Everything moves in a RV.
The point of living in a motorhome (The Home on Wheels, or HOW) is to take it where we want to, and move it along with us. That also means that everything we’ve chosen to take with us has to move around every time we travel.
There are things we expected to move. And then, there’s everything else. Like I said, everything moves in an RV. Here are some of the things we’ve heard jiggle, and what we’ve done about them.
Dishes
Dishes: We have grippy liner in cupboards thanks to Jeremiah’s mom (Thanks Sue!) but dishes that behaved perfectly start getting unruly from time to time. Example: we had a copper mug sitting inside of a glass bowl while we traveled from Alameda to Kern River – if you think a high-pitched tinging sound won’t drive you mad, you’re wrong. Within 3 minutes of getting on the road, my ear was glued to the outside of cupboards trying to steady myself and find the source of the rhythmic chant of metal on glass, seeking to separate the two.
Can’t it wait?
We’ve learned that if an annoying sound is occurring, I need to get up and look for it while we are driving. When we bought the RV in Phoenix, we drove it back to Oregon over the course of a 3-day-weekend. Since we’d flown down to Phoenix, we had brought some essentials in a checked bag, and stopped at Walmart to grab groceries outside of Vegas. I played the “What’s That Sound” game only when we were stationary–rookie mistake. When wind isn’t blowing and bumps aren’t being driven over, things are relatively quiet. When possible (and safe! Don’t do this on curvy roads!) find the source of sound while someone is driving.
Technology
Technology: Absolutely my worst enemy when we’re driving. Absolutely.
Because our coach is from 2007, we chose to do some retro fitting. (I’m still waiting on Jeremiah to fill you guys in on some of the many things he’s fixed or changed.)
One of the retro-fits was recycling the tube-tv from 1954. The monstrosity weighed 300 lbs and took up a perfectly cubicle space in the HOW. Televisions aren’t made in a square-shape now, and they weigh 7 oz, so we mounted our replacement outside of the cubicle so we can tilt it and it covers the entire gaping box where the 450 lb TV resided before. We didn’t initially have the tv bungeed back when we drove, so over the course of three hours while we drove from Portland to Bend to see my parents, it swung out repeatedly and hit the fan remote control mounted on the wall, the light switch, and the carbon monoxide alarm. The bedroom was a scene of a bad disco every few minutes as I’d unbuckle, walk to the back, and re-organize everything.
“Stop going around corners,” was my only suggestion to Jeremiah. Since then, we’ve created a strap that snaps into the original TV case that we place across the new television when we drive.
In addition, Jeremiah has a 2-monitor work station set up since he works on the road. Much like the TV, the monitors love to swing. The keyboard and mouse have attempted suicide each time we get on the road. We’ve started just placing the keyboard and mouse in the chair, but have not figured out a way to tighten down the monitors quite yet. We’ll keep you updated.
Stuff on Counter Tops
The biggest “Oh Shit” moment for us when something moved unexpectedly was when an empty Tupperware was on one of the countertop slides. Directly below our spice cabinet, we have a small open section where we typically put recycling and a basket of things we commonly use when the slide is extended.
One day we had placed a glass container on this same area, but I hadn’t thought anything of it. We got on the road for a trial run, and when we got to our campsite, the slide wouldn’t budge. Jeremiah started researching why our slide would suddenly stop working. We assumed the electric motor to the passenger side slide was kaput. That was, until, he shined a flashlight into the dark abyss and saw the glass container wedged down there, preventing the slide from opening.
Lesson learned: do not leave anything on counter tops that is not secured. Those kitschy decorations that make you place feel like home? Put ‘em in a cabinet, or tack them down.
Use a checklist!
There’s a million other mini things I could mention that we’ve tackled over the last three months, from broken hinges that meant drawers opening, to the shower door banging open.
This is a great time for me to mention we now have a checklist, and we use it whenever we go anywhere with The HOW. We’re still adding to it, as well. A pre-flight checklist is essential; we laminated ours and we have three – one at the drivers side, passenger side, and one in our tow vehicle.
Things move in a moving vehicle…a lot more when it’s a vehicle that is 42” feet long and carries everything you need in it. I’m not joking when I say: everything moves in an a rv. (Even the dog.)
