When you purchase a home, you take the time to make it your own. Whatever the steps you take, from hanging pictures to a total kitchen makeover, you personalize it. An RV is your home-away-from-home, and a great place to add some upgrades for personalization, convenience and efficiency. There are many popular RV upgrades to consider. You may want to incorporate one or more of these options to make your RV the best home-sweet-home it can be no matter where you travel.
Solar Power RV Upgrades
Solar power has become very popular. Solar panels are being added to residential homes and even installed in solar fields to harness the energy of the sun. When it comes to RV upgrades, adding solar panels is one of the most popular. Adding solar panels won’t guarantee endless free energy, but it can extend your trips, especially when you are dry camping or boondocking.
Generally when you are dry camping, you limit or budget your use of power to make sure you have enough throughout your trip. When you have solar power, you can recharge your batteries during daylight hours – provided you are parked where you receive adequate sunlight. This simplifies the budgeting of your battery power and ensures you’ll be able to run important appliances for the duration of your trip. Adding solar panels is one of the RV upgrades that can be a DIY project. Although it can be a more complicated upgrade, many RVers believe it’s a practical and worthwhile investment in both time and money. Even for those campers who don’t dry camp, solar power can make your RV a bit more environmentally friendly. It also lowers the risk of running out of power were you ever separated from hookups at your campsite.
Back-up Camera
If you are a new RVer, backing up may not be something you are used to yet. It takes time to get used to maneuvering your RV, but most RV owners become well versed in backing up and maneuvering after years of practice. Backing up, however, takes more than just skill and practice. It takes a set of eyes that can see behind you. You can’t control other people or objects, and if you can’t see them behind you, it could spell disaster no matter how fantastic your maneuvering skills are. Making an RV upgrade by adding an aftermarket backup camera can help you see when other people or objects are in your path. It can eliminate the danger of unseen objects and improve the safety of your backing up experience every time. Aftermarket backup cameras can be installed fairly simply. It is an RV upgrade that helps you move through tight spots and gives you a clearer picture of what’s going on behind you.
RV Skirting
Regulating the temperature in your RV is more difficult when there is airflow underneath it. Whether you’re camping in hot or cold temperatures, when the underbelly of your RV is exposed, you’ll be fighting an uphill battle in both warmer and colder months. Consider adding skirting, one of the RV upgrades that is useful in all types of weather. RV skirting is material that hangs around the bottom of your RV to block airflow underneath your RV. Generally a DIY RV upgrade, there are several ways to add RV skirting:
Suction Cups – If you aren’t sure you want to commit to RV skirting, or if you think you’ll only need an RV skirt once in a great while, using suction cups to secure your RV skirt is a suitable option. They are inexpensive and fairly easy to install. There are no permanent changes to your RV with this type of installation, so if you want to test out RV skirting without adding any holes to your RV, it’s the way to go. Just keep in mind that it is also the least secure way to adhere your RV skirt.
Buttons – Buttons are a popular choice for securing skirting to your RV. There are many DIY kits available, or you can have them professionally installed. Buttons are more secure than suction cups and hold your RV skirting in place when bad weather blows in.
Aluminum Channeling – This is the most secure option of skirting when it comes to RV upgrades. The channel system requires more of an investment and is more permanent in nature. It can be a DIY upgrade, but professional installation from custom skirting manufacturers is often a wise choice. It offers the most air-tight fit and a clean look, both with the skirt installed and when it’s unattached for travel.
Signal Boosters
Let’s face it, even when you are camping to “get away from it all,” having a strong signal is important – even if it’s just for the security of knowing you could contact someone easily if necessary. However,
there are times when maintaining a strong signal seems impossible. These are the times when your RV camping adventures take you to remote locations, like deep within some of the country’s vast national parks. One of the RV upgrade options to consider is installing a signal booster. These WiFi boosters are available in a variety of sizes and will help you stay connected even when you are in a remote location. Mounted on your vehicle and paired with a TV antenna, if you so choose, you will not only have access to a strong internet signal but to many over-the-air channels for your entertainment – in case of a rainy day or after you’ve counted all the stars in the nighttime sky!
Battery Monitor
When you are camping remotely and not utilizing a campground’s electrical hookup, it can be challenging to keep track of your battery levels. Since batteries are your only source of power in such scenarios, a battery monitor is a good investment to make when considering RV upgrades. Battery monitors simplify the process of keeping an eye on the status of your batteries. They provide information such as the charge level, voltage, and even the ability to track the amps of power you’re using.
Some types of monitors can identify electrical issues early, so you can tell if appliances are draining too much energy or if there is a sudden decrease in energy. There are also models that display the amount of time left before your battery is fully charged (or fully drained). So, depending on your needs, you can choose the battery monitor that best suits you and your RV upgrade budget.
Thermal Blinds
Sometimes the most obvious and simple RV upgrades are the ones that have the biggest impact. One such addition is thermal blinds or shades throughout your RV. Just like opening and closing the blinds at home can keep the heat out in the summer at home, installing thermal blinds to open and close in your RV will help you maintain the desired temperature of your RV while using less energy. Installation is simple. This is an easy DIY project; in fact, you may even choose to be frugal and make your own! Once installed, your batteries will be freed up to charge other appliances, not just take care of heating and cooling.
Contact RV Wholesale Superstore
The professionals at RV Wholesale Superstore are ready to help you find the perfect RV for you and your family. Visit us in-person at 5080 W. Alexis Road, in Sylvania, OH or call us at (419) 786-1126
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