Hi, so Debbie and I started this blog just before we sold our house and made the bold move. We now live in our thirty-five foot Winnebago Adventurer. It’s not the most luxurious or expensive RV on the market, but it’s very nice and suits us perfectly.

Being what most people would probably call a blue-collar worker (sheet metal), I’d feel out of place in one of those two-story million dollar luxury homes.

Since we’ve got out and begun to feel our way around doing short hops, we’ve already learned a lot.

Our big plan, however, is that once we get our ducks in a row, we’ll probably cross the United States and try to hit all the highlights on our way.

In this little blog, I thought I’d mention many of the items of equipment for RV safety no camper should leave home without. I know I did mention a few things in our last blog, but today we’ll get serious.

In a house, many of the items I’ll mention can certainly be handy to have, but you can get by. After all, you have neighbors next door, you have your cell phone and can call the electric company or a repairman, etc.

On the road things are different. In the first place, you’re in strange territory. You usually don’t know any repairmen or who may be a good one or a bad one. In an emergency, you don’t know where the nearest hospital or emergency help may be and if you’re out of food, you may not even be able to find a restaurant open anywhere near.

Okay, every camper should have flashlights for safety. I mean several, and I mean good bright flashlights. When you need a flashlight, you need some serious light.

A good supply of bottled water is desirable. Whether or not you normally drink bottled water, you may find yourself stranded someplace with no water to drink. That’s not a good idea.

And don’t forget blankets. In the summertime, the heat in places like Arizona can be stifling at night, but in many places, even in summer, the nights can get cold, and in winter, they get even colder.

Running a generator all night to warm your motorhome is not only expensive but noisy and can disturb any nearby campers.

One thing we’ve found to be important for your comfort and protection is insect repellent.

Not every stop will be a problem, but in some places, mosquitos can be a real problem. Flies too can drive a person crazy, so it’s best to be prepared. You can find all sorts of adequate insect protection in many shops.

Bees and wasps usually don’t cause a problem if you leave them alone. And at night they go to bed like normal humans.

Some claim they’re never bothered by insects. We hope you can count yourself one of them. For the rest of us, we don’t want to wake up with welts all over our mugs and arms.

Protection is something we’ve mentioned before for RV safety. Lethal weapons come to mind, and perhaps they work best for some, but my personal choice is a dog.

Most people are just a bit leery when they see a big dog staring at them. Rottweilers come to mind. Despite their reputation, Rottweilers are really big lovable affectionate pets. When they try to sit on your lap like some sort of giant Pekinese, you know you’re being loved.

Dobermans too and German Shepards too can be very intimidating. But one caveat: These dogs, well, actually all dogs, need exercise.

Big dogs in particular need to get out and run, otherwise, they can develop undesirable side-effects from lack of exercise. So if you’re handicapped you may find it difficult to let your pet get out and run.

More on protection:

https://www.rvtravel.com/rver-safety-4/

People may not want to talk about it, but you should have some sort of potty with a cover for emergencies. Your waste tanks may be full, or the toilet may get backed up. Things happen.

Extra supplies such as:

• fan belts,
• spark plugs (on gas engines),
• light bulbs, etc.

are good because sometimes on the road, the nearest gas station may not have what you need.

We both have rubber boots. These are inexpensive and just in case we get caught in some nasty weather, we can negotiate the terrain around us.

And of course, being on the road, you want to have extra clothing you may or may not need:

• coats,
• caps or hats,
• gloves,
• warm sweaters and so on.

Remember, while it may be warm and sunny when you take off, things can change very quickly.

Well, I hope some of this will be helpful for your RV safety. Until next time, William and Deborah signing off.

PS we did get a Doberman we call Hans. He’s young but already big and very smart. He’s also very friendly, but an intruder won’t know that, and besides, we understand Doberman’s are quite protective. So that is our RV safety solution.