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RV Repair Kit: 17 Things I Always Bring With Me

Published on May 23rd, 2019 by Camper Report
This post was updated on November 17th, 2020

RV Repair Kit: 17 Things I Always Bring With Me

It’s always the worst when you’ve gone on an exciting adventure with your RV and you run into some problems that absolutely need fixing. That’s why I like to always bring along my handy dandy RV repair kit.

Not really sure where to start with packing your repair kit? Well, today’s your lucky day because I’m going to tell you some of my favorite things that I always make sure are ready to go in my RV repair kit.

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1. Duct tape

When it comes to having issues on the road or at the campsite, my favorite tool in my repair kit will always be my duct tape. I’m a pretty firm believer that duct tape can be a pretty quick fix for just about anything.

Have a leaky roof? Patch it up with some spare trash bags and some duct tape. Just got a tiny hole in a hose? Patch it up with some duct tape. The seal on your window needs some replacing, but you’re not in the best place or conditions to do so? Duct tape.

Isn’t duct tape just the best? Obviously, it isn’t a permanent solution, but it can work pretty well if you find yourself in a bind, and you need a simple solution fast. Just be sure to fix it or get the part replaced as soon as you are able to do so.

2. Zip ties

Another thing that people don’t often think of as completely necessary for a repair kit? Zip ties. It’s another one of those tools for a quick fix that will need a more permanent solution once you actually have the time, but zip ties can be quite handy when you need some basic repairs.

And they can save you some extra dollars instead of calling in the repair man right away.

You can use zip ties to hold things together when the duct tape won’t work. You might even use a zip tie to hold your license plate in place when the screw comes loose or holding different hoses and wires in the right place and angle if they start to droop and get in the way.

3. Pocket knife

I don’t know about you, but, as an outdoorsman, a pocket knife is something that I always have to have on me. Of course, there could be some states that have special regulations on carrying different types of pocket knives on your person and in your vehicle so this will be something that you will definitely want to check on.

A pocket knife can be useful for some pretty basic things like opening bags, slicing up cheese, or tearing through packages, but it can also be useful for some basic repairs. You could use it to cut ropes or strip the insulation from wires among other things.

Once you add it to your RV repair kit, you’ll be surprised at how often you bring it out for usage and repairs and wonder how you ever went on any RV trip without it.

4. Wire cutters

For different electrical fixes, I also like to have wire cutters in my RV repair kit. You can use them for the most basic use of cutting wires or zip ties.

My favorite use for wire cutters, though, when I’m not using them for repairs, is using them to cut and reshape metal hangers into nice, little marshmallow skewers. Pretty handy, right?

5. Pliers

Pliers can be pretty useful for getting into the tight spots in your RV, but they also work very well for holding things together. This is especially true when you need to hold machine nuts in place while you use some other tool to work on a different repair in your RV.

Basically, the use of pliers is pretty standard, but they can be pretty versatile overall, and I’m sure that you’ll end up using them a lot more than you expected once you put them in your RV repair kit.

6. Flashlight

A flashlight sounds like the most basic, and maybe even most useless thing that you could keep inside your RV repair kit, but that’s not true at all. Sure, it might not be used directly for doing some basic repairs for your RV, but when you need to pull over on the side of the road at night to fix a flat tire and the passing cars aren’t providing a steady source of light, a flashlight can really come in handy.

It can also help you to see what’s going on inside some pretty tight, poorly lit spaces. Just last month, I was working on a repair for my RV on the campground, and I couldn’t see a thing that I was doing, but I just pulled out the handy, heavy-duty flashlight, and the repair was so much easier to perform.

Believe me, you’ll be happy that I told you to bring a flashlight along with you. It’s also pretty useful for when you hear a mysterious bump in the night, and you’ve been appointed as the one to go out and check.

7. Hammer

A hammer is pretty basic in its uses with driving in nails and stakes and taking them out again, but it can also be useful for bending or straightening things out. You could also use it as a tool to knock something back into place as well as to pry something open.

8. Tire pressure gauge

Having a flat tire can be one of the most irritating things when on an RV trip, especially when you could have prepared for it before you even left the campground. That’s why I like to carry a nice digital tire pressure gauge.

With it being digital, it means a little less work for me, and that is always a welcome bonus.

You might know this already, but one of the best ways to avoid a flat tire when you’re on the road is checking the tire pressure before you leave. The basic recommended tire pressure for RVs is 90 PSI, but most RVs will have a plate somewhere that will tell you the manufacturer’s recommended maximum tire pressure for your specific RV.

It’s important to check on this before starting any length of RV trip in order to avoid unnecessary flat or burst tires. However, tire-pressure gauges and staying on top of the tire pressure will not completely prevent you from having any flat tires or burst tires.

You never know what you might run into on the road or at the campground, but you’ll always want to come prepared for those flat or burst tires.

9. Lug wrench

Speaking of burst tires, a lug wrench can be very helpful when it comes to repairing them. The lug wrench, or tire wrench, will help you to remove the lug nuts that are holding the burst tire in place as well as put them back into place once you have the spare tire.

Of course, having a lug wrench will only serve as wasted weight and space in your RV repair kit if you don’t have a spare tire. A decent rule of thumb: always have a spare tire or two.

RVs go through a lot of traveling on a lot of different types of roads and terrains, so it’s not uncommon for something to happen to your tires. Sure, they’re made to be more durable, but they’re not invincible. So, always come prepared for anything to happen on the road.

Believe me, the last thing you want to do is spend a few hours or even an entire night on the side of the road with your family in the RV instead of at a nice campground just because you didn’t think to bring a lug wrench or a spare tire.

10. Portable air compressor

Along with burst tires on the road, flat tires can also be a pretty common problem that you could run into with your RV. That’s when a portable air compressor can be pretty useful.

Of course, air compressors can be pretty powerful, and if you’re not careful, you could end up bursting your tire or at least causing some tire problems. That’s why it’s important to pair the use of the portable air compressor with your tire pressure gauge to make sure you’re getting the right amount of pressure without going over.

That’s also the convenience of having a portable air compressor, as they tend to be smaller than normal air compressors, and therefore tend to be significantly less powerful. This is a good thing when it comes to using it to fill a flat tire on your RV.

Check out some of our favorite portable air compressors in this article.

11. Adjustable wrench set

Adjustable wrench sets can be pretty useful when you need to tighten or unscrew some nuts and bolts in your RV. Similar to the multi-bit screwdriver, an adjustable wrench set can be pretty convenient in the way it takes off some excess weight and frees up some space in your RV repair kit by replacing several different sizes of wrenches.

As that is, you will want to be careful when trying to get through to those stubborn nuts and bolts because the adjustable wrench could end up slipping instead of actually helping you to loosen or tighten the nut or bolt. This is when a basic socket and ratchet set could be useful.

12. Multi-bit screwdriver

Have you ever been doing some basic repairs on your RV, and you needed a flat-head screwdriver, but you only had a Philips head screwdriver? It’s the worst, isn’t it? That’s why I like to carry the multi-bit screwdriver in my RV repair kit so it can handle any form of screws I need it to.

Not only is a screwdriver useful for tightening and loosening any type of screw you might find around your RV, but it can also be pretty useful for prying things open.

Of course, you could always pack one flat head screwdriver and then one Philips head screwdriver, but why take up all of the extra space and add all of that extra weight of two when you could be carrying only one.

I don’t know about you, but I like the convenience of it, but overall it is your choice as to how many screwdrivers you end up bringing in your RV repair kit. Just make sure you have both a flat head and Philips head with you because you never really know what type of screw you’ll need to loosen up or tighten.

13. Hose repair kit

Have you ever gotten one of those pinprick holes in your hoses, and it gets a pretty unbearable leak? Sure, you can fix it pretty quickly with some duct tape, but that’s only a temporary fix that you’ll need to replace eventually. Unless you don’t have time to pull it out, a hose repair kit can be really handy.

Most basic hose repair kits will include extra rubber gaskets as well as some extra tape among other things to repair your hose. You’ll find that it will really come in handy when you find a leak in your hose.

I also like to include some thread seal tape to in my hose repair kit in case there’s any problems or leaks around the spigot when hooking up the RV to the water at the campground.

14. Sealing lubricant

Burst water lines can be pretty nasty to deal with when you’re on the road or just hanging out at a campground. A good way to prevent it is by winterizing your water pump and water lines, but just in case you still run into a problem, you can use a sealing lubricant.

Applying a touch of sealing lubricant on your water lines should help you repair any leaks you might have going on in your water lines, but if they still keep leaking, you might just have to replace them, or your water pump altogether.

15. Electric multimeter

I don’t know about you, but now that my RV has been pretty well used, electrical issues can be pretty common, and it’s always a pain to figure out just what exactly might be causing it. That’s why I love bringing along my electric multimeter so much.

It can be a bit tricky to understand at first, but it basically tracks down exactly what’s causing the electrical issue for me, and then I can fix it from there. Is that convenient, or what? I don’t know about you, but I will gladly give up all of that time I wasted hunting down the root of the electrical problems for a nice, little electric multimeter.

Seriously though, you will not want to troubleshoot your electrical problems any other way again once you have this handy, little device. It’s definitely worth taking the time to learn how to use it.

16. Cordless power drill

I’m sure you might be thinking that, with all of the useful tools in my RV repair kit, a cordless power drill might seem a little random, but I swear it’s one of the most useful tools you can bring with you.

Okay. Maybe not as useful as duct tape…but still.

The uses of a power drill are pretty self-explanatory if you’ve ever used a drill before, but it can also be pretty convenient for lowering and raising trailer stabilizing jacks.

17. Portable Lithium Battery Jump Box

It’s a bit of a mouthful, I know, but this is seriously one of the most important things to carry with you in your RV repair kit. Perhaps it’s more of an emergency preparedness Item than a tool for repairs, but it could be the difference between you being stranded with a dead RV and actually being able to start it back up again.

Your basic portable lithium battery jump box, or more simply put, jump starter box, will have jumper cables and clamps, an interior battery, and maybe even an emergency radio. The nice thing about these jump starters is that they typically will be able to jump-start the battery in your RV in a matter of seconds.

How cool is that? Obviously, the most major repair you will ever need to perform on your RV is when you come to a dead battery. That’s why you should always carry a jump starter box with you—but… it might be just slightly too big for your RV repair kit, so just be sure to keep it somewhere in your RV that will be easily accessible in times of emergencies.

You may also want to keep these 10 Glues, Tapes, & Adhesives on hand for easy RV repairs.


Track your RV maintenance

Be sure to keep track of all your RV maintenance with an online tool such as RV LIFE Maintenance. Not only can you keep all your maintenance records and documents in one place, you’ll receive timely reminders via email when maintenance is due and potentially avoid a costly repair or serious accident.

1 thought on “RV Repair Kit: 17 Things I Always Bring With Me”

  1. After reading this article I would suggest that instead of a multi bit screwdriver, go with a reversible ratchet type screwdriver with interchangeable bits inside the screwdriver cap. Less work on the wrist. Also recommend a pair of vise grips 5” and 7”.

    Reply

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