Today’s post focuses on an item most RVers don’t think about very often despite its significance in ensuring their comfort while camping. Believe it or not, we’re talking about an RV sewer hose support.
One of the great advantages of staying in a campground or RV park with full hookups is not having to worry about your gray tank filling up from showering, cooking, or washing clothes. The ability to take nice long showers is a real luxury when you’ve been out boondocking and monitoring your water usage for weeks at a time. The ability to dump your black tank whenever necessary is also a great advantage.
We’ve posted before about the importance of a good RV sewer hose, but equally important to your campground luxuries (and sometimes even REQUIRED by local/state ordinance) is a good, strong RV sewer hose support.
Why Are RV Sewer Hose Supports Important?
RV sewer hose supports are important for several reasons, all of which benefit RVers when they’re connected to full hookups while camping.
An RV sewer hose support holds the sewer hose up off the ground and leads it with a steady slope to the sewer inlet for easy draining.
Can Be Required at Campgrounds
More and more campgrounds and RV parks, particularly out west, require an RV sewer hose support when campers are hooked up to the campground sewer system. In fact, in some parts of Arizona, it’s illegal to leave a sewer hose on the ground at all, so a sewer hose support is mandatory in those locations.
Empties Your Hose Completely
An RV sewer hose support allows your sewer hose to empty completely, as it creates a steady slope. This is very important to the emptying process to prevent waste from getting stuck in the hose.
This slope is also important if you’re leaving your gray tank valve open while you’re hooked up for an extended period of time, as it allows the liquid to run right down the drain. It also helps with another fundamental matter if you’re keeping your gray tank valve open: it allows you to leave a short portion of your sewer hose hanging off the end of the support (on the RV end), creating a p-trap to prevent the sewer system from venting back into the RV.
As we note in this post and video (where you can see exactly how we do this), the traps in your RV’s plumbing SHOULD prevent this from happening, but sometimes it just doesn’t work that way. Using your sewer hose and hose support to create your own whole-house “P-trap” in the hose works wonders.
Using our sewer hose and hose support to create a “P-trap” allows us to leave our gray tank valve open during extended stays in one place without concern for sewer odors entering the RV.
Helpful in Freezing Weather
If you travel in cold weather, an RV sewer hose support is quite critical. Without a steady slope to ensure the hose drains completely, contents caught in the hose can freeze, thus blocking other tank contents from draining properly. It could also cause damage to the sewer hose, particularly if it sticks to the frozen ground and needs to be released.
RV Sewer Hose Supports Prevent Punctures
In fact, an RV sewer hose support helps to prevent punctures in your sewer hose from all potential sources, including sticks, rocks, and other debris.
Puncturing your sewer hose not only means that you’ll need to replace it, but it can also mean that you’re going to be dealing with “stuff” (ahem) leaking out of your sewer hose, and we all want to avoid this at all costs.
The 5 Best RV Sewer Hose Supports
Now that we’ve discussed why a good RV sewer hose support is helpful or even necessary let’s look at five of the best of these products on the market today.
#1. Valterra Slunky
- RV SEWER HOSE SUPPORT: Elevated design supports your drainage hose and promotes better draining
- IMPROVED DESIGN: 26% wider and 30% deeper for increased stability and a smoother overall RV experience
We’ve had a Slunky for many years, and we can attest to its durability and function, which is why it’s #1 on our list.
About The Valterra Slunky RV Sewer Hose Support
The design of the Slunky is deep and wide for a good, stable fit regardless of the size of your sewer hose. It has ridges on the bottom that allow the support to connect solidly with the grass or gravel beneath it. Its flexibility allows for easy rounding of curves. It has metal hinges for added strength and durability, and drainage is excellent, with the height at the RV end being 7” and at the sewer end, 4.5”.
Our Favorite Features
Durability:
Second only to the excellent functionality of this product, we love it for its durability. We’ve had our current Slunky for many years, and it’s never let us down. When you don’t have to replace something you’ve been using for longer than ten years, you know you’ve got a durable product. We stand behind the durability of the Slunky based on our own personal experience.
Compact:
The Slunky is compact and lightweight. The smallest version of the Slunky (10’) weighs 2.92 lbs, and the longest (25’) weighs 6.5 lbs. There are also 15-foot (3.83 lbs) and 20-foot (5.13 lbs) versions available. All four versions collapse to store in a minimal space when not in use.
Functionality & Ease-of-Use:
Simply put, the Slunky just works. It’s simple to deploy, easy to stow away, provides just the right amount of slope to keep your sewer hose draining properly, and we never have to think about it. What more could you want?
#2. Camco Sidewinder
- PROTECTS & SUPPORTS YOUR RV SEWER HOSE: This sewer hose support for RV campers lifts and guides your sewer hose to help waste move downhill. It...
- COMPATIBILITY: It fits up to a 15-foot RV waste hose and works with all 3-inch diameter hoses.
About the Camco Sidewinder RV Sewer Hose Support
The Camco Sidewinder is another highly reviewed RV sewer hose support. With 24,000 Amazon reviews, 83% of which are 5-star reviews and only 1% of which are 1-star reviews, it appears that reviewers who have experience with the Sidewinder are pleased.
The high-quality plastic construction should lend itself to excellent durability, and reviewers note that this is the case. In addition, the Sidewinder is angled from 7.25” at its highest to 4” at its lowest point, with each cradle decreasing slightly in height with an efficient downward slope for good drainage.
This RV sewer hose support packs into a very small package for easy storage and is easily carried with the provided handle.
Our Favorite Features
Simple Construction:
Made of solid, durable plastic, the Sidewinder has a simple design that contracts and expands easily.
Lightweight:
The 20’ version weighs just over one pound.
Weather Resistant:
The Sidewinder is weather-resistant and works well in any season. Plus, the sturdy low-profile construction makes it likely to be durable, no matter the weather, for many years.
#3. Thetford Titan RV Sewer Hose Support
- Easy Set-Up and Flexible Adjustment. Ready to use, no small parts to lose
- Quick and Simple Tear-Down. Stowable in the enclosed storage bag
About The Thetford Titan RV Sewer Hose Support
The Thetford Titan RV sewer hose support is an innovative approach that seems to be getting some rave reviews. It’s easy to see why. This is a very simple-to-use system that finds the RVer placing five graduated sections on the ground one after the other and then laying the sewer hose on top. Each of the five sections is 24 inches in length and is made of a strong poly material that is lightweight and durable in most types of weather. The five sections together weigh a total of about 5 ½ pounds.
Our Favorite Features
Customizable Fit:
We like the easy customization for this product’s use. Depending on how many feet of support you need, you simply use the equivalent number of pieces. So if you only need 48” of sewer hose to reach the dump station or campground sewer inlet, for example, you’ll simply use only two of the five provided pieces of the Thetford Titan system.
We also appreciate the simplicity of this product, and with the vast majority of reviewers giving the product five stars, it’s clear they agree.
Flexible:
The pieces of the Thetford Titan are flexible, stackable, and easily storable in a provided storage bag. We should mention that you’ll need a bit of a larger space to store this system than the others we’ve discussed, about 25” in length and 10” or so in height. But if that’s not a deal-breaker for you, this is a viable way to provide good, durable support to your sewer hose (up to 15’ in length) with a simple setup. It’s particularly a good option for longer-term stays.
#4. Camco Aluminum Support
- RV Sewer Hose Support: Lifts and guides your sewer hose to help waste move downhill; provides stable, trouble-free drainage
- Compatibility: Fits a 10-foot RV sewer hose; works with all 3-inch diameter hoses
About the Camco Aluminum RV Sewer Hose Support
Camco’s aluminum support system provides support to up to 10’ of hose. For storage, it compresses to a mere 6” and is also lightweight. We should note here that the support only expands to 6’ total. That’s enough to support a 10’ hose, but if you find yourself requiring more than 10’ of support, this won’t be the sewer hose support for you.
As for advantages, this support system is quick and easy to set up and just as easy to store when you’re finished using it. In addition, it weighs less than 2 ½ pounds, has all-aluminum construction, and has a strap kit for holding the sewer hose in place.
Our Favorite Features
Durable Construction:
The all-aluminum construction seems to hold up well (according to reviewers). One Amazon reviewer notes having used this Camco aluminum support system for ten years, speaking to its durability. He further notes that the aluminum construction is strong and not susceptible to easy bending or breaking. He and others note the limited length as a negative, but 90% of reviewers give this product 4-5 stars, and the negative reviews (other than comments about the limited length) are few.
Compact Storage:
There’s no getting around it – this is one of the most compact sewer hose supports on the market. It compresses to a minuscule six inches and weighs under 2 ½ pounds. As every RVer knows, small and lightweight (when combined with excellent durability) is a winner when it comes to RVing tools.
#5. Valterra Easy Slider Support
- Easy Slider sewer hose support is made of tough extruded plastic that will not break or bend
- Provides an even flow-no backups or overflows
About the Valterra Easy Slider RV Sewer Hose Support
This one’s not our favorite which is why it sits at #5, but we’re featuring it for innovation because the idea is good.
The Valterra Easy Slider Support is essentially a gutter onto which the sewer hose sits. It keeps the hose off the ground and away from debris, as all five of our featured supports do.
The Easy Slider Support is very lightweight at under 2 pounds. However, there are pros and cons to this feature.
On the “pro” side is the obvious – as RVers, we need to keep things as lightweight as possible. On the “con” side, though, this product may be a bit too light for adequate functionality. We noticed that many reviewers mentioned using bungee cords to hold the hose to this support because a gust of wind or even the flow of liquid through the hose would knock the hose off the support. So there’s a caveat right there.
And while we’re at it – another reviewer noted that he places supports under the Valterra Easy Slider to give it some slope and additional support. So, on its own, this unit may not be complete in terms of good functionality, but with a couple of tweaks, people seem to like it a lot.
The Easy Slider comes in three sections, each 3’ in length. The idea here is to use as many sections as you need to support the length of your hose, connecting the sections as necessary. Given the overlap at each of the connecting sections, though, this leaves you with approximately 8’ total of hose support. So if you frequently find yourself needing more than a 10’ sewer hose, this isn’t the product for you. Sure, you could buy an additional set, but at that price point, you’d probably be better off with a different product from this list.
Our Favorite Features
Provides Steady Flow:
Once you’ve steadied and supported the Easy Slider and tied the hose to the support using bungee cords or similar, it provides a good steady flow straight for the sewer inlet, and that’s the whole point, after all.
Easy to Store:
The Valterra Easy Slider comes with a reusable storage carton, and we always appreciate a provided storage case for any product. Storage cases keep dirt and debris out of our storage bays while also offering easy access to the product when we need it, so we’re big fans.
The storage length you’d want to have available is 3’, the length of a single section of “gutter.”
We’ll sneak in a third feature of the Easy Slider that we like – the included chain that holds the Easy Slider to your rig while in use. We’re fans of innovation, and this is the only sewer hose we’ve seen with this feature, so we feel it’s worth an honorable mention!
Conclusion
We realize that sewer hose supports aren’t the most exciting topic to discuss. But, still and all, there are facets of RVing that are practical matters helpful to the process, and we’re all about giving our fellow RVers tools to make the setup process simple and the result effective.
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Scott Hall Hall
Sunday 15th of August 2021
Still scratching my head trying to figure why 2 humans need a ful time hose outside the moment they arrive!!! For looks?? The sun will damage the pipe that sits out year round. Why not hook up and dump then put away?? Campers leave valve open and pipe clogs because of no water pressure to clear pipe. More hassle.
Pete
Sunday 13th of November 2022
@Scott Hall Hall, actually the reason leaving line open clogs lines is because water in the tank is important to help dissolve solids. Otherwise, the water goes out and leaves a poo pile that clog stuff.
TheRVgeeks
Sunday 15th of August 2021
Hi Scott. As avid boondockers most of the time, our time at full hook-ups most often falls into one of two categories. Either we're only in for one or two nights to refresh resources between boondocking spots, or we're parked in one full hook-up site for a month or three during those times we take a break from boondocking. During the latter, our stay involves doing about three loads of laundry in a row, and luxuriating in longer showers while we can. Three loads of wash alone will mostly fill our gray tank, and we're so busy managing other tasks related to refreshing resources (food shopping, etc) that the last thing we want to do is overflow our gray tank up into the shower during the busy 24-48 hours we're there. Yes we could run out and pull the gray valve after a couple of wash loads, but refresh days are always a frenzy, and it's only a matter of time before we'd forget! During the times we're hooked up in one spot for extended periods, we use the sewer-hose-support-to-create-a-P-trap trick, and get to live like we're in a sticks & bricks for a while, and not worry about our gray tank. We've never had sun damage our sewer hose or a clog, so we're just enjoying the luxury of free-flowing water! (although we still keep our usage reasonable, surely far below what most sticks-and-bricks owners use.)
tommyO
Saturday 14th of August 2021
"Using our sewer hose and hose support to create a “P-trap” — Now that alone made this read a winner.
tommyO' here. In addition to / and, as a stand alone with my support I use a 12ft long plastic roof gutter from Home Depot cut into 3 x 4ft sections. The gutter slides into each other to fold down into one compact 4ft unit for storage.
I then have an additional support available depending on the site and the length needed. Cost to me probably $15 and twenty minutes with a hacksaw to cut thru.
Just my additional two cents. STAY HEALTHY you all !!!!
TheRVgeeks
Saturday 14th of August 2021
Glad you liked our P-trap trick, Tommy! Thanks for the additional tips!