2025-05-06 · 5 min read
RV and trailer accessories to check before a trip
A short pre-trip list: lights, breakaway, tires, hitch hardware, and the small parts that strand people at a rest area.
A weekend trip is a poor time to discover a dead breakaway battery or a cracked 7-way plug. Walk the trailer the night before you leave.
Confirm every lamp: tails, brake, turn, markers, and license plate. Cycle the breakaway switch and make sure the battery holds a charge. Inspect the coupler, latch, safety chains, and hitch pin. Look at tire sidewalls and pressure when the tires are cold. If you use a weight-distribution hitch or adjustable ball mount, confirm the drop and the ball size match the coupler.
Inside the RV, check the porch light, holding-tank chemicals, and any 12V interior lamps you actually use after dark. A spare pigtail, a few fuses, and a grease seal that matches your hub take almost no space and solve the failures we see most at the counter.
If something on that list is worn, stop by Flint, Grand Rapids, or Traverse City before you hook up. It is faster than a parts run from a campground.
Need the part that article mentioned?
We do not publish prices online. Call the store closest to you — we will check the shelf and special-order anything we do not have in stock.