Many Skoolie owners have never traveled in an RV, much less stayed at an RV park. As novice full-timers even we did not know much about what we needed to make the best of it. In fact, on our very first stay at an RV park we did not even have a sewer hose to properly hook up to the park facilities. So, if you are a non-rv’er heading out to your first stay at an RV park make sure you carry these items on-board your skoolie. We have linked to the product closest to the one we have, but know that all of these are cross-compatible across brands and it does not matter which brand you choose.
Sewer Hose and Hose Extension
Camco 39742 RhinoFLEX 20′ RV Sewer Hose Kit with Swivel Fitting
Every RV park site will be fitted with a 3-4 inch pipe embedded in the ground ready to receive your sewer hose. These pipes may or may not have a screw on attachment, nevertheless all RV sewer hoses and their connectors are standardized and will fit the pipe on the ground. If the pipe doesn’t have a screw-on fitting, then the hose may lay loose and will eventually fall off, so secure it in any other way to the pipe. I carry a roll of duct tape for this reason, some people use a brick or other heavy object to keep the hose on the pipe. These are sold in different lengths, we suggest you have at least 20′ worth.
Sewer Hose Support
One problem with sewer hoses is that they rely on gravity to move everything down into the camp’s sewer pipe. So, if a hose is laying flat on the ground between the vehicle and the sewer pipe, it may not actually drain into the pipe and instead it will simply stay in the hose. This will eventually eat away at the hose and/or clog it up. A hose support like this one will help you keep the hose on a slope to allow gravity to do its job.
Drinking Water Hose
Camco 22783 TastePURE Drinking Water Hose (5/8″ID x 25′) – Lead Free
As tempted as you maybe to use a regular garden hose to connect to the RV park water supply, DON’T. Garden hoses are not safe to drink from, the plastic and/or rubber that they are made from are not food grade and will leach chemicals into the water. To be safe, especially if you have infants with you, make sure to pick up a hose that specifically says it is safe for drinking water. We’ve found that carrying 25′ of hose is the best length.
Hose Drinking Water Filter
When you hook up to an RV site, there is no telling exactly where you water is coming from. Though most municipal sources are clean, some parks will use ground wells, or even reservoir supply. To avoid worrying about the quality of the water supply attach a water filter between your drinking water hose and the inlet to your skoolie or RV. You can usually get a better deal by buying these in packs of two or three. You can expect each filter to last for 4-5 months.
Water Pressure Regulator
Camco 40055 Brass Water Pressure Regulator
Municipal water sources can reach pressures as high as 150 psi, which is too high for most household plumbing fixtures. Houses have a regulator at the point where the main water supply enters the house to drop this pressure to a more manageable 50-60psi. There is no way to know if the RV site you are parking in has such a regulator and chances are that it does not. So to avoid bursting your pipes on your first day, make sure to attach this pressure regulator to water spigot and then attach your hose onto the pressure regulator.
Electric Hook-up Cable/Cord
Dogbone Adapter
Dogbone adapter make it possible to hook-up your 30 amp system to a 50 amp power source or vice-versa. Make sure you by the dogbone that has the corresponding male/ female adapters at each end. So if you have a 50 amp inlet on your vehicle, and attach a 50 amp cord, but need to connect to a 30 amp source outlet, the you will need a dogbone with a 50amp female connector on one end and a 30amp male connector on the other, allowing you to connect your 50 amp system to a 30amp source.
Wheel Chocks
Wheel chocks are an important part of your safety equipment. But one that too many people overlook or simply fail to do enough research on them. If you are driving a converted school bus, the typical RV wheel chocks may not be right for you. Most school buses use 10R22 tires (ours are 11R22.5) which are semi-truck sized tires and are distinctly larger that the typical tires used on RV’s and campers. This matters because the proper size of your wheel chocks is estimated as 1/4 (one fourth) the height of your tires. 10R22’s and 11R22.5 tires will therefore require chocks that are 9-10 inches in height. Trust me when I say that the typical 4″ RV chocks are not enough, and the skoolie will run over them without issue.
Did we miss any thing here? Let me know in the comments.
