Stocking my new RV

[debsews2002]

Advice wanted on what to stock in my new RV and how to avoid overloading. Type of dishes, pots, pans, etc. TIA Debbie

[Fogbelly]

Bourbon

[nvs4602]

We started out with Solo cups,, paper plates and plastic silverware. Get a good drinking water hose Two 25' sections. Water pressure regulator, Stinky slinky 20' ( in two 10' sections , gloves to handle it. 50' of 75ohm cable TV wire. Extra dc fuses and fuse puller. Nice screw driver set wit torx bits. Just a nice little DIY tool kit . The rest we bought as needed.

[GWBGE]

What do you have? Big difference between stocking a 45 footer versus a 35 footer.

[NLOVNIT]

Also depends on if you're a weekend warrior, part-time or full-time. Each has different stocking needs.

Give us some more info & we'll be able to provide advice.

[sirpurrcival]

Probably one of the heaviest things you can haul around is a tank full of water. Think about where you are going and if you need to carry much H20. If you don't, then don't.

[TonyDi]

Use paper and plastic until you decide what you really need. There are several RV checklists that members have made that may help you. Go to the search box (top of the page) and enter RV Checklists and start reading. Some of the lists are huge and a lot of overkill but some will be necessary items. Start using your rig even if it's just in your driveway. You'll soon discover what you need.

[Skip426]

Welcome to iRV2 .

First don't pack like my wife , she has the " What if's " .
What if; we have 8 people over for supper , we need place settings for 10 .
What if ; some one wants to stay with us , and they don't like the pillows , so we have 6 extras. 10 years spending 5+ months a year in the coach we've had company over night for 8 nights.
We have an new electric pressure cooker , with over 10,000 miles on it .

TonyDi , has the best advice , camp out in your drive for a few nights ( or an RV park very close to home , you'll figure things out.

Keep a list of what you have on board , and if you don't use it in three trips out ...leave it home.
Now to convince my wife. .

[Argosy]

Another vote for camping in your drive. It's easy enough to grab it from the house to use and put it on your list. Plus you get used to how everything works and where it's at without the stress of ruining a trip.

[Dr. Mike]

Originally Posted by nvs4602

We started out with Solo cups,, paper plates and plastic silverware. Get a good drinking water hose Two 25' sections. Water pressure regulator, Stinky slinky 20' ( in two 10' sections , gloves to handle it. 50' of 75ohm cable TV wire. Extra dc fuses and fuse puller. Nice screw driver set wit torx bits. Just a nice little DIY tool kit . The rest we bought as needed.

I am right there with you! We pick up our new to us coach next Saturday. I already have everything on the above list but also added the following:
- walk talkie
- premium water filters
- 50 amp surge protector
- 50 amp - 30 amp adapter
- emergency road kit
- First-aid kit
- tire pressure monitoring system
- adjustable water pressure valve

Still researching and shopping

Doc M

[DKRITTER]

I will say it will be an evolving list and take a few years to get it exactly where you want it. Don't be in a huge hurry or worry about it because they have stores where you're going too.

This is a part of the journey also.

[Mark_K5LXP]

Originally Posted by Skip426

First don't pack like my wife , she has the " What if's " .

Boy howdy. The first couple seasons we could've hosted a basketball team with all the dishes, linens, blankets and food. Do we really need the Costco packs of TP and paper towels for 2 weeks? "You never know...". DW finally has come around though to the wisdom of just because you have available space doesn't mean it needs to be filled with something. There is nothing we use that if we forgot it or ran out it couldn't be replenished somewhere in our travels. We've refined the checklist to the point where it's a rare occasion we come up short on anything. And if we do, so what.

Our take on dishes is to have a "nice" set for the two of us we usually use, and in reserve are packages of paper and plastic in the event we have company. The cookware is towards the smaller pieces, you're not cooking for a family of eight so no need for larger pots and pans. The ones that get used the most are cast iron, a small and medium skillet and one iron/ceramic covered pot. The cast iron doesn't care if it's on the stove, in the oven or sitting on wood coals outside. We carry no appliances, they just don't justify their space. Anything you'd make in a slow cooker or air fryer is just as easily done on the stovetop or oven. DW is hooked on a Keurig at home but over time I've perfected the process of stovetop coffee to the point I'm in charge of coffee making (and I don't even drink the horrid stuff...). Per posts above, start with the basics and over time you'll add and remove stuff as you go. Another thing, we like to visit thrift stores and often you'll find odd pieces from a very nice set of something for very little money. Because you're not looking for a matched service for eight, just finding one or a pair of something is perfect for the RV and at thrift store prices even extravagant items are a bargain.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[debsews2002]

Originally Posted by TonyDi

Use paper and plastic until you decide what you really need. There are several RV checklists that members have made that may help you. Go to the search box (top of the page) and enter RV Checklists and start reading. Some of the lists are huge and a lot of overkill but some will be necessary items. Start using your rig even if it's just in your driveway. You'll soon discover what you need.

Thanks for that info!! I'll go look for the checklist, but the living in it in our driveway is GREAT!!

[TampaDave]

Next time you're at Ikea, they have fantastic tempered glass ("unbreakable") dishes for super cheap. Wifey says, pick up some throw pillows while you're there.

Get some sticky putty. Haha this stuff is awesome. Keeps appliances, plants, baskets, printers, coffee makers, basically anything you have sitting on a counter from flying around too much.

Household appliances don't always translate well. I personally feel iron/ironing board is a worthless waste of space, and use a steamer when the need arises. Makeup mirrors take up a ton of room and counter space, consider travel mirror or a wall mount. You will need to vacuum occasionally so think about what to get and where you're gonna store it.

Long handle windshield washer/squeegee. Microfiber towels. Shop towels. Work gloves. Keep em where you can get at em when you stop for gas.

303 tire protectant. Rain-ex, and use it; RV wipers leave a great deal to be desired. Something for bug protection, 303 also makes a product for this but I use a rain-ex product and it works fine.

Hand sanitizer and disposable gloves. Keep em in the wet bay (where the sewer hookup is).

Walmart usually always has TP. And pretty much anything else you'll need, including a place to crash at night.

You'll learn to love Walmart. You'll bond with it. It gets kinda weird late at night but it still feels like home. Put it this way. When you can cure homesickness by wandering through Walmart at 4am, you are a true and everlasting road warrior. You'll have learned to love the smell of diesel in the morning, which smells like freedom. Learned what it's like to see 40 miles in any direction through crystalline air. The smell of juniper and sage. Sunset on vermillion cliffs. Fog rolling in off the Pacific of a morning. The sound of coyotes wailing in the blasted hills of the desert in the dark of night. Shoot, the banshee cry of elk, so eerie and full of longing. Nights of a trillion stars, the Milky Way glowing like neon. Lay in a course for Walmart every third day and you can stay on the road indefinitely, perhaps forever. That's what we are doing. Oh and wifey says, you need to let him know there's a Walmart App that tells you whether or not you can park there overnight.