There is a good reason for travel trailer mods (modifications).  When you buy a new Travel Trailer, you can be sure of one thing; what you see is what you get!   When you buy that RV on the lot it is not going to come with a hitch for your vehicle, a fresh water hose,  a hose for the black tank wash out,  a sewer hose, wheel chocks,  blocks for under your jack, or a power cord extension.  All of those items you will need to get before you go camping, and that’s just to get you on the road to the campground.  In addition you will still need to buy additional items for inside the travel trailer (silverware, plates, pans, etc.).   So as you can see, you’ve only just begun to spend money with the purchase of your travel trailer.

Beyond those fundamentals what are the most important products you will want to add to your trailer to enjoy trouble-free camping?  Here are what we feel are the seven most important things (Travel Trailer Mods) you will want to purchase:

  1. A surge protector.  These are not cheap but they are a lot less expensive than replacing the electrical components in your travel trailer.   These can be hard-wired inside your travel trailer or you can get a portable unit that you plug into the power pedestal at the campground.   We have the portable 50 Amp Model, EMS-PT50X by Progressive Industries.  This unit looks at a number of conditions like, over/under voltage, reverse polarity, power surges, and power pedestals not wired correctly.  Then if it detects a problem it immediately shuts the power down coming into your trailer.  It will also display an error code in the event of a problem so you can resolve it.    Remember, it only takes one lightning strike nearby to ruin a camping trip.  The EMS (Electrical Management System) is well worth the money.

    Progressive Industries EMS surge protector

  2. An adjustable Water Pressure Regulator.  These are really very inexpensive, around $30.00 dollars so there is no reason to not have one.  You can spend less on a non-adjustable model that always holds your water at 40 PSI.   Water pressure at campgrounds is unpredictable so having a way to restrict high pressure is necessary.  Most RV plumbing lines cannot handle pressure above 50 PSI, and it may be even lower on older trailers.  I adjust my pressure regulator to about 45 PSI, just to be safe.  Don’t risk having a ruptured line in your trailer.

    Adjustable Water Pressure Regulator

  3. A Tire Pressure Monitoring System.  You only need to look on-line to see all the damage created to a travel trailer by a blow out.  Most travel trailer owners are not even aware of they have a flat tire until they have driven a long distance. This results in hundreds of dollars worth of damage to their rim,  exterior,  and under carriage of their trailer.  There are many units on the market so do your research.  We use the Tire Minder TPMS, and have been very happy. It tells us the tire pressure and tire temperature. Temperature can be just as damaging, as it will cause a blow out as well and may be a sign of a deeper issue such as rubbing brake shoes or a bad wheel bearing.

    TireMinder’s A1A System

  4. Bug Screens for your furnace, refrigerator, and water heater.  Don’t let mud daubers, wasps, or other critters damage your expensive equipment.  These are easy to attach and prevent a lot of damage.  Since they attach with springs or zip ties, they are easy to remove if you choose to run your equipment with them off and only have them on during storage.  We have used them for years and never taken them off but we know others that remove them when camping.

    The Perfect Fit

  5. Decent Trailer Tires.  Not many travel trailer manufacturers use decent tires, Jayco may be the exception as they have moved to putting Goodyear Endurance tires on their units.  Read the reviews on-line of the tires you have on your trailer and make sure they are decent tires. We have put new tires on the last four trailers we purchased within the first year.  While we have moved to the Endurance tires,  there are a few good brands out there so you do have options…do your research.
  6. A Water Filter.  You might be surprised what water you may get at a campground.  We filter ours, you may want to as well.  We bought a filter that connects to the faucet at the campground, we then put our hose on the filter and we are good to go.

    Camco Water Filters

  7. An Observation/Back up Camera.  We went with an observation camera as it can be used when we drive so we know what is happening behind us before we change lanes.  It also doubles as a back up camera…but I rely more on Tammy for backing up as the camera doesn’t help me with any blind side when I am turning the camper on an angle.  The real advantage for us has been using it on the road.

So that concludes our list of what we feel are the seven most important travel trailer mods to add to your comfort and safety.