Personalizing Your RV

As human beings we like to put our personal mark on our things.  We like custom homes, or seek to customize our tract homes to reflect our personal  preferences.  We create gardens and landscaping to suit our taste.  We customize our wardrobes and our appearance.  We trick out our rides.  Our RVs are no different.  They just require some alternate approaches than our homes and cars.

Personalizing your RV is more like personalizing your residence than personalizing the family car.  Because of the high cost of exterior paint jobs on such big rigs, you will probably not want to change the color or paint scheme of your RV.  But you might add some decals, stripes, or hand-painted graphics to express your preferences.   I've seen a variety of beautiful wild animal decals and we chose an eagle to put on the spare tire cover on our Southwind Eagle 1 motorhome.   I've used ordinary colored (red/white/blue) vinyl electrical tape to add a patriotic highlight stripe so some of my RVs.  Its actually a bit heavier than vinyl striping tape and I was pleasantly surprised at how long lasting the adhesive was, even in sun,rain, and snow.  Professional vinyl striping tape is available in a variety of widths and colors to match, highlight, or complement existing color schemes..  A popular upgrade that is not TOO expensive is to switch from hub caps or wheel covers to wheel simulators, which look like custom rims and add a lot of class to older rigs.  Awnings are a popular option, both large patio-style awnings and window awnings.  You can add exterior lights to improve campsite illumination or light up other areas of activity.   Some RV, OHV, and camping clubs have logos you can post on your vehicle or you may be able to have your own custom made signs for your club or family name.  Be sure to check prices on-line.  I found significant savings by buying my first "Desert Rat" decal on ebay compared to my local sign shop.  My apologies to sign shop owners, but a difference of about 400% is significant!   My cheap letters lasted about 10-12 years before I replaced them.  This time I opted for a more elaborate design with a graphic desert background.   It is made from the same material as commercial vehicle wraps and should last a very long time.

Internal personalization is a little more flexible.   Once again, you probably won't like the cost of a complete internal make-over.  New upholstery, cabinets, and carpets can be quite costly but can also be very satisfying.  Same with changing out furniture and major appliances.  If your RV interior is in really bad shape a complete make-over might be justified, but if most if it is in reasonably good condition, I'd stick to less costly modifications, such as painting appliances instead of replacing them. Unless you are experienced in upholstery you'll probably want to enlist a professional for major repairs or upgrades to that part of your RV.   Few people have the skill or the heavy duty sewing machines required to to upholstery.  Slip covers are often used in homes to cover worn, outdated, or unsightly furniture.  You seldom see that in an RV but it might be worth a try.  I've seen people use colorful Indian or Mexican blankets to cover worn sofas or dinettes temporarily.  You might consider dyeing faded carpets to improve the appearance or change the color scheme.  However, you can work wonders with new curtains or drapes or bedspreads and shams.  You can add or change a shower curtain and mats in the bathroom.   You could paint or wallpaper some interior walls. You might use wallpaper border to highlight your favorite activities.  My truck camper came with a fishing motif all around the top of the cab over sleeping area.   Since I'm not an avid fisherman, I opted to replace it with a dirt bike theme in keeping with my family's primary recreational pursuit.  Wallpaper borders are pretty easy to work with.  Just came across a new trick for removing old wallpaper: use a capful of fabric softener in a quart of water, spray the old wallpaper, and let it sit for a few minutes.   It should peel right off.  You can add accessories to meet your particular preferences for kitchen, recreation, and entertainment systems.  Even little things like toothbrush, napkin, paper plate, and match/toothpick holders can make life on the road easier and more fun, keeping oft used things right at your fingertips.   Adding or updating light fixtures is a neat way to make your living space more suitable for your particular activities.   If you go for LED lights  you'll even save electricity and reduce battery drain.  Magazine racks, spice racks, and other wire racks can be installed to help organize your goodies where they'll be easy to use.   Maps, pamphlets, and diaries will get a lot more use when they're handy.   If you're a computer buff, you may want to convert some table, cabinet, or counter space to a dedicated work station.  You can even get computer shelves designed to go on your steering wheel!  12-volt fans, both permanently mounted and portable can add cooling comfort on hot days and redistribute heat where you want it on colder ones.   Entertainment options can range from a simple radio/cassette/CD player to complete home entertainment systems.  An option I recommend for everyone is a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) radio that gives constant weather updates and alerts.  Adding an electric fireplace/heater is a customization that is becoming more and more popular with RV owners.  They are attractive and often make it more comfortable in cold weather.  You can find them for around $160, sometimes less. We got ours on sale at Harbor Freight for $59.99 and I've seen some at Walmart for $69.99. As long as you have sufficient 120 volt power (shore power or generator) you can enjoy 750 or 1500 watts of heat and a nice fireplace display complete with glowing logs and fake flames that are surprisingly realistic. This one bit of personalization that is functional as well as adding a nice cabin-like ambiance.

Changing the faucets in the kitchen and/or bathroom is a fairly easy and inexpensive way to update the appearance and functionality of your RV.   I find a high "goose neck" bar faucet is handy for filling canteens and Camelbaks and for washing large pots and pans.  Be sure the spacing for your new faucet matches the holes in your sink.  Changing  faucets should be as easy as turning off the water supply, disconnecting the supply lines to the old faucet, removing the nut under the sink that secure the old faucet, then carefully lift it out.  Clean the surface that was under the old faucet.  The new one will probably be a slightly different size or shape.  Slide the new faucet into place.  Install and hand tighten the nuts to secure the new faucet to the sink, then connect the supply lines.  Use teflon plumbers tape on the new faucet to help ensue a good seal but not on compression fittings.  Tighten the connects, turn on your water supply, and enjoy your new faucet!

You might want to customize the dash instruments.   I've seen modifications to change the color of the dash lights.  Sometimes you can buy colored bulbs to replace the existing clear ones or get bulb-dye to color existing bulbs.  Just make sure you don't darken them to where you can no longer read your instruments.  There are a number of additional instruments you might like to try.  I like the big "RoadRanger" compasses and have also found altimeters and clinometers useful.  Some owners like to upgrade the "idiot light" oil pressure indicator to a real oil pressure gauge or add a tachometer. Thermometers that display both inside and outside temperatures are helpful.  I've tried both automotive and residential style indoor/outdoor thermometers and found both to be satisfactory.  The digital, automotive style are especially good if you want to be able to see them when driving.  The residential styles are better installed in the living area to only be used in camp.  Several of my motorhomes came with a simple "weather center" that displays inside temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure.  It is pretty common to find these as part of the systems monitor panel in RVs.   If yours doesn't have one, they're fairly inexpensive and easy to install.  More complete systems might include outside temperature and wind speed.  I always like to have a NOAA weather radio available to monitor local forecasts and pick up storm warnings.  These days you can also get instant weather information on your cell phone or over the Internet if you are in a area where you have a wifi connection.  I have used a program/service called "Weatherbug" at home, but my computer tech tells me it is considered "Malware" and may have a security risk.  It displays current temperature on the status bar and will chime and flash the icon whenever there is a weather alert.  Alerts and warnings include rain, wind, snow, freezing temperatures, winter storms, and high fire danger . Some easy decorator touches include the addition of throw pillows and carpet runners.  Throw covers are an option, but I seldom see them used in RVs.   Probably because they may not stay in place very well during travel. They are, however, extremely useful if you're engaged in activities that would soil your clothing and transfer the dirt to your upholstery.   Throw covers can be removed and washed and its a whole lot easier than shampooing the upholstery.  Sometimes we just wrap the sofa in an old blanket or beach towel if we're anticipating dirty conditions.   Its a lot easier to throw it in the washer when we get home than it is to clean the upholstery and blankets and beach towels are a lot cheaper than new upholstery, especially when they're re-cycled  from home that almost made it into the Goodwill box before being adopted for camping.  Slip-on seat covers are helpful for rejuvenating the driver and co-pilot seats or mitigating the cold feel of vinyl or leather with sheepskin covers.

Toyhaulers and other enclosed recreational equipment trailers often benefit greatly from customization to meet your specific needs.  Adding tool boxes, cabinets, racks, closet rods, tie downs, and peg boards can help you organize your tools, gear, equipment, and spare parts. You can decorate the interior to reflect your chosen sport or OHV lifestyle.  I find functional customization to be the most satisfying but there is nothing wrong with purely cosmetic modifications.   Part of the original decals on one of my motorhomes included red, white, and blue stripes about 1/2" wide.   I was able to add matching stripes to my motorcycle trailer using colored electrical tape.   It has since become a kind of branding we use to mark almost all of our equipment.  Sometimes you can also buy decals or striping tape to match those on your motorhome.  Cosmetic changes like this don't add functionality but they are fun and many people find it pleasing to color coordinate their truck and camper, motorhome and trailer, or other tow vehicle and trailer.  I even adopted the red-white-blue stripe pattern to tag my camp chairs, stoves, lanterns, water jugs, ice chests, and tools making them easy to identify and keep track of around camp.

You may see motorhomes, trailers, and vans with elaborate murals on the sides or rear.  Some of these are factory originals, like the wild animals that grace the rear of many "Safari" motorhomes. The most beautiful and complex murals I've seen have been on custom vans, but the same technique could be used on motorhomes and trailers -- if you have the budget for it or the skill and will to paint it  yourself. Those hand-painted, air-brushed works of art don't come cheap!  Auto paint shops are skilled at painting flames and other geometric designs and may be able to create a custom decoration for your rig, but again, it will probably be relatively expensive.  Unless you are a skilled auto painter you probably won't want to attempt doing any custom graphics yourself.  "Rattle cans" can do a pretty good job repainting limited areas like the highlight stripes on campers and trailers but aren't so good on large areas.  I suspect if I tried it the results would be less artistic than the graffiti on big city buildings, overpasses, and railroad cars.  Vehicle wraps are becoming popular, mostly for advertising, and that might be a way to enhance the exterior of your RV.  But unless it is subsidized somehow by advertising, it will probably be cost prohibitive.  I have a beautiful "Desert Rat" decal on the back of my motorcycle trailer made from the same stuff as vehicle wraps. It is about 3' wide and 1 1/2' tall and cost me under $100.    Wrapping an entire RV would cost thousands.  If you choose to repaint stripes, follow the instructions on the paint can carefully in both preparing the surface and applying the paint.  Mask off areas you don't want to be painted.  Try to keep your hand moving smoothly as you spray.   If you slow down you'll get thick spots.  If you should apply too much paint and it begins to run, I've found I can often gently dab away the runs with a clean soft cloth and repaint the area.  Don't hold the can too close to the surface.  It is better to apply several light coats than one heavy one.  Vinyl stripes are available in a variety of sizes and colors and are easy to apply in straight lines.  Narrow tapes (up to 1/4") can usually be applied to follow curves and, if you have the patience and the touch for it, you can even curve tapes as wide as 3/4" by very gently heating them with a heat gun or blow dryer.  Be very careful if you try this.  The tape will often stretch and become much narrower than its normal size if you pull too hard or too fast or apply too much heat.

Another very functional modification is the addition of shelves or dividers in cabinets to make them easier to use.  Built in shelves are the sturdiest but wire-rack shelving can be easily installed in just about any cabinet to improve organization.

Make it yours!