After years of RV travel, constantly building up dirt and trying every machine powered device to suck it up, I have come to a conclusion: No single vacuum is perfect for an RV, but some come close. Some are good (enough), some require the dreaded (dare I say old fashioned) bag and others loose (or never had) enough suction power. Here is a breakdown of my RV vacuum trial and tribulations…the good, the bag and the under-powered. Shark – This little guy is hard to beat for under $100. The attachments were functional, it kept the pet hair at bay and, after a year of use it still had good suction power (not amazing, but good enough).   Dyson – They makes some great vacuums…if only they weren’t so darn expensive! We first tried to get away with our standard upright (cleaned great) but was way too bulky for the tiny and oddly shaped areas in the RV.  If you’re looking for a good vacuum for your house, this one is excellent!   Animal – We finally broke down and got one of these guys.

It has a cord but it works like a champ on all the cat hair and obscene amount of dust we seem to collect Wild Camping all the time! The attachments are great and it gets in all the tiny awkward spaces in our RV and Smart Car. Not to mention it has not lost any of it’s awesome sucking power. Digital Slim – We also looked into the cordless option, but I like the flexibility of the canister vacs. For us in the RV we really need the multi-function action of a canister and it’s flexible hose that can go in more places. (and you’d be surprised how quick 20-30min of cleaning time goes by).  However, we know of fellow RV’ing friends who love this vacuum. Roy came equipped with a Dirt Devil Central Vacuum to which I have mixed feelings about: It’s a very love-hate relationship. The “35ft” hose can be clunky and just barely makes it to the front of our coach (so any RV over 32ft long and you’ll need an extension that doesn’t exist). It has decent suction power and 3 out of the 5 attachments are handy: The dusting, selectable rug/floor (really only works well for floors), and crevice tools are great. 

The rugrat (so called) powerbrush is useless. It is terrible on carpet and does more damage to the fibers than picking up any dirt. delonghi vacuum cleaner reviewsI have yet to find a good use for the upholstery tool. amazon uk hand held vacuum cleanersFor what little upholstery we have, the dusting tool does a better job at picking up pet hair.hoover vacuum replacement tools Then there is the bag that needs replacing (for us about every 2-3 months). This isn’t that big of a deal but seriously, is this 1980? No, we now live in the age of cleanable filters and bagless vacuums. All in all, it gets the job done and came with Roy. If it hadn’t, I wouldn’t purchase and install one.We did make this quick demonstration video for Fleetwood.

So, keep in mind this video isn’t intended to be my personal opinions, it’s strictly informational if you’re curious to see it in action.   Bissel – Out of the gate this little guy impressed us (especially for $35). The battery would last 2 weeks worth of daily sweep/vacuuming and picked up a ton of dirt and pet hair. Sadly after about six months of use it started really loosing battery power and suction to the point of unusable. If you’re the occasional RV’er, this inexpensive vacuum could work great but not ideal for full time use. Black and Decker – This cordless worked fine for the first six months then quickly started losing suction. Before we reached a year of use the battery was so weak, you were lucky to get 2 solid minutes out of it. Also, with no real floor cleaning option, it was best for small areas/furniture and not ideal for full coach cleaning. Of course, this isn’t every vacuum option out there, just the ones I have personally used and tested.

It’s an ongoing search for the perfect cleaning companion. So, if you have a vacuum that has stood the test of time and nomadic abuse, for the love of all things fresh and clean, share in the comment box below! Wild Camping, Boondocking, Dry Camping, Dispersed Camping, Off The Cord…No matter what you want to call it we think being out in… Staying connected on the road is one of the biggest campfire discussions (right after the always fun black tank conversations) and… I love to cook, bake, grill, blend and just about anything that has to do with food and drinks! Truck Camper Magazine readers reveal the best handheld vacuum cleaners for RVs and camping.  This week’s Question of the Week was, “What handheld vacuum cleaner do you use, and do you like it?” “I have a Black and Decker 20-volt lithium battery powered unit.  It’s very powerful, and has worked for about two years now with no problems.  The 20-volt batteries also power flashlights and the chainsaw I take camping.

I do not know if the filter is HEPA, but it is effective and washable.  The only problem with the vacuum is that the exhaust blows downward and back, can blow around the debris you are trying to vacuum.  Also it’s quite noisy, as any powerful vacuum will be.” – Bill Peters, 2013 Chevy Silverado, 2013 Four Wheel Camper Hawk “I have an 18-volt Dewalt.  It’s the best cordless I have used.  Remove the filter and it’s a wet vac with a reusable filter.  It’s easy to clean and dump.” – Bruce Obrien, 2014 Ram 3500, 2000 Lance 915 “I have a Dyson V6 handheld cordless.  It’s powerful and supposedly cleans exhaust air cleaner than the outside air.  It runs about fifteen minutes on a charge, which is plenty of time to get the floor and bed.  We use it in the house when we are not camping. I like the no-bag feature of the Dyson.  Just open the bottom trap door and dump into a trash can or plastic grocery bag for disposal.” – Bob Ragain, 1994 Stewart and Stevenson M-1078, 2002 Alaskan 10′ NCO

“My wife seems to like the Eureka Easyclean 71B.  It works well on our house steps also.  I like it for small jobs.  While this is a 120 volt model, I sure wish they made this in a battery rechargeable model also.  It works great for us.” – Tom Bender, 2011 Ford F250, 2009 Sun Valley Apache Chief 8.65 WS “I have a Dyson V6 Slim.  I’ve tried Dewalt, Ryobi and Craftsman.  The Dyson with the motorized brush for carpet is amazing!” – Michael Jakobsson, 2012 Dodge 3500, 2014 Lance 1050S “I have a Carrand 94005AS AutoSpa Bagless Auto-Vac Hand-Held Vacuum.  It is small, has good suck, and is electric.  I was not pleased with any of the battery operated models.  It has limited capacity, but that is okay with a camper.  It dumps easily and has good tools that store on the vacuum.” – Laurel Wilson, 2013 Ford 350,, 2000 Four Wheel Grandby “I had a small Hoover upright that came with our used fifth wheel and fit under the bed. It is too big for a truck camper, but it works well.” – Pete Haidinyak, 2016 Ram 5500

“We have never brought a vacuum with us on our trips as space and weight is at a premium.  An old fashioned broom gets us through the day just fine.” – Tom Rybarski, 2014 Chevy Silverado 3500 DRW, 2006 Lance 1181 “So far the best I’ve found is the Milwaukee M12.  We normally travel with a small bag of M12 tools (drill, multi-tool) so adding the vacuum was an inexpensive way to get something that really sucks.  Other 12-volt DC units I’ve tried over the past fifteen years and four campers either didn’t work well or were basically one-trip-it’s-junk throw-aways. The Milwaukee isn’t the quietest beast, but it comes with a five year warranty, and will run for a good hour on a high capacity (2x) battery pack.  You can recharge via a small inverter in the camper or, in my case, the truck, which has two 150 watt inverters.” – Duncan Crawford, 2016 Ford F350, 2015 Northstar 12STC “After the deep cleaning I did after I bought the camper in 2011, it’s kept clean by wiping down the walls and washing bedding usually twice a year. 

I use a sleeping bag for the most part.  Then I use a Rainbow when I get home from a dirty camp trip to clean the walls and floors.  I just sweep out the floor and shake the throw rug while camping.  I do have a old Dirt devil that lives in the truck and have used it some.” – Jeff Hagberg, 2002 F250, 2006 Travel Lite 800 SBX “The Eureka Easy-Clean vacuum is compact, powerful, versatile, and inexpensive (around $40 in yellow).  It runs on 110-volt with a 20-foot cord that stows on the unit when stored, three foot integral hose, crevice tool, as well as a two-way power brush for horizontal and vertical surfaces. It’s bagless with built-in washable filter and see-through dirt chamber.  It weighs less than five pounds.  There is plenty of power for carpets and upholstery.  We’ve had ours for three years and we don’t go camping without it.” – John and Marylou Wells, 2011 Chevy 3500, 2012 Chalet Ascent S100F “I have the Dyson DC59 rechargeable cordless. 

Awesome power, good filter, and every attachment you would possibly need.  It’s expensive, but worth it.” – Bob Rosehill, 2004 GMC Sierra, Custom built, homemade “I have the Shark SV75Z-N cordless vacuum.  It has attachments for rugs and crevices.  We vacuum at least one to two times a day to keep dirt and dust off the floor.  It takes about two minutes each time.  It will last several days without needing recharging, but does plug in.  We keep it in the bottom of the pantry. I never thought about purchase of an air filter, so I am looking at that purchase now thanks to it being mentioned as a breathing help.” – Donald Fox, 2015 Ford F450, 2016 Lance 1172 “I have the Dirt Devil 100 Classic 7-amp bagless handheld.  I opted for a corded model to get more power.  It only works when we are on shore power, but allows for clean-ups while on the road in lieu of waiting to get home. The size is 6.5 by 11.75 by 8.5 inches, so it fits in a small compartment next to grey water tank. 

A beater bar and powerful motor to get sand out of the carpet was a must.  At under $60 Canadian, it was a good deal.  The only drawback is no onboard tool storage.” – Nanette Fliesser, 2013 Chevy Silverado, 2014 Host Mammoth “I have an older model Shark vacuum and it works great!” – Daryl Sample, Ford F250, 1994 Lance 1110 “I have a Milwaukee 0880-20 18-volt cordless Lithium-Ion two-gallon wet/dry vacuum. I also carry a compact impact driver, Milwaukee 2656-22CT M18 18-volt cordless Lithium-Ion 1/4-inch.  I have a hex compact impact driver kit and a Milwaukee 23630-20 M18 18-volt cordless Lithium Ion LED lantern flood light.  They all use the same battery that comes with the impact driver.” – Bernie Neale, 2005 Dodge 3500, 2016 Northern Lite 9.6 “We have a Eureka Easy Clean.  We also have a long hair dog and cat.  I couldn’t be happier with this vacuum cleaner.  It’s powerful, easy to use, compact, and stows away well.” – Carol Schoenwetter, 2006 GMC 2500HD, 2005 Lance 1030

“We purchased a 2.5 gallon Shop-Vac with attachments.  It’s nothing fancy, but it is powerful, cheap, durable, compact, and fits nicely under the bunk step where our battery box use to reside. After the stock Group 24 deep cycle battery failed to impress, I converted our battery system via 6-gauge industrial sweeper quick disconnects with two parallel Caterpillar hybrid Group 31 175-4370’s which fit beautifully in the unused front right bed corner space.” – Jason and Katey Shook, 1989 Chevrolet K30, 2013 Palomino Real-Lite 1806 “We looked at the different compact handheld vacuums available at the time (2013) and went with the Shark Cyclonic Bagless Vacuum like the one TCM has.  We knew a cordless was not practical for our boondocking camping style.  We have a 2000-watt pure sine inverter with six 6-volt batteries and solar to keep them charged.  So using a plug-in vacuum is the way to go.  We bought ours from Walmart for around $40 three years ago and the price is still the same.

It has the best of all features for a hand held vacuum. The Shark is a bagless hand vacuum with an easy to clean dust cup, has cyclonic action for dirt separation, and a deep cleaning motorized brush.  It has a versatile 3-in-1 stretch hose with a crevice tool, upholstery brush, direct suction with a tap clean HEPA filter, easy-glide wheels, and a 15-foot cord.” – Scott Elliott, 2007 Ford F350, 2013 Chalet TS116 “I keep an industrial 3M 497 vacuum in the camper.  It’s made for repair persons to use for cleaning machines, and the handle on top makes it easy to carry.  The power cord, hose, and attachments are tucked up inside the lid.  The filter is modular for easy no mess replacement. My vacuum is probably fifteen or more years old and the suction remains amazing.  The vacuum, being made for heavy usage, is around $250 new, but I bought mine used for much less.  You said you wanted a vacuum that lasts, so I wouldn’t be afraid to buy this vacuum used, if you can find one. 

Good luck.” – Jack Pavie, 1995 Ford F350, 1987 Real Lite 950 “After camping for 30 plus years and dealing with less than adequate cordless vacuums, I was less inclined to search out a cordless.  We do a lot of boondocking so this was a must with two white English labs.  I searched out all the brands, tried them before I made my choice, and I’m happy to say the Dewalt DCV580 cordless vacuum works for us.  There is plenty of suction.  The biggest plus is that it uses either the 18V battery or the 20V Lithium batteries, both of which I have used as I transition to the new style.  The biggest negative is its size.  I found a wand at the thrift store that I use with it.  A 5Ahr battery lasts a long time.  We took a two week trip with no charging issues.  I’m very happy with it.” – Loren Jones, 2013 Ram 3500, 2013 Lance 850 “I have a Hoover CH30000 PortaPower Lightweight Commercial Canister vacuum.  When looking for a vacuum we took a standard method – what do we own now that is old and still works great?