RV advise?
We have a 22 foot 5th wheel, and from early August, till early September we live in it full time while traveling and doing some of our more far-flung art fairs. One short, round woman, one XXlarge man, and two sheepdogs   . It gets a bit...cozy 
Here's my question...how can I make the space in this darned little tin can more efficient and livable? My 1st thought, as I started cleaning, organizing and packing the trailer this week was: I need to hang more things up...hooks for the dogs leashes, our coats & hats (weather in Alaska is highly unpredictable...we have to be prepared for anything from 100F+ temps, to SNOW!  ), coffee mugs, damp towels etc... as well as somehow lifting the dog's water bowel up out of kicking range . But...the stupid walls are made of , I dunno, paper ?  Or cardboard, or something...screws and nails wont stay in, and for some reason even the strongest "sticky" hooks I could find wont stay up either. The wallpaper seem to be very aggressively "non stick"
Im also trying to figure out how to turn the useless (for us) bathtub into a second closet. Again, though, nothing wants to attach to the walls, including the supports for a closet rod. 
I wont even let myself start in on the stupid curtain rods that keep falling down. Grrrr! Im about to resort to that old (classically Alaskan) standby of DUCT TAPE! 
So...suggestions from any experienced RVers???  |
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| Can you post pictures of the inside of the RV? They vary so much, it's hard to give advice when you don't know what you have to start with.
Do you have a list of what is in there? If not, make a list of everything and keep it with you in the RV. As you use something in the RV, mark it off the list. At the end of the trip, those items not used can be removed for next year - exceptions being the foul-weather gear & emergency supplies. |
| is an RV like a UK camper van? My OH keeps on and on about camper vans, didnt help today we went to a garden centre for a drive and there must have been a rally we kept seeing a camper van, and then another and then another Not sure how you can save space, I would be the worlds worse I take everything but kitchen sink. We are going to Kings Lynn Tuesday staying overnight and I have made a list |
I dont seem to have any pics of the inside, except this one of the dogs snoozing on the bed, which doesnt show much, except to show Abby and Bert's typical pose for the entirety of the trip!
This is the outside:  |
| Are there any places you could use tension rods in (safely?) They make them all different lengths and colors.
How are you using the upper bed? Is it the area you are using, or can it be converted to a storage area? That would be fairly easy to fit with some storage cupboards, as most have a lip built in already to keep the mattress from sliding. I'm thinking about the tub - is it an actual tub, or an enclosed shower? |
got sheep wrote: Are there any places you could use tension rods in (safely?) They make them all different lengths and colors.
How are you using the upper bed? Is it the area you are using, or can it be converted to a storage area? That would be fairly easy to fit with some storage cupboards, as most have a lip built in already to keep the mattress from sliding. I'm thinking about the tub - is it an actual tub, or an enclosed shower? The upper bed is the only bed! Well, actually not true...the table converts into a smaller bed, but not suitable for 2 adults and 2 cuddly sheepdogs!
Its a real tub. A useless one, since the fairgrounds at both shows we are doing have showers provided for the venders. A tension rod might work in there, but Im not sure it would be strong enough to hold a bunch of hanging clothes. Ill take down the one from our house's bathroom shower, and try it to see. The one tiny closet works ok for my clothes, but poor Scott has always wound up living out of a suitcase (stored in the tub ) Size 4X men's flannel shirts take up a fair amount of space! |
| I understand! Our old RV has the best bed over the cab...
Could you make some sort of wooden frame for in/along the tub edges? I am thinking like an A-frame. It would end up looking like the frame for a kid's swingset. Then the hanging clothes would work. Still could store stuff under it in the tub. Rip out the tub and build a closet in it's space?? Do you use the table and seating area? |
| Another option similar to Dawn's idea of the A-frame clothes hange, would be something like this. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... lpage=none
I've seen them in various sizes, with and without the bags below. I haven't figured out how to keep it from falling over though.... |
Mom of 3 wrote: Another option similar to Dawn's idea of the A-frame clothes hange, would be something like this. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... lpage=none
I've seen them in various sizes, with and without the bags below. I haven't figured out how to keep it from falling over though.... oh, hey! if this fits in the tub, it would be a great idea!  I'll measure and see! I dont know why I didnt think of using something free-standing like that...
I bought some industrial-strength velcro today...we''ll see if that solves my curtain issue Im going to just toss out the (ugly, as well as non-functional) curtains, and try velcro-ing some heavy fabric over the windows instead. Nothing quite like having the dogs knock the bedroom curtain rod down (again) right when you're climbing out of bed, with not nearly enough clothes on! |
| For the windows - how about the stick-on privacy window film? It comes in rolls and is like contact paper. You could get the frosted clear stuff.
Although you may still want a curtain for darkness if your shows are up north, for the daylight issues...... |
| On to the window. Are you talking about the curtain to close off the driver's area? I would think the velcro would work great. I used some of the industrial stuff on the cots at school - a dust ruffle to hide the storage underneath. It held up well to all of the kids getting on and off the cots.
I would put the smooth velcro on the bed board, right at the edge - so when the curtain is off, it doesn't show and the smooth side doesn't get caught in the mattress/sheets. That means the hook side on the fabric, just a matter of getting fabric that won't catch on the hook side of the velcro. |
| I think tension rods are great. Fitted properly they can hold a lot of weight. My mum just moved into a trailer type home, only the permanent type. And the walls are just like cardboard. I'll find out how my dad fitted out her closet, I know she has some free-standing rails in there. I think he was talking about putting up batons somehow. They had to do that for the curtains too. |
got sheep wrote: For the windows - how about the stick-on privacy window film? It comes in rolls and is like contact paper. You could get the frosted clear stuff.
Although you may still want a curtain for darkness if your shows are up north, for the daylight issues...... I was thinking the same thing. We have this on the windows in the garage. It really works well, and looks pretty nice. |
got sheep wrote: For the windows - how about the stick-on privacy window film? It comes in rolls and is like contact paper. You could get the frosted clear stuff.
Although you may still want a curtain for darkness if your shows are up north, for the daylight issues...... I may do this in the bedroom, just for "insurance" ...but yeah, your right about the sunlight. Its still light out in Fairbanks until fairly late, and the sun still comes up by about 4AM in august. Also, these next two big shows, where we live in the trailer, are both State Fairs (Alaska has 4 of them due to it's size) and unfortunately that means that along with the arts and crafts etc, there is also a huge carnival... the flashing lights, music and screaming continues till 2AM! So thick curtains to keep out the lights, at least, are a must. After years of doing these shows, Ive learned to sleep though the screaming. |
| You can get silver reflective sheets that most people put on the windscreen of their cars to keep the heat out - you could use those on the windows - we drove to Spain in ours via France and it was HOT - we completely blacked out the Motorhome (luckily we had black out and mosquito blinds fitted) for the dogs, big help and of course regular breaks.
Little Jack lived under the table and Ollie, well he lived where he wanted to, its hard to tell a sheepie to get off the bed, get out the bathroom, get out the drivers seat !!! Good luck xx |
Ollie's Mum wrote: You can get silver reflective sheets that most people put on the windscreen of their cars to keep the heat out - you could use those on the windows - we drove to Spain in ours via France and it was HOT - we completely blacked out the Motorhome (luckily we had black out and mosquito blinds fitted) for the dogs, big help and of course regular breaks.
Little Jack lived under the table and Ollie, well he lived where he wanted to, its hard to tell a sheepie to get off the bed, get out the bathroom, get out the drivers seat !!! Good luck xx Good idea, as I am also worried about heat. Its been a really warm summer here. (  not complaining! )
I know what you mean about Ollie...its quite an experience to live with a velcro dog (or two! ) in a small space like a trailer or moterhome! It took me a while to convince my dogs that accompanying me on bathroom breaks wasn't possible when the bathroom is only about 3 feet square! Last year was a COLD summer,(the constant rain actually got a little, ah, solid, at times) so we didn't mind the extra warmth from sheepies sharing the bed at night, but this year I think I'm going to have to banish them from the bedroom. |
| Might also be wise to clip their coats down a bit, I know they need some protection from the sun, but that might also help ? |
Ollie's Mum wrote: Might also be wise to clip their coats down a bit, I know they need some protection from the sun, but that might also help ?
Oh, I'm shaving their butts BALD
Uh, wait...that came out wrong ...I'm shaving the rest of them too! 
They are in short puppy cuts right now...but for the trip North, we're going with the "pink" doggy look  Im much more concerned about heat, than sun, since they'll be in the booth tent with me most of the time or in the trailer. If the weather turns cold on us, they have bigger wardrobes of cute jackets and sweaters than I do. |
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