PACKING FOR FULL-TIME RVing

PACKING FOR FULL-TIMING

One of the biggest problems that full-timers have is what to do with all those things which they really want and/or need. We believe that we need our bicycles, scuba gear, back-country camping gear, and kayaks. You may or may not have such needs. Nevertheless if you're not traveling in a big 40 foot Class-A, storage is always an issue. Here is our solution.

Pic-1. Bicycles

Our tow vehicle is a Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 with the 3.7L Hemi engine and towing package. It has the extended crew cab and 6'6" bed, which is almost 18" longer than the short bed and 18" shorter than the extended bed. It didn't take us long to realize that we were not getting the best use of the truck bed. We bought an ARE cap with the raised roof, which gives me 5" more height. I can't stand up but I can easily move around inside. We bought two sets of high quality, heavy duty wire shelving. In the picture you will see that they are secured to the walls in an L-shape. This was necessary so there would be length for the bicycles.

Pic-2. Driver's side & center

On the far shelves are our scuba gear, tents and other back-country gear, and similar items. On the shelves running down the driver side (Pic-2) are supplies such as extra spices, toilet paper, paper towel, etc. Up against those shelves you will see a cardboard box. Inside is our portable solar system. Holding that up against the shelves are the generator and tool box. You want these items easily accessible. Out of sight in the picture, but right by the tool box, is a jumper battery. For safety we carry as little fuel for the generator as possible, but we do have a 6 gallon water container. When we're at Glacier we keep that filled with fabulous water straight from a mountain spring. Our bicycles (pic-1) take up the passenger-side of the bed. The front wheels are removed. They are padded with foam and bunged up against the outside wall. Believe it or not we still have room.

Pic-3

At the end of the shelves (Pic-3) are two extremely important tools - a SmartTote (blue boy, honey bucket) and a collapsible 12' ladder. The SmartTote is important when you're at a place without sewage long enough for your grey and black water tanks to fill. Ours stands on end right behind the ladder. Our ladder was expensive but well worth it. It is heavy, stable and well constructed. If you don't have a ladder, I would strongly recommend you get one if you're going to full-time.

In the picture (Pic-3) you will notice a white kitchen stool. I don't know what I would do without it. I saw a Ford 150 with a step that was a part of the tailgate. I thought that was neat until I realized that the user didn't have a choice of location. I can move my kitchen stool anywhere along the truck. I put it slightly to the left when I'm getting our bicycles out. I keep it center or to the right when I'm going after supplies. I use it to secure the hold-downs for the kayaks. You want a kitchen stool.

Pic-4. Completely loaded.

In this picture of us totally loaded and ready to roll it looks pretty crowded, but you would be surprised at how much room we still have. If you aren't carrying two bicycles, two complete sets of scuba gear, and a couple of tents, backpacks, etc., you will probably find that you have strap things down to keep from shifting. LOL.

Loaded and ready to roll

Just a tag to this article about our truck storage. We organize our pass-through and rear storage compartment as pantry, basement and garage. The pass-through, which is in the front of our unit, the door side is the pantry holding canned goods and food supplies that don't need to be inside. The other side of the pass-through is called the basement because it holds mats, buckets, power drills, etc., that you would normally keep in a basement. Our rear storage compartment is called our garage because that's where we keep levelers, hitch items, hoses, and power supplies.

We believe that keeping organized is a major factor in being safe and happy on the road as a full-timer.

Happy travels,

Pamela and Russ

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