preparing to travel full time??

[kellybelly]

hi everyone, just curious to know what a person brings to travel full time. we will be down sizing to a small t@b 16ft w/bath. very small. As a female i am not sure how to down size this drastically. any suggestions?? thanks

[wrenchbender]

This summer I did 9wks in my 17ft Bigfoot.I had 5days of clothes in the closet.In a large suitcase in the back of my truck I had another 5 days.The big problem was weather anticipation at some destinations.

[kellybelly]

doxiluvr wrote:
Are you downsizing from a house/apartment? Or just from a larger trailer?

a small house.

[westend]

Get rid of all those shoes.

[Mr__Camper]

If you have to think about it are you really ready? All your photos stored digitally, music as well, the clothing you can fit in storage, cookware(basically the seasoned cast iron skillet), favorite dvd's, e-readers and the rest is for your friends and family. We've made our decision already and that was our process after months of making lists. A lot of books we had before we bought e-readers were donated to the school and public library. We're reducing every week and so far no regrets.

[hitchup]

Space limits most of what you take. Pare down to necessities. I wash clothes daily, but still carry a week's worth of jeans, shirts for both of us. When we're in between locations, I don't bother to use the W/D.

We are down to once a week shopping trips and try not to stock up. But sometimes, we overbuy and so things are stuffed under the bed, in a drawer or under the table in a tote.

If you should need something you've given away, scout out the nearest WalMart, Big Lots or even GoodWill.

[mockturtle]

You will find you don't need most of the stuff you take. Rather than taking one heavy coat, take a Goretex jacket that can be layered over fleece.

I use a sleeping bag with one folded flat sheet so I don't carry a lot of bedding.

Although it's true that you can't cook big meals in small cookware, I don't worry about that (I don't do potlucks) and just carry a small cast iron skillet, two saucepans with lids and a flexible steamer rack. Also a set of nesting Pyrex baking dishes with lids. Since I dry camp a lot, a stove-top percolator is a necessity as well as my electric drip coffee maker.

I find that the most challenging issue is paperwork. Of course, a lot of documents can be scanned and stored on the computer and (hopefully!) backed up.

Since the dawn of Kindle, I no longer have to carry 20-30 pounds of books. 🙂

[amandasgramma]

🙂 First.....take everything out of your bathroom cabinet and put it in a box. As you use something, put that back in a diff. box that will go to the trailer. Decide whether you REALLY need all that makeup, etc.
I disagree about taking ALL your favorite pans, etc.....take a large skillet (but not too large for the stove top), and a large saucepan. Any small amount can be cooked in the big pans.....but big amounts can't be cooked in a small pan.
I, too, wear jeans and t-shirts. Honestly, if you're careful, you can wear jeans for more than 3 days.....:) 🙂 just don't mention it to those around you.
You only need one towel......unless you really believe you can use a towel only once without washing. If that's the case, you need to buy a bigger rig. I keep one set of sheets on the bed....no extras.
I agree with the extra clothes for different temps....on this trip (all winter), we've needed clothes for 40 deg weather and 95 deg weather. 🙂
Take only a pair of sandals and a pair of walking shoes or tennis shoes. My GF takes 10 pairs of shoes for a week trip...you do NOT need that many.
Do test runs......put everything you need in the rig, then go camp for a week, even if it's just in your driveway.....that'll help you figure it out.

[tonyandkaren]

Many people who start fulltiming are not sure if they're going to like it so they rent a storage unit for their most prized possessions. Some discover that those possessions are not very prized after a few years. 😄 Everything else can be sold at garage sales, on Craig's List and given away to relatives and charities.

As far as stocking the trailer - take all of your favorite pots, pans, cooking utensils, etc. Pack enough clothing so that you don't have to go to the laundromat every week plus an assortment so that you're prepared for any weather. Scan photographs, put favorite CDs on an Ipod, get a Kindle and investigate hobbies that don't take up a lot of space.

Don't go crazy buying RV specific stuff. Take a few multiple week trips if possible before you actually start fulltiming. You'll get a better idea of what you really need.

[colliehauler]

double post

[colliehauler]

You might want to read the blog interstellar orchard of a single female that travels in a Castia.

[doxiluvr]

Are you downsizing from a house/apartment? Or just from a larger trailer?

[Road_Phantom]

I went full time for a while in a 32 footer. I eventually traded it in for something smaller because the 32 was too large for my needs. I was single and traveling with my boxer. Two people might be a different story. Most times I wore jeans and a T shirt. I hardly ever got into any good clothes. I couldn't believe all of the useless stuff I had accumulated with the bigger trailer. Just take the basic essentials and forget those (we may need this thing someday) kind of items. If it's that important and you don't have it, you can always stop overnight at a Walmart and buy it with the money you saved on a CG.

[Old-Biscuit]

We gave away to family/friends anything that wanted then sold everything else.
Then we still ended up getting rid of our stuff during the first year because we found we didn't need it or use it.

Full timing for us was about the travel, no stress and that meant for us very few items.......just basics very basic.

LESS is definitely more :B

[WoodGlue]

What kind of rig are you downsizing from?

Only add in the most important essentials. You'll find that you don't need half of the stuff you're hauling around!

WoodGlue