Packing the Rig for Full Timing

[Scoop22]

Can folks provide some insight into what kind of glasses, dishes, pots and pans you are utilizing and how to pack it all safely? Are you providing yourselves the luxury of glass wine glasses ( for instance) or ceramic dishes?

We are moving into a MH fulltime and don't have a clue how to pack it and what to pack! TIA for the input!

[momdoc]

Remember EVERYTHING will add weight to the coach. So keep it light.
We do us Corelle dishes (service for 4), mostly plastic glasses. Two glass coffee mugs, Silverware for 6. One set of Pots and pans, a Nina Foodie (crock pot, air fryer, and pressure cooker all in one).

Then normal house goods (towels, sheets (2 sets), clothes, cleaning supplies, personal items.

In the bays: BBQ, chairs, table, bike supplies, tools, hoses, electrical supplies and more.

Keep it light and limited. You can always stop at a Costco or Sams to get stuff you forgot or need.

Also once a year we purge and things we have not used in over year for the most part get sold, donated or tossed.

Even with all that we are close to max wt and we do weigh our coach every year.

Good luck.

[Scoop22]

Thank you momdoc! That's a big help to start things and stop worrrying quite so much.

[Old-Biscuit]

We used Corelle dishware....plates, bowls for 4, Mugs for coffee, Tall Glass Tumblers for drinking, Shot Glass Tumblers for cocktails, Glass Wine glasses, basic utensils, 2 sauce pans, 12" skillet, Cast Iron grill, Large Pan for boiling water etc

Plus full service for 8 Noritake China

Pots/pans stacked in large drawer, Daily use plates/glasses in upper cabinets, China in Glass 2 shelve hutch

Rubber shelf liner between the plates etc

In 7 yrs only 1 broken plate....Corelle dinner plate I dropped when drying ---bounced on floor, hit the screen door/popped it open then bounced out the door and hit a boulder

All of our storage compartment, drawers, cabinets etc....could open them and SEE what was in them without having to unpack to find anything

And YES once a year on Hit the Road Anniversary we went across CAT Scales to keep 'weight creep' in check

*** getting ready we packed
What we needed
What we THOUGHT we needed
What we WANTED to take
What we HAD to keep

6 months later
We narrowed down what we NEEDED
We got rid of many things we THOUGHT we needed
A lot of what we WANTED to take was unnecessary
What we HAD to keep stayed


Motto>
One Bag IN---Two Bags OUT

Less is More

If you haven't used it or seen it in 6 months you do not need it

Simple....enjoy the new lifestyle and adventure

[johnhicks]

Corelle dishes for four; we're only two but we have to break out service for four every couple of years. I've broken only one plate; dropped it onto the cat's ceramic water bowl, broke both. Cat annoyed.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

One small stainless steel pot, one large SS pot, one SS missionary pot that gets dragged out for spaghetti fiesta or (rarely) deep frying indoors.

One 10-inch teflon skillet and one 10-inch tri-ply SS skillet, plus one Lodge cast iron square griddle/grill pan.

Tervis tumblers. RVing will get you over glass wine glasses mighty quick.

You'll need an outdoor grill of some sort. Aside from the obvious grilling things, it's used as a heat source for the missionary pot for boiling, frying and sometimes at low temps, slow cooking. You'll understand why to do these outdoors 'round about August.

Do not buy anything "as seen on TV."

[twogypsies]

Our RV was our home and we outfitted it as such. We used Corelle dishes, glass wine glasses and drinking glasses.

We were boondockers on public lands so we had to conserve water. We didn't do dishes every day but we wiped them down with a used napkin or paper towel and stored them in a dishpan under the sink for a couple days. No, they didn't smell or attract bugs. Therefore, we probably carried more dishes and silverware than others. We had the carrying capacity plus some so weight wasn't an issue.

We didn't protect dishes/glasses any special way for travel. When you're a full-timer your cabinets are full so there's little movement, especially in a motorhome. We had heavy wine glasses and glasses and they traveled upside down. If you do have a cabinet with space left over (ha!) then fill the space with a roll of paper towels or such so things can't shift around while driving.

A good thing to remember: after arrival open each cabinet slowly just in case something tipped over.

You didn't say what RV you have. You'll have to figure out how much you're allowed to carry in it and what your storage space allows.

Use plastic tubs and containers for like items and label them. We always knew where things were stored without having to pull out tons of stuff to find something. Organization is a must.

We didn't keep a storage unit but we did downsize again as we traveled. Some things you think you'll use but don't. Those kinds of things went to Goodwill. Clothes and shoes were quick to go within a short time. Layering is perfect. No true winter clothes needed. No dressy outfits.

Google 'RV checklists' and you'll get many good suggestions and things you never thought of carrying. Create a list just for you from the various lists.

Here are a couple lists to play around with:

https://www.thefitrv.com/rv-tips/rv-...-for-rv-trips/

https://www.campanda.com/magazine/rv...sts-printable/

[tmandoug1]

Get rid of 2/3rds of the clothes you think you need and then cut that in half.

[JFXG]

Your life will be far more casual than you think. Dressing for a career requires more categories and quantities of clothing than you realize. No one needs three dozen shirts and ten pair of shoes. One day it will occur to you that you can’t recall the last time you wore a shirt with a collar!
As to the hardware of life, the pots & pans, tableware, glasses, etc… well, you’ve gotten good advice above. These are things you can use for sentimental reminders, if you like, or to exercise preferences. Ex: Corelle is likely the most practical dinnerware, but I just don’t like it. So we use real crockery, inexpensive as a concession to possible breakage. So far (10 years) no breakage. I also keep (and use often) small and medium cast iron skillets that have been in my family for over a century.
The rule of thumb is to cut all your stuff down to only the necessaries; after a year you can reevaluate, and probably get rid of half.
If you’re asking the question you’re aware enough to likely wind up doing it right.

[arcaguy]

Can't really add much to the above good advice except that I bought a cast iron griddle from Big Lots for frying and pancakes. It works well for bacon and although heavy it does let me get rid of a couple of square frying pans. You can also use the revers side for steaks, that checks the 2 uses for every item box. One thing that has not been mentioned is that some of the stuff can be put in your toad, assuming you have one. In my case my toad can haul about 700 lbs of stuff after my motorcycle is in it so my tools go in there. I will very, very rarely take the coach anywhere without the toad but the toad will go lots of places without the coach. Good luck.

[hamm2018]

As others we use Corelle dishes. But we do have a set of 6 wine glasses that are almost 40 years old. I bought these in France in 1983 during a port of call stop in Marseille, France.

[Barbaraok]

We found styrofoam blocks with glass size holes for wine glasses. Used plastic for other glasses. Coffee cups = metal travel mugs. Corell dishes for 4 for indoors, patio plastic dishes for outside (6), and paper plates for larger groups or just sandwiches, etc. Remember, you can do 2-4 eggs in a large skillet, you can't do spaghetti in a tiny one-egg pan. So make sure all pots/pans can do double duty. Silicone bakeware for use in micro/convection oven.

For clothing think layering. It is easy to put on more if you are cold - again think double duty. You will pick up t-shirts, etc. along the way, so do at least once a year check to see if you are really using everything you have - if not, out it goes.

We put in boxes for wine and started in the spring with coffee stored in them and then replaced with wine we picked up as we moved during the summer. We usually carried 3+ cases of wine as we traveled, but by the time we got back to the Arizona desert for winter, that amount was usually at 6+ cases. We never took anything but wine to potlucks! 😎

[jrs]

We use 2 titanium wine glasses (tougher than regular glass), 4 large and 4 smaller ceramic plates and ceramic coffee cups. We also have a set of Magma Stackable pots and pans.

[astrnmrtom]

Everyone is different. Some people need 5 huge suitcases of clothes to go on a three day weekend, others go for two weeks with a small carry on.

We've always fell into the travel ight category - except for my tools and toys, cough. We've been full timing for almost two years, and have done just fine with a few pairs of different dishes. 2 small, 2 medium and 2 large Corell plates, and a couple Corell bowls, and two larger plastic ones for salads. We do have a couple other small bowls for dips or condiments (90% of the time we use the same two pans, and two pots. We supplement with paper. Only one wine glass because there's only one wine drinker. I brought a set of four knives, for cooking, but I could toss three because I have one favorite good knife I use for almost everything. We have two insulated tall glasses with lids and straws that we use for 80% of our drinks. I'm the only coffee drinker so one insulated mug. Just remember, your choice is not set in stone. You can toss or donate unused kitchen items to Goodwill, or stop and buy something you feel you really need but didn't pack. We've tossed some stuff, and bought a couple things we felt we could use, but we our kitchen is still packed pretty light and it's worked great so far.

[beachrunner5]

You had me at Luxury! We try to stay away from glass. We have glass in three picture frames, all of which have been replaced already because of breakage, and one ceramic coffee cup. As for dishes, we fell in love with the Melamine at Crate & Barrel - feels luxurious & is microwavable - have yet to break one with all the dropping and cabinet openings on rough roads. Just before we went full time, we took our estate sales money and invested in a high end pot/pan set (umm also from Crate & Barrell). We wanted thick stainless steel that would hold up to rough roads, despite the weight. Glad we did! Some of the larger occasional pieces are bins for smaller items, it works. I went to Michaels and bought a handful of felt squares, and use those to put between items that "clink".

The other smart thing we bought on the road... don't laugh... as this was a irritation for a while... a nice bamboo container from the kitchen section at Bed Bath & Beyond... perfectly fits the sticks of deodorant that ALWAYS fell out of the cabinet every time it was opened. Now a source of smiles every time I clean up. ;-)