5 Things We Didn't Know We'd Need/Wish We Didnt Bring
I researched for years on what would be the essential items for living on the road. While all lifestyles are different, we spent a ton of money on things that we thought would be vital to living a wonderful life as nomads. Here are 5 things we are glad we picked up and 5 we wish we hadn’t bought.
The Winners
Specifically, the Weber 54060001 Q2200 Liquid Propane Grill. Ron and I really had no experience with grilling before we went on the road. I STILL don’t. But when researching grills, this one kept popping up. It was compact but large, it was brand name and “easy” to learn. We went with the portable cart as well, not knowing what table situations we would have. There are some weeks where Ron uses this to cook every dinner we have. On hot days, it’s amazing to not have even more heat coming in. Ron has expanded his culinary skills and has even grilled a meatloaf!
This little jump starter has helped us more times than we would like to admit. It has jumped our RV when we didnt realize how much the batteries were pulling. It has jumped the motorcycle when we didnt realize something was wrong with the wiring and the lights were on all night. It jumped our solar batteries when we couldnt figure out why crap wasn’t charging. It is one of those things that you hope you dont need to use, but you’re happy you have it when you need it.
Ron is a bit paranoid, and one of the first things we purchased was the Arlo Pro 2 security system (along with a few other security measures). Ron loves it because he gets alerts if anyone is in the range of the camera while we are gone, and I love it because it has night vision and we can see the kitties that stop by our RV in the middle of the night! Another peace of mind item.
This isn’t a must for everyone by any means. We found out very quickly that our hot water heater was not functional, and we needed a way to wash our dishes (what, with all the grilling). We picked up a cheapo teapot from Target and it has actually been really great. I use it for hot cocoa and oatmeal, Ron uses it for his french press (ooo la la). While having a hot water heater would be nice, this eliminates a lot of the need for one at a fraction of the cost. Plus it matches our couch.
Ron had a lot of great ideas for what to do for our TV viewing. We had a gigantic TV in our apartment, which we gave away to one of our siblings and we made do with watching our movies and shows on my laptop for a while. We even bought a super heavy and expensive tv mount with the intention of figuring out where the hell to put it that would be A) safe and B) easy to see from the couch. Our couch faces the kitchen, but the only real place to put it was over the drivers seat, a full 90 degrees from the couch. It wouldnt have been comfy. We even looked at easy ways to maneuver our couch toward seeing the tv. In the end, we purchased a projector and screen, and it has been awesome. It is much more lightweight than a TV of even a portion of the size, and it can run off of battery if need be. It might not be the cinematic experience of our dreams, but we love how it has worked out.
Honorable Mention:
Our couch! First thing we did when we got our RV was rip out the monstrosity of a pull out couch that was bolted in. It was ugly and uncomfortable. When looking at couches, it was important that it was easy to get through our small RV door, lightweight(ish) and look good. We settled on a Lovesac couch, and it has been amazing. It’s modular, which means every part of it comes apart. I am a puny person, and I moved the whole thing easily. It also came in teal, which was everything my heart desired.
The Losers
I followed Heath and Alyssa Padgett religiously when researching this (check them out if you haven’t, because they seem like overall amazing humans as well as badass nomads) and in one of their park reviews (I think it was Pecan Park, which we actually ended up going to in Texas anyway!) they talked about being on the water and kayaking, and I thought “Oh my god, this is everything I want”. It did not matter that I dont kayak, or dont own a bathing suit, or that I cannot swim. I immediately ordered an inflatable two person kayak. And it has never left the packaging. Because I hate the water. I have no idea what I was thinking. I was drawn into the idea of an instagram-type moment of bliss where I lounge in the sun on my kayak and listen to the sound of how much better my life is at this moment than it was before. I’m not sure what the exact sound that would make, but it was going to be freaking awesome.
Some things we bought for dreams that we realllllly wanted to come true, but never did. Ron’s vision for streaming was to have an outdoor setup. We would end up in a beautiful location, he’d set up the canopy tent with his computer equipment inside, and he’d stream with the amazing background behind him. We made sure it was 10x10, which is the minimum size for VR. Surprising no one, the VR setup is collecting dust.
This one is hard to put on the list, because we love our outdoor chairs. When we use them, they are great. If boondocking, it is really nice to have outdoor seating available. We just havent gotten the solar setup up to snuff enough to be boondocking a lot, so the chairs just… sit outside. Most places we stay have picnic tables, or no view to want to see to begin with. Staring at the side of someone elses RV isnt the most romantic sight. Plus they’re huge and cumbersome to pack up when we move. While we would ideally want these same chairs, I wouldnt have purchased them until we were mainly living on BLM land.
I dont cook. I really, really don’t. And everyone said how easy the instapot is, and that it takes a fraction of the energy of a crock pot, so we bought one. Considering we have like one square foot of counterspace, we would have to use it every day for it to make sense in our lives. Since we mainly do grilling, we really only use the instapot once or twice a month, and it is just too bulky for the number of times we use it.
This goes hand in hand with the canopy and gravity chairs. Thought we would be doing a lot more outdoor things, but instead we have a huuuuuge folding table in our storage bays that I dont think we have used even once. Again, the things we bought are for the lifestyle we thought we were going to live, not the one we ended up living.
This is not to say that any of these things are bad things, or that the things we loved will work for everyone. I know people who live and die by their instapot, and people who think us having a projector is ridiculous. It’s all about finding out what items work for you.