RVing means having to think about a lot of different things. From buying your RV to hitting the road with it, checklists are a huge help. I started to make my own lists, but the process was daunting. So, I did some Googling and came across Malia’s RV Checklists. These lists cover every aspect of RVing and are easily adapatable to your own unique situation. I used the ‘pre-delivery inspection’ list to determine that the Glendale Royal Classic destined to be Miranda was worth bringing to an inspector while the Minnie Winnie wasn’t and the ‘comparison’ checklist to easily compare my short list of rigs. There are special lists for 5th wheels and travel trailers and driving lists for motorhomes. The checklist for ‘towing a car’ enabled me to quickly hook up my toad the first time I tried, with no help whatsoever. I especially like that there are opposite checklists, for example one for arriving at camp and one for leaving, since doing what you did when you arrived, only backwards, isn’t always all that needs to be done upon departure (or vice versa!). This is a 39 page e-document which costs 11.95USD. I highly recommend it!
Month: January 2009
Priorities
The mobile house I lived in for four years and owned for three taught me two very important lessons:
1) The structure comes first;
2) Water is the enemy.
I just did my routine inspection of Miranda’s far flung corners to make sure that there are no leaks or anything against the walls turning to mould. All was fine until I got to the upstairs bedroom. Oh, things were as I expected, but expected was not good. The condensation on the windows up there is dire, with water pooling in grooves at the bottom of the panes. I also found some mould starting in one corner, but I was able to zap it with a bleach solution. I used a whole roll of paper towels to mop up the windows, but it wasn’t enough. I doubt that I have a leak anywhere, but I definitely need to inspect the exterior seams soon as the weather improves and cover them with Eternabond. The over cab area is a class C’s weakest point and mine was in perfect condition when I moved in, so I’d like to keep it that way! As for the windows, research has provided me with a solution that is really counter-intuitive, but I’m desperate at this point. Soon as things dry out, I’m going to apply a permanent plastic cover to the windows. There is apparently a black variety with a greater R value, so I’m going to look for that since I need to make that area darker anyway. This solution is counter-intuitive because plastic doesn’t breathe, so I’m envision water getting trapped between the window and the plastic. We’ll see how that works.
I’m not sure if gutters are a standard RV feature, but Miranda has some, which prevent water from reaching the end of the roof at the front, running down the over cab area, and pooling at the bottom, which is where damage to the area normally starts. So, more points go to the Royal Classic designers who are forgiven for other design flaws. 🙂 I did get some strange looks from a non-RVer one day when I was up on a ladder cleaning out my home’s gutters. Who says that RVing takes you away from some of the most fun home maintenance jobs? 😀
I’m otherwise snug as a bug and relieved that my propane consumption has gone down considerably. I discovered last time that I went to fill up the tank that I am charged for a full 30lbs even if my tank isn’t fully empty (!), so while my tank was ‘pretty close’ to being empty each time I went, I’m now waiting to run out of propane before I go fill up. I just hope this happens during the day or, at least, not while I’m cooking! I really should invest in a regulator at some point to give me an idea of how much propane I have left. The ‘lift the tank and guesstimate how full it is in proportion to how heavy it feels’ method is not working out. 🙂
Mysteries of the Bench
I was shocked by what I found in the dinette bench behind the driver’s seat: dozens of plastic hangers! I don’t know what I was thinking! Let’s just say I got rid of them quickly!
Here’s a shot of the drawer into that compartment that constitutes poor design:
The infamous dinette bench drawer
I’ll let you in on a secret: that drawer is so hard to open that I store my most often used plasticware in… the fridge’s vegetable bin!
I was able to put two small totes in there. One holds the blender and the other linens. The blender will still be accessible here. I had it in a basket over the fridge, but it made the basket so heavy as to be dangerous to pull down. It’s still not the best use of space, but better.
The other bench holds a lifetime’s worth of journals, all carefully sealed against potential flooding. And I thought they were in an overhead compartment in the study. Which leads me to wonder what’s in the overhead compartment?
I think I need to make a map of what’s where!
(I love the expression on Neelix’s face in this picture!)
What Makes an RV Liveable?
I found an interesting article today about what makes an RV liveable. The author lists twelve items. Of those, four are items that I loved about Miranda from the get-go, two are things I was able to change, and three are things I’ve been hankering to change. That means that nine of the twelve items applied to me. I’d say the article was pretty relevant!
The four items I loved are:
1) Separate vanity and toilet (#8);
2) An accessible toilet (#10);
3) Real doors (#11);
4) Lots of windows (#12). I recently saw a class C that had no window in the back. I can’t imagine not having my great view… even if it means a chillier room in the winter!
The two things I was able to change:
1) Easy to maintain floors (#1). Miranda had hardwood in some places and carpet in the rest. I replaced the carpet with vinyl. The combination of the two is easy to upkeep;
2) A dedicated workspace (#7). I was lucky to be able to convert a whole room into a computer space.
The three things I’ve been hankering to change:
1) Adding a counter extension (#4), but the only place to put one would interfere with the drawers, so that will probably never happen;
2) The wardrobe (#6);
3) The pantry (#9); improving my food storage is my number two priority after figuring out what to do with all my clothes.
The three items that weren’t relevant to me:
1) A re-configurable dining area (#2) since I find the dinette useful (which is good because it’s not removable!);
2) An island style bed (#3) since I live alone and all I want is an unobstrusive flat place to sleep, so the loft makes me happy;
3) An adjustable television set (#5) since I don’t own a tv. I did have a lapse in judgement when I thought “Gee, I should get one since most parks include cable in their free hookups” and then I remembered that I didn’t watch tv most of the year I had free cable included in my rent AND that the reason I gave away my television was that I hadn’t turned it on in over eighteen months and was sick of dusting it AND where, praytell, would I store such an item?
Nesting Weather
All this time spent cooped up in Miranda is making me eager to get rid of those fur-collecting window treatments! But before I start investing in the third stage of the great big remodel (new valances, new blinds, new curtains), I need to improve on my organization in here! Everything has a home, but not a very neat one, so I need to work on making things more accessible. My wardrobe, especially, is proving to be a real challenge. I need a full-length closet!!! I’m actually so desperate for a full-length closet that I actually found one that would fit in the space by the shower, which means that I would have to get rid of the bathroom storage tower, which means that I need to rethink my bathroom storage to remove the need for that tower. I’ve got a lot of wall space in the toilet room and I really need to better utilize the upper portions.
I can see that I’m slowly beginning to make Miranda ‘mine’ with no consideration for how modifications could affect her resale value. The more I’m out here, in western Canada, the more I find RV parks where the RVs stay parked long term without ever being moved. I can just about visualize myself, in several years time when I’d be ready to settle down for a bit, setting Miranda on blocks in one of these parks instead of renting an apartment or buying a house.
The day I get out the paint brushes and get rid of these bland speckled wall coverings is the day I’ll know for sure just how long term I’m looking at being in here. 😀
I’m off to remind myself of what I stored in the dinette benches, throw it out (how important can it be if I forgot what it is?), move linens under there, and move winter gear to where the linens were. Eventually the winter gear will end up back in the basement and I’ll be able to breathe again. 🙂