• Jack pads        Made of polystyrene, polyethylene or a similar type of plastic, these square or round disks provide a wide base for your leveling jacks.  This can be especially helpful when you are parked on a campsite that has had a lot of rain recently, or one that is paved with asphalt.  We had our set made locally and asked that they drill a hole in the middle of each one so that we could use the hooked end of the awning puller to pull them out from underneath the rig.

• Leveling blocks and/or leveling boards       Leveling blocks are a set of plastic disks that you can stack at various heights to raise the wheels of  your rig to the proper level.  Even though you may have automatic hydraulic leveling jacks on your motorhome, there will be times that the jacks actually raise one or more tires off the ground when they level out the rig and this is when the blocks come in handy to support those wheels. 
  

• Water hoses  ;   Known as food-grade water hoses, these white plastic hoses are made of a special material that won't leach chemicals into your water.  Regular garden hoses are not made for potable (drinkable) water and may contribute an unpleasant odor or flavor to your water.  It's wise to carry at least two lengths of water hoses as the distance from your water hook up to your rig will vary from campground to campground and at times the hook ups can be quite far from your rig.  We carry three sets.
• Sewer hoses      Like water connections, sometimes your sewer hook up ise not conveniently located so it is very wise to have an extra length or two of sewer hose.
  
• Power cords       Your rig will come supplied with a standard length power cord, but like water hook ups, sometimes the electrical box is too far away to reach with one length so carrying an extension is a good idea. 
  
• Power cord adapters      Many of the newer rvs now come with 50 amp circuitry due to all the gadgets included these days.  Many of the older campgrounds have only 30 amp electrical service so you will need a 50 amp to 30 amp power cord adapter to be able to plug into the electrical box.  There are also 30 amp to 50 amp adapters for those with 30 amp service in their rig who may find the rare campground that only provides 50 amp service. 
  
• Wheel chocks          Even though you have a parking/emergency brake on your motorhome, having a set of wheel chocks is necessary as a back up in case of flat tires or blowouts.
• Wheel locks   ;   While wheel locks are advertised for fifth wheels and travel trailers to prevent tire movement and to stabilize your rig, we also used one for our motorhome.  It is the first thing put in place after we are satisfied with the rig's position when we've backed into/pulled into a site.
  
• Trailer stabilizers    ;   Placed between the tires on the opposite side of the fifth wheel from where we've place the wheel lock, the trailer stabilizer truly minimizes the front-to-back rocking that occurs when you move about in the rig.
• King pin stabilizer    Newer version come in a tripod design that seem to add even more stability, but we definitely notice a different in the sway of the rig when we don't put up the king pin stabilizer.
•  Hoppy level      This is my personal favorite.  This version of the Hoppy level swings outward so you can not only see the level of the rig from front to back but also side to side.  However, the part I like is the round dial with the level on top; when you raise your fifth wheel to unhitch from your truck you set the dial so the bubble is level on the round dial leaving it in that position.  You then raise or lower your rig to the proper level, but when you are ready to hitch up again, you return the rig to the height indicated by the round dial's level so there's no need to guess if you've raised the hitch far enough for the truck to back into it.  Neat, huh?  There are many types of levels, including a very large one that many people attach to their king pin box, so what you use will be based on your personal preference.  I simply prefer the convenience of having a level that checks both directions for me in one place.

• Stepladder               Whether you own a motorhome or a fifth wheel, you'll have to wash the exterior windows and you'll need a stepladder for that.

• Large cleaning brush with a telescoping handle       Many campgrounds have restrictions on washing of rigs and those that do allow you to clean your rig will normally require a brush and bucket for washing (instead of using a spray cleaner device).

• Road service coverage   There are many companies out there that provide road service coverage.  We use Coach Net and have been very pleased with their response, as well as with our former coverage with Allstate Road Service.  We only switched to Coach Net when we were given our first year free with our new rig in 2002 and we've used it several times since for flat tires/blow outs.  Coach Net also claims to have 24 hour  a day RV technicians on staff for advice by telephone when you are having problems but we've not used that part of the service.  I think it is much wiser to leave the changing of a flat tire on a triple axle rig parked on the side of a busy highway in sleeting rain (no fun, believe me) to someone else.  The $100 per year cost (it will be less your first year) will be worth it.
  

ITEMS THAT ARE HANDY

• Slip stop     Use slip stop to line your cupboards and you'll find that your dishes will slide around less.  I also place it under my printer, coffee pot and other items on the desk top and counter that I want to remain in place. 
• Tension Rods     Tension rods are helpful in your pantry and even as extra support in your refrigerator while traveling from campground to campground.  Even with the best suspension you'll find that bumps in the road will jar items off your shelves that will be ready to attack once you open that cupboard door. 

• The Next Exit       This is a very useful book if you travel the interstates often.  The authors have listed service stations, restaurants, shopping areas, banks, ATMs and much more that can be found at each exit of all the interstate highways across the country. 
  
  
  
  

• GPS navigation system        There are a variety of types of GPS systems for vehicles now.  We use a laptop, Street Atlas software and a GPS receiver to navigate in unfamiliar areas although I'd love to have one of the new units that sit on  your dash and give vocal directions.  I preplan our trips on the computer but there have been times that we have been rerouted on detours and it is very nice to have a mapping system that shows alternate routes or how to get back on track. 

• Tire Pressure Monitoring system      Having been the victims of two blowouts with the accompanying damage to the side and undercarriage of our rig, an automatic tire pressure monitor is sounding like a very good idea.  It appears that the systems are now also being manufactured for fifth wheels which is great, as it is very difficult to see all three sets of tires on both sides while driving. 

• Tire pressure monitoring valve caps        Until we are ready to invest in an automatic tire pressure monitoring system, we are using these valve cap tire pressure monitors.  They are sold in packages of 4 normally and are available for different PSI tire ratings.   A quick glance at the color of the cap tells us if we've lost pressure in a tire. Edited 6/24/2007.  We have removed our set of tire pressure monitoring valve caps due to the fact they were causing a slow leak in a couple of the tires.