RV Must-Have Features We’d Never Skip Again

Our RV must-have features, after 18+ years of RVing and 6+ years full-time, come down to six things. First is a big fresh water tank. Then come a smooth ride with disc brakes, the right truck, a residential fridge, the right-size bed and on-demand hot water. If you’re shopping for an RV right now, put these on your list before you fall in love with a floor plan.

Hey y’all, it’s Jimmy and Lisa. We sat down in our recliners in the driveway with coffee in hand and argued… we mean “discussed”… what we’d want if we started all over again today.

What are the most important RV must-have features?

For us, the most important RV must-have features are the ones that make travel days and everyday life easier. Fancy stuff is nice, but comfort, safety and water matter more.

Here’s our list, counted down the way we did it in the video:

1. A smooth ride and disc brakes
2. The right-size bed (yes, we changed our minds)
3. On-demand hot water
4. A residential refrigerator
5. The right truck (Jimmy’s pick)
6. A BIG fresh water tank

The funny part? Water never even made our list when we first went RV shopping. Now it sits at the very top.

Why does a smooth ride and disc brakes matter so much?

A smooth ride and good brakes matter because most of us actually drive our RVs. So if you travel a lot, this one is huge.

Regular drum brakes on a trailer have a hard time stopping 15,000, 17,000, even 20,000 pounds. That’s why disc brakes are a must for Jimmy. Plus, the roads are not getting any better.

Our biggest upgrade is independent suspension from MORryde. We work with MORryde, and our last two RVs have had it. It keeps things smoother on the road, and it keeps things on the shelves.

Here’s how we really learned it. Jimmy once towed another Fuzion for somebody, the exact same floor plan as ours. That one had no independent suspension and no disc brakes. He didn’t get a mile down the road before he said, “Wow, I didn’t realize how used to those I had gotten.”

King or queen: what size bed do you really need in an RV?

A queen is plenty for most RVers, and that extra space around the bed is worth more than you think.

A king-size bed used to sit at the top of our dealbreaker list. We had a king at home, so we had to have one in the camper. Then we went full-time. That’s when we realized the few extra inches to walk around the bed mattered more than the few extra inches in it.

Now we have a queen. Jimmy likes that Lisa has to scoot a little closer. Lisa likes the room to make the bed and get into the closet.

It also makes us laugh, because when our daughter Emily was little, she’d sneak into our bed at night and make an H out of the three of us. In a full-size bed! So a queen feels roomy by comparison.

Is on-demand hot water worth it in an RV?

For Lisa, yes. On-demand hot water means long, hot “princess showers” and no waiting for the tank to heat back up. But it comes with a learning curve and one big trade-off.

We started with a regular tank, then had on-demand, and now we’re back on a regular tank. And we miss it. With on-demand, Jimmy can shower and Lisa can hop right in after. Nobody has to wait around.

Here’s the tip that made it work for us. On-demand heaters can act up when campground water pressure is uneven. So fill your fresh tank and run off your RV water pump instead. The pump puts out the same steady pressure every time.

In our experience, it also burned less propane, because it only heats the water you ask for.

Still, boondockers often say it takes longer for hot water to reach the shower, so they waste more water. That trade-off comes back up in our #1 pick below.

Why is a residential fridge one of our RV must-have features?

A residential fridge keeps frozen food frozen, and that’s reason enough for us. It’s a must for both of us, just for slightly different reasons.

Jimmy remembers his parents saying, “Don’t open the refrigerator during a power outage.” Now, we’re not engineers. But he believes a residential fridge holds the cold longer, so if we lose power and keep the door shut, we should be good for a few days.

Lisa’s reason is simpler: ice cream. With our old gas/electric fridges, the ice cream was always soft. She wants ice cream, not soft serve.

What truck do you need to tow a big RV?

Jimmy’s pick is a 450 over a 350, at least until Chevrolet comes out with something new. It’s not an RV feature, but if you tow, the truck is part of the deal.

Yes, a 450 can tow a little less than a 350, because it’s heavier on the same frame. So why the 450? The turning radius.

On the way to one of our campouts, Jimmy took the wrong exit at a roundabout (as usual, at that same roundabout). The GPS wanted a 14-minute detour. Instead, he waited for a clear road and swung that truck around right there. One of our daughters drove it later and said it turns better than her little Maverick.

So why not a 550? Jimmy wants a real bed for groceries and Home Depot runs, not a work box. Also, you can’t carry a spare tire on a 550 the way he wants.

Why is a big fresh water tank our #1 must-have?

A big fresh water tank is our #1 because if you run out of fresh water, nothing else matters. Your gray and black tanks can be huge, but you can’t use them without fresh water going in.

We learned this the hard way at one of our own events. Lisa was prepping food for a cookout and ran our tank dry. Thank goodness our friends Tim and Colleen were there with a huge fresh tank. We pumped water from their rig into ours.

That’s also where our regular water heater earned its keep. It holds 16 gallons, so that’s 16 extra gallons of water on board. On-demand doesn’t hold any. So if you boondock and worry about running low, check how many gallons your water heater holds before you switch.

Campground water can shut off too, even mid-shower. And if it’s out at your site, it’s out at the bath house too. That’s why we now keep water in our fresh tank even on full hookups.

One more thing, fellas: water weighs about 8 pounds a gallon. The weight sticker on your camper doesn’t count full tanks. So make sure you have enough carrying capacity before you travel with water.

What we’d do again: an RV must-have features checklist

Take this list with you to the dealer or the RV show:

• Ask how big the fresh water tank is, not just the gray and black.
• Ask about the suspension and whether it has disc brakes.
• Walk around the bed and open the closet. Is there room to move?
• Ask what kind of water heater it has and how many gallons it holds.
• Check if the fridge is residential, 12-volt, or gas/electric.
• Make sure your truck can handle the weight with full tanks.

Before you go shopping, read our RV buying questions to ask and our lessons from 6 years of full-time RVing.

Quick answers

What is the most important RV feature? For us, a big fresh water tank. If you run out of fresh water, the size of your other tanks doesn’t matter.

Is independent suspension worth it on an RV? If you travel a lot, yes. Our MORryde independent suspension makes the ride smoother and keeps things on the shelves.

Is a king bed worth it in an RV? Not for us. A queen gives you more room to move around the bedroom, and that matters when you live in it.

Does on-demand hot water use more propane? In our experience it used less, because it only heats water when you turn it on.

Should I travel with water in my fresh tank? It’s handy, but water weighs about 8 pounds a gallon. So check your carrying capacity first.

Come sit by the fire with the village

So what’s the ONE feature you’d never give up? We’d love to hear it. Come tell us in the FindUsCamping Villagers group on Facebook, or in the comments on our YouTube channel.

And if you’d like to see these RV must-have features in person, come camp with us at a FindUsCamping campout. You can also grab our village newsletter to hear what’s coming up next. Safe travels, y’all, and we’ll see you down the road.