6 Shopping Tips for Gifts for RV Owners

There are tons of lists out there of WHAT to get as gifts for RV owners. But HOW do you shop for an RVer?

The top things to get an RVer will help you make a wise gift-giving decision for the RVer in your life. But what if they already have all those things?

What if you actually have to think of something all on your own? ?

We’ve pulled together some guidelines on HOW to shop for gifts for RV owners to help you understand the life of an RVer and narrow down what types of things to NOT get your RVer friend or family member.

Hopefully this will help avoid some awkward conversations later, like “What do you mean all those expensive crystal wine glasses broke?!”

1. Avoid Fragile & Breakable Things as Gifts

Wine glasses, champagne flutes, glass figurines, ornaments, etc. do not bode well in the RV Life. Remember, our homes go through an earthquake and hurricane-force winds every time we move.

We’ve personally gone through so many wine glasses that we finally realized that Go Vino Flexible Shatterproof & Recycleable Wine & Champagne Glasses or Stainless Steel Wine Glasses last much longer and are just as effective.  

2. Avoid Art as Gifts

Art can be really big and often fragile (see recommendation #1 above), and honestly most RVs don’t have a lot of wall space or counter/shelf for art.

If it is wall art, it’d have to not only fit onto the limited wall space and shapes (the only available space in my RV is a 1-ft gap between my windows) but it’d have to go with the interior decoration theme already established.

If it is counter or shelf art, most likely it’ll become another thing to move before and after moving the RV. So unless specifically asked for, avoid artwork!

3. (Most) Hard-copy Books

RVs are very limited on weight-carrying capacity, so RV owners are constantly looking for ways to drop weight. Books are very heavy in general, and these days they can be easily replaced by digital versions on Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook, or on a tablet or phone.

​An Amazon Kindle giftcard is a great way to give books as gifts for RV owners! 

However there are a few exceptions to this rule:

Driving Resource Books:​

RV owners are often driving through places with bad cell service, so having offline maps and guides is very useful – not to mention often easier to find the information we’re looking for quickly!

1. ​Road Atlas 
2. Mountain Directories – East & West – tells the grades and lengths of mountain passes which is very important for choosing routes and knowing what to expect. This information is not readily available on map apps like Google Maps.
3. The Next Exit – lists all services at every interstate exit along every interstate in the United States! Makes it really easy to find gas, food, hospitals, parks, and rest areas along the route. Click here to watch a review video we did on this book!

Pro Tip: Save some money when shopping for gifts by checking out these Black Friday RV and Camping Deals.

4. Look for Things That Collapse or Save Space

Since we’ve established that things that weigh something and take up space aren’t perhaps the best gifts for RVers, there are certain products out there that do their best to do a big job but when they are not longer needed can be hidden away easily. Check these out for some ideas:

Inflatable Loungers

These inflatable hammocks collapse down to about the size of a football. They are awesome for hanging out outside, can float on water, and are very nice for napping! 
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Check out a review video about them here!

Collapsible Kitchenware:

MadeSmart Collapsible Dish Rack
Squish Silicone Collapsible Colanders/Strainers
Collapsible Sillicone Tea Kettle
​

5. Gifts That Aren’t Things

Many RV owners have most of the things that they really need, and many of us are living this way to experience things. So this year, you could also consider giving experiences rather than things. 
Save the wrapping paper, save the boxes and shipping, save the stuff. 

Here are some experience gift ideas for RV owners:

1. Dinner out
2. ​Wine Tasting & Tour
3. Brewery Tour
4. Escape Room
5. Spa Day
6. White water rafting

Pro Tip: Need help deciding on a gift? Check out 13 Thoughtful Gifts That Will Delight Outdoorsy Women.

6. Consumable Gifts (our personal favorite!)

Things that will be consumed, eaten, used up, etc. work great as gifts for RV owners! While it might be a little bulky in the RV temporarily, it won’t be a permanent addition to the weight and space.

These typically fall into 2 cateogories: Things You Can Eat & Things You Can Drink. (Trader Joe’s, T.J. Maxx, Home Goods, or local shops are great places to look!)

Here are some ideas:

1. Chocolate – special bars or assorted boxes
2. Novelty treats – those things you wouldn’t buy at the grocery store normally but always wanted to try
3. Wine
4. Locally brewed beer
5. Specialty Coffee
6. Teas – perhaps some fun new flavor or special blend
7. Unique/local soda or juice – like ginger beer or cherry cider
8. Everything to make margaritas (including the limes!)
9. Local fruit basket – like from local fruit stands in Florida, apple orchards of Michigan, or date farms of southern California
10. Uniquely flavored Oils & vinegars 
11. Charcuterie fixin’s
12. Specialty Popcorn
13. Specialty Nuts
14. Unique and Fun Candies
15. Desserts – pies, cakes

If you don’t feel like going out and browsing the local shops, Amazon has tons of unique food gift ideas, too!

I was particularly intrigued by this World Snack Box that had 48 individually wrapped snacks from around the world. How fun would that be? Could potentially be awful, but that’d be part of the fun, eh? 🙂

Hope these guidelines help you figure out how to buy gifts for RV owners. If you have any other suggestions, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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