12 Days of RV Christmas Gift Ideas

If you’re reading this post chances are there are some RVers on your Christmas shopping list. There are so many gizmos and gadgets for RVers but this list concentrates on some of the more useful and practical ideas.

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In the spirit of the 12 days of Christmas, I have made a list of 12 great stocking stuffers for under $20 and a list of 12 over $20.

Here are the “stocking stuffers”, all under $20.

The first stocking stuffer is under $5. It’s a hose bandit. This ingenious item fits over damaged hose threads and over campground hydrants (that often have no threads or stripped threads.) You can use this to fill your fresh water tank when it would be almost impossible when hydrant threads are damaged.

By it now by clicking the link below.

The next socking stuffer is under $10. It’s a clear sewer cap with with a garden hose fitting. Almost every RVer has been surprised by what’s lurking behind the sewer cap when one of your valves is not 100% closed. Now you can be prepared and see if you need to get a small bucket to catch the stinky water.

Another really cool item under $10 is Magical Flames. You get 12 packets that when thrown into a campfire gives for a fabulous display of colors for about 15 mins. We tried this at one of our campfires this summer and can report that they really work.  Kids really love it! It also has a 4.6 star rating.

Speaking of campfires, who doesn’t love s’mores! We have these telescoping forks and love them. We have even given them as gifts to friends.  Compact and easy to store and long enough to keep you from getting to close to the fire. A color coded set of 6 for under $20 and comes with a 4.6 star rating.

By far the most popular grill RVers use is the Weber BabyQ. Here is a nice cover for under $15 and has a 4.6 star rating. We have had this cover for about 2 years and it is holding up well.  When we set up our campsite that we are staying for a while we leave our grill out with the cover on it. If we are concerned about it growing legs we simply put a bike cable lock on it.

We starting using a real fabric table cloth instead of the disposable vinyl that you see on almost every campsite. It has worked out well for us and it simply goes in the laundry with the regular wash. This one is under $12 and has 4.5 stars on over 2000 reviews. There are may colors to choose from including the traditional red and white checker, and is large enough for an 8′ picnic table.

The next item should be in everyone’s rig. A first aid kit. This kit is under $20 and has 4.9 star rating. It includes a nice case, and everything you need to handle minor injuries. It even includes a compass and insulating emergency blanket. It’s great for the rig, your car, and also small enough to take with you on a hike in your backpack.

The next item is a RV cookbook written by our fulltime RV friend Tracy (and Lee), of Camper Chronicles. It contains 80 recipes that are RV friendly. Most recipes have limited amounts of ingredients and don’t require lots of preparation time or counter space. It also contains a few of our own recipes including Grandma Murrays carrot cake (reported to be the best carrot cake people ever had, seriously!)

Kindle Version

Hard Copy

You probably have this next item but if you don’t it time to join the crowd. It’s a nonstick Grill Mat. There are 5 in a package for less the $10! 4.8 star rating. You simply cut them to size and place them directly on the grill. Great for cooking delicate items like seafood, items that would otherwise fall through or stick to the grates. We even used ours to cook sunny side eggs and pancakes. It’s also great for cooking bacon with NO flare ups. Simply blot the rendered grease off the bacon with tongs and a paper towel. your can cook cookies on it instead of parchment paper and even use it on the bottom of your oven to make cleanup a breeze.

The next item is not as common. It’s Museum Gel. It is used to attach items to a surface. We use it to keep a vase and decorative dish attached to the raised platform above our dining room table. They stay there 24/7, 365 days a year and don’t move even after 30K miles on our 5th wheel they are still there.

The best part is that’s is not permanent and can be removed without damaging the surface.  It has a 4.0 star rating.  I believe it should be higher as most of the negative reviews were trying to use it outside of its intended use.  We personally give it 5 stars!

This next item helps us store our glassware safely. It’s actually marketed for organizing socks and underwear but works great as separating glassware in our drawer.

They simply snap together and fit most glasses. We have been storing our glasses like this for 3 years and have never broken a glass. 4.4 star rating.

The last stocking stuffer is a multi-tasker. It’s a insulated vent cover. It really helps keep the heat inside when your heat is on and the heat outside when your A/C is on. It has a 4.8 star rating with over 1000 reviews. It’s also great for blocking the light in the early morning (especially if you have a vent over your bed). It can also be used to cushion items during travel or as a small pillow. 4.8 starts with over 1000 reviews.

Now the your stocking are stuffed with goodies let’s move on to the gifts over $20.

The first item is a 2way radio set. We own this set and love them. They are not the cheapest but are full of useful features. They have a 5 watt transmitter (strongest allowed by law) and are water resistant. We also like the fact they use rechargeable AA batteries and last all day. We drive in separate vehicles and find they have up to a 1.25 mile range on the highway. They also come in super handy when parking. They contains an automatic emergency alert when bad weather is in your area. Campers also give one to the kids while at the campground. They have a substantial feel to them and are not light like some units and are also pretty darn tough having dropped ours many times with no issues. 3.8 star review. I found that most negative reviews were concerning advertised range (up to 35 miles in perfect conditions! (yeah right!)). We have found they work well on the road and at larger campgrounds, so i feel comfortable recommending them.

We also own and live this next item also. We have had it since we hit the road fulltime over 3 years ago. It’s a GPS made specifically for RVers. You enter your height and weight and it automatically generates your route without having to worry about overhead clearances or weight restricted roads. It has an RV mode that’s uses the inputted restrictions or car mode for regular navigation. It also comes with lifetime maps and traffic alerts. We really like the real time traffic display. Like most newer GPS it includes gas stations, ATMs, etc. To be fair and honest we do not blindly trust any GPS as they all use similar databases and can sometimes send you off course. You can also add a wireless rear view camera but the reviews are problematic when used with longer rigs. Probably the best feature (besides the RV features), is that is has a huge screen making it very easy to see.

The next item is very popular with the RV crowd. It’s an instant pot. We have ours over 2 years now and use it all the time. We use it to make roasts, soup, even yogurt. We can honestly say the the money we saved making homemade Greek style yogurt has paid for the Instant Pot. The 7 in one models and above have the yogurt function. They also have a 3 quart model that would be perfect for one person. It has 4.6 Stars on over 24K reviews. Its also the #1 selling item in Amazons Home and Kitchen category (and there are 1000s of items in that category!)

The next item we have had for a year. We have our dashcam mounted in our truck that tows our 5th wheel. It’s recording whenever the truck is on. We captured a car cutting us off while towing our 17K pound 5th wheel. (see our video in our post here: Why You Need a Dashcam) While I was able to brake hard enough to avoid hitting him I may not be as lucky next time. I purchased a larger SD card and can record over 10 hours of 1080 HD video with sound. It writes over the oldest video first when it runs out of space so you don’t have to remember to change cards. It also can capture your trip through the beautiful mountains, vistas, and sunsets we see while driving. We take the good stuff off the card to save. It’s also super small! It has a 4.0 star rating and it has been issue free for us so we recommend it.

The next item we have owned for 1 1/2 years. It’s a Shark Rocket Vacuum. Our rig came with a very nice cordless Dyson stick vacuum. It worked well (or so we thought). The summer of 2016 we were campground hosts in Seward AK. Part of our duties were to turnover cabins for the next guest. The retreat used a Shark Rocket. It was light and powerful! It ran for hours every day and never missed a beat. We decided to try it inside our rig after using the Dyson. We were absolutely amazed by how much dirt (especially cat hair), the Dyson didn’t pick up. It simply wasn’t powerful enough. We had our own a week later! 4.5 Star rating and great customer service. Our vacuum arrived with one of the two headlights not working. I called The company directly and had a new head assembly in days. They didn’t even want the old one back so now I have a spare! It’s only slightly larger than the Dyson so it was not difficult to store in the RV.

The next item is on our wish list. It’s a motion sensing RV porch light. It installs easily with no modifications. It simply replaces your old RV light with a much brighter (450 lumens) and only uses 5.4 watts. It functions as a regular light or motion sensing. It has a 4.6 star rating that is way higher than any other motion sensing RV light I have found. Hopefully I get one for Christmas 😇

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r item on our wish list is a back up camera. We almost purchased an add on camera to our GPS but didn’t due to the poor reviews. I did find a back up camera with a 4.4 star rating and under $150. While I can’t personally recommend this camera it’s at the top of my list when I’m ready to pull the trigger. This would help especially when backing into a tight spot. Kelly has to watch my blind side and rear at the same time when we back up. A back up camera would certainly make that process a bit easier. If you own a Motorhome and tow a car behind you this is an absolute necessity.

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This item is the most popular RV grill out there. The Weber BabyQ is an awesome little grill. We use ours all the time and have had it over 4 years with no issues. It’s a good size for a family of four. We have even cooked baby baby ribs on ours. It runs for 2 1/2 hours on a single one pound propane tank, or you can simply use a hose to a larger portable tank. It has 4.7 stars (Q1000) and 4.8 stars (Q1200). What I love about the Weber grills is that they regulate temperature very good and are built extremely well. Another thing I really like about Weber is there parts available for a very long time. I was easily able to buy a small part for my 12 year old Weber SilverC about 5 years ago.

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Another popular item for RVers is a countertop ice maker. We have a residential refrigerator with an icemaker so we do not own or need one. But is you have regular propane RV refrigerator you will appreciate this little guy. We have quite a few of our RV friends who own one and they all report that they love them! They all have pretty much the same features and are all around $100. Ratings varied quite a bit, but there was one stand out with a 4.7 star rating on over 350 reviews. At $110 I believe it represents a great value for the money.

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We have had one these items for a long time. It’s great for the RV and saves a ton of space. It’s a digital picture frame. The benefits of a digital picture frame in an RV are obvious. It comes down to size. We have an 8″ frame and that seems to be the right size for us. I found a great value on an 8″ screen frame that has sound and an auto rotate function (wish mine had that). It also comes with a handy remote. It’s top rated at 4.7 stars, and supports HD and can be expanded beyond the internal 8GB memory by adding a memory card or stick.

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Something every RVer should have is a TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system). Our Landmark came from the factory outfitted with a Valor system that utilizes internal sensors. While we like our unit it can be somewhat impractical (and expensive) to dismount your tires to change sensors every 4 or 5 years. Internal sensors are also expensive to replace costing more than a quality external system. Good TPMS units with external sensors can be expensive but think of how much damage a blow out can do to your rig. If I needed to replace my system today I would get this unit. I really like its smartphone based (it’s where technology is going), and has an excellent 4.7 star rating. Lots of bells and whistles on this one!

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This last item is the most expensive but my favorite. I bought this for my truck 3 1/2 years ago. It’s a 5th wheel tool box. It is constructed out of diamond plate aluminum and is made is the USA! I love this tool box because I can access my tools by simply lowering the tailgate. No climbing over the side to reach the tools! I also love the fact that it is completely hidden by my cover. It’s also easy to remove when you need you truck bed back. Since the toolbox is locked to the bed, the box is completely secure when the tail gate is locked. The doors and drawer also have their own locks. The tail gate of my truck acts as a bench and my tools are right in front of me. One of the best items I have ever purchased!

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10 thoughts on “12 Days of RV Christmas Gift Ideas

  1. I love your reviews! It was interesting how many of those items we already own. We purchased the Instant Pot this summer. Haven’t used it as much as I should, still learning all the tricks. Will have to try yogurt. If you have any great tips and tricks let me know.

    1. I use “This Old Gal” yogurt recipe – I use a colander and commercial size coffee filter to strain it, which makes it very thick and yummy! I eat it with fruit (frozen this time of year) or jam and granola! Add a bit of honey for sweet if needed! It’s delish!

  2. Awesome post! We use several of those items and thanks so much for mentioning the cookbook!

    1. There should be a link to Amazon with the exact model. Try to open the blog on a different device and/or use a different browser. If you continue to have trouble let me know please!

  3. Bill, I love all the ideas. Thanks for sharing all of these. I will be buying some of them sooner rather than later, and the rest later. LOL

    Merry Christmas –

  4. Great list! We will have to try the grill mat. Looks like great idea.
    We make yogurt all the time in our instant pot. We found a reusable “nut milk” strainer bag on Amazon and use that to make the Greek style.
    Love the 5th Wheel ornament.
    Have a Merry Christmas!

    1. Thanks David! I use a large colander and commercial size coffee filter to strain my yogurt! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

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