If you have not seen our social media post our big news for this summer is that we are heading to Alaska! We are leaving late April and hope to make it to Alaska by late June. We are super excited to see America’s last frontier!
After owning our 2016 Roadtrek Agile SS for 2 ½ years and being on the road for almost 2 years we do get the question from time to time of what RV and camping products do you use and which is your favorite. Prior to starting our new way of life we had done extensive research into what to buy so luckily we have not had to throw out many items and have not had to repurchase any as all of our gear has worked beautifully. The list below are things that we use on an every day or every other day basis and things that did not come already when we bought our RV.
Cooking/Dining
By far the one thing that we use every day is our Coleman Grill. 2/3 of the unit is reserved for grill space while the other 1/3 is a one burner stove. We have cooked a lot of chicken and sautéed a lot of onions and peppers at the same time. This product works great. The small cans of Coleman propane canisters usually last around 1 week with this grill so overall not a bad deal.
Coleman Grill
As someone who cant tell if a piece of meat is done by just looking or touching it I need a thermometer to make sure that our meat is up to temperature. For that we use the Thermapen. It’s digital, fast, accurate, easy to read and did I mention super fast.
Thermapen
Along with the grill and Thermapen my other kitchen tool that I could not do without is my Wusthof Cooks knife. Julie and I received this as a wedding present and have used it almost every day since. Sharpen a little before each use and it is still as sharp as the day we received it.
Wusthof Cooks Knife
Cast Iron Skillet
We use this almost daily sautéing veggies, browning meats and making eggs. This keeps heat well and is a great pan.
Cast Iron Skillet
Coffee Maker – This small 4-cup coffee maker works great. Part of what makes it great for RV’s is that the cup on the unit is made of metal and not glass. Less glass the better in the RV world.
Coffee Maker
Bathroom
We all have to dry off after a refreshing shower. For this we found the Raqpak Microfiber travel towel. It’s as large as a normal towel but fits in a snug little carrying case. This towel also dries extremely fast after using it.
Raqpak Microfiber Travel Towel
Toilet paper can be an issue for RV’ers. These are the same toilets that are found in boats as well as some cottages that are not connected to a sewer system. What this generally means is 1-ply sheets. Usually this means scratchy toilet paper. We have found though that Scott brand Rapid Dissolving Septic Safe toilet paper is the best on the market. After we discovered this, our bathroom breaks have been much more enjoyable!
Scott RV Toilet Paper – the best ever!
Outdoors
With minimal space for storage in our RV but we still needed a table to grill on I found a roll up aluminum table that fits in the same size bag as our camp chairs. This little table takes 30 seconds to set up and is surprisingly durable for its size.
Folding Camp Table
Along with our small table we always put out our camping chairs to sit down and take in the scenery after a day of driving or hiking. We have had our Coleman camp chairs for 20+ years and they are just as comfortable now as when we bought them. If we ever did have to purchase new ones these current ones are the most similar to the ones that we currently use.
Coleman Camping Chairs
We do bring our bikes on the back of our Roadtrek for an additional way to get around the trails and cities. Prior to almost every ride we make sure our bike tire pressure is where it should be. For that we use the Air Tool Sport Floorpump. It comes with a built in pressure gage so you always know exactly how much to pump.
Air Tool Bike Pump
Internet
While most RV parks and campgrounds have internet these days (excluding state/provincial/national parks) it is still handy to have a wireless hot spot of your own. We generally use ours to post our blog and video’s to our website and occasionally watch Hulu if the signal is strong enough. In order for it to work you do need cell coverage so this does not work in the more remote places but if you are anywhere near a city big or small we have had pretty good luck. For this we use a T-Mobile alcatel hotspot.
T-Mobile Hotspot
Travel Guide
While prepping for our Alaska trip we ordered the 2019 edition of “The Milepost”. This 704 page guide tells you about every inch of every road going to and from Alaska through British Columbia and Alberta to Washington State, Idaho and Montana. This gets updated every year with this year being its 71st edition. If you are driving to Alaska from anywhere in the USA this guide is highly recommended.
The Milepost Travel Guide
As I mentioned at the top these are just the things that we use on an almost everyday or every other day basis. We actually have a 5-page list of everything that we pack into our RV. This includes everything from clothes, bedding, food, toiletries, outdoor gear, medicine and everything in between. If you have any questions on which brands we use and what we think just shoot us an email @ cruisinwiththecareys@gmail.com and we will tell you.
Happy Camping!
