21 Small RV Appliances To Make Your Camper More Functional

Space-saving appliances are vital to a quality RV experience. You get to enjoy the creature comforts of your residential appliances without crowding yourself out of a smaller living space in your camper. 

If you own an RV, you don’t have to leave your trusted Keurig or Magic Bullet at home when you go camping.

You just might have to invest in a slightly downsized version to fit inside your camper. The tricky thing is that not all small RV appliances are really worth buying.

Fortunately for you, we are going to help you wade through this tricky subject to find appliances that are actually worth adding to your RV. 

What Appliances Can You Use in an RV?

In short, it is safe to use most small appliances inside your RV. This includes small kitchen appliances like toasters, slow cookers, and even small convection ovens. 

Your RV’s 120-volt electrical system offers the same levels of protection (i.e. circuit breakers, GFCI outlets) as a home electrical system.

This means you don’t have to worry about doing serious damage to the system. 

If you try to run too many small appliances at once, you will simply trip a breaker. You should already know where the circuit breaker panel is in your RV, but you should find it if you don’t. 

If you do trip a breaker, you should first unplug or shut off all of the appliances you were trying to use and then reset the breaker that was tripped. 

One other trouble with plugging small appliances into your RV’s AC outlets is that they will only power up if you are running your generator or plugged into a 30 or 50-amp electrical connection. 

Fortunately, these are the kinds of appliances that should mostly be stored away until you are set up at a campsite.

So you will usually have a reliable source of power for them once your RV’s interior is set up and you are ready to use your small appliances. 

12 Small Appliances Worth Adding to Your RV

Now that you have some general ideas of the appliances you can add to your camper, here are a few specific suggestions of compact RV kitchen appliances that are actually worth investing in. 

1: Compact Coffee Maker

A lot of people have their preferences for pour-over coffee, espresso, and much more. For me, I’m willing to sacrifice for the ease and convenience of a drip coffee maker. 

If you are particularly fond of a Keurig or espresso machine, they also make compact versions that are perfect for RV use. 

I personally like to prep my coffee the night before so that I can just get up and press a button to start it brewing in the morning.

On cold days, I even climb back under the covers to stay warm while I listen to my coffee maker get my day rolling!

2: Electric Kettle

For the non-coffee drinkers out there (or even those that prefer French Press or pour-over prep methods), an electric tea kettle is an essential small RV appliances to add to your rig. 

The same principles that make a compact coffee maker so convenient hold true for a kettle as well.

They boil water more quickly than a traditional stovetop kettle and also won’t cause you to burn through propane just to heat water every morning. 

Personally, my drink prep station includes both an electric kettle and a compact coffee maker so that I can warm up my favorite hot beverages at any time of the day! 

3: Magic Bullet Blender

Whether it is the lack of familiarity with healthy food sources or the temptation of all those McDonald’s signs on the side of the highway, most of us fall out of our healthy eating practices when we go camping.  

With an RV, though, you have plenty of room to store a small blender and the options from Magic Bullet are my favorite.

Before you leave home, stock up on some frozen fruit from your local grocery store. 

But also try to sample fresh options from farmer’s markets or other local sources when you reach your camping destinations!

4: Crock Pot

One of my favorite ways to meal prep when RV camping is to use a crock pot.

I can chop fresh ingredients and toss them into the pot in the morning, set my preferred temperature, and then go off and enjoy a hike or kayak during the nicest part of the day. 

When I get back to my RV and feel exhausted, I don’t have to worry about spending more energy to get dinner ready. I can serve it up straight out of the crock pot and put my feet up to relax! 

There’s nothing quite like the smell of bacon on a cool camp morning. I even know plenty of vegetarians that can’t help but turn their noses towards the smell of bacon frying on a camp griddle. 

But a regular camp griddle that goes on top of your stove or on the fire is much harder to clean than an electric griddle.

Plus, I love these griddles because you can plug them in anywhere instead of having them take up valuable space right in your kitchen area. 

If you are prepping a larger camping breakfast, this allows you to retain the full use of your RV kitchen to make other breakfast items while someone else flips bacon or pancakes on the electric griddle. 

6:  Mini Toasters for Your RV

Not everyone likes to make toast in the morning, but I am a huge fan of my open-faced egg, kale, avocado, and pesto breakfast sandwiches.

While I’m busy frying kale and eggs, it is convenient to just pop a couple pieces of toast in the toaster. 

In the best case scenario, however, I’d suggest grabbing a countertop convection toaster oven.

This will require that you have a bit more cabinet space for storage, but it is more multi-purpose than a regular toaster. 

In addition to toasting bread, you can also use it to reheat pizza and other foods that can get soggy when you put them in the microwave.  

7. Air Fryer

I must admit that I have never personally owned an air fryer, but I have used enough of them owned by others to know that I will most certainly add one to my next RV.

One of my favorite air fryer recipes is buffalo cauliflower bites, but there is so much you can do with one of these appliances. 

Choose a smaller version for RV use, unless you have plenty of storage space and regularly cook for more than four people.

From reheating leftovers to frying awesome recipes like breaded chicken tenders, you can’t go wrong with having an air fryer in your camper. 

8: Portable Clip Fan

Having done a lot of my RV camping in hot climates, airflow is essential on days when the humidity reaches uncomfortable levels.

Even if your RV has air conditioning and fans in a couple roof vents, it still pays to have a portable clip fan on hand. 

Even the most high-powered RV roof vent fans can struggle to adequately circulate air throughout your entire rig.

This is especially true for longer class A RVs and luxury fifth wheel trailers. 

When I can’t get to a cool body of water to lower my core temperature, sitting with a wet towel on my neck and a fan blowing on me is the next best thing.

The great part about these fans is that they can be positioned anywhere in your RV that you need them. 

9:  Drinking Water Filtration System

There are many different styles of RV water filters out there, but those that are installed underneath the sink are some of the most highly-rated.

When RVing, you will encounter water with a lot of different tastes and of varying qualities. 

Some campgrounds pull water from local wells that can be high in certain minerals that you might not want to ingest.

Others pull water from municipal sources that might add more chlorine that you prefer. 

The best way to guarantee that you will be drinking quality water when RV camping is to install a water filtration system in your rig. 

10: Electric Space Heater

This is one of the larger appliances that you can use in an RV, but you will love it on cold nights.

It supplements the central furnace in your rig or (if you don’t have a central furnace), it is the safest way to keep your RV comfortable. 

Depending on where you are camping, relying on one of these small electric space heaters may actually be more economical than burning through propane by cranking up your rig’s central furnace. 

In my experience, I am a fan of the radiator-style space heaters for RV use. If you find a model that is on wheels, it is easier to relocate as needed.

These heaters seem to be the most efficient when it comes to heating the entire living space in your RV. 

11: Essential Oil Diffuser

This might be a really personal admission, but I’m very sensitive to smells in my RV.

When it is almost laundry day, I find myself burning incense or opening all the winds to air things out more frequently. 

But the best way I have found to help keep my RV smelling nice is an essential oil diffuser.

You can use any selection of scented oils you desire with one of these diffusers. There is also a whole world of aromatherapy to dive into studying if you are so inclined. 

Some oils are better for focus if you work remotely while others are great for helping you relax in the evening.

My main takeaway, however, is that almost any oil I choose will make my RV smell better than dirty socks! 

12: Portable TableTop Gas Grill

Okay, so technically this appliance can’t be used inside your RV. I still had to include it, however, because I can’t imagine camp life without my three-burner propane cooktop.

For me, the point of camping is to spend as much time as possible outside. 

When the sun is beginning to set and golden hour is approaching, the last thing I want to do is go inside my camper because that is the only place I can cook. But I also like to east dinner before the sun goes down. 

If you like to cook outside as well, then one of these portable tabletop gas grills is an essential inclusion for your RV.

You can store it underneath and it will also be great for larger meals when you aren’t able to cook everything on the other cooking appliances that you have inside your RV. 

Small RV Appliance Honorable Mentions

While these are my top 10 small RV appliance choices, your preferences may differ slightly.

So here are a few honorable mentions that just barely missed being included in my top 10 list: 

How To Use Small Appliances In An RV Safely

The trouble with RV travel is that you can’t leave your appliances out and loose while you are driving.

Use these quick tips for RV appliance storage to keep everything safe and secure while you are underway. 

Pad The Bottom of Your Drawers and Cabinets

Before you load anything into your RV (even kitchen utensils and dishware), I recommend lining all of your drawers, shelves, and cabinets with something like this Gorilla Grip Drawer Liner.

This will dampen the sound of rattling appliances and also reduce their ability to shift while you are driving.  

Place Small Towels or Padding Between Stacked Items

Stacking pots, pans, and certain appliances inside one another is a great RV space-saving tip.

The problem is that these items can become broken or damaged if you don’t pad them properly. 

Consider grabbing a set of these pot and pan protectors and repurposing them to keep stacked appliances from becoming damaged. 

Utilize Towels or Bedding to Prevent Movement

Minimizing the amount of empty space around RV appliances is the best way to prevent them from moving while you drive.

Instead of taking up another drawer with extra bedding or towels, consider rolling or folding these soft items up and packing them in around your appliances to safeguard them while your RV is moving. 

Conclusion

We hope that you have found this article useful as you are evaluating which small appliances to add to your RV.

As always, we wish you the best of luck as you equip your RV and set out for your next camping adventure!