Moving from your permanent home to your RV full-time is the start of an adventurous life. You can travel around the country to explore new places, enjoy the simplicity of a clutter-free life and spend more time with your family.
Downsizing before moving into an RV is necessary so that you only have the belongings you truly need. If you live in a large home or have a lot of stuff, going through it all and deciding what to do with each item can be overwhelming. Follow these tips on how to downsize for RV living to stay on track and be ready to hit the road on moving day.
Assess Your Current Possessions
Go through every drawer, closet and cabinet in your home to sort all of your belongings into one of these categories:
- Keep: The “keep” category is for the belongings you use frequently. However, only keep the items you truly need to prevent cluttering your RV or overloading it beyond its maximum weight limit.
- Donate: Donate items that are still usable but not valuable enough for resale.
- Sell: You can sell items in good condition in an online marketplace or at a garage sale. Selling offloads your stuff and puts extra cash in your pocket.
- Trash: Throw away items that are in poor condition or not valuable.
- Replace: If you have things that are broken or too bulky for an RV, replace them with an upgraded version to bring with you. You can also get multi-use items that have multiple functions to cut down on your stuff.
- Store: Store items that are essential to keep but don’t need to be with you. Such possessions include certain important documents and family photos.
Navigate the Emotional Challenges of Downsizing
Downsizing can have emotional side effects — letting go of sentimental items can be hard. Here are some coping strategies for navigating emotional attachment to your stuff:
- Be realistic: Keep belongings for their usefulness, not their meaning. Sentimental things are often looked at and rarely used, and your RV only has room for things you need to use regularly.
- Give special possessions to loved ones: Instead of taking sentimental items to a donation center, gift them to friends and family members who will appreciate their meaning.
- Keep a photograph instead of the item: Take pictures of the things you love and put them in an album on your phone. You can reminisce by looking at the picture instead of bringing the item with you.
- Consider long-term storage: If you have some belongings you can’t part with or give away, you can put them in a storage facility. Storage is also ideal if you plan on living in a permanent residence again someday.
Essential Items for RV Living
Deciding which items are essential can be challenging when learning how to downsize for full-time RV living. The following are some of the most important items you need to bring with you when moving into your RV.
Kitchen Items
If you plan on cooking most meals in the RV’s kitchen, you will need some essentials for prepping, cooking, baking and storing. Pack these items for your RV kitchen:
- Dinner and cake plates
- Bowls of various sizes
- Mugs, cups and glasses
- Silverware
- Serving spoons
- Utensils for the grill
- Paper napkins
- Casserole dish
- Frying pan
- Pots of various sizes
- Cake pan
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Can opener
- Spatula
- Food storage containers
- Aluminum foil
- Plastic wrap
- Toaster
- Coffee maker
- Electric mixer
- Pot holders
For dishes, you can opt for plastic or lightweight options. That way, they will be less likely to break and won’t add a lot of weight to your RV.
Linens and Bedding
Make sure your RV is comfortable and cozy by packing these household items:
- Pillows
- Flat and fitted sheets
- Comforter or bedspread
- Blankets
- Towels
- Washcloths
- Dish towels
- Cloth napkins
RV beds can have unusual dimensions, so you may need to get custom bedding.
Clothing
Downsize your clothing to a capsule wardrobe of apparel you can wear throughout the year, such as:
- Jeans
- Shorts
- Sweatpants and leggings
- T-shirts
- Sweaters and sweatshirts
- Dressy shirts for special occasions
- Socks
- Bathrobe
- Pajamas
- Bathing suit
- Fleece coat
- Windbreaker
- Raincoat
- Winter hat and gloves
You will also need shoes for all occasions and weather conditions, including:
- Athletic shoes
- Dress shoes
- Sandals
- Hiking boots
- Slippers
- Shower shoes
The essential clothing to pack depends on where you plan to camp most of the time. For example, if you plan on spending winters in the South, you won’t need a lot of winter apparel.
Tools and Hardware
Bring these tools to maintain your RV:
- Hammer
- Screwdriver
- Wrench
- Pliers
- Drill and bits
- Nails, screws and bolts
- Ax
- Bucket
- Jump pack
- Jacks
- Zip ties
- Duct tape
- Super glue
- Spare fuses
- Latex and mechanics gloves
- Multi-tool
Prepare Your RV for Full-Time Living
After you have kept the essentials and donated or stored the rest, it is time to prep your RV. Take these steps to make your RV your new home.
1. Buy the Right RV for Your Needs
If you want to downsize for full-time RV living, you will need to purchase an RV if you don’t own one already. Choosing the right RV is an important part of the process — it will be your new home for the foreseeable future.
Make a list of what features your RV needs to have and research the best types of RVs for your lifestyle. For example, some RVs are just built for occasional vacation use, so you will want to look for an RV that is rated for full-time living. You may even want to consider upgrading suspension and tires if you plan to travel long distances. Explore RV models at RV dealerships and independent sellers to find the right one.
2. Evaluate Your RV’s Storage
The type of RV you choose will determine what your living space is like and how much storage space you will have. Assess your RV’s inside and outside storage and plan where to store each item. On moving day, every item will have its place, and you can be confident everything will fit.
3. Expand the Space With Storage Solutions
Besides the cabinets, drawers and outside storage compartments, you can get some storage products like:
- Tubs for storage bays
- Plastic drawers for tall cabinets
- Lazy Susan for large cabinets
- Over-the-door storage pockets
- Adhesive hooks and strips for lightweight items since RV walls are thin
Downsizing Tips for RV Living
Follow these tips to make downsizing for RV living as seamless as possible:
- Start downsizing early: Start sorting through your belongings as soon as possible — the process will likely take longer than you think you need. An early start ensures you will have enough time to prepare for moving into your RV. If something comes up in your schedule, you won’t get too thrown off.
- Keep your storage space in mind: When you decide to keep an item, decide where you will store it in the RV. An RV has limited storage compartments, so bring only the essentials. You will also acquire items along the way, so leave space now to accommodate those items or be prepared to get rid of something later else to make room.
- Schedule your tasks: Schedule time blocks for working on downsizing every day or week. You can make progress toward your goal of full-time RV living and not feel rushed as you approach the deadline.
- Make to-do lists to stay organized: Moving into an RV full-time has a lot of steps, so lists help you make sure you don’t miss anything. Make a list of things you want to have in your RV, belongings you want to sell online and more.
- Take several trips before your move: Before moving into your RV permanently, take several short trips in it. These trips are trial runs for what everyday life will be like. You can become more familiar with your RV’s storage space and learn what you really need.
Why Trust KOA for Information for Downsizing Before Full-Time RV Living?
Kampgrounds of America has been North America’s expert on short-term and full-time camping since 1962. KOA has over 500 campgrounds across the continent, where campers can enjoy the outdoors and make memories with their family and friends. As the world’s largest campground chain, no other campground provider has the expertise KOA does.
The KOA Camping Blog has a lot of information to help full-time campers make the most of their RV lifestyle, including:
- Trip ideas to plan unforgettable excursions at destinations across the U.S. and Canada.
- Camper-friendly recipes to cook delicious meals and snacks from your RV.
- RV advice for tried-and-true maintenance tips to care for your RV and the best products to make RV living comfortable.
Stay at KOA Campgrounds During Your Full-Time RV Travels
Downsizing before moving into an RV can be a lengthy yet worthwhile process. Every item you sell, donate or throw away brings you one step closer to your dream of full-time RV living. With less stuff, you will have more freedom to travel and see new places.
As you explore the country in your RV, stay at KOA Campgrounds. No matter where you are, you are sure to find a KOA nearby with family-friendly amenities, comfortable RV Sites and access to the great outdoors. KOA also offers extended stays, so you can enjoy your KOA Campground for several weeks or longer. Reserve a site today!
About the Author: Kampgrounds of America
Kampgrounds of America is the largest system of open-to-the-public campgrounds in the world, with over 500 locations across the United States and Canada. Founded in Billings, MT in 1962, KOA’s family of campground brands – KOA Journey, KOA Holiday and KOA Resort – today serve more than a million camping families each year. KOA is dedicated to “connecting people to the outdoors and each other” by providing people with a variety of camping experiences and the information they need to make the most of their camping trip. Read more of their camping and travel resources by visiting KOA.com/blog.