Making an RV free of clutter
Dear Kathi,
We are getting ready to go on another adventure in our RV.
We only use the beast 2 to 3 times a year and always leave
taking too much stuff with us. With the price of gas these
days and one more kid this year, we need to streamline our
packing list.
What can you recommend to keep our load light and still ensure
that we have what we need?
Tom, Cardiff by the Sea
Tom,
I have a lot of ideas for you!
It is always helpful to work from a master list each time
you get ready to take an adventure. If you haven’t compiled
an RV adventure list before, use this outing as a platform
for creating your master list. As you remember items that
you need to pack, add them to the list. Don’t worry
about organizing your list at this point, simply add items
as you think of them.
Keep this list handy and add items to it as you load them
into the RV. Once you are underway and using your inventory,
you might remember things you have forgotten to pack. Add
these additional items to your list. During one of your leisure
evenings, take the time to sort your list into categories:
food, clothing, accessories, gear...whatever is applicable
to your RV lifestyle.
Once you return home, type the info into a list format on
your computer. Leave space for checkmarks beside each item
and print several copies. Store a few in the glove box or
cabinet in the RV and refer to it for future expeditions.
If you store your RV, keep your list at home instead so you
can begin preparing for your trip prior to accessing your
RV.
One of the secrets of successful RV packing is minimizing
the things you have to pack. Before you pack an item, ask
yourself, “Is it absolutely necessary? Can I do without
it? How often will I use it? Will some other item do the job?
Will this item do double duty?”
Pack things according to their priority— the absolute
necessities first, then the things you think you need, and
so on.
To lighten your load and conserve gasoline, use as much plastic
as you can. Choose plastic instead of glass bottles for condiments
and other items. Buy plastic dishes and tumblers to replace
Corning dishes. Rely on plastic bags and containers to keep
items separated and organized in the bathroom, bedroom and
cabinets.
Another way to lighten your load is to pack only one week’s
worth of clothes per family member and do laundry once a week
while you are on the road.
If you take bicycles and other sports gear, consider taking
only two of each. Let family members take turns using bikes
and surfboards during the trip.
Open up each cabinet to see what has been stored within from
the last trip. Consider whether or not you used these items
the last time around, or ever. If not, perhaps they don’t
need to stay onboard for this trip. We often stash a lot of
stuff into our new RVs because we are excited, then never
reference it again. It remains forgotten and lives in the
cabinets for years, never seeing the light of day.
You can always stop en route to pick up anything that you
have forgotten. Keep this in mind so that your trip preparation
and departure will be less stressful.
Remember the first aid kit, have fun and please let me know
how these ideas worked for you.
Thanks for writing and don’t hesitate to write with
any other specific questions.
