Roadside Safety Gear for RV Breakdowns or Emergency

Do you have the right roadside safety gear for your RV should you get into an accident  or have a breakdown? If not, it’s imperative that you read this comprehensive roadside emergency safety gear guide that will help keep you and your RV safe on the side of the road.

Whether you’ve been RVing for several years or you’re just beginning your RV adventures, having the right roadside safety gear is a necessity. While you hope you’ll never have to use them, having these safety tools readily available for those breakdowns or emergencies will help keep your and your RV safe.

So, let’s jump in to see what emergency roadside safety gear items we recommend to keep in your motorhome,  van or camper.

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Must Have RV Roadside Safety Gear

Fire Extinguisher

Fire extinguishers are one of the most important emergency roadside safety gear you could have! You should have several fire extinguishers, not only in your motorhome or camper, but also your toad or tow vehicle.

There’s no such thing as having too many fire extinguishers. We have them inside our Winnebago View motorhome and our Jeep. We’ve also kept several in our fifth wheel and our truck.

While fire extinguishers are super easy to use, we still highly recommend reading the instructions and familiarizing yourself and your family the proper way to use them before you actually need them.

Also, it’s equally important to inspect all  fire extinguishers at least once a month to insure they will expel the chemicals or CO2 when needed. And, make certain your RV fire extinguishers are not blocked by obstructions that could interfere with immediate access in case of an emergency.

We highly recommend reading Fire Extinguisher Care and Maintenance.

Tire Pressure Safety Gear

In your RV tool kit, you should always have a reliable tire pressure gauge to regularly check your RV tire pressure. It’s also a good idea to keep one in your toad or tow vehicle glove box.

Additionally, to keep your tires’ pressure consistent, we highly recommend a good air compressor. To find the right size air compressor based on your RV’s size. They also can be used to put air into your toad or tow vehicle’s tires.

And, since we’re on the subject of tire pressure, you’ll need a reliable RV tire pressure monitoring system that also measures and monitors your RV’s tire temperature.

Related Article: TST 507 RV Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Related Article: RV Maintenance: RV Tire Safety and Maintenance

Wheel Chocks

Whether you have a motorhome, towable camper or even van, you need to have at least one pair of wheel chocks for your RV. They are designed to keep your motorhome or trailer in place to avoid forward or backward tire roll.

Get in the habit of putting these in front of or behind your RV tires each time you park, even when your parking brake is engaged.

Now for those with dual or triple axel trailers, it’s smart to have two X-Chock Wheel Stabilizers (one for each side).

Leveling Blocks

Our leveling blocks were actually the very first RV accessory we bought for our first fifth wheel. Sometimes we end up parking or boondocking in sloping spaces.

One side of our RV may be on a slight tilt that couldn’t be alleviated by our fifth wheel’s leveling system. And, now that we travel in a small motorhome without a leveling system, this is our go-to RV accessory.

These leveling blocks protect your jack pads as well as function as a multi-use leveler, jack stand and tongue wheel support. The attached handle acts as a transition to the next step for a smooth ramp.

Our leveling blocks can hold up to 40,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight on a firm level ground or 10,000 lbs. per wheel. They can be used under your RV’s jack pads or tires.

Check out our friends at TechnoRV who explain How to Properly Use RV Leveling Blocks

Hitch Lock

Unfortunately, there’s an uptick in RV and camper theft. So, while your travel trailer or fifth wheel is disconnected from your tow vehicle, it’s a good idea to lock your RV towable using a hitch lock. Because coming back to where your camper or RV was parked and it not being there will do more than just ruin your day! You’ll be homeless!

So, protect not only your investment but also your pet’s inside.

Related article: RV Security: Protect Your RV from Theft and Break-Ins

Our travel trailer hitch lock or a fifth wheel pin lock recommendation:

For Fifth Wheels:

For our fifth wheel Cyclone toy hauler and Landmark fifth wheel, we used a fifth wheel king pin lock as a theft deterrent.

To install a king pin lock, simplyslide the King Pin; locking fully onto the trailer King Pin. Then, push the lock cylinder in until it stops and turn the key counterclockwise approximately 3/4 turn to the locked position. Once your king pin lock is properly installed and locked, remove the key.

For Travel Trailers:

There are several different trailer hitch locks. For installation, seek hitch lock manufacturer instructions.

• • • Black Trailer Hitch Lock  5/8-Inch Pin Diameter Fits 2-Inch Receiver
    • Stainless Steel Trailer Hitch Lock  5/8-Inch Pin Diameter, Fits 2-Inch or 2-1/2-Inch Receiver
    • Right-Angle Trailer Hitch Lock  5/8-Inch Pin Diameter, Fits 2-Inch or 2-1/2-Inch Receiver
    • Lock Set For Adjustable Channel Mounts

For Motorhomes:

For those with motorhomes who tow a dinghy or toad, I can’t stress to you the importance of locking your tow bar one travel days. As well, you’ll want to lock your tow bar to your motorhome’s receiver after you’ve disconnected your toad from your motorhome.

Related Article: CURT Rambler Tow Bar for Motorhomes

Mobile Towing Scale

One of the most violated towing safety issues amongst RVs is exceeding your RV’s GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating).

GVWR stands for Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. What does GVWR mean? It is the maximum loaded weight of your vehicle (or trailer), as determined by the manufacturer. GVWR isn’t just the weight of passengers and cargo but also the vehicle itself. The gross vehicle weight rating is all about safety and it is the single most important safety issue you need to be concerned with.

So, instead of having to track down a CAT scale or truck weigh station, you can weigh your RV setup using your smartphone and a mobile towing scale. It’s a small electronic sensing device that you can plug into your ODB II sensor. The Better Weigh mobile towing scale pairs with a smartphone app to measure your vehicle weight, weight distribution as well as other towing safety concerns.

Related article: Understanding RV GVWR: How to NOT OVERLOAD Your RV

Related article: How to Weigh Your RV Using a Mobile Towing Scale

For an in depth explanation of the CURT Better Weigh, check  out our video:

Flashlight

Having a good, sturdy flashlight will light your workspace and compartments where you keep your tools and gear. They also serve as a good beacon to inspect your tires and the under-belly during a night time driving stop. That said, take our advice, don’t cheap out on your flashlights.

After our own research, we decided on a multi-function LED tactical flashlight. It will easily light up an entire room or focus in on objects up to 1000 feet away. Because it’s LED, the flashlight is multiple times brighter than the old incandescent lights we used to have. And, due to it’s small size, it’s perfect for keeping in your pocket when not in use.

But sometimes, you may need a good freestanding LED lantern to light your focus point; allowing you to use both of your hands to work on what you need to.

Also, it will prove it’s worth even aside from your camping activities such as nightly strolls through the campground, walking your dog or getting something out of your RV’s basement.

Road Safety Lights and Triangles

Flasher lights are one of our favorite RV roadside safety gear accessories we absolutely love! Seriously, we don’t know why we didn’t buy them earlier! We keep our roadside safety lights stowed in both our RV and our tow vehicle or toad. 

Due to fire concerns, road flares are pretty much a thing of the past and even illegal in some states. But these roadside emergency flashing lights are a much safer alternative and are a great visual alert to oncoming or passing traffic by both, day and night.

Also what’s great about these safety beacons is they’re magnetic. So, they’re great to stick on your steel bumper, toad or towing vehicle, etc. (they won’t adhere to fiberglass). They also have hooks to hang from whatever you need.

Along with your flashing lights, we also recommend adding a few breakdown warning triangles or emergency safety cones to your roadside safety kit.

First Aid Kit

A good first aid kit isn’t just a camping gear item. It’s a must have necessity that should be part of your RV roadside safety gear kit also. It’s a given that when you work or play outdoors, you’re eventually going to get some sort of injury whether it’s a sprain, laceration or burn.

Like our other RV safety gear, we keep a first aid kit in our toad and our motorhome because, you never know when an accident will happen. We even keep small first aid kits in each of our kayak bags, day pack, and bicycle saddle bag.

Related Article: First Aid Kits for the RVs or Campers

Final thoughts on RV Emergency Roadside Safety Gear

So, that wraps up our RV Roadside Safety Gear recommendations. Please be safe on the road but be proactive about how you take care of  your RV and tow vehicle or toad. Always, take those extra minutes do those inspections on your motorhome or trailer along with all of the components.

Also, make it a point to inspect your RV safety gear to make certain everything is working correctly to alleviate mishaps down the road. It’s far cheaper to replace a fire extinguisher than your RV.  Safe travels always!

Check out our other RV Safety Tips articles:

Basic RV Tire Safety and Maintenance Tips

8 Most Popular Weather Apps for RV Travelers

Why You Need an Emergency Go Bag

What RVers Need to Know About Flash Flood Safety