3 Keys to Happy Living

Though I’m fairly new to RV living, I’m no stranger to vehicular travel and living, and have learned a few things I need to do for any living situation of mine. Most of this would transfer over to any lifestyle, from living on foot travelling the world to owning a massive house, and anything in between. 

A nice, clutter free camper!

First and foremost for me is always clutter and organization. I’ve never liked seeing tons of stuff all over the place, especially if it’s the useless kind just collecting dust. Certain things though, are very convenient to keep out like a cooking thermometer in my case. Organization is always key no matter what the living situation, if you can’t find your stuff it makes life exponentially more difficult. I tend to prefer using small baskets to keep similar items together, so one for coffee, one for spices, one for pasta type foods, and one for various cooking extras(oils, new spices I don’t need yet, etc.). I still have more to do, everyday I reorganize one of the cabinets for the umpteenth time, and I always love finding more junk to get rid of. 

Coffee needs on the left, spices on the right, and a few other things I want quick access to, lighter is for the jetboil, extra 9 volt for the smoke alarm, cables for my phone and watch.

Second and likely as important, cleanliness, I can’t believe how dirty this camper gets, sweeping every few hours isn’t out of the ordinary here. Once a week I do a more thorough cleaning but everyday I sweep, wipe down the counters, wipe off the air vents, and of course do the dishes. Living in such a small space with a dog who LOVES to lay around in the dirt all day makes for a considerable amount of mess. And somehow the dust and dirt ends up in the air vents and even on my counter occasionally. I love cooking and have for quite some time, so there’s always plenty of dirty dishes in the sink and I make sure to wash them everyday before bed, nothing worse than waking up to a dirty coffee maker! 

The gear I use every single day without question.

And last but not least, buying quality gear. I know this isn’t exactly attainable for everyone, but if you’re in an RV you don’t have room for as much stuff so making sure what you do have room for is the best quality you can get is essential. I absolutely love gear and naturally prefer to test out the higher end offerings when I can. Things like the Leatherman Skeletool, Streamlight stylus pro, MacBook Air, Yeti insulated cups, Prana and Vertx shorts, Darn Tough socks, Chaco Sandals, etc. I wouldn’t even consider buying cheaper versions of these things(except maybe the yeti cup, I just love mine), normally you get what you pay for, and with the aforementioned gear, I’ve had all of those things for years and can attest to the durability of them all. Even down to things like kitchen utensils, I’ve blown through the cheap stuff very quickly, but my favorite chefs knife has been used almost daily for the past 3 years and is still cutting great! 

One of those “forgot all the gear including a leash”, hikes.

A notable mention is having the gear that makes you happy, whatever it is. I love trail running, hiking, fly fishing, and camping. So I have a dedicated tote just for that stuff; extra sleeping bags and pads, tent, camping hammock, running vests, running shoes, truck camping cookset, rock climbing gear, the fly fishing gear I don’t keep in the truck, etc. It’s vital for me to keep as much adventure gear as possible, and have it all readily accessible no matter where I am. On more than one occasion I’ve attempted very difficult hikes without the proper gear and it bites me in the ass every time, I even took a 3 day trip to colorado with nothing more than the clothes I was wearing and a small day hiking pack, all because I made the last minute decision to go there instead of spending the day in Flagstaff hiking Humphreys peak. 

This all sort of leads me to the next topic on the agenda, prepping, but not as much in the crazy aliens are coming sense. I’ll go in depth on how I conveniently stockpile key items in such a tiny space and keep it all organized.