Rookie RV guy question.
- Thread starter Nomadjc
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Nomadjc
Member
Thanks again DearMissMermaid, again i was able to garner some great items for my new camper from your long list. And Martin for the ladder suggestion, while my rig has a roof ladder built in, Probably not a terrible idea to have a handy ladder around such as the one you suggested.
Oldgator73
Well-known member
kdbgoat said:Got my butt handed to me by folks on here for suggesting using gray water to put out campfire .Just sayin'
At least you didn't recycle your grey water back into your fresh water tank. People need to get a life. There's nothing wrong with draining grey water on the ground. Some people have their grey water drain into their flower and vegetable gardens at their stick and brick houses. And what do you think tent campers do with the water they wash dishes with? They throw it off into the bushes. That's where the best blackberries grow.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
AMEN!
jagnweiner
Well-known member
But we digress . . .
I'll second the 5gal bucket. After I dump the grey and black tanks, I use the shower hose to fill the bucket and then dump in the toilet and the shower drain. This let's me know if I've put around 10 gallons in each tank for the ride home. As we know, the level monitors aren't real accurate. 10 gallons in each and some Dawn and the sloshing does a good job cleaning them.
DearMissMermaid
Well-known member
TO Nomadjc, THANK you for the kind words! 8)
Back to the lists...
I traveled with a 5 gallon bucket for awhile because it was gifted to me, but it was a pain in the tush to store away so I regifted it. In my case, it took up way too much room!
In it's place I bought a collapsible silicone rectangle dish tub. I carefully measured my sink before buying one, as they come in varying sizes and depths.
The one I chose didn't have a hole for hanging it up, and I planned to hang it collapsed in my shower between uses. So I drilled my own hole and that worked fine. I am a tree hugger, so yes, there were times when my gray water was carefully carried and donated to a nearby tree. Ditto for using it to douse a roaring fire before bedtime. Other times I used the collapsible dish tub to carry things around such as tidying up the outside before bedtime, I could use the opened dish pan to carry all my outdoor crap inside or to store in a basement locker and it was preloaded to take back outside in the morning. It was also handy to pop it open to use it for outside cleaning of the rig. It took up minimal space (collapsed) compared to a big 5 gallon bucket.
For instance after a ridiculous rain squall, my rig was left splattered with mud about 2-3 feet high all around it. Out came the dish pan and a rag, I had the outside tidied up and the mud removed rather quickly.
One item I found ridiculously useful was nite-ize wire ties. I had them in assorted sizes from 3-64 inches. I used them constantly for all manner of things. They are superior to bungee cords because they mold to whatever you need it for. Basically they work like a jumbo bread tie. They are metal flexible rods that are covered in rubber or silicone and can be reused 1,000's of times. They are strong for tying up heavy things that will stay where you want them.
Here is link to look at what I am describing:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=nite-ize+gear+tie&rh=i:aps,k:nite-ize+gear+tie
For instance, I used one to keep the coffee carafe from leaving the coffee maker while bouncing down the road. Also I used one to attach the lid to the crock pot while cooking and driving.
If you like home cooked food, then you may want a crockpot. I often loaded up my crockpot in the morning before traveling. Then I placed it on a piece of rubber shelf liner in the sink, used a nite-ize wire tie to secure the lid to the handles. My crockpot was 200 watts, so I had a 250 watt inverter. One of those things that plugs into a cigarette outlet and has 110 sockets. Next I used a common extension cord to connect from the inverter to the crockpot.
As I drove down the highways and byways, my crockpot was riding in the kitchen sink, cooking up dinner. On the rare times (mostly in summer when it was 90 effing degrees) I would run the generator while driving and then I could just plug the crockpot into the regular outlet.
Which by the way, you may want to travel with an indoor and an outdoor electrical extension cords.
My outdoor extension cord was 50 feet long and heavy duty. Many electrical posts at RV camps have 110 hookups and so does the outside of my RV. Being able to run that long cord over to my picnic table or card table or where ever I wanted electricity was super handy. Matter of fact when camping I would put my crockpot outside to cook so it wasn't hogging precious counter space inside. Even though sometimes I would be gone hiking or biking, no one ever stole my dinner. I tied the lid down too (with the nite-ize gear tie) to make it difficult for raccoons, but I think the heat from the pot scared them anyhow.
I had electrical adapters for my rig. For instance I was on 30 amp but I had a 30 to 50 amp adapter as occasionally I ended up in a hoity toity park that only had 50 amp service. When a manager would inquire do you need 30 amp or 50, I could say, either one will work for me! I also had a 30 amp adapter that stepped down to 110. One must be very frugal when using this but it comes in handy. I would visit friends that would offer to let me plug my rig in at their home, and the 50 foot cord plus the adapter, would typically allow me to reach their outside outlet. This is where it's worth the price to invest in a heavy duty outdoor extension cord.
Also I have camped in a park that only provided a 110 outlet and no water hookup, but thankfully I had my adapter so I had electricity inside, just had to be super careful how I used it.
Those nite-ize gear ties are terrific for keeping your cords or hoses coiled up when not in use. Also if I only needed 10 feet of the 50 foot outdoor cord, the gear tie could keep the other 40 feet out of the way. When I was hauling garbage on my bicycle that overflowed my basket, I used a gear tie to keep it from falling off the bicycle.
I had to pick up a huge mail-order package with my bicycle and I used a nite-ize gear tie to strap it to the bike and ride back to the RV.
Also, if you love the outdoors, then buy 3 yards of old fashioned oil cloth. Many parks provide a picnic table that is typically 6-8 feet long. That table top is also typically pretty worn or nasty or moldy. A table cloth will do wonders for it and make it enjoyable for use. I wasted loads of money on cheap vinyl table cloths that wore out quickly and were hard to clean between uses. Finally I bought oil cloth and that stuff lasts forever, cleans up on both sides like new and withstands the elements.
Because picnic tables come in varying thicknesses, I also traveled with some large spring loaded clamps. This keeps the table cloth from setting sail when the winds perk up. I had a bag of assorted spring loaded clamps and these were often pressed into service for all sorts of fun and foolishness.
I had company visiting one day who drove for hours to come visit arriving at high noon. We were sitting outside under the awning, but the strong sunshine was glaring and bothering them, they were on a drug that made their skin burn super easy yet he didn't want to go indoors. So I grabbed a flat bed sheet and some spring clamps, I was able to clamp the bed sheet to the awning to block the sun from burning him. It instantly made the area cooler too. When the wind perked up, I used clamps to hold the blowing end of the bed sheet to the picnic table and now we had an inverted V tent like effect. My friend was able to enjoy being outdoors without the bright sunshine bothering him.
So you might find a bag of spring loaded clamps in assorted sizes to come in super handy in enjoying camping even more. ;D
Back to the lists...
I traveled with a 5 gallon bucket for awhile because it was gifted to me, but it was a pain in the tush to store away so I regifted it. In my case, it took up way too much room!
In it's place I bought a collapsible silicone rectangle dish tub. I carefully measured my sink before buying one, as they come in varying sizes and depths.
The one I chose didn't have a hole for hanging it up, and I planned to hang it collapsed in my shower between uses. So I drilled my own hole and that worked fine. I am a tree hugger, so yes, there were times when my gray water was carefully carried and donated to a nearby tree. Ditto for using it to douse a roaring fire before bedtime. Other times I used the collapsible dish tub to carry things around such as tidying up the outside before bedtime, I could use the opened dish pan to carry all my outdoor crap inside or to store in a basement locker and it was preloaded to take back outside in the morning. It was also handy to pop it open to use it for outside cleaning of the rig. It took up minimal space (collapsed) compared to a big 5 gallon bucket.
For instance after a ridiculous rain squall, my rig was left splattered with mud about 2-3 feet high all around it. Out came the dish pan and a rag, I had the outside tidied up and the mud removed rather quickly.
One item I found ridiculously useful was nite-ize wire ties. I had them in assorted sizes from 3-64 inches. I used them constantly for all manner of things. They are superior to bungee cords because they mold to whatever you need it for. Basically they work like a jumbo bread tie. They are metal flexible rods that are covered in rubber or silicone and can be reused 1,000's of times. They are strong for tying up heavy things that will stay where you want them.
Here is link to look at what I am describing:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=nite-ize+gear+tie&rh=i:aps,k:nite-ize+gear+tie
For instance, I used one to keep the coffee carafe from leaving the coffee maker while bouncing down the road. Also I used one to attach the lid to the crock pot while cooking and driving.
If you like home cooked food, then you may want a crockpot. I often loaded up my crockpot in the morning before traveling. Then I placed it on a piece of rubber shelf liner in the sink, used a nite-ize wire tie to secure the lid to the handles. My crockpot was 200 watts, so I had a 250 watt inverter. One of those things that plugs into a cigarette outlet and has 110 sockets. Next I used a common extension cord to connect from the inverter to the crockpot.
As I drove down the highways and byways, my crockpot was riding in the kitchen sink, cooking up dinner. On the rare times (mostly in summer when it was 90 effing degrees) I would run the generator while driving and then I could just plug the crockpot into the regular outlet.
Which by the way, you may want to travel with an indoor and an outdoor electrical extension cords.
My outdoor extension cord was 50 feet long and heavy duty. Many electrical posts at RV camps have 110 hookups and so does the outside of my RV. Being able to run that long cord over to my picnic table or card table or where ever I wanted electricity was super handy. Matter of fact when camping I would put my crockpot outside to cook so it wasn't hogging precious counter space inside. Even though sometimes I would be gone hiking or biking, no one ever stole my dinner. I tied the lid down too (with the nite-ize gear tie) to make it difficult for raccoons, but I think the heat from the pot scared them anyhow.
I had electrical adapters for my rig. For instance I was on 30 amp but I had a 30 to 50 amp adapter as occasionally I ended up in a hoity toity park that only had 50 amp service. When a manager would inquire do you need 30 amp or 50, I could say, either one will work for me! I also had a 30 amp adapter that stepped down to 110. One must be very frugal when using this but it comes in handy. I would visit friends that would offer to let me plug my rig in at their home, and the 50 foot cord plus the adapter, would typically allow me to reach their outside outlet. This is where it's worth the price to invest in a heavy duty outdoor extension cord.
Also I have camped in a park that only provided a 110 outlet and no water hookup, but thankfully I had my adapter so I had electricity inside, just had to be super careful how I used it.
Those nite-ize gear ties are terrific for keeping your cords or hoses coiled up when not in use. Also if I only needed 10 feet of the 50 foot outdoor cord, the gear tie could keep the other 40 feet out of the way. When I was hauling garbage on my bicycle that overflowed my basket, I used a gear tie to keep it from falling off the bicycle.
I had to pick up a huge mail-order package with my bicycle and I used a nite-ize gear tie to strap it to the bike and ride back to the RV.
Also, if you love the outdoors, then buy 3 yards of old fashioned oil cloth. Many parks provide a picnic table that is typically 6-8 feet long. That table top is also typically pretty worn or nasty or moldy. A table cloth will do wonders for it and make it enjoyable for use. I wasted loads of money on cheap vinyl table cloths that wore out quickly and were hard to clean between uses. Finally I bought oil cloth and that stuff lasts forever, cleans up on both sides like new and withstands the elements.
Because picnic tables come in varying thicknesses, I also traveled with some large spring loaded clamps. This keeps the table cloth from setting sail when the winds perk up. I had a bag of assorted spring loaded clamps and these were often pressed into service for all sorts of fun and foolishness.
I had company visiting one day who drove for hours to come visit arriving at high noon. We were sitting outside under the awning, but the strong sunshine was glaring and bothering them, they were on a drug that made their skin burn super easy yet he didn't want to go indoors. So I grabbed a flat bed sheet and some spring clamps, I was able to clamp the bed sheet to the awning to block the sun from burning him. It instantly made the area cooler too. When the wind perked up, I used clamps to hold the blowing end of the bed sheet to the picnic table and now we had an inverted V tent like effect. My friend was able to enjoy being outdoors without the bright sunshine bothering him.
So you might find a bag of spring loaded clamps in assorted sizes to come in super handy in enjoying camping even more. ;D
Thanks for sanity on the water in the campfire post. I would think that most campers enjoy nature and take steps to reduce their impact anyway. It's not like I'm taking a bunch of soapy or oily water and pouring it into a creek. It's just the rinse water and we use enviro friendly products anyway. I used to be a stickler for not using paper plates until I realized that I need kindling to get that fire going anyway - so double use. It's called conservation when done correctly.
'nough said...
'nough said...
Oldgator73
Well-known member
kportra said:Thanks for sanity on the water in the campfire post. I would think that most campers enjoy nature and take steps to reduce their impact anyway. It's not like I'm taking a bunch of soapy or oily water and pouring it into a creek. It's just the rinse water and we use enviro friendly products anyway. I used to be a stickler for not using paper plates until I realized that I need kindling to get that fire going anyway - so double use. It's called conservation when done correctly.
'nough said...
Yep, it's not like we are dumping used oil around the fence line (used to do that).
Nomadjc
Member
Wow...just wow...Thank you everyone for your kind suggestions. I kind of thought when people started responding to this post, i was not going to get much helpful. But boy was I ever pleasantly surprised. Thank you guys. 2 days and counting...
DearMissMermaid, your awesome! Having never owned a camper, your suggestions have been invaluable.
DearMissMermaid, your awesome! Having never owned a camper, your suggestions have been invaluable.
DearMissMermaid
Well-known member
Nomadjc said:
*BLUSH* Thank you!
