Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, we own and use every item that you will see on our RV Gear pages. Our hope is that you get some ideas for what might work for you. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH! WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR RIG! The opinions expressed here our ours alone. If you use our links to purchase something, we may receive a small commission (more beer money!), but the cost to you will be the same.
Electrical Management System (EMS)
An electrical managment system is probably one of the most important investments we’ve made in our RV’s electrical system. On multiple occasions, an electrical surge from a campground pedestal has cause our EMS to trip. Without an EMS, our RV’s electrical system could have been fried!
30 amp EMS
Safety first! When we first started RVing, we spent the extra money for an EMS. This Progressive EMS is a 30-amp EMS device. We used this EMS when we owned “Birdie”, our 2019 Jayco Greyhawk 31F.
50 to 30 amp Dogbone
Sometimes called a “dogbone,” we’ve used this adapter at several locations where there was only a 50 amp site available when we owned “Birdie,” our 2019 Jayco Greyhawk (which was a 30-amp rig).
50 amp EMS
We bought this 50-amp Power Watchdoog EMS after we upgraded to Big Lady, our 2022 Entegra Accolade (which is a 50-amp rig).
30 to 50 amp Dogbone
We use this “dogbone” at locations were there is only a 30-amp site available.
Cable Lock for EMS
Contact Cleaner
Our 50 am Power Watchdog is secured with a cable lock.
We use this cable lock to secure the expensive EMS to the campground pedestal. We sometimes use a ratchet strap to make the electrical connection more secure.
Kasie sprays the contacts for EMS with this Deoxit Spray, which is supposed to help with the electrial connection.
Other Important Electrical Tools and Supplies
Extension Cord
Every RVer needs a good extension cord in case the pedestal is just a little too far away :-)
Multimeter
Every RVer needs a multimeter. We’ve used ours to check our house battery, car battery, and other voltage sources, and to troubleshoot when something electrical is not working.
Portable Charging Station
We’ve used this to jump our towed vehicle (a 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk) on several occasions before we ran a charge line to it.
12V Charging Station
It seems like there are never enough USB ports around. We just plug this into our 12V cigarette ligher, and wah-la!
Power Consumption Tester
Ever wonder how much electricity certain appliances actually pull? We did. This electricity usuage monitor is quite useful when boondocking so that we know what devices we can run and for how long.
Crimping Tool & Wire Terminals
We’ve learned that having spare electrical parts on hand is a good idea.
Spare Fuses
Did we mention that spare electrical parts are a good idea? Yes we did (again).
Power & Temperature Monitoring Devices (for the Dogs!)
(1) Govee (WiFi-Based)
We use the Govee to monitor the temperature of the RV (and the dogs) when we are away from the RV. The app will tell you when it last updated so we know it is working. The Govee uses wifi so if the power goes out, it will not work. That is why we have the MarCELL as a back-up. Check out blog and our video in HOT HOT Oklahoma where we learned this the hard way.
(2) MarCELL (Cellular-Based)
This MarCELL Pro device will send us a text message and email if the temperature exceeds a preset limit or the power goes out. We use this to supplement the Govee. There is a small annual subcription for this service, which we gladly pay for our peace of mind.
Rock Light (Puck Lights) for our RV
We (ahem…..Kasie) installed some multicolored rock lights undereneath the RV. We can pretty much change the color to anything under the rainbow. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing (a/k/a cool lookin’), the puck lights also serve a purpose. The lights help keep the desert rats away, and those pests are notorious for chewing up electrical wires in RVs.
Here’s the basic components of what we used for our RV rock light / puck light project:
