Mid- to upper 60s, sunshine, calm air…it’s been pretty nice the last few days and there’s some even nicer weather coming. It’s time to bust out the shorts! The last few days I have had my lunch outside at my bistro table on the front porch. I’ve started feeling the need for keeping a couple of bottles of wine on hand for these pleasant evenings.

Of course the dogs are loving it outdoors. We walk around to get some exercise, then we play fetch with a ball. We’ll be getting out as much as possible to enjoy this beautiful weather, get some exercise and some solar-based vitamin D.

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I took some refrigerator and cabinet measurements in the trailer so I could start figuring out some storage bin sizes to keep things in place and organized.

I have seen some sets of different-sized bins so after some math I can figure out what will work best. I have been trying out bins in my fridge and it’s the only way to keep the RV fridge organized for travel. I have also tried in the cabinets but I have odd sizes that don’t pack tightly enough in there so they still move around a little. That’s good for air circulation though.

Tall things, like cereal boxes, don’t stay upright during travel very well so I may need to figure out some short containers for that. I also may have to put some shelves inside to maximize space. But, It’s not like I have to stock up that much since food stores are everywhere.

Until I get some bins ordered, I did a little reorganizing. Yes, again. I am actually removing a few extra things inside as well as moving things around a bit. I took a little inventory and decided some kitchen utensils can go back in the house or find a new home. The extra storage above the bed is not very convenient and it’s where I have my clothes. I moved the stuff front below the bed up above the bed and my clothes are now back under the bed in a drawer.

I swapped a few things around in the kitchen area to make more sense as I found a few more things to remove. I think the fridge is pretty much set with the bins I have. I have a plastic egg carrier that holds like 16 eggs or something; I guess thats a metric dozen. 🤣 I can put whatever will fit in there if it is eggs or not. The containers will all pretty much stay in the fridge so the space never changes.

I tried to organize the bathroom cabinet but I just don’t have the right size bins so I’ll need to grab a few. I will say this: don’t bother with those cheap-ass dollar-store bins. They just do not hold up. I will buy some that should last.

While doing some organizing in the garage I actually found some very sturdy containers with lids to store stuff in. They all fit nicely in the cabinets. I’m not going to say it’s done until I pack and travel with this setup, but there’s a good chance I won’t need to buy as many bins.

I must say it is really odd to have empty space in the trailer after having very little in the Scotty. I don’t overdo the packing – I only take what I need. I keep clothes in the trailer and some toiletries stay in there too. After having to watch packing closely in the Scotty, then the challenge of Europe on a backpack twice, I can really be efficient with space when I travel no matter the mode of travel. It’s my preferred method of packing. I actually have empty storage inside now.

At some point I will install a porthole to help in accessing the water valves for winterizing. The only access I have currently is removing about 10 screws each time, sliding the panel, turning the valves, putting the panel back in place and screwing it back down. My friend Dave did something similar in his trailer so I am going to give it a try. He gave me the idea to try that.

I got the license plate camera mounted on the truck and working. It uses the same monitor as the rear trailer camera. I think they are going to give me an additional camera for free so I may add it to the front of the truck.

I found a good spot on the dash to put the TPMS monitor. It’s a small screen so I can lay the mount on the dashboard over to the side and it won’t roll around. I have an idea for the camera monitor and it will be removable so both monitors can be taken out to keep them from getting stolen.

I think I finally have things pretty set now as far as where things are in the cabinets. I had a three-drawer Sterilite plastic cabinet. I repurposed two of the drawers into organizing the bathroom shelves and the third is for groceries.

I’m pretty much ready to go except for getting propane and opening the water system up (which isn’t too difficult) – just have to sterilize the system with chlorine overnight and rinse and that lasts for a while. I’ll nuke my water system two or three times a season. I have experience dealing with operating public water systems so I am very careful with sanitizing and cross-contamination.

After that is loading up groceries and buh-bye.

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The dogs are ready for a trip too. I took them to town to drop off the recycling today and they were loving it. They hang around outside the trailer while I am cleaning or working inside. They’ll come in and look around or maybe lay around for a few. It’s going to happen eventually but I’m not really ready to let the dogs in the trailer all the time. I did put an air purifier in the trailer so it will really cut down on dust plus keep air moving.

I think back about the trailer trips I have taken as an adult and they were all awesome experiences, and each felt so unique. It is so different to go park in a campground for a weekend than it is to go on a big road trip adventure. It is extremely freeing; you really feel as though you are a citizen of the world and you don’t really belong in one place…you belong most everywhere. It’s all pretty simple.

You go someplace. Like it? Stay another day or two if you can; if not, make the best of it. Staying one night? See what you can, get an early start to help you stop earlier the next afternoon by self-limiting your driving hours. Slow down and relax.

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That’s it for this episode. See you next time.

Shawn