Switching over to RV living?
February 1, 2019 6:03 AM Subscribe
Are there any recommendations or items that really help with living in an RV?
Also will take recommendations for paring down stuff and storing things in a small RV!
My mom is moving to South Georgia to be closer to my sister and her grandkids - she's been living in a bedroom of a house and using another room and a half or so as storage.
She has purchased a small fifth wheel RV - it's essentially a bedroom, and then a living area that folds in, as I understand it, and some cabinets/under bed storage.
Are there any tips or tricks to storage, or items that are super useful in an RV? It will be her and her ring neck parrot living there, and she will be able to go to my sister's house to do laundry, and I think my sister will be doing most of the cooking for her as well. She will be renting a lot / space at an RV park, not moving it around, unless she decides to live elsewhere. She will still have a car, but she won't be able to move the RV on her own, as she doesn't have a truck that will do it.
Now we are looking at going through all of her existing stuff and paring things down, so any suggestions on what she will need or would be useful would be great.
She's done research on this, and it's the step she wants to take, but I have not, and I will be helping her go through things. She's already committed to getting rid of things, and I can coordinate things like scanning pictures and documents for her, so she doesn't have to keep the physical items. We'll likely take things to a thrift store or have someone pick them up. She already uses the space saver bags to compress clothing/blankets/etc, but any other tips would be great.
My mom is moving to South Georgia to be closer to my sister and her grandkids - she's been living in a bedroom of a house and using another room and a half or so as storage.
She has purchased a small fifth wheel RV - it's essentially a bedroom, and then a living area that folds in, as I understand it, and some cabinets/under bed storage.
Are there any tips or tricks to storage, or items that are super useful in an RV? It will be her and her ring neck parrot living there, and she will be able to go to my sister's house to do laundry, and I think my sister will be doing most of the cooking for her as well. She will be renting a lot / space at an RV park, not moving it around, unless she decides to live elsewhere. She will still have a car, but she won't be able to move the RV on her own, as she doesn't have a truck that will do it.
Now we are looking at going through all of her existing stuff and paring things down, so any suggestions on what she will need or would be useful would be great.
She's done research on this, and it's the step she wants to take, but I have not, and I will be helping her go through things. She's already committed to getting rid of things, and I can coordinate things like scanning pictures and documents for her, so she doesn't have to keep the physical items. We'll likely take things to a thrift store or have someone pick them up. She already uses the space saver bags to compress clothing/blankets/etc, but any other tips would be great.
There are a lot of really helpful RVers on YouTube. I'd recommend going there to find advice...it's pretty much their raison d'etre, so they do a great job. Here are a couple to get you started:
Less Junk, More Journey
Keep Your Daydream
One tiny thing I've always found important for RVing -- be sure she has an outside/folding chair that she really likes sitting in, because she'll likely be using it a lot.
Space maximizing is super-critical -- finding little bins, shelves, and boxes that will make getting to stuff easier improves RV life drastically for me.
There are LOADS of specifics on the YouTube channels about this, but those are a few immediate things that come to mind.
posted by nosila at 6:38 AM on February 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
Less Junk, More Journey
Keep Your Daydream
One tiny thing I've always found important for RVing -- be sure she has an outside/folding chair that she really likes sitting in, because she'll likely be using it a lot.
Space maximizing is super-critical -- finding little bins, shelves, and boxes that will make getting to stuff easier improves RV life drastically for me.
There are LOADS of specifics on the YouTube channels about this, but those are a few immediate things that come to mind.
posted by nosila at 6:38 AM on February 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
You don't mention what the kitchen situation in this thing is, but I assume there is no built-in stove or oven. In that case, a Coleman 2-burner stove of some kind would probably be very useful. The propane ones are pretty foolproof and you can get an adapter for a standard grill-type refillable propane tank, which will be much cheaper than buying the tiny disposable ones that the stove normally uses. Those 2-burner stoves are classics for a reason, they are reliable workhorses and you can cook a lot with them.
Alternatively, she could go with an Instant Pot, either instead of or possibly even in addition to the Coleman, depending on what kind of cooking she prefers. They are all-electric which is even more convenient than propane, and are also very versatile cooking machines. I don't have enough personal experience with mine to know how I'd feel about it being my only cooker, but I bet there are plenty of RVers who use one because they are superb multi-taskers.
In general (not just for cooking) you are looking for things that are versatile and serve more than one function. Single-task items should be relied on very sparingly, and only for critical applications where a suitable multi-tasking alternative does not exist.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:05 AM on February 1, 2019
Alternatively, she could go with an Instant Pot, either instead of or possibly even in addition to the Coleman, depending on what kind of cooking she prefers. They are all-electric which is even more convenient than propane, and are also very versatile cooking machines. I don't have enough personal experience with mine to know how I'd feel about it being my only cooker, but I bet there are plenty of RVers who use one because they are superb multi-taskers.
In general (not just for cooking) you are looking for things that are versatile and serve more than one function. Single-task items should be relied on very sparingly, and only for critical applications where a suitable multi-tasking alternative does not exist.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:05 AM on February 1, 2019
Get a dehumidifier. It will take up space, but it’s a godsend. Condensation is a big problem in smaller RVs, particularly in the winter. Depending on what kind of heat she has, a small electric space heater might also be helpful - propane heat is noisy and can add to the condensation problem. YMMV though - I spent almost a year living in a 12 foot camper, so that was really tiny and I was traveling a lot.
5th wheels aren’t that tiny - basically, she’s just moving into a small apartment. It will have a fully functional kitchen. The bathroom is likely to be tiny though and she may end up preferring to use the showers at the RV Park, so maybe figure out a good bag for that, large enough for towels, clothes and toiletries. You can hang things on the walls. I put up colorful Mexican shopping bags on hooks - one for socks and underwear, one for toiletries, one for onions and potatoes and plastic bags. I found a collapsible dish rack that I then kept on the wall with Velcro strips. A lot of RV tips are focused on keeping things safe when traveling though and since she’s not doing that, I would just look for tips on small space living instead. It’s hard to plan without seeing it - the storage varies tremendously. She might have a closet - and she might not. I found storing clothing was the most complicated thing and I would definitely recommend doing a full on Marie Kondo with her clothes before she moves in.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:17 AM on February 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
5th wheels aren’t that tiny - basically, she’s just moving into a small apartment. It will have a fully functional kitchen. The bathroom is likely to be tiny though and she may end up preferring to use the showers at the RV Park, so maybe figure out a good bag for that, large enough for towels, clothes and toiletries. You can hang things on the walls. I put up colorful Mexican shopping bags on hooks - one for socks and underwear, one for toiletries, one for onions and potatoes and plastic bags. I found a collapsible dish rack that I then kept on the wall with Velcro strips. A lot of RV tips are focused on keeping things safe when traveling though and since she’s not doing that, I would just look for tips on small space living instead. It’s hard to plan without seeing it - the storage varies tremendously. She might have a closet - and she might not. I found storing clothing was the most complicated thing and I would definitely recommend doing a full on Marie Kondo with her clothes before she moves in.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:17 AM on February 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
Along with the folding outdoor chair, if her camper does not have an awning she might want to either add one or get some kind of awning tent, maybe like this one so she can sit outside in bug-less shade. If she puts stuff into a storage unit make sure it's air conditioned, and on high ground. Early mornings can be quite pleasant here in south Georgia even in the hottest months and it's nice to sit outside.
posted by mareli at 8:20 AM on February 1, 2019
posted by mareli at 8:20 AM on February 1, 2019
Oh I forgot - get a decent really functional door mat. It’s crazy how much dust and dirt get tracked inside. And an indoor/outdoor rug or plastic mat actually is super nice outside, it defines your space and keeps some of the dirt at bay.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:21 AM on February 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:21 AM on February 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
will she be on a concrete pad? if it is not concrete but gravel or something you might consider getting a pallet or two to set under her stairs in case of rain - will keep her from walking through a mud puddle. Possibly also consider getting a 6 x 6 or so piece of turf to put out front on top of pallets.
posted by domino at 8:26 AM on February 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by domino at 8:26 AM on February 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
I’ve lived in an RV for 8 years now. The only difference I’ve really had is that RV’s mostly are not set up for extreme weather. Finding ways of insulating it will save a lot on electricity. My suggestion to everyone is a heated mattress pad. Also, it’s not quite a car, but can heat up dangerously enough for a pet. When it is very hot out, all the rvs in the park will be running their ac at once, and outages can be common. Just leaving the AC on for an animal when leaving is never a good idea.
There is tons of room in most 5th wheels, so I agree that it’s just like living in a small apartment, and the same space saving solutions apply.
posted by MountainDaisy at 8:59 AM on February 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
There is tons of room in most 5th wheels, so I agree that it’s just like living in a small apartment, and the same space saving solutions apply.
posted by MountainDaisy at 8:59 AM on February 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
Check out Pippi Peterson's YouTube channel. She has all kinds of helpful Rv living tips especially her earlier stuff.
posted by tman99 at 9:50 AM on February 1, 2019
posted by tman99 at 9:50 AM on February 1, 2019
Ohmygosh there so so many facebook groups out there for this topic. And youtube as well — highly recommend the two mentioned above (LJMJ and KYD). The RV community, becuase they tend to be nomadic, is very social-media-community driven. I know facebook is evil and all that but i’d really just start searching for some groups (you want the private ones generally) and joining ones that seem relevant.
posted by cgg at 10:44 AM on February 1, 2019
posted by cgg at 10:44 AM on February 1, 2019
Depending on if the RV park allows it, weatherproof locking storage bins to keep outside might be helpful, as would a screenhouse for hanging around outside.
posted by metasarah at 7:35 AM on February 11, 2019
posted by metasarah at 7:35 AM on February 11, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
I would suggest looking into a cover / blanket for the bird cage to help it stay warm on colder nights. And a larger water bottle to keep cool on hot days.
posted by nickggully at 6:32 AM on February 1, 2019