Campground ladder, beginner tier
Beginner RV Campground Power Setup
Researched from published standards and manufacturer specifications. Updated .
Quick answer
A first campground power setup is a surge protector with an electrical management system, a good 30 amp cord, a dogbone adapter, one deep cycle house battery and a disconnect switch. Protection comes first because one bad pedestal can cost more than this entire list.
Who this is for
Your first rig, or a first season of travel, plugged in nearly every night.
Who should not buy this
Anyone planning to spend nights away from hookups. This list has no solar and no meaningful reserve capacity, and it is not meant to.
The complete build
Everything needed to make this system work, grouped by function. If you buy this list you can finish the job.
Shore power protection
Buy this before anything else on the list.
| Item | Qty | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive Industries EMS-PT30X, 30A Progressive Industries Disconnects on low voltage, high voltage, open ground and reverse polarity, not just on a surge. | 1 | $135.89 | Buy |
| CircleCord 30A 25ft RV Power Cord CircleCord A 25 foot cord reaches nearly every pedestal from a normal parking position, and the right-angle locking end takes strain off the inlet. | 1 | $69.69 | Buy |
| Camco PowerGrip Dogbone, 50A Male to 30A Female Camco For the nights the only open site has a 50 amp pedestal. It does not give you more amps, it just lets you plug in. | 1 | $16.11 | Buy |
| Shore power protection subtotal | $221.69 |
House battery and charging
One battery covers a travel day and an evening without hookups.
| Item | Qty | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPLUS 12V 100Ah Deep Cycle AGM, Group 27 UPLUS NEW TECHNOLOGY BATTERY A true deep cycle AGM rather than a dual purpose starting battery, which is the distinction that matters most in this category. | 1 | $189.99 | Buy |
| Nilight 90015A Battery Master Disconnect Switch Nilight A real disconnect for storage, so the rig does not quietly flatten its own battery over winter. | 1 | $12.12 | Buy |
| House battery and charging subtotal | $202.11 |
Wiring and protection
| Item | Qty | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOJACK 200A Inline ANL Fuse Holder with Fuse BOJACK Fuses the main positive feed at the battery. Everything between battery and fuse is unprotected, so this goes as close to the terminal as it fits. | 1 | $15.99 | Buy |
| TOPDC 4 AWG Battery Cable Pair, 18 in TOPDC Factory-crimped pure copper for the short battery runs. | 1 | $11.98 | Buy |
| Wiring and protection subtotal | $27.97 |
Build total
$451.77Totalled from the catalog price of every line above at the quantities shown. Prices change often, so treat this as a planning figure and check each listing.
What you can skip
Telling you not to buy something is what makes the rest of the list worth trusting.
- Solar. If you are plugged in every night it earns nothing, and the money belongs in protection instead.
- An inverter. A campground rig runs its AC loads from the pedestal, and the converter handles charging.
- A shunt monitor. On a lead-acid battery that lives on a charger, resting voltage tells you what you need to know.
What to upgrade first
The battery. A single AGM is the weak point here the moment you spend a night without a hookup. Moving to LiFePO4 roughly doubles usable capacity for the same footprint, but it also requires a converter with a lithium profile, so budget for both together rather than buying the battery alone.
Compare the tiers
Intermediate
Intermediate RV Campground Power Setup
The buy-once campground setup: lithium capacity, a converter that can actually charge it, a shunt monitor and full pedes
Expert
Expert RV Campground Power Setup
A full-time 50 amp shore power system: hardwired EMS protection, an inverter/charger with transfer switching, a large li
Different use case?
For rigs that spend days away from hookups. The spend goes on usable capacity and on refilling it without a pedestal. See the boondocking ladder.
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Frequently asked questions
- Who is the beginner campground build for?
- Your first rig, or a first season of travel, plugged in nearly every night. Anyone planning to spend nights away from hookups. This list has no solar and no meaningful reserve capacity, and it is not meant to.
- What can I leave out of this build?
- Solar. If you are plugged in every night it earns nothing, and the money belongs in protection instead. An inverter. A campground rig runs its AC loads from the pedestal, and the converter handles charging.
- What should I upgrade first?
- The battery. A single AGM is the weak point here the moment you spend a night without a hookup. Moving to LiFePO4 roughly doubles usable capacity for the same footprint, but it also requires a converter with a lithium profile, so budget for both together rather than buying the battery alone.
- Why are there two different build ladders on this site?
- Because RV power has two genuinely different buyers. A rig on a pedestal most nights needs shore power protection and a converter matched to its battery, and gains almost nothing from solar. A rig off grid for days needs usable capacity and a way to refill it without a pedestal. One ladder cannot serve both without giving bad advice to one of them.
Before you wire any of this. Never exceed a conductor's rated ampacity, and fuse every positive conductor as close to the battery as it will fit. A LiFePO4 bank needs a lithium charge profile at every source, and must not be charged below freezing without a low temperature cutoff or a self-heating design. Never connect lithium directly to an alternator. Never run a generator in an enclosed or partly enclosed space, because carbon monoxide is odorless and kills. Permanent AC wiring is work for a qualified RV technician or licensed electrician.