by Donna B. Yeaw

Okay, this time we move into the final areas of our RV: the bedroom, bathroom and outside storage areas. Once again, each RV can differ quite a bit from others so what I write is based upon our experiences with our 35' motorhome. I hope you'll start or join into the discussions to pass along how you did it.

BEDROOM
Bed & Bedding
The last room in our motorhome is the bedroom, which has a short queen (standard queen bed width but only double bed length) bed. While both Mike and I aren't what you would call tall, we still find our toes hanging off the end of the bed. If you are tall, you might want to avoid a short queen bed! In addition, finding bedding has been a challenge.

We have bought two different sheet sets from Camping World. The first was a one-piece sheet set, similar to those for waterbeds. We thought this would be great - easy to make and would stay on the bed easily. Wrong. While it was easy to make, it slipped off the bed almost every night plus our feet felt strangled at the end of the bed. Then we opted for a standard sheet set (still in the short queen size). While our feel did better, it still slipped off the bed. This started our search for something to hold the bed linens on the bed (unique idea).

Our first try was little foam triangles we found at a camping supply store. They went under the sheet and kept it from sliding off. I liked it and thought it worked pretty well. Mike hated them - his side still came un-tucked. (Mind you, I can sleep in a bed and never have to make it for days. Mike sleeps in it and his side looks like a tornado came through during the night.) Now we have bought the elastic straps that connect across the bottom of the mattress from one side of the sheet to the other. They have clasps similar to those on girdles & garter belts for those that remember them. We haven't used them yet but I'm pretty sure they'll work. You can find them at most discount department stores.

The final bedding problem has not been solved and again, has to do with having a non-standard bed size. We have not found sheets in this size anywhere else but Camping World. These sheets are a low percale count and are quite stiff and scratchy feeling. (Would love to hear from anyone who has found this size sheet in a good quality fabric.)

Clothes
When we first started full-timing, we knew we would have to keep our clothes for all seasons with us. Since we worked outdoors, we needed a lot of winter clothes - a challenge to store off season. We opted to use the commonly found big plastic totes.

We have not had a problem storing our active wardrobe. We did get rid of the majority of our dress clothes (goodby suits & ties) which helped. We have a good sized double-door clothes closet in the hallway opposite the bathroom. I did invest in hangers that allow you to hang multiple blouses & shirts in less space as well as the ones for pants. These have been a lifesaver.

In the bottom of the closet we have stackable shelves where we store our shoes. We know we still have too many even though we got rid of a lot of them but the shelves help a lot. Boots get put on either side since the shelves don't take up the entire length of the closet.

Our overhead cabinets in the bedroom have a lot of room for shorts, t-shirts, long sleeved shirts, turtlenecks, sweaters, sweatshirts, jeans (we fold in quarters and store here since they take up so much hanging space), etc. The biggest problem is keeping things organized and having to stand on the bed to get into the deep, dark recesses.

Other
We are fortunate to have a bed that lifts up, providing us with a good amount of underbed storage. In fact, on one side of the bed there is a little door that allows access to this area as well. The mechanic that showed us around the vehicle when we bought it told us that he used this door to throw his dirty clothes into this area. (He wasn't a full-timer.) We opted to use this space to store extra bedding, towels and miscellaneous stuff that we don't need frequent access to. This has worked well for us.

There are two built-in nightstands, each with a drawer and cabinet below. The cabinet on one side has some pipes in it but nothing else. This is where we store dirty clothes - one for dark clothes and one for light clothes. I have two mesh laundry bags and two folding crates that I use to carry the laundry. The bags get used when we take the laundry and drop it off to be done (frequently done when we are working full-time and the campground doesn't have a laundromat area). The crates are used when we do our own laundry.

In fact, the crates have come in so handy that I recently bought two more (for 1/3 the cost of the first two) to store and use at our cabin. (The mesh bags and folding crates can be found at most discount stores like Kmart and Wal-Mart.)) The drawers hold normal nightstand stuff. We brought our heavy but sturdy lamps from our bedroom in the house and of course have our alarm clock (two separate alarm settings - we love it - but then again, we're both working.)

I have my jewelry box on my nightstand. When we move I just put it all on the bed. I've never lost anything during a move. We did get two of the flat multiple-plugs for the sides of the bed. This allows us to have the plugs lay flatter than they would if we plugged them in directly.

We also have a corner cabinet for storage or a television. Our 13" TV fits great and I have it on a turntable for easier viewing. Due to the height restrictions our VCR will not fit under the TV. We testing it and found it works fine on its side beside the TV!

I also use one of the upper cabinets on my side for my ironing pad (found at Wal-Mart), iron and sewing kit in addition to a couple of extra purses.

We are lucky enough to have a shower with a tub - not that the tub is of much use other than for small pets and kids, but it does help keep the water from spraying out. The piping is exposed and there is no real place to put shampoos, soap, etc. We solved this by getting a mesh multi-compartmented bag that hangs on the shower ring hooks. It has worked fairly well and tosses in the washer when necessary.

We also bought some nice shower rings to dress things up a bit and a hotel quality shower curtain that is mildew proof and heavier than normal. We did have to cut about 2" off the bottom, though.

We do have a good sized medicine cabinet with two distinct sides. This allows us to each have an area for the toiletries we use. I also use small baskets inside to keep smaller items grouped together and to help during moves.

There is a shelf behind the toilet where we stack extra toilet paper. I also have a wide but narrow basket that holds extra toiletries - soaps, shampoos, etc. The under sink cabinet holds a couple of towels but not much more.

We have added two more items - a magazine rack (relocated from the living room area where I needed the space for my computer and telephone wiring) and a second towel bar.

Although our motorhome is older, it is a full basement model, including heated holding tanks. We really consider ourselves lucky (of course, having a basement means you can overload your rig even more easily - get it weighed!) All too often we try to bring too much along - tools, sporting & exercise equipment, hobbies & crafts - you get the idea. While we need to maintain our lifestyle the way we desire, we need to weigh (no pun intended) the advantages and disadvantages of what we want to bring.

Often there are alternatives, possibly just downsizing or replacing items with smaller, lighter weight and/or multi-purpose items. For example: folding bicycles, power tools that do more than one thing, a collapsible ladder rather than a two different size ladders, a smaller portable sewing machine - you get the idea.

Our basement storage area, while fairly significant in overall size, is restricted by support struts. We already had several Rubbermaid totes and planned to buy more. We used our existing one to calculate the total number of totes (we used two sizes, one small and one large) we could store. Then we watched for them to go on sale.

We knew we initially had to carry seven years of tax records with us. That's not much you say, but since we have always run part-time side businesses, the records took up four small totes. Fortunately, we could store them well into the belly of the beast - down the center, between the struts. We put the oldest year in first and came forward to the newest year. (Now these are in the attic of our cabin!)

We have always had a memory box under our bed. This was where we put all those items you love to rummage through on special occasions. Until we moved into the RV, we had not paid much attention to what we tossed in there. Now we had to really go through it, keeping those items that were really important. This combined with all our photo albums took up another two small totes. I but several bags of silica sand to keep everything dry - it worked well.

All our off season clothes went into the larger totes with labels (all totes are labeled on one side - next time I would do both ends). The smaller totes sat on top in our largest storage bin. One small tote holds extra bath stuff (I like to buy on sale) and another holds extra office stuff (I'm a writer - I can't have enough pens or paper!).

Our lawn chairs sit behind and atop the totes in the second tallest storage bay. This is also where the tool box and tool tote are stored. These are the items we need to access the most. Many folks store their chairs on the back of their rig. We haven't been able to find a reasonably priced holder that we felt was secure enough. We are fortunate in having a railing on top to which we can attach items. This is where our ladder is stored.

Finally, the smaller storage bays are used to hold items that fit the compartment size. For example, one long, narrow bay is where we store our rolled up rug and our broom. Our grill utensils are stored beside the roll-out grill itself. Sewer stuff is in the compartment where the valves are.

I think you see that while each RV is different, we all have somewhat the same needs. One of the keys is organization. A place for everything and put it back in its place when you're done. Just don't overdo it - remember, you're in the RV lifestyle to relax and enjoy! Thanks for sticking in for the whole series. I look forward to seeing each and everyone of you discuss how you have handled your RV setup. Until next time, keep on rolling!