RV equipment guides
Straight answers on RV gear.
Buying guides and explainers built from manufacturer documentation and published specifications — so you can tell whether something fits your rig before you spend the money.
Browse by system
Each section covers one system end to end — the equipment, how it works, and what goes wrong with it.
- Electrical Shore power, batteries, solar and everything that draws from them.
- Surge protection
- Batteries
- Solar
- Inverters
- Water Fresh, grey and black — filtration, pressure, pumps and sanitation.
- Filtration
- Pressure
- Pumps
- Sanitation
- Towing Hitches, weight distribution, brake control and trailer security.
- Hitches
- Weight distribution
- Brake controllers
- Security
- Gear Leveling, mattresses, storage and the kit that makes a rig livable.
- Leveling
- Mattresses
- Storage
- Covers
- Camping Awnings, outdoor cooking, campsite setup and boondocking.
- Awnings
- Outdoor cooking
- Campsite setup
- Boondocking
- Maintenance Sealants, winterizing, storage and troubleshooting that saves a bill.
- Sealants
- Winterizing
- Cleaning
- Storage
In progress: guides .
Latest guides
- gear
RV Mattress Size Calculator: What Actually Fits Your Bed
Measure the platform and find the RV mattress that fits it — and see why "RV King" is published as three different sizes by three different sellers.
- electrical
How Much Solar Do I Need for My RV? Sized for the Month You Camp In
Size an RV solar array on NASA's monthly sun figures for where you actually camp — flat to the roof, not tilted — and on the roof space you actually have.
- electrical
What Size Generator for an RV Air Conditioner? (Altitude and Heat Included)
Size a generator from Dometic's own published minimum, then derate it for altitude and heat — and see why a 4,500-watt unit is already short on a 95-degree day at sea level.
- electrical
What Size Solar Charge Controller? The Cold-Morning Voltage Nobody Checks
Size an MPPT controller on the two figures that can destroy it — cold open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current — not on watts, which Victron says it simply limits.
- towing
Trailer Lug Nut Torque Calculator: Ft-Lbs by Wheel and Stud Size
Look up trailer wheel nut torque from Dexter's and Lippert's own tables, in staged passes — and see where the two makers publish figures that do not overlap at all.
- electrical
RV Extension Cord Calculator: How Long Can a 30 Amp Cord Be?
Work out the voltage your RV actually gets through its shore cord and an extension — counting the round trip, the coiled slack, and the drop a portable EMS at the pedestal never sees.
Editorial approach
How recommendations are made
RVTrove earns a commission when you buy through our links. That only works long term if the advice is right, so the method is published and the limits are stated.
Read the editorial policy- 01
Specifications, from the manufacturer
Every figure we publish comes from a spec sheet, manual or warranty document — and the source date is shown on the page.
- 02
Recommendations by use case
A 30-amp travel trailer and a 50-amp fifth wheel need different equipment. Picks are labelled for who they suit, not ranked on an invented score.
- 03
Compatibility before features
Most bad RV purchases are fitment mistakes. Sizing, amperage and thread standards come before the feature list.
- 04
Weaknesses stated plainly
If a product has a known limitation, it is in the write-up. A guide where nothing has a downside is not a guide.
What you won't find here
- We do not claim to have tested products we have not tested.
- We do not publish scores, ratings or awards that imply testing that did not happen.
- We do not print live prices, which go stale within hours.