When we ended up purchasing an RV sooner rather than later, how did we set it up?
Our original plan, of course, was to move from our house to our RV. However, we fell in love with Ruff Road and ended up with a house and an RV. So now, we need to set up our RV as our second home since we will be taking some trips in it. There are many RV lists on the internet to help you in this process and that’s exactly where we went to research what we would need to set up Ruff Road. Here is the process we followed to outfit Ruff Road and some of the items that we purchased.
Our Moving in Process: Before Retirement
- We measured every bin and cupboard to find just the right storage containers and baskets. These measurements were added to rough diagrams I’d drawn of Ruff Road, inside and out. This helped us to decide what would be stored in each area. Be flexible- We made changes as we went along.
- We watched other RV You Tubers and poured over Pinterest to learn about the best, lightest, most efficient items for our new home.
- We made our own list of what we needed.
- We took inventory of what we already had on hand. For example, I had 20 year old plastic baskets from my early days of teaching and they fit perfectly in our cupboards. No purchase necessary there. Many items, such as our bedding, pillows, pots and pans, we already had so we used them to stock Ruff Road. Bonus!
- Then we got to shop! Amazon Prime was our primary source. Below is a list of the items we purchased. Coming Soon-Check back to our Resources page for links to these items.
- Correlle Dinnerwear Dish Set for 4- It’s lightweight and is resistant to chipping and cracking
- Silverwear and cooking utensils
- Cotton Bandanas- great for hiking, cleaning, dries quickly
- Turkish Towels- lightweight, quick drying
- PetMate Dog Crates- They have since outgrown!
- Fabric Storage Cubes for storing clothes, they work like drawers in our closets- Walmart, inexpensive
- Plastic containers for the basement
- Spill-proof Water Bowl – from Lazy Days Store
- Pet Food Storage and Feeding Station
- Pet Playpen Fencing
- Large RV Mat for the under awning area
- French Press – fail, we couldn’t get it right
- Sharp Steamer Mop – we had on hand but ordered extra pads
- Go Pro Hero 5- Got to take pics!
- Replaced our cheap toilet seat with a better quality one
- Water Bandit- excellent little gadget to use when connecting to water at a campground, works on stripped faucets
- Dehumidifier- listing details here, it worked so good!
Powilling 1500ML Portable Quiet Dehumidifier for Home, Basement, Bedroom, Bathroom, RV, Garage – For Single Room Approx 300 sq.ft – This worked great for us but just recently took a flying leap from its home and sadly is toast. Now we have to purchase another one. We recommend it! - Command Hooks, Command Shelves – this is how we personalized our new home and hung pictures. Be careful of wallpaper but so far we have not had any issues.
- Rugs- memory foam rugs feel great!
- Water filter
- Toilet Sealant
- Water Hoses- a grey one and a white one at first but then we found easy collapse hoses that saved space
- Sewer Hoses- a necessity
- Electric Plug- 30 Amp and 20 Amp adapters, not cheap!
- Grass Mat for dirty paws!
6 Finally, we organized it all.
This organization was for Ruff Road as our recreational vehicle for trips. We were pleased with our organization. On our March trip to north Georgia, in freezing cold weather, we were able to welcome my daughter and her family into Ruff Road for a couple days. We had four adults, three children/ teenagers, and FIVE dogs! It worked.
At this time, we were still living in our home. However, in just a few short months, we would be making the transition from 2,000+ square feet to full time living in our Ruff Road with our dogs! Follow along and see what our process was to downsize.
Comment to share positive suggestions, experiences, or even lessons learned to help others outfitting their RVs.