Extended Living In Your RV

So, how does "living in your RV" differ from just camping in it? We soon learned there ARE differences between a weekend or vacation outing and "living" in it full time when we spent a summer working at a resort and living in our motorhome and again when we lived in our RV for 6 months between when we sold our home and closed escrow on a replacement.  When you're on a short-term outing you can often let things go and catch up on them when you get home.  Things like laundry, dishes, and routine housekeeping can be and often are put off for a while without TOO much impact on a short trip.   Of course you should keep up with those things when you're camping too, but they become more critical when you're living in your RV for an extended period of time.   On camping trips you can usually just toss your laundry into a bag to be done when you get home.  When you're living in your RV for a longer period of time, you'll need to find a way to clean your clothes.  Meals are another issue that requires special attention when you're living in your RV for an extended period of time.   You have to work out a blend of camping and home menus and shopping plans.  Lacking the storage space you have it home, you can't hit Costco and stock up on things like you might at home. Getting the right balance of how much to buy depends on your personal tastes and consumption habits together with access to shopping and available storage.  If its a long way to the store you'll want to stock up to avoid excess driving if you have room for supplies.

There is a whole sub-culture of "full-timers", folks who live in their RVs year round.  There are also work campers who may live in theirs for a season or two while working at a campground.   My wife and I spent most of one summer working at an ATV resort in southern Utah and living in our 1986 Holiday Rambler Imperial Limited 38.  We soon learned there ARE differences between a weekend or vacation outing and living in your RV.  Living in your RV means adapting both camping and residential lifestyles to be successful and comfortable.

There are plenty of "Full Timer" seminars offered by RV clubs and industry organizations. Some community colleges also offer courses.   I won't attempt to cover everything you would learn in these courses in this blog.   If you are planning to go "Full Timing", take advantage of one or more commercial courses to learn how to adequately prepare for your new lifestyle.   The decision to become a full-timer is a significant one and you'll want to explore ALL the ramifications, from what to do with your belongings, to mail, banking, and health services while on the road.

Our vintage motorhome is equipped with a stacked washer and dryer, but due to infrequent use during previous years, neither was working satisfactorily during our summer work time.  The faucet that supplied hot water had frozen during the previous Utah winter (due to, I admit it, my failure to properly winterize the supply lines to the washing machine).  I was unable to locate suitable replacement parts at the local hardware store.  Fortunately I could still shut the faucet off and continue to use the rest of the fresh water system.   The dryer ran, but due to years of disuse, the rollers were flattened and it sounded like it was filled with tennis shoes whenever it was turned on.  If you are planning to live in your RV and take advantage of all its facilities, be sure to test everything BEFORE you leave home.   I hadn't planned on using the washer and dryer so I had not checked them out before I left, but once I was there I found reasons to want to use them (like when my work clothes got soaked in the rain) -- and was disappointed when I discovered the problems and by then replacement parts were not readily available anywhere near the resort.  I've read recommendations by RV technicians that you run the washer and dryer about once a month, even if your RV is in storage, to keep them working properly.  Extended periods of non-use result in premature and often expensive failures of both units.

Living in your RV for an extended time will be different than spending a weekend or even a summer vacation in one.  When you're on any kind of short term outing, you will have a tendency to let things go and take care of them when you get home.  Laundry and extra dirty dishes usually top the list of things brought home to be handled later.  This won't be an option during extended stays.  If you don't have laundry facilities in your RV you will need to seek alternatives: coin op laundromats, campground laundries, or, if its in your budget, you might be able to have a dry cleaners pick up and deliver your laundry.  RV laundry options range from simple, hand operated washers anyone can use just about ayplace to full service washers and dryers or washer/dryer combinations in large luxury motorhomes and trailers.  Combos take up less room in your RV but they are more complicated than separate washers and dryers and may be more subject to breakdowns and more expensive to purchase and to maintain.  However, current combos have been engineered for long life on the road, so if you have room for one, go for it.  Another consideration is using a combo means you have to finish one load completely -- washing and drying -- before you can start the next load whereas separate units allow concurrent washing and drying.   There is probably room for a manual washer in even the smallest RV or when tent camping.  These are small, enclosed tubs with internal agitators into which you put your dirty clothes, water, and detergent and then manually operate them to clean the items.  Or you can just use a 5 gallon bucket and a sink plunger.  You will need a clothes line and sunny weather to dry your clothes -- and plenty of muscle to operate the washer but it beats pounding your clothes on a rock!   Of course you can always wash your clothes in the kitchen sink or in an old fashioned washtub.   One way to minimize laundry is by carefully choosing your wardrobe before you leave home. Pick easy to clean wash-and-wear items. Light colored clothing is more difficult to keep looking good, so, unless you are in the tropics where light clothing is essential for comfort (and fashion), choose darker colors that won't stain easily.  Cleaning those extra dirty dishes is mostly a matter of committing yourself to keep up with things instead of putting them off until you get home.  You probably have -- or should have -- everything you need on board to thoroughly clean pots and pans as efficiently and easily as you can at home.   Its just harder to give up your vacation time for routine tasks.  An outside clothes line or one in your shower can be used for more than laundry.  It is a good place to hang out wet clothing and towels or a place to refresh lightly used clothing to prolong usable time between washings.   Minimizing washings is said to extend the life of clothing as well as conserving time and resources.

Limited cupboard and refrigerator space will dictate changes in your eating and shopping habits.  You may need to plan for more frequent trips to the grocery store or modify your menus to take advantage of easy to store food stuffs.  If your budget can handle it, you might eat out more often than you do at home.  You will probably want to plan simple meals that are easy to fix and easy to clean up after.  Cooking and baking can contribute to the heat buildup in your RV on hot days.  For comfort and reduced A/C operating expense avoid using the range and oven when you can.  Use your microwave (if you have one).  If you do have to use the range or oven, make sure the vent is open and functional.  Open a roof vent to allow hot air to escape.   For improved ventilation and more efficient heat removal, open a window on the shady side of your RV.  A powered roof vent will also improve comfort and cooling efficiency.  You can add an after-market fan to most 14" RV roof vents.  Powered roof vents like the Fantastic brand vents fit the same opening as a standard roof vent and are far more effective.  They usually allow running the fan either direction so you can expel hot air or draw in cool air.  Some include thermostats that will shut them off when the temperature drops to a selected setting.  Advanced options include automatic raising and lowering and rain sensors to close them when it rains.  Add-on after market fans are usually only 5-6" in diameter.  Fantastic brand fans are 10-12" in diameter, providing significantly more air movement and better performance.

Routine activities, like watching TV, using your computer, or even sleeping, may require some adjustments.  You may need to reduce the volume on your TV or stereo in a campground where it would disturb other campers.  If you don't have shore power you will need to adjust your schedule to avoid running your generator during quiet hours pr use an inverter to get 120volts from your 12volt house batteries.  You may have to wean yourself from those late night infomercials!  It may take you a few days to adjust to sleeping in your RV bed.  Even if it is a very good bed, it is different than the one at home.  Bring along your favorite blankets and pillows to make it as familiar and comfortable as possible. Y ou will probably experience unfamiliar sounds in the campground. Sometimes some "white noise" will make it easier to get to sleep and stay asleep. There are electronic sound devices that produce white noise or play soothing sounds -- like rain, wind, or ocean noises.  Or you can just turn on a fan.   Once again, if you don't have shore power, these will need to be 12-volt or battery powered devices unless you have a good inverter and a massive battery bank.

Your bathing habits may also be impacted by limited facilities.  Limited water supply and holding tank capacity can obviously limit your bathing opportunities when dry camping but the limited space and hot water capacity may reduce the frequency even when using full hookups.  You may have to stagger bath/showers for multiple occupants to avoid running out of hot water.  You can use "cat baths" between full showers to maintain personal comfort and cleanliness.  A "cat bath" requires only a basin or dishpan of warm water instead of several gallons.   And be sure to you learn to take "Navy" showers -- don't leave the water running when you're not actively using it to wet your body or rinse off the soap.   Many RV shower heads have shut-off valves that allow you to stop the flow without altering the temperature adjustment.   They can usually be easily added to those that don't.

Housekeeping during an extended stay might be more like being at home than when you're on a weekend outing.  Sometimes we tend to leave cleaning during weekend outings or vacations to when we get home . Personally, I think that is a bad idea. It is far better to keep up with things as you go. This is especially true for any extended trips.   Setting a regular routine will greatly simplify cleaning and save time and effort.  Even if activities occasionally interfere with your schedule, having a regular schedule will ensure things get caught up eventually and will prevent the accumulation of work that develops when things are simply ignored.  If your dusting or vacuuming gets put off a day or so, it is no big deal.  Just don't let missing a task become an excuse for letting it go again and again. Don't let it become a habit.  Get back on track as soon as you can!

Your RV can be your disaster recovery vehicle.  In case of an emergency that makes your home uninhabitable for a while, you can stay in your RV for a time.   Even if you only expect to be in your RV for a few days, think of it as an extended or long-term situation and adjust your lifestyle accordingly, as described above.  The thing about emergency situations is they are most often unpredictable.   Should your stay be longer than you expect, it will be more comfortable if you have prepared yourself (mentally and physically) for the long term.   If you start out treating it as a short term thing you may find yourself overwhelmed by undone tasks if/when it turns into a longer stay.

Personal interactions and relationships are affected if you have more than one person living in an RV for an extended time.  Getting along with someone else in such close quarters is usually not a problem on weekend trips.  Often your time is filled with outside activities so you don't spend THAT much time locked up in a small habitat.  When you are living in your RV for an extended period of time, say work camping or full timing, you soon discover that you are in close proximity to your companions nearly 24/7.  If you or they have any personal habits that are annoying, they are going to be magnified.   The best solution I have found is to do your best to simply relax, be polite and helpful, and make the best of the situation.  For some people a stint at work camping can be a second honeymoon.   Enjoy it!

Live it up!