Starting Out
Ok, you’re finally ready to launch! You’ve got the RV, you’ve said your awkward goodbyes to your family and friends…who are still confused as to “what you are running from”, and you have your first destination scheduled. You arrive at the park, find your site (this is a feat in itself) and manage to back in…after 35 minutes. Anyways, you are ready to FINALLY enjoy the camping side of things!
Oh..but wait…how do you get the water to the rig? What about the thing that connects the RV pipe to the in-ground pipe? And this electrical panel outlet thing doesn’t have enough pins and such, and it wont plug in!! AHH!!!
Yes… this has happened to many of us. Let’s face it, there’s just too much to cover when you buy your rig and you can get in and out the door so quickly that you don’t remember a single thing that was said at the dealer (that’s IF your RV salesperson even mentioned these necessities at all). Regardless, the fact is that you MUST purchase a slew of gear in order to camp with your RV. There’s even MORE gear required if you are coming from a middle class lifestyle and you want to maintain some standard of living that is similar to what you’ve come from.
When we started out, we moved out of our 3500 Sq Ft house in a gated community. Michelle and I hated camping and we were not interested in “boondocking” at all (that’s where you rough-it in the middle of nowhere with no water, electric or sewer connections..the skies are beautiful at night!). We were used to a very comfortable way of living and although we totally embraced the idea of a more “simple life” with a lot less stuff, we were by no means looking for the “minimalistic lifestyle”. No, we wanted the freedom and the adventure, while still enjoying many of the comforts of “home” that we knew so well.
Limitations On Stuff
Unfortunately, we learned very quickly of two limitations: weight and space!
Yep, in case you haven’t hit this brick wall yet, let me tell you about it! Each rig has a maximum amount of weight that can safely be added to it (usually listed on a plate inside your front door frame, or some other random place). Although many people just ignore this constraint it is IMPERATIVE to your safety that you follow those guidelines (within a few hundred pounds at MOST) and adhere to the maximum weight for your rig. This means getting rid of your iron skillet and choosing a lighter pan. It may mean choosing a plastic vase instead of a glass one. The reality is that STUFF weighs a ton and you cannot have it all!
I know it sucks, but hey, you do get to drive your house around wherever you go…so thats something 🙂
Our List!
On that note, let me introduce you to our list.
Here’s the deal. When we first started out, we wanted to bring the important stuff, but we had to get rid of a LOT of things. Later, we found out that some things we kept were of no use and other things we got rid of were important. This meant extra expense and that is the LAST thing you need when you are starting out.
So here’s our time-tested list of items we would have put on a NEEDS list if we were to start this whole thing over!
(By the way, if you click on these links and buy stuff, we get a small percentage, but you are not charged anymore for the items. Also, even if you don’t buy something on our list, but you click on any of the links, we can get commissions on other items you buy that are not on our list, for 24 hours after you click the link! So yeah, help a family out and click a link each time before you shop on Amazon, ok? 🙂
(Click here for an entire list of items: Needs, Wants and Amenities!– Keep reading below for the bare-bones-needs list to start with)
Cheers to your success!
- Plumbing:
- Electrical:
- Safety:
- Tools:
