We have been FT for almost a year and are looking at our annual purge... What have you taken on the road and never used? For example, we brought a blender we haven't used, but I keep thinking I will someday.

I have an electric hand mixer I think I've only used once, probably would not miss it.The thing I know I'm overloaded on is tableware. I have enough to set 4-6 places, and it's just me.

We are not full-timers but I know we accumulated stuff we did not use or need. We sold a trailer and were without an rv for a year. We kept everything we had in the old trailer. When we bought a new travel trailer we went through all of the stuff and ended up not putting about a quarter of in the new rig. We don't miss it.I like your "annual purge" routine we do that at our sticks and bricks.jesseannie

We carried a toaster for years and hardly ever used it.

One of those big mats for putting out to set your table and chairs on. Mostly at campgrounds with cement pads anymore. Have one nice one, never used it. Maybe this is the year!

I keep two ongoing lists, and add to them while camping, whenever things occur to me: Bring Next Year, and Weight Reduction. What I need and what I don't!The weight reduction list currently is mostly about less of certain things, not really none at all, or things that can do double duty. For example, my car jack has a lever arm /tire iron that can also work as a pry bar -- so I can get rid of the pry bar in my tool box. I don't need a whole roll of solder, just a piece. I never used the 5 gallons of emergency water, so I'll reduce it to 1 next time.One thing I need less of is cool-weather, nice-looking clothes. The places i go are warm in the daytime when I might be in town. But I need more warm clothes for chilly nights around the camp, so that just evens out.Instead of a blender, may I suggest an electric 'chopper'? Smaller, lighter in weight, and it can do the same jobs (except ice cubes). That way, even if you don't use it, you are taking up less weight (and about half the space)

What did you find you did not need? | Good Sam Community

39 Replies

Robocop
Explorer
May 30, 2015
tatest wrote:
Have not yet used the jack or. spare tire. Also the dinky little fire extinguisher.

Sadly, I have needed the fire extinguisher once in an exigent manner and now carry two larger ones. The spare came in handy at least once, almost twice. No need for a jack. AAA or Good Sam.
tatest
Explorer II
May 25, 2015
Have not yet used the jack or. spare tire. Also the dinky little fire extinguisher.
steve-n-vicki
Explorer
May 25, 2015
4X4Dodger wrote:
My Wife.

same here
Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
May 25, 2015
Well, my RVing has been reduced to a shell of a TC, so I guess I dont really need about 80% of the stuff I carried in the 5er....LOL
toedtoes
Explorer III
May 25, 2015
I try to purge every year and I have a couple rules that I follow:

1. I don't remove items for a season - my house is too small to fill with off-season camping gear. So, what I use camping stays in the RV year round. The only exception to this rule is the easy-up style canopy - that gets pulled out if I don't need it simply because it doesn't have a dedicated place (it travels in the shower and then gets moved outside when I arrive). The canopy usually only goes in dry weather when folks are joining me - otherwise I'd rather not bother with it.

2. If it hasn't been used at all in the past year, it goes. This keeps things that get used only when I have others with me (dominoes, cards, bigger pots, etc.), seaasonal stuff (beach gear, snow gloves, etc.), and special event gear (stuff for rallies, etc.).

I do have a recent attraction to lanterns. I have more than I need in the RV and I have to slap myself to not buy more. I rarely use more than one at any given time (but I tend to rotate use, so they all do get used each year). I should purge them and gain some additional empty space. I also have extra towels, but with two large dogs, I consider them an "emergency item". My pantry needs to be reduced - as mentioned above, I have a lot of canned goods that don't need to be there. I'd like to empty 2 of the 5 shelves completely.
Veebyes
Explorer II
May 25, 2015
The boater in me likes to have spares & the means to change things out. This means some heavy stuff is carried around, just in case. The 12 ton bottle jack is no lightweight neither is the spare 5er landing leg. The combined weight of tools & spares must exceed 150#. I also do an annual cleanout & purge but not much gets removed.
4X4Dodger
Explorer II
May 25, 2015
My Wife.
tomman58
Explorer
May 24, 2015
Looks like we might be leaning toward "What do ya need now"
I agree with Jim Shoe as to the 30 a cord, paper plates, and I carry 20+ feet of sewer hose and have needed it!
We normally reduce our "stuff" each time we get a new trailer seems to work that way as once "stuff" finds a hole it stays.
We did find some small 14" X 24" X 12" collapsible baskets at Costco that really come in handy. We even keep one in the shower to hold all our shower stuff and other things for traveling. Being plastic it stays in the shower always. Others are handy for shopping.
Jim_Shoe
Explorer
May 24, 2015
I carry an extra 30A cord, an extra "stinky slinky" with a connector and an extra water hose. If you're one foot too far away from the utilities, you might as well be a mile. To make room, I ditched the HUGE tool box since there isn't a single metric thing on my rig, and service for eight in the kitchen. I'm single and there's no good place to keep dirty dishes so I reduced it to service for one and carry paper plates. BTW, the rumor that Corelle is unbreakable isn't exactly true. If its dropped from a sufficient height and lands just right, it breaks into hundreds of tiny shards. Same deal with melamine. If you pour boiling hot coffee into a melamine coffee cup, you get a perfectly straight line separating the thick bottom from the thinner sides. And hot coffee running in every direction.
Robocop
Explorer
May 24, 2015
kellertx5er wrote:
bukhrn wrote:
I have things like a 25ft 30A extension cord, needed it once before I bought it, have NEVER needed it since I bought it, not getting rid of it though. I'm of the mind set, that I won't need some of the things that I carry..... till I don't have them. :(

A big x2! Since we have more than ample storage, I am taking the Boy Scout approach. Sure, I'll lose 0.1 mpg hauling the stuff around but it'll be there when I need it.

By the way, you WILL need that 30A extension again some day.

Indeed. I travel alone so the MH weight issue is not so prominent always. I suspect I am of the rainy day mindset when it comes to food, supplies and contingencies. Like the 14x14 EZ Up. Always take it. Never look at the 10 day weather forecast. Yep. Takes some room and is not light. The extra 30 amp extension cord? One trip a year with a shared pedestal but what if I did not know that? Blender, toaster, crock pot, electric griddle and fry pan, just in case. LOL! Perhaps my approach is no longer Boy Scout but it may lean toward the Zombie Apocalypse. :B