Day to Day RV Life

When we decided to become full-time RVers, part of what we were seeking was simplification.  In fact I came across this blog post, Top 10 List from 2017, which lists simplification as one of the reasons I wanted to be a full-timer.  The following is a quote from that post: 

I'm making a list of the 10 Reasons I want to Live the Full-time Dream.

1. To spend more time in the great outdoors; to soak up the majesty of Nature!
2. To explore and experience new places, new people, new things.
3. To simplify; to live with less, to be able to enjoy life more.
4. To connect: to put our attention on each other and savoring our time together.
5. To disconnect: to break free of the ties that bind; the "work, mortgage, repeat" routine.
6. To find the sun.  (AKA To get out of Dodge in the winter!)
7. To be free to roam - stay as long as we want, look for new vistas when we are ready to roll.
8. To grow - to face new challenges, to solve new problems, to learn skills.
9. To be present - to slow down, to be in the present moment, to meditate, to be grateful.
10. To have adventures and create wonderful memories together.

Simplification is not only a goal to aspire to, it's a real necessity.  Living in a 20' camper, there is a very limited amount of space.  So the question is not, "Would I like this?", or even, "Do I need this?", the question is, "Where am I going to put this?"  

Carol drinks tea everyday, so when we started out we brought our tea kettle from home.  But we quickly realized we had no place to put it.  The issue of "where am I going to put this?" is not just (and really not much) about where it will go when you are living in the camper, the real question is about where it will go while traveling.  When traveling the amount of movement inside the camper is extraordinary.  Pam Michielen of Happy Camping RV, where we purchased our Lance 1475, says it's like there's an earthquake and hurricane happening inside the RV when you're driving.  Which means everything must be stowed securely.  So we left that tea kettle at a rest room in South Carolina and simplified.  (Campground rest rooms are a great place to drop off stuff you want to give away, a high traffic area where someone is likely to find your unwanted item and give it a new home.)  We have two pots/pans with us, and quickly realized our small pot could do double duty as a tea pot.  This pot has a collapsable handle which made it ideal for packing up in a small space.  Thank you Dan and Colleen Olson, this perfect pot was a gift from you 💖. Our microwave serves as a storage location both while camping and traveling.

Pot that doubles as tea kettle

Pot with handle collapsed inside microwave, where it is stored when not in use.

We have one other multi-use pan that we purchased specifically for RV life.  We got rid of an entire set of Revere Ware copper bottom pans, and bought this one 5-quart pan which we use for 75% of our cooking.  In addition to being a great non-stick Calphalon pan, it has no long handle, which makes it easier to store.  This lives under the sink when not in use.

Our "do-it-all" Calphalon pan

Another item we "wanted", but knew there was no space for, was a toaster.  We had toast for breakfast, most mornings before RVing, so this was a tough adjustment.  I recently discovered a simple alternative - broiling bread on a cookie sheet.  We have one cookie sheet and one 8x12 baking dish which we use to do the remainder of our cooking.  

Bread on cookie sheet under broiler.

Broiled bread; AKA toast

Another item that got left behind at that rest room in South Carolina was a dish drainer.  We had a wooden collapsable rack that we've used camping for years, and I loved it.  I had thought it would work in the RV as it collapsed and could be stowed somewhere.  The reality was, it is much simpler to put the dishes on the counter to dry on a towel.  

In addition to simplification, RV life requires creative solutions.  Our camper has a round sink, and there aren't round dish pans out there.  However, Tupperware makes this really big storage bowl that I've had for years, and it makes a great dish pan.  

When we are traveling this bowl becomes the location for the tub of Damp Rid that sits on the counter (a must have when traveling in humid areas to help absorb moisture from the air),  the dish cloth, dish soap, hand soap, sponge and pot scrubbers.

In the bathroom, the sink also becomes the travel spot for the travel clock, the hand soap, tooth paste and toothbrushes.  Well, it did until recently.  I've really wanted to find a way to get the toothbrushes off the side of the sink.  I didn't like having them laying on the side of the sink, it seemed kind of unsanitary.  I was so thrilled when I found these cute toothbrush holders on Amazon.  

Mansa 5 pc animal Antibacterial Toothbrush Holders with Suction Cup by Cukyteck

Our toothbrushes NOT laying on the edge of the sink.

We really like our camper, our space, our simple and minimal stuff.  We've found that living in a small space is part game of Tetris, part genie in a bottle, and part radical detachment.  And figuring it all out together is the best part.