You may be dreaming of a new start, a lifestyle less encumbered and weighed down, both physically, and metaphorically. Here is a list to help get you started on the road to your RV future…
1. Winter Coat: Unless you are RVing in the north during winter, you won’t need a heavy down coat taking up the entire closet in your RV. Leave the coat behind, and follow the sun!
2. Blow dryer: If you plan on boondocking a lot, let your hair down, and go natural! Blow dryers take a lot of electricity, far more than the average solar system will bear.
3. Jumbo Bottles of Shampoo & Conditioner: While they may be economical, they’ll take up too much valuable storage space in your tiny RV bathroom. You might consider a good quality shampoo/conditioner in one.
4. Canned Food: While canned food keeps well, it weighs a lot, and the cans can be hard to disposed of when you’re packing it in, and packing it out in boondocking areas. A good alternative are dried foods, which are light weight, and don’t create as much garbage.
5. Dish Sets: Leave mom’s vintage dinnerware behind, and go with a minimal set of unbreakable melamine. Just 4 plates and bowls (or less) should do. If you are boondocking, consider paper plates (not styrofoam). Just throw them into the campfire, and save your precious water.
6. Pots and Pans: You won’t need a lot to keep it cooking… an iron frying pan, and a medium sized, stainless steel pot with a lid can get you through.
7. Electric Coffee Maker: If you are off grid on solar, you probably won’t have the wattage to brew a pot. They also take up precious counter space. Consider a french press pot, a stove top espresso maker, or an old fashioned percolator to make coffee on the stove top.
8. Household Cleaners: Many household cleaners can be harmful for RVs. Instead of harsh, chemical toilet cleaner, try dish soap, and scrub the shower with an organic bathroom cleaner rather than bleach.
9. Exercise Equipment: Exercise machines are hard to travel with, take up a lot of room, and are very heavy. Go natural, and go hiking or running, do old fashioned crunches and sit ups, and take up yoga to keep in shape.
10. CDs, DVDs, and Books: If you have just a few of favorites this isn’t a big deal, but if you want to keep your entire library, books can be a very heavy and space wasting problem. Same with CDs and DVDs. Rip your music and movies to a hard drive, and watch on your laptop or tablet. You can also download books onto your tablet or Kindle.
11. Lawn Ornaments and Potted Plants: You may have seen them at RV parks, those who can not really leave their back yard behind, and lug along potted plants, garden gnomes, and pin wheels. Save the space, and appreciate where you are at, in the here and now.
