulated lunch box that has a hot plate in the bottom and an electric plug. We simply plug it into the outlet in our truck and the food stays warm until we're ready to eat. It's especially great for grains like pasta and rice, but I've put reheated chicken and pizza in there as well. It gets a tad chewy, but still very edible. The HotLogic comes in both 120V and 12V versions.
7: Lap Desk with Memory Foam Cushion
We both work from the road, and while we have a great workstation that we outfitted purposely for our lives as digital nomads, sometimes we want to sit at our computers somewhere more relaxed. Lots of times, one of us is working in the main part of the RV while the other is working from the bedroom. Our first Christmas in the RV, I gifted Anthony a lap desk, unsure if it would actually be worth the room it takes up. Anthony has used it almost every day since. It actually fits under our living room chair, so storage wasn't as big an issue as we thought. Either way, the sheer use and functionality makes this a well-purchased item. The desk has an extendable space for a mouse and also has a slot for a cell phone, but these are just extras. The main desk helps to elevate the laptop screen just enough to lessen neck and wrist strain, and the memory foam cushion is comfortable and keeps the desk from sliding off Anthony's lap.
8: Upholstered headboard
Sitting up in bed doing work isn't ideal. It's not good for posture, and in the real world, people advise to not work where you sleep. In the RV world, we need to make concessions because we simply don't have enough space to designate different rooms for different activities. Our bedroom is at the nose of our trailer, and the head of the bed hits against the front wall, which is curved for aerodynamics. Great during travel, very uncomfortable when we're trying to sit up in bed. So when we found these upholstered headboards that were basically giant bed-length cushions, we wondered if one would be worth the price. If it solved our ergonomic woes, then we'd be all for it. We're happy to report that we've had our headboard for a year and a half and absolutely love it. It's the perfect shape and cushiness for sitting up in bed. It has a removable, washable cover, and the cover even has a small pocket for cell phones, glasses, or other items. Lots of RVs don't have nightstands, so a pocket like this is extra handy in those cases. Anthony and I are both tall, so keeping the headboard on the bed at night means our feet dangle off the bottom of the bed just a smidge. It's not enough of a hassle for us to care, but if we ever did, we would just remove the headboard at night.
9: QuickZip bedsheets
RVers know that making the bed feels like an Olympic sport. Our beds are usually in small rooms, at all kinds of strange heights, surrounded by storage. Some, including ours, even lift up with more storage underneath. We've tried various bedding configurations, including the famous Beddys, which stitch together sheet/mid-blanket/comforter in one. It didn't take long before we realized this was a no-go for us. We didn't like the all-or-nothing approach to the bedding. We couldn't kick off the comforter if we got warm. If we needed to wash one layer, we needed to wash all layers, and with an incontinent cat, washing was more than just occasional. Then we found QuickZip, a similar concept, but less all-or-nothing. We could choose a flat sheet and even a duvet if we wanted, or we could just go with the basic offering: A fitted sheet that zips up, so the top part can come off for washing. This means no more struggling to get the fitted sheet around the corners of the mattress in our right RV bedroom. It was a perfect solution. We've had several of their sheets and they zip well, are durable, and are reasonably comfortable. Best of all, we can choose all our other bedding and aren't bound to certain materials or designs. The QuickZip sheets are insanely expensive, though – in our opinion way overpriced for fabric and a zipper – so we've begun supplementing our sheets with this knock-off version. We will say that the fabric isn't as soft and breathable, but it's a viable option that's more budget-friendly.
10: Japanese Mattress Topper
Sleep is an important part of life, but when RVing, it can be difficult to catch some good quality Z's. It's also a known fact that RV mattresses are quite uncomfortable. Most people change theirs out right away, but we didn't do that. Granted, our stock RV mattress is actually pretty good. It's a Sealy! But, we added a mattress topper to our bed that's made all the difference. First, we had a Japanese mattress, which can be used directly on the floor in a traditional style, but can also be a topper, like the way we use it. Once that topper got old and grimy, we decided to try a Dormeo foam topper and hated it. Back to the Japanese mattress, and back to blissful snoozing! So, now that we've purchased two of this mattress topper, it's safe to say we're pleased with them. If you're holding out buying a whole new mattress for your RV, you can spend less money and get this topper. Who knows, it might just end up being your long-term solution to the RV mattress problem!
11: All things temperature-regulating
Good sleep also means making sure our bodies are regulating temperature – something else that can be tricky in an RV. We camp in all types of weather, from below-freezing to triple digits. Here are some products we swear by to get us through the extreme temperatures. For the hot nights, we recommend this cooling blanket. We had a throw sized one a while back but are seriously thinking about getting a queen for our bed. It feels cool on contact and is nice and thin, so if you're like me and need a blanket covering you in order to sleep, this one has just enough weight to give you the snuggly feel without overheating you. If you're camping without electric hookups and can't run your AC, these little USB fans provide some great airflow for their size. If you don't have access to a USB port near your bed, get the rechargeable Venty fan. There are knock-offs of this product, but we've tried some, and they are nowhere near the quality of the Venty. This fan has an oscillating base and is extendable, so you can use it on a surface or on the floor. We can't say enough good things about this fan. Last summer when we were having issues with our front storage bay overheating, we used this fan to cool it down and never needed to worry about plugging it in and wasting electricity. It got us through our hottest days of boondocking through Wyoming!
On the other side of things, we have the extreme cold temperatures. Not only do we often camp in winter climates, but this past fall, our propane furnace died, and we needed all the help we could get to try and stay warm, especially through the nights. Something that really came in handy was my collection of heating pads. They don't use up a lot of electricity like electric space heaters do, which helps when we're boondocking. Even when we don't use them in cold weather, the heating pads help us recover from big hikes and other outdoor adventures when our muscles are feeling sore. I have microwaveable booties for this very purpose! My specific items are from years ago and aren't available anymore, but these products are similar: Heating pad, booties. Want to be extra bougie? Get this heated wearable throw!
12: Laundry solutions
We're not quite done talking about staying warm in the RV, and you'll see why in a minute, but first let's talk about laundry. Some RVers have a washer and dryer in their rig, but we don't and have always preferred it that way. We like going to a laundromat and getting everything washed in a couple of hours, as opposed to throwing in load after load in our one unit. However, it was quite an adjustment from having laundry in our house before we hit the road. For two adults, we accumulate a lot of laundry, mostly because of our chronically ill kitty who wears cloth diapers. For her smaller items of laundry that need to be washed more often, we've come up with different ways we can wash her stuff without going to a laundromat. First, we bought an agitator that works in a bucket, only we hardly ever used it. Filling the bucket meant using a lot of water, and we often don't camp with water hookups. Last year, I found the Scrubba Bag, which is mostly marketed to backpackers who might want to quickly wash a few clothes on their hikes. For us, the bag uses a lot less water than the bucket, and we also found that manually swishing the clothes in the bag gets them a lot cleaner. We use these laundry detergent sheets in the Scrubba bag - just a small piece for the whole bag - and they dissolve great.
The other piece of the puzzle was the drying. I found this portable dryer that plugs in. We hang it from our shower rod and run the cord to our bathroom outlet. We absolutely love this thing. We can dry the clothes that we wash manually, but we actually use it more often for two other reasons: 1, the campground laundry doesn't dry our clothes entirely and we don't want to spend more money. 2, If we get caught in the rain and need to quickly dry our clothes. Honestly, even if you don't have a means of washing clothes in the rig, we would still recommend this dryer. Just be sure you buy sturdy metal hangers to put inside, because other materials get warped. Since buying this dryer, I've seen similar ones mentioned a few times on RV Facebook groups, and people rave about them. One guy said he also likes to use it to heat his rig, and it's totally true! It gives off some good heat. Granted, it also uses a decent amount of electricity, but during our days of no propane heat, it would have made a lot of sense for us to utilize this dryer. Not only does it radiate heat, but we could have warmed up our clothes and blankets in it. Well, next time.
Bonus stocking stuffer: The Manta Pro Sleep Mask
We've covered the cushiness aspect of sleeping and the temperature regulation aspect of sleeping, but in the RV life, sleepy time can by burdened by a wealth of distractions. Sometimes we find ourselves sleeping in places that are really bright and noisy. I've been a fan of sleep masks since before we started RVing, but now, my sleep mask is an essential part of my bedtime. I've tried all different brands, but the best by far has been the Manta Pro sleep mask. Mine has built-in Bluetooth speakers, but unlike some other masks I've tried, this one has a decent amount of padding so you can't feel the speaker as much if you're lying with your ear against your pillow. So not only can I cocoon myself in darkness, I can drown out the sounds of RV engines, trains, chatter, gunshots, thunder, and more. (Yes, we have dealt with all of those sounds at one point or another). I listen to sleep meditations every night before sleep, followed by soothing music that lulls me into my slumber. I also own the regular Manta sleep mask, which doesn't have the Bluetooth speakers option but is really comfy and great for blocking out light. (The "Manta Sound" Pro mask with speakers was unavailable on Amazon when I was writing this blog post, but it's available on the Manta Sleep website (non-affiliate link)).
We've learned over the years that the RV life can certainly have its luxuries, and our self-care hasn't stopped just because we live on the road. In fact, in lots of ways, we've refined our self-care even more! We've found ways to feel extra cozy and comfortable in our small space. We hope this gift guide has inspired you to live life a little more luxuriously, whether you're in an RV or a home.