RV travel tips: 5 must have items when you buy your first RV

NEW YORK - JULY 09: A general view of atmosphere at the premiere of "Winnebago Man" at Landmark's Sunshine Cinema on July 9, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - JULY 09: A general view of atmosphere at the premiere of "Winnebago Man" at Landmark's Sunshine Cinema on July 9, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 06: A detail of the Goodyear Racing tires on the grid prior to the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series South Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Darlington Raceway on September 06, 2020 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

RV travel tip number one: Get a spare tire before you leave the lot.

It may sound simple but a spare tire will save you time, money, and a lot of stress. Trust me on this. Whether you are buying a brand spanking new recreational vehicle that will make the other RV drivers on the road green with envy, nothing is more stressing than sitting on the side of the road waiting hours for assistance when you pop a tire.

Flats and blowouts in an RV sound incredibly scary, especially with kids in the vehicle but surprisingly, RVs handle those issues like a car. I know this from fact because on my first two trips I had two blowouts. I had a third four trips later and yes, I checked my tires before I left. Had I not had a spare, my experience would have been worse than it was.

Don’t rely on your roadside assistance coverage either. A simple flat could take hours for someone to show up and fix so be prepared. That is worse than anything. With a spare, you could fix it yourself. I changed all mine because the wait exceded two to three hours response.

If you have automatic leveling jacks, simply chuck the tires and raise the corner where the flat is. You won’t have to go too high and then it’s like changing a regular tire, albeit a much heavier tire.