Yes, we're stupid - but now what? Any RVers here?

[newanatomy]

Diana,

What I do is mostly prepare meats at home and put them into ziplock storage bags. I keep a few spices in the 5th Wheel though, not many. By having them ready for the grill you have less mess to deal with in the RV. They store in the fridge better too.

 

[DianaCox]

That's usually what I do too - marinate the chicken in advance, steaks in freezer bags (though usually not spiced yet), dog turds (there is something about kielbasa cooked outdoors, mixed with veggies and red beans and rice). But I also want to bring garlic powder, Italian seasoning, oregano, parley, basil, Tajin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, dried diced onion, bay leaves and chili powder. In addition to all the liquid stuff like flavored oils and vinegars. Because although I probably WON'T use them, I will miss them if I don't have them ...

 

[brooklyngirl]

@DianaCox I have one of those magnetic spice racks and I keep meaning to do what I saw Alton Brown do ages ago- he put self adhesive magnetic strips on the insides of the doors to one of the kitchen cabinets and sticks them on there so they're not taking up extra space on the shelves OR the countertop.

 

[DianaCox]

Today was the hunt for an outdoor stove and grill. I went to Costco yesterday, and the one we wanted was sold out - I bought an alternate one, but it sucked. So we went to WalMart first (first time I'd been in there in years, I'm happy to say) and they didn't have anything we wanted. And then off to the Mountain View Costco, which supposedly still had a few of the one we wanted left - and we scored. And then, went online and ordered more pieces for it, which added up to more than we paid for the stove itself. But - we will now have a deluxe outdoor stove and grill:

and carry bags for the grill and BBQ box (we didn't get the flat skillet tray that's shown on the stove, but there was a dutch oven that came with it:

We have a little square skillet of our own, plus a Le Crueset 2-in-1 set that Charles insisted on buying a couple of months ago because it was on sale, and I had no idea what to do with it, but now I do:

I'm now taking suggestions for a CHEAP "toad" to buy - the RV came with a very nice tow hitch for flat-towing a car, but I'm not sure what to look for - the catalogs are organized by year, which doesn't help as much as just a freaking list of suitable cars and the year/models that would work without modification.

We also need an RV-specific GPS system with integrated backup camera, an additional FantasticFan that we've already arranged to buy from CampingWorld (and have them install the GPS/backup camera too), and of course to fix the mirror. And I think we're going to buy some sort of TV/DVD unit for the bedroom.

I sure hope I like camping in an RV after all this ...

 

[Whit]

I am so bummed I will be in Seattle when they come to the area. Have a great time and pictures please!

 

[southernlady]

@DianaCox, we got the same stove! But not the cover or side table.

 

[southernlady]

@DianaCox as far as flat towing, check the owners manual of the car AND check with your dealer.

I know of one, the Chevy Cruz manual transmission that the owners manual said can be flat towed but Chevy came back and said, oops we goofed, you can't flat tow the Cruz.

I googled flat towing car and had some sites pop up with model and year.

Liz

 

[southernlady]

Okay, an RV GPS...Magellan makes one.

 

[southernlady]

I have a question, esp since I am unable to check the brand on the grill at the moment! URL to extra equipment, please??!!

 

[DianaCox]

We ended up doing a combination of the site(s) (I think they belong to the same people) for the manufacturer/distributor, and Amazon.com. We actually ordered it through Amazon, and then I noticed that one of the sites had a 20% off offer (but that may be off the retail price, and I think the Amazon prices were already deeply discounted, plus no tax or shipping). If you'd like, you can have the parts shipped to our house, and we'll hold them for you!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...dition 3x&sprefix=camp+chef+expeditio,aps,212 (note - we ordered the discontinued carry bag for the stove, as it was considerably less than the newer one that has wheels, which we don't need)

http://www.outdoorcooking.com/expedition-3x-triple-burner-stove-w-griddle.html
http://www.outdoorcooking.com/blog/denali-3x

 

[DianaCox]

Okay, an RV GPS...Magellan makes one.

We're looking to buy this one: http://www.thegpsstore.com/Garmin-RV-760LMT-BC20-Bundle-P3819.aspx

 

[Spiky Bugger]

There she is!

Charles drove her home, with me following in the car - not 100 yards from home, he hit the driver's side mirror of a FedEx truck with our passenger side mirror - just the glass is broken - anyone have any idea were you find the glass for a mirror (nothing fancy - just an elongated piece of mirror glass with a round convex mirror at the bottom.

I'm enjoying the idea that the asshole neighbors in that awful, out-of-place white McMansion across the street are probably shitting their pants thinking it is going to live where it is. They'll be calling code enforcement by Monday - which is when we take it down to the storage yard where we will be keeping it. In the meantime, I'm trying to outfit it with nice bedding, closet organizers, a cat-litter disposal system (for the TP), kitchen stuff (what to snag from our overstocked kitchen, what to buy new?), sleeping bags for the extra "beds" (they are very short) in the living area (you can sleep curled up, assuming you can sleep that way), an outdoor grill (even though it has a decent stove inside), camp chairs, some sort of DVD/new TV, something to store our 5 gal water bottle in - and about 200 more things.

And I bought a couple of these:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/extendable-camping-cooking-fork/3250805?Keyword=camping fork

I am planning to take Kirmy and David for an overnight in it at the beach - I'm not sure that toasting marshmallows on an open fire is not going to end in disaster, but how can she not experience that?

I did that my first drive in our RV...except it was a stressed out mom with a wheelchair-bound kid, so I felt especially bad. My mirror survived...hers was like $600.

 

[hilary1617]

@Spiky Bugger, I can empathize, having once sideswiped a very young cancer patient's mom's truck with a rental SUV when we were guests at the Ronald McDonald house in Denver, CO (son was being treated for severe asthma at Jewish National there). One of the guiltiest feeling moments of my life...

 

[DianaCox]

Charles said The Idiot's Guide to RVing suggests buying side view mirrors in bulk. EVERYONE will break them.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

@DianaCox My RV was smaller, so I did everything tiny.

I got a pill stacker http://liveimageserver.dlf.org.uk/mee//products/full/0040956.jpg. for spices, labeled each section with the handy Brother Label Maker and put in small amounts of various spices. Worked for me.