Top 11 Things That Were Useful
(Referencing the picture at the top)
1. Headphones for the Kids - On the way up to Ohio, it was amazing how loud the RV was. When I saw them putting the iWhatevers on max volume and holding the speakers to their ears, I knew we had a problem. I ordered these (http://amzn.com/B009396UGM) from Amazon for the trip back and they were awesome! I looked for ones with noise reducers to decrease the chance of hearing damage.
2. Disposable Gloves - If you plan on using anything that would drain into the holding tanks, these are a good idea. You might not have an easy way to wash your hands and dealing with the sewer drain hose is the first and last thing you'll be doing at a campsite.
3. Quiet Candy - Safe-T-Pops were a big hit and even the 1yr old could handle one himself. When the mongrel horde started chanting "Out! Out!" these appeased them for quite a while. They also helped pop ears in the mountains. Candy necklaces and bubble gum crayons worked, too, for the older ones. Anything that takes a long time to eat fits the bill.
4. Travel Crib - I don't think a full size pack 'n play would fit on the floor space of a 25ft RV. Plus this thing was way easier to put up and take down everyday.
We used it on the floor so the table area was available to hold car seats (if we were driving that day) or to quickly transition into breakfast.
5. Bottled Water - I'm not really taking about the individual ones, but the gallon sizes. While the rental RV comes with a potable water holding tank and a hose hookup, there's no real way to be sure they are sanitary. The giant "DO NOT DRINK THE WATER" sign by the sink was also persuasive. We brought 3 gal with us and used those to fill the coffee maker and our water bottles. The gallon bottles were refilled with clean tap water at my parent's house a few times, too.
6. Hand Vacuum - Honestly, in order of importance, this should be number one. I had no idea how dirty the floor of the RV would get just cruising down the road while the kids ate snacks. I was totally grossed out by day two and borrowed my Dad's hand held vacuum about 30sec after we pulled into their driveway. A stick version would work ok, as would a broom, but a hand held one can also easily clean out crumb filled car seats.
7. Garbage Bags with Tie Loops - We used the kitchen size and stuck part of the loop over the vertically positioned arm rest of the front seat. This kept the bag both upright and within easy reach to throw things away while buckled in.
8. Bed Rails - We decided to put Alex and Zach in the bed above the driver's cab. It was the largest bed and if Mason woke up in the middle of the night, I didn't want to descend Mt. Everest to get to him. It's like a solid 5ft drop to the floor, so we used a bed rail tucked under the mattress. It gave the boys just enough room to shimmy up the side to get in/out by themselves.
9. Waterproof Shoes - Even if you aren't going to the beach, these will come in handy. The weather is right outside the door of the RV, and you don't want to wear soggy tennis shoes for a week.
10. King Size Sheet - I asked multiple people multiple times for the bed sizes. (You could rent a linen package for $100. Uh, no thanks.) Everyone told me "They're all queen." The bed over the cab is definitely not a queen. A king size or even a CA king might be your best bet.
11. Coffee Maker - Obviously, if you don't drink coffee, please don't bring one. There isn't a magic use for it or anything! It was just another cost savings for us. If the generator was already running to power the air while we drove, we had power for the k-cup machine*. So rather than trying to find a place to get Jim a decent cup, we made our own.
*The picture shows a regular coffee maker. I wouldn't recommend brewing a pot while in transit!
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