I was asked the other day by a lady what she would need to set up house in an RV full time. The first thing I told her is, if you think you can live without it then you can, and then I explained the lack of storage. That got me to thinking about last year when we ended up in the same storage and the amount of things we didn't bring and the amount of things we shouldn't have brought. So everyone's needs will be different but let me give you a basic list, because who knows maybe you'll be like us last year and facing homelessness and traveling out of state to live in a strange RV you've never seen before.
Clothing
Be prepared for all weather but don't over do it. There is not much hanging room for clothing in an RV so you're better off taking less and doing more laundry. We have
7 days worth of : T shirts, shorts, jeans
2 weeks worth of : undies, bras, socks
2 pairs of sweatpants each encase it gets cold
1 lightweight coat each and 1 heavy coat each
1.5 weeks worth of work uniforms for my husband
and 1 stained outfit each for cleaning and whatever when we don't want to stain clothing
Some RV's have drawers but don't plan on this, many don't and some are so old (like this one) that the drawers are broke and been glued shut. If you find this then go to Dollar Tree and just buy a storage basket for you unmentionables and put them in the bottom of the closet
Bathroom
Ladies this is where you need to ask yourself do you really need 7 different styling products and 10 shades of lip stick.
People need to chose what they need here without my advice but I can give some helpful hints
Makeup- Rv's can get very hot in the summer and AC's are known to go out so instead of stocking up use up some of the things you have. Also buy a makeup case to store, mine is insulated. Also you can buy hanging makeup cases to hand on the shower door or in the closet to make more room
Medication- Make sure you have at least one month of all medications you need and at least one refill. Sometimes it's hard to get strange new doctors to prescribe the meds you need because none of them listen to your past doctors and all think they know best. Also have a good first aid kit
Other things you need to stock up on are: Sun screen, burn gel, bug spray, and anti itch cream. It amazed me how much faster I burned here then in North Carolina and if you're going to be anywhere near the coast the sand gnats bite
As far as things such as towels, we use ours more than once so we brought only four bath towels and 10 wash clothes (because they get used for everything is seems). We also brought one towel for each of our dogs.
If you will be using RV park showers I also recommend the following: Shower shoes or flip flops (you don't want someone else's planter's warts), shower caddy (can be bought at Dollar Tree) to carry your shampoo and such and has holes so everything dries, cheap over the door plastic hook (many showers don't have hooks for your towel (can also be found at dollar tree), and a tote for your clothing (we use reusable Walmart shopping bags). The over the door hook also works good back at the RV to hang your towel to dry.
Kitchen
The biggest cost in the RV is propane. It's needed to heat water (which is why we use the park's showers) and also for the stove. It's not cheap so if you have these following things then bring them
Electric Skillet with lid
Rice Cooker
Coffee Pot (can also heat water for washing dishes)
Electric Griddle
Microwave (not to big or it will blow the breakers in the RV)
Crockpot
Toaster oven
Yes it's a lot but you can cook most anything in these things and never once use gas. We also have a hot plate but honestly it takes forever to even boil water.
As for dishes, stay away from disposable. Yes it's nice not to have to heat water to wash the dishes but it's going to cost you a lot in the long run. We brought our normal plates because they're nothing fancy and if broken we wouldn't cry over them. We brought:
1 plate per person along with 2 extra (for guests)
1 coffee cup per person and 2 extra
2 glasses per person and 2 extra (we got 99cent plastic ones at Walmart, cheap to replace)
1 cereal bowl per person, 2 soup bowls per person (bought at Family Dollar and have plastic lids so also work for storage)
I don't know how much silverware, I brought the whole drawer but you can find some cheap stainless ones at Dollar Tree
As for pots and pans I bought one large pot and one small, then two frying pans to use on the hotplate. As for baking pans I brought everything that would fit in the toaster oven. Make sure to measure baking pans before buying because they list the dimensions on the inside of the pan, not the outside. As for cooking utensils I brought them all because my husband uses a lot at once.
I also brought four mixing bowls that can be doubled for serving, strainer, hand held mixer, blender, all my spices, cheese grater and quite a bit of plastic storage containers. However I don't need all the plastic storage containers since it's only a dorm fridge, I also have a deep freezer outside so they are needed for it. You would have to check with your RV park before putting one outside but this park has quite a few long term campers so they allow the freezers but no refrigerators outside the RV. If you do put a freezer outside your rv make sure to put it up on a pallet or bricks to get it off the ground. Also install a lock and cover the top. We have a rug on top for condensation and then a heave duty tarp on top of that, with small bricks on the corners to hold the tarp down.
This is a lot for an RV and honestly most of our storage is taken up by kitchen wear but we don't eat out.
As for food, don't overdo it and you may want a plastic tote. We have plastic shelves under the table in the kitchen with our canned foods on it. The the over head storage has out boxed food. You need to know that a lot or rv parks have problems with roaches, flies, mice, and gnats so remember that with boxed food. You may want to store those in a plastic tote. Also remember the fridge is tiny so don't plan on putting much in there either. We are planning to buy a second dorm fridge because of this problem.
Living Area
Don't bring a HUGE TV. There may not be room for it. Plan for there not to be a place to put your TV either so plan for something for it to set on. We used plastic shelving before so my husband's Xbox could sit before. Also make sure to have surge protectors large enough for the items plugged into it. My husband has now lost his Xbox because of this. Also know that the wifi can suck in RV parks also so plan ahead if you do online gaming.
Protect yourself from thieves also. Write down serial numbers and if possible label an area of the item were it can be removed or seen like in the inside of the housing. You can either etch your name or use auto touch up paint that can't easily be removed. I stress this because our RV last year was broken into. Also it's not a bad idea to have a small lock box for medications and valuables. My medications were stolen last year.
You may also want to bring a fan incase the heat or air doesn't work in your RV. It doesn't work in the RV so we have a space heater and fan. There is also a window ac but RV to circulate well with window ac's so a fan helps to move the air.
Bedroom
Let me give you a learning curb. Plan to have the money to buy an air mattress if needed. Last year when we moved in the bed in the RV looked like it was from the 60's and smelled like it also. Then the next RV they moved us to didn't have a mattress or box spring so the RV owner took my husband to his farm and got one out of an open sided barn complete with rat holes in it. We ended up having to rent a mattress and box springs because I have a cat so an air mattress wouldn't work. Also plan on not knowing the size of the mattress. Most are full but some are queens. I can tell you queen sheets will work on a full bed but will just be loose. I brought two sets of sheets and pillow cases thankfully due to my cat. I'll have to tell the cat chicken story sometime.
Also remember your alarm clock, a small bedside lamp or desk lamp may also be useful. Also you've need a surge protector here and everywhere else you plug into things. It might also be useful to bring a few cheap throw blankets like the $5 ones from walmart, encase there aren't any curtains. Throw blankets can be tacked up and thick enough to help with the heat and cold from the windows. Later if you plan on staying in the RV you can get blackout curtains that will help more.
Other Items
I suggest bringing a tool box because RV park owners aren't know for fixing their RV's that they rent. Duct tape (Alabama chrome) can give most anything, small sewing kit, caulk (we've needed it for leaks around doors and windows), Lysol, cleaning products, broom, mop, mop bucket, fly traps. Also a water filter. You can buy one at Walmart that connects at the spigot that connects to the RV. They last 3 months
Pets
I put this last because many don't have them but if you do make sure you have the following when traveling with pets or living in an RV park with them
Food
Bowls
Bottled Water (water change can cause diarrhea)
ID tags (legally required some places)
Rabies tag (on collar) and rabies paperwork and shot records (also required when traveling and going into Canada with your pet)
Kennel or Carrier
Extra collar and leash (if one should break)
Poo bags (you piss off RV park owners if you don't clean up after you dog)
tie out (required in most RV parks)
I also recommend children benadryl (check with vet on the amount your dog needs), and pepto (also check with vet on the amount)
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