The Holes in my Research

When we decided to move into an RV, J and I both did what we always do in the face of trying something new: RESEARCH.

We both read websites and blogs dedicated to full-time RV living.  We watched youtube videos to see how people had organized their space and solved the problems caused by less space.  J combed through blogs to find out what kinds of gear was essential for comfortable living and facing the challenges of cold weather.

There are several things that we didn't learn from those sources:

Without a list, you will probably take more than you need.  

• We determined that 8 outfits would be the best number.  Then, I could do laundry every week.  If the schedule prevented that, we still had one extra day of clothing.  Unfortunately, I didn't really keep track as I threw clothing in the suitcase.  

• I can't even tell you how many bottles of tylenol we had in past rental house.  There was a bottle on my desk, there was one in a kitchen cabinet, and at least a couple in our upstairs bathroom.  With the toiletries always being within 20 feet of where we are in the RV, there was no need for 4 bottles.  I had to make some serious choices on what we brought with us.  

Find items that serve multiple purposes.

• A collapsible colander can not only be used to drain the water from your pasta and rice, it can also be used as a dish drainer.  I sent J a picture of a collapsible dish drainer and he asked why we couldn't just use the colander we already had.  Obviously, that was a way better option.  Bonus: I don't have to find a place to store the colander.

• If you have kids, consider switching to the kid-friendly versions of common household items.  We all use baby lotion instead of having 3 different bottles of it in the bathroom.  We also only use non-allergenic laundry detergent, so that we don't have to  try to store both baby detergent and the regular stuff.  

The kitchen is the one place where items designed for RVs or small living spaces will be necessary.

• If your RV does not come with a sink cover or a stove cover, you will probably want to purchase them or find alternatives.  We ended up buying a stove cover to give us more space to prepare food.  Instead of a sink cover, we bought a cutting board that fit across the basin.  The cutting board is absolutely necessary in order to avoid balancing dishes on the edge of the sink while cooking.

• RV/camping stores aren't the only places to find useful kitchen tools.  I found a line of kitchen utensils designed by Joseph Joseph.  One of the utensils is a 5 in 1 tool that combines a spatula, serving spoon, slotted spoon, turner, and cutting tool.  There are also plenty of designers that have made nesting or collapsible measuring cups and spoons.