Packing up – June 23 – 26
Packing the Vista the first time was relatively easy. First we loaded in everything we thought we might need, which was basically everything in the house except the kitchen sink. (The Vista had a perfectly good kitchen sink or we would have packed that as well.) Then Chuck started worrying about weight, and we took out all the duplicates. Since we had sleeping space for 8 (or 10 if you get serious) we took bedding, towels and plates for 8.
Packing the Vista the second time was even easier. We looked at what was in it at the end of the trip, and took out whatever we had not used, including half of the bedding and towels.
Packing the Travato is another matter entirely. We have a fraction of the space, and the kayaks and bikes are inside, instead of on the car. Since we won’t be towing a car, we need to cram everything into the RV. And it needs to be done in such a way that if we want to drive out of the campsite (e.g. to go kayaking, sightseeing or shopping) we can pack up quickly. In short, we needed to plan carefully.
Besides this, we need to adjust to our new kitchen, which does not have an oven (the appliance I use most often). I decided that I need a mini Instant Pot (to cook steel cut oats, at minimum) and an electric frying pan. Fortunately, the electric kettle can still be stashed in the Instant Pot but we are substituting the automatic coffee maker for a tiny French press. The electric frying pan, which is primarily going to be used to make supper, is going to live in the Pizza Oven storage over the cab. Fortunately, all the dinner plates can fit inside the frying pan. (As a former tent camper, I can hardly believe that all this cooking gear is “necessary” but I never camped for more than a couple of weeks, either.) Finally, the soup and dessert bowls are going to live in the microwave along with a collapsible microwave popcorn popper. On top of all this, we need to plan for nights when we do not have electricity, so we packed a steamer pot.
Unbelievably, once all this stuff was packed, the kitchen cabinet was empty. The spices all fit on a ledge behind the kitchen counter or a built-in rack by the sink. So there is lots of room for cereal, soup, tea, etc.
Meanwhile, Chuck was trying to find space for the important mechanical equipment — the electrical cord, water hose and sewer hose. After considering how to install hooks for these, he decided just to coil the clean items up in a closet, and get a bin to store the sewer hose. He also cut an opening into the enclosed storage under the bed, so that it can be accessed when the back doors are open. Otherwise, we need to take out the bikes and kayaks to get into it. That space holds extra electrical cords and water hoses. We also decided to put the folding stadium chairs there, and pack the patio rugs with the bikes and kayaks..
We also needed to sanitize our drinking water tank. This is done by filling the tank with a weak bleach solution and letting it sit. After a few hours, the water is released and the tank is refilled and released to rinse. This was much easier in our driveway in the summer than it was at a campsite in mid-winter. However, it still had some challenges. Firstly, I slipped with the bleach in hand, dumping 3/4 of a cup of pure bleach over the two of us (to the detriment of one of my favorite T-shirts). Then it turned out that the water tank, which was supposed to be almost empty on delivery, was already full, so the bleach just ran out of the tank onto the driveway. After the tank was emptied, we were able to proceed. Luckily we started with a full bottle of bleach.
My next mission was to make the bedroom and kitchen more convenient by adding small shelves. Unfortunately, both rooms have only thin partitions separating them from things like the outside of the van, wires, pipes, etc. So putting in screws is out of the question. I visited Walmart, Staples, Lowes and Ace Hardware looking for options and came home with an assortment of small bins and shelves. I then went back to Ace twice trying out magnets and suction cups. My final trip of the day was returning to all 4 stores to return everything, as none of it worked for our purpose. However, the invaluable Travato Facebook Group has suggestions and we will work on these as we go along.
We spent Tuesday morning with friends, and then completed our packing in the afternoon. To our astonishment, we actually had some empty space. As well, there are several locations where there is space to build extra storage (with instructions from the Facebook group) which we will do next winter. These extra storage areas are partially filled with wiring and pipes, so we cannot just dump stuff in there, in case we dislodge something. But it looks pretty easy to install bins that hang above the delicate items. (By this I mean that I could do it myself, if necessary. However, Chuck does a much more professional job, so I will just provide encouragement.)
We spent Wednesday packing up the last few things and then doing a thorough housecleaning of our home kitchen and dining areas. The place is still piled up with boxes and things we have not packed from the Vista. But we wanted to be sure that no critters move in while we are away.
And then, unbelievably, we were off to Bald Eagle State Park to have our first night of camping and “shake down” our equipment.