Fifth Wheel Safety Equipment Guide
While we know how exciting it is to spend some time camping in your fifth wheel, you’ll want to make sure you’re equipped to handle serious situations. Just as you’d want to prepare your home for emergencies, you’ll want to be just as diligent when preparing your camper. While there are a variety of emergency supplies that you could use to protect yourself, we’ve provided some of the gear that we think is absolutely essential for a safe fifth wheel camping trip.
Fire Extinguisher
One of the most basic and easiest-to-find emergency tools is a fire extinguisher. Between the wiring in your fifth wheel and the campfires you’ll most likely have outside, there are quite a few fire hazards when you’re out camping. That’s why we recommend keeping more than one fire extinguisher in your camper. Consider having one in the kitchen and one near the door and even a third one somewhere else. Make them easily accessible and make sure you replace them when they get old.
Surge Protectors
To help you save money and stay on the grid when you need it most, consider getting a surge protector. These are easy to store, and they act as a stopgap so if you get surprised by a faulty power box, you won’t have to worry about it damaging your appliances.
Emergency Radio
Not all power outages are cause for alarm, but if you find yourself without power and need to stay informed (like if there’s a storm coming through), you’ll want some sort of emergency radio. This can either be a hand crank radio, which requires no electricity, or a radio that is always fully charged.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Checking your tires should be an important part of your pre-camping checklist. A way to make this easier is to install a tire pressure monitoring system. It will provide regular updates on the quality of your tires, including pressure and temperature. It will also log these numbers so you can see changes over time and alert you if there’s something you should be concerned about.
Brake Controller
Even if you have a smaller fifth wheel, there’s no getting around the fact that these rigs are big. They haul a lot of extra weight, even without any additional cargo, so you’ll want to take advantage of every opportunity to make controlling them easier. A trailer brake controller gives you additional braking power for your fifth wheel, rather than relying solely on the brakes of your tow vehicle. This works by connecting the brake on the camper to the brakes in your tow vehicle, so they work with each other to slow down the vehicle. It puts less pressure on your tow vehicle’s brakes and makes towing safer.
Hopefully, this guide helps you get started on updating your fifth wheel with all the best safety features. If you’d like more advice, then come talk to our experienced staff at Lakeside RV Sales in Anderson, SC. We proudly serve all those in Charlotte, NC, and Greenville, SC.