The Wendlands enjoy their motorhome more now that they know what to bring and where to store it.
By Mike Wendland, F426141
October 2013
When we first began our RV travels, we took everything with us. Sometimes two of everything. My wife, Jennifer, and I were so paranoid that we would leave something behind that we overcompensated. Our little 24-foot Type B motorhome looked like a scene out of that reality-TV show “Hoarders,” where people’s houses are so cluttered that they have to make a tunnel to walk between rooms.
We took too much food, too many clothes, too many folding chairs, and too many pots, pans, and utensils. I had tools of every size and shape; fishing stuff; two bicycles; snorkeling gear; beach towels; workout bags; a pile of books; and all my computer, video, and camera gear.
We were bloated.
It didn’t take long to realize that we were overcompensating for our lack of motorhome experience by overpacking. It took forever to load the coach for a trip and even longer to haul everything out when we returned home.
We travel two to three weeks out of every month. Now, as we talk with other FMCA members, they wonder about our stuff, and say, “Where on earth do you keep it in that tiny little motorhome?”
Granted, in a Type B, space is much more at a premium than it is in a larger motorhome. But as we’ve mastered the art of decluttering, we’ve reached the point where we rarely ever wish we had brought something that we left at home.
Perhaps what we’ve learned may be appropriate for other RVers. So, here’s our advice on how to declutter your RV based on our 35,000 miles of Type B motorhome travel over the past two years.
Dishes. We take two plates, two cups, two glasses (plastic) and, for the rare occasion when we may have a guest, some paper plates. Same with utensils, which are supplemented by plastic ones. We don’t need place settings for six. As far as pots and pans, we bring one of each. We bring a small electric frying pan for cooking bacon and pancakes, and a George Foreman grill. We have a very small charcoal grill we sometimes pack in the storage area at the back. I have a small K-cup coffee maker.
Food. The staples are pretty basic. Olive oil, peanut butter, jam, bread, granola, yogurt, butter, crackers, cheese, meat, fruit, and snacks. We eat a lot of salads. Jennifer prepares the fixings at home and seals them in bags for the trip. We take no more than a three-day supply of food. It’s easy and fun to shop locally, purchasing fresh fruits and veggies. And we frequently eat at local restaurants. There is no better way to know an area than to eat where the locals do. We take along a case of bottled water, too, keeping it on one side of the bottom of an armoire we had installed.
Clothing. We permanently store jackets, sweats, and one good outfit in the wardrobe closet. We bring sandals, hiking boots, and a presentable pair of slip-ons. Jennifer also brings house slippers. We keep them on the other side of the armoire bottom. We have both come to really appreciate the small little packing cubes called eBags. We each bring two; mine are blue, Jen’s are red. They easily accommodate a five-day supply of all the clothes we need, and they fit in a rear overhead cabinet on the driver’s side of the coach.
I bought a bunch of stick-on hooks that I have affixed to various walls around the motorhome. We use them for sweatshirts, hats, and the like. At night, we each have one hook that we use to hang the clothing we’ll put on the next morning.
Hygiene items. We permanently leave soap, bathroom supplies, hairbrushes, toothbrushes, and the like in the motorhome bathroom. A surprising amount fits in a little drawer next to the sink. I found a little plastic dish and holder set that attaches via a suction cup to the wall above the sink, and we use it to store bath items. I also have a small knapsack that has extra soap and shampoo and a pair of flip-flops that I carry when using a shower at a campground bathhouse. It goes in with the shoes in the armoire for storage. Jennifer has a large tote bag with her stuff that also fits in the armoire.
Bedding. We convert the rear lounge area into a king-size bed each night and add a 4-inch mattress topper that we picked up at Bed, Bath & Beyond a year or so ago. It is more comfortable than our Sleep Number bed at home. On top of that we place the RV Superbag. It has a summer side, a winter side, and luxuriously comfortable sheets that attach inside via hook-and-loop material. It was expensive, but we have found it to be incredibly comfortable.
We put all the bedding away in the morning, because we like using the back area as a sofa/lounge during the day. The topper goes in the top storage cabinet across the back of our coach, and the RV Superbag gets rolled up and placed in the armoire.
Tools. In the rear storage area beneath the bed, I carry one small toolbox with screwdrivers, pliers, a small hatchet, duct tape, sealant, glue, scissors, a pocketknife, and some other little odds and ends. I keep the water hoses (two 25-foot white hoses), electric hookup cables (two 25-foot lengths), a 50-to-30-amp adapter, a 25-foot 15-amp extension cord, a pair of gloves, and a water filter in a large plastic storage bin I got at Lowes. Also in the back are some of those Lego-like leveling blocks, a fishing pole, and a plastic tackle box, a ground cover for the patio area outside the sliding door, a small fold-up table, and two telescoping outdoor chairs.
Computer and photo gear. I pack and carry still and video cameras, wireless microphones and their respective chargers, and accessories in one large bag. It fits in the armoire. I have a backpack for my computer gear that fits atop the bag in the same place. I bring several very small, collapsible tripods.
Miscellaneous items. In the armoire is a small storage drawer filled with flashlights, extra fuses, a square-headed screwdriver (it fits most of the screws in the Roadtrek), a pair of two-way radios, pens, maps, and other little things.
So that’s what we take with us. We leave as much as possible inside the coach when we’re home so we don’t have to keep loading and reloading the same things. Instead of a pile of books, we read from the Kindle app on the iPad. We take the bicycles only when we know we’ll be doing a lot of cycling. Snorkel gear stays home, unless we absolutely know we will be snorkeling. Just because we could use it doesn’t mean it comes along. Our rule regarding what to bring and what to leave: Take only what you are sure you will need. If in doubt, leave it home.
Anti-clutter tip. Don’t buy a lot of souvenirs while on the road. If you must, consider shipping purchases to your home. If that’s not possible, make sure you have room for them to be stored away out of sight.
When we are traveling, we have a rule that we both stick to religiously. When we are finished using something, we put it away — and always in the same place. I can’t overemphasize the importance of that. Everything has a place, and everything goes in that place only.
Organizational experts say that you should go through your home closet every year. Anything you haven’t used in the past six months should be discarded. When it comes to an RV, anything you didn’t use on your past trip probably should not be brought along on the next one.
That’s our system, and it works for us. I suppose it’s a reflection of our personalities. Neither one of us can stand clutter. And with each trip, things seem to get more streamlined.
I’d love to hear how you have uncluttered your RV.
And, here’s hoping you get in some great fall RVing before the weather turns too cold.