25 Must-Have Items For Your RV Roadside Emergency Kit

Anyone who takes a road trip of any distance or duration should be prepared for potential roadside emergencies. But, RVers who tend to travel roads unknown with some frequency (while carrying heavy loads in their home-on-wheels) need to be well prepared for unexpected events that can occur based on weather, tire blow-outs, and other breakdowns. And they can (and often do!) happen in the most remote areas. This is why having an RV roadside emergency kit is so important.

In today’s post, we’re giving you 25 ideas of things to carry in your RV roadside emergency kit. Goodness knows we could easily add another 25, but we’ll call 25 good for one post, and at the end of the post, you’ll have the opportunity to tell us about some of your favorite items in your roadside emergency kit.

So, let’s get to it!

What Do We Mean By “RV Roadside Emergency Kit”

To us, an RV roadside emergency kit contains items that one might find a use for in the event of a roadside emergency. The emergency could be anything that leaves you stranded on the side of the road (or anywhere, really), such as a tire blow-out, a mechanical breakdown, a weather event, mudslide, fire, illness – anything that impedes your ability to continue traveling down the road to your destination.

What Are Some of the Most Important Things to Have in an RV Roadside Emergency Kit?

We’ll preface our list of 25 items by saying that this list is likely to contain items that you already carry in your RV when you travel. That’s great – if you’ve already got the item onboard, check it off your list. You’ll have it when you need it.

However, if you don’t, you can give some thought to whether or not you feel the item belongs in your RV roadside emergency kit.

This list doesn’t cover all potential situations, but it’s a list of 25 items that we feel are important to have for emergencies.

Without further ado, let’s get to packing that RV roadside emergency kit!

Air Compressor

An air compressor that you can use wherever you are is a fantastic item for any roadside emergency kit. We especially like the Viair compressors for their ability to service all the tires around the rig no matter where we are.

Viair’s compressor kits are thoughtfully designed with long air hoses and power cords that clamp directly onto your engine’s battery to supply sufficient power to inflate up even a large RV tire in no time.

This is the model we have and love, but Viair has a number of other compressor kits from which to choose. Feel free to check out our post, “Which Is the Best RV Air Compressor For You?”, for additional information.

Slime

Also in the “tire emergency” category, a couple of cans of Slime can repair a punctured tire long enough to get you to a service station where you can deal with the issue.

There are also tire repair kits available, but the Slime is more user-friendly and gets the job done. (Depending on the size of your RV tires, you may want to pack a few cans in your kit.)

We wouldn’t recommend using Slime any time your tire goes flat… but if you don’t have a roadside assistance plan, or you’re so far out in the boonies that they won’t come to help you, the Slime will get you rolling to someplace you can get a more permanent fix.

Road Reflectors

A good set of road reflectors is an inexpensive but very important piece of any RV roadside emergency kit. These are designed to make sure you’re seen along the side of the road before someone is right on top of you.

Set your road reflectors a distance ahead of and behind your rig to give oncoming traffic advance warning of your presence. You’re already having a bad day… don’t make it worse!

Flashlights & Headlamps

Chances are good that you’ve already got some good quality flashlights and headlamps onboard the rig, but they’re extremely important so we’re including them on this list. In fact, we also included them on our list of essential winter camping gear.

A good flashlight is handy if you’re stranded on a dark roadside, if you need to walk any distance in the dark, and for any work you may try to do on the rig yourself in the dark or in other poor lighting conditions.

Headlamps are fantastic flashlights that leave your hands free for working or carrying items. You’d be amazed at the number of times you’ll pull out a good headlamp when doing a repair or a DIY project.

So…flashlights…whether they’re in your hands or on your head – these are important items for your RV roadside emergency kit.

Flashlights:

Rechargeable Flashlights:

Rechargeable Headlamps:

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Portable Power Bank

Having a portable power bank that’s always charged and ready to go is an important asset to any roadside emergency kit.

A fully charged portable battery bank ensures that if your phone runs out of juice, you’ve got a handy way to power it… whether you’re walking a distance for help or you have no power available for some other reason.

It’s also important to note that many smartphones/cell phones lose power in the cold. So, if you’re walking in cold weather and are trying to get help using your phone, it can go dead much faster than you’d expect, and it won’t reboot until it warms up. This won’t happen if it’s connected to a portable power bank.

Tools

Being full-timers and die-hard DIYers, we carry a whole host of tools in our rig. But not every RVer needs a tool kit similar to ours. Still, a basic tool kit is important for every RVer to carry.

Your tool kit is likely to already contain the tools that you find most useful, and like the rest of us, you probably add to that tool kit from time to time as you complete new repairs and projects. If you’ve been looking to compile your own tool kit, you’ll find some ideas in our post, “The RV Tool Kit Every RVer Needs”.

However, the very bare minimum that should be in every RV roadside emergency kit (and every vehicle, for that matter) is a good, durable multi-tool that holds some very basic tools.

This is an example of one, but there are many on the market.

First-Aid Kit

You can create your own first-aid kit or buy a pre-made kit like this one, but having a first-aid kit on board your RV is an absolute MUST.

If you opt for a pre-made kit, just be sure to look through it once you receive it, and add anything important that it might not contain such as burn cream, bleed stop, analgesics, etc. ‎

Battery Jump Start Box

You may carry jumper cables in your rig’s basement, but a battery jump-start box can get you out of trouble even if you’re in some very tight quarters, or if there’s no one around with a vehicle capable of giving you a jump.

These compact boxes usually have an integrated flashlight so you can see to connect it properly, and they do an amazing job of jumping even the biggest rigs. They’re also great for charging devices and usually have a USB port or two handy for just this purpose.

Water Straw Filter and/or Aquatabs

Having enough water is not just important – it’s absolutely critical. That’s why every RV roadside emergency kit needs to have some manner of obtaining safe drinking water.

Now, chances are good that you’ll have sufficient water on board the RV… and, in fact, one of our 25 things to have in your RV roadside emergency kit is (you guessed it) extra water!

However, it’s never a bad idea to carry a means of purifying water with you when you travel. A really good straw filter or some water purification tabs are great to add to your roadside emergency kit. They may never be necessary, but boy if you need them, they can be life-saving.

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Reflective Vest

If you have to walk in the dark, or you’re broken down in traffic and you need to alert oncoming vehicles (by laying out your reflective triangles noted above!), or if you need to direct traffic around an accident – you’ll want to have a reflective vest.

A package of two for two travelers is a great idea so that you’re both equipped to be seen, day or night.

Strong Gloves

A strong pair of work gloves is an important piece of any RV roadside emergency kit to help protect your hands during any emergency mechanical work or tire changing, etc. The last thing anyone needs when they’re stranded roadside is an injury that makes the emergency even more urgent!

A quality pair of work gloves with a good grip will serve you in an endless array of circumstances.

Tow Strap

If you’re not already carrying a tow strap, it can be a useful item to have on hand. Recovery tow straps can be used if you’re stuck in mud or sand, or if you’re stuck in a ditch.

Remember, though, that the term “tow strap” is a bit of a misnomer. Recovery tow straps are intended to recover a vehicle or rig, not to actually tow a vehicle down the road.

Never use a tow strap unless you’ve familiarized yourself with the proper technique. Also, note that tow straps are available in various sizes and weights and you’ll need to purchase according to the specs of your rig.

Some rigs (especially big ones, like ours) are best towed out of a troubled spot by a professional tow truck. With that said, you can also help other stranded motorists with a tow strap!

Fire Extinguisher

This one needs no explanation. If you don’t already have at least one fire extinguisher in your RV, get one TODAY. Depending on the size of your rig, you may want to keep one accessible at the front and a second at the rear, or one inside the rig and one in a bay, accessible from the outside.

Fire extinguishers come in various sizes, including small cans without hoses. No matter what, you need to carry a good quality fire extinguisher in your rig because you never know when you’ll need to extinguish a blaze quickly, whether in your galley kitchen or during a roadside emergency.

Safety Hammer

Safety hammers allow us to break a window in the event of certain emergency situations. You could use the hammer to break out a window of your own rig in an emergency… or to get to someone else who’s been involved in an accident you encounter in your travels.

This safety/emergency hammer has an integrated knife for cutting a seat belt off of someone who needs extrication from the belt to escape the vehicle.

Air Horn

Air horns are often overlooked as an emergency kit item but they can be extremely helpful in an emergency situation. Not only would an air horn allow you to call attention to yourself if you need help, but if you’ve had an accident that has left your rig precariously positioned in the roadway, and you need to alert oncoming traffic, an air horn can be just the item you need while waiting for emergency services to arrive.

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Extra Fuses

A variety of extra fuses that can replace any that have burned out in your RV is an important part of an RV roadside emergency kit.

Depending on which fuse is blown, you could be disabled in some fashion. Being able to replace a blown fuse right there on the spot can be the difference between a very minor headache and a migraine.

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Electrical Tape

There are many uses for electrical tape. But, one example is your rig breaking down on the side of the road, leaving you stranded. You pop the hood and look around, and find that a rodent has apparently set up shop in your engine compartment at some point and has chewed on some wires that are deliciously encased. You use your electrical tape to wrap a section of wire (if you’re lucky), start up the rig, and drive it to the nearest service station.

There are a lot of reasons why electrical tape belongs in your RV roadside emergency kit. Toss some in there today.

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Collapsible Shovel

If your rig gets stuck in sand, mud. or snow, having a small shovel on board can be very helpful.

The ability to dig yourself out of a sticky situation is important. A small shovel – especially one that’s collapsible for compact storage – is a great thing to have on hand. (And if you happen to have something like kitty litter on board, don’t be afraid to use that for traction!)

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Mylar Emergency Blankets

At least one mylar emergency blanket per traveler in your RV is good to carry in your roadside emergency kit. Should you be stranded in the cold, or should you have an accident in which someone is badly injured and in shock, an emergency blanket can make all the difference.

Antihistamine

If you’ve got severe allergies to ANYTHING (nuts, bees, etc.), you should be carrying a prescription epinephrine pen (or Epipen) in your emergency kit.

Even if you don’t have severe allergies, EVERY emergency kit should contain Benadryl or the generic form of diphenhydramine in case anyone on board the RV has an allergic reaction to something.

This antihistamine is inexpensive, and everyone should have some on hand because severe allergic reactions can’t wait for a trip to a store (if you can find one open), and if the reaction occurs when your RV is broken down on the side of the road, you’ll have no way to obtain the simple drug that could be the difference between life and death. Always carry antihistamine.

Emergency Food & Water

All roadside emergency kits should contain extra food and water – just in case. You can keep a few gallons of emergency water onboard your RV (accessible from the outside if possible), and you should also have some non-perishable foods on hand.

Specific foods are a matter of personal preference, but they should be nutrient-dense and able to be stored in the vehicle or RV even in heat/cold. Store them in a solid container that isn’t accessible to rodents!

Many people keep high-protein bars, organic jerky, or a certain amount of freeze-dried foods onboard at all times.

Wheel Chocks

If you get stuck or become involved in an accident, your RV may be perilously positioned on an incline or a decline. In an emergency, wheel chocks can be an important part of your kit.

You most likely have some wheel chocks for the purpose of leveling your RV, but if you don’t, a set of these are highly advisable and could be very useful in an emergency.

Ice Scraper / Snow Brush

“But we don’t travel where it’s icy or snowy.” We’ve heard that one before! As we type this, in fact, there’s just been a fairly significant snow and ice storm in North Carolina. The roads were seriously impacted, and a tractor-trailer slid off of a Durham overpass and hung there for hours!

Surely lots of folks emerged from grocery stores and such to find windshields covered in ice and snow. An RV emergency kit means being prepared, and a combination snow brush & ice scraper is a good thing to have.

Butyl Sealing Tape

These last two items are actually for emergency repairs. Butyl sealing tape is amazing stuff if you need to temporarily seal a leaky window or roof vent, thus preventing further damage until a proper repair is possible.

Butyl tape can be permanent, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be peeled right off if desired. So, whether you need to complete a temporary repair on the side of the road or a more permanent one, a roll of butyl tape in your emergency kit is a great way to be prepared for many things for very little money.

Eternabond Tape

And finally, Eternabond tape. Having a roll of this stuff on hand allows permanent repairs, including damage to your RV’s roof from an errant tree branch or from a weather event, on the spot.

Eternabond tape is an excellent item to have on hand for any number of repairs (particularly to your roof), and for emergencies as well. Feel free to have a closer look at Eternabond by taking a look at our post, “Is Eternabond Tape Really Eternal?”

What Other Roadside Emergency Items Do You Carry In Your RV?

We know that there are numerous other items that could be considered reasonable for an RV roadside emergency kit, and we’re interested to know what items you find important for your kit. Fire off a comment to let us know what you’d add to the list!

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