Stuff.

While packing up our lives in San Francisco, it was really hard to tell what things we'd need on the the trip and what things we wouldn't. We tried to default to the rule that if we didn't 100% know we'd need it, we'd leave it behind. Almost everything is replaceable, so better to need something and not have it (because you can easily get it) than to have it and not need it (because once you have it and not need it, you'll never actually get rid of it and you'll end up with a cluttered RV full of stuff you don't need). But that rule got bent pretty quickly and often. First of all, it's really easy to convince yourself that you really really might need this thing in particular. And second, there are just some things that you could easily live without, but either make your life a little bit easier, or just make it more fun or comforting or familiar.

Now that we've been on the road a while, he's a list of some of the things we're glad we have, or could have left behind.

Things We Were Conflicted About Bringing

But Are Now Really Grateful We Have:

1. Geek stuff.

So no, we don't need a squeaky catpig toy (photo cameo: personalized bobbleheads, gifted to us from Peter). Or a Chewbacca mask that growls when you open its mouth (gift from Eyal and Jen to Mike). Or a baby Groot that dances when you put music on and also charges your phone (gift from Mike to me). Or a poopmoji cross stitch (gift from me to Mike). But these things, among others, have sentimental value, and always make us laugh. We also underestimated the value of just having familiar things around. Your stuff, even if it's dorky, unnecessary stuff, does make it feel like more of a home. I have no regrets about squeaky catpig.

2. My ridiculous hair dryer.

Oh, hairdryer. How I adore thee. I was really sure I wasn't going to bring this beast, because really, how ridiculous -- this huge contraption just to spare me from having to hold a small hair dryer up to my head, or to just have wet hair for a few hours at a time. But -- shoutout to my other curly girls here -- this dryer is one of my favorite things I have ever owned. (Heather, can I get an Amen?) One, I am incredibly lazy and hate drying my hair, but also hate having wet hair. Two, this makes my hair look awesome with basically zero work, which is the only kind of vanity I have the patience for. And three, it is just. so. fun.  You just get to sit there all warm and snuggly for twenty minutes and bliss out and relax. You can write (or blog!) or think or read. 

The dryer disassembles into three pieces (head, stand, and rolly feet), so when we're on the road, we just take it apart and put it in what we call the "basement" (the outdoor storage underneath the RV). When we're staying somewhere other than the RV, I just bring it inside. When we're staying at an RV park, I just suck it up and use my other hairdryer. So far, it's all pros and no cons. So glad I brought it.

I got my BaByliss used on Craigslist for cheap, but looks like other brands start around $80 on Amazon, if anyone wants to get one. 

3. A Snuggie.

This came into my life courtesy of my friend Andrea. I think it's safe to say that a Snuggie is something you probably wouldn't buy for yourself, but as soon as you have one, you use it all the time. I found that the Snuggie is the best passenger-seat attire out there. For long drives, it's actually hilariously useful to have those arm holes so I can have access to my phone or computer or whatever, while still staying warm and cozy. Plus it has sentimental value, so also fits into category #1.

4. The Instant Pot.

Also a gift, from our friends Tony and Dane. We have the smallest one, and it fits really easily in the RV kitchen, and is also really easy to bring in and out of places if we're not staying in the RV. All it needs is low electricity, so plus one for RV life. It's compact, and fast, and can cook anything. It's the perfect RV kitchen appliance. We probably wouldn't have bought one ourselves, but now I can't live without it. Once we're done with the trip, I think we'll buy a big one for home and leave the small one in the RV.

5. A Soda Stream.

Believe me, the ridiculousness of us not being able to survive a year without on-demand bubbly water is not lost on us, and we make fun of ourselves for it all the time. But I still do have to admit, it's really nice to have it around! It's fairly compact, we basically drink nothing but water so it's nice to have the variety, and we drink enough bubbly water that we're saving tons of money by not buying bubbly water at the store. We also occasionally get the little bottles of flavorings, so we can make bubbly juice or soda ourselves, which saves both space and money. Yes, we're spoiled brats. But we're happy and hydrated spoiled brats. (Also, another gift! Thanks, Heather! Man... this is making me realize how spoiled I am with friends, too. You guys buy awesome gifts!)

6. Our noise machine.

We bought the noise machine when we still lived in San Francisco. We lived right on a bus line and thought we slept just fine without it, but as soon as we started using it, we realized how much better we slept with it on. It's great for adding an extra level of privacy, too, when you're staying at an RV park or someone's place and you don't want to disturb them by talking or making noise. Now, we bring it everywhere we travel. This is the one we have; we also got the carrying case, which is convenient for traveling. It's the only one I've ever used that didn't bug me and keep me up with noticeable looping of noises.

7. Miscellaneous tools and tech (some of it).

Here's an actual conversation that happened in the second week of our trip:

Mike: I'm going to go set up another raspberry pi.

Me: How many raspberry pis do you have? How many are important enough to bring on a year long RV trip?

Mike (thinks really hard): Like... seven?

Mike (leaves the room, comes back): Eight.

(Leaves again, comes back): I left like three at home.

To be fair, he's used at least five of them already. 

He's working some while on the road, and he's also just a handy guy, so it's nice to have gadgets and tools and cables and batteries available when we need them.

Things We Brought But Didn't Need

and Now Don't Know What to Do With

 

1. Meditation cushion.

Contrary to my sincere hope, having a meditation cushion does not, in fact, cause you to meditate more. And 95% of the times that I do, I just do it on the floor or in a chair or use a regular pillow, despite having this with me. But Mike got it for me as a birthday gift, and I don't want to get rid of it. So now we lug it around from place to place and I tell myself I'll use it more. Luckily, it's small. And a pillow. So it's not too annoying to have around.

2. These Ikea baskets.

Let's bring all the storage things!, we said. They'll be useful!, we said. I love these baskets and have been using them in my apartments for years now, so I thought we could use them for storage in the RV. But turns out we don't need as many storage containers as we thought, and it became apparent really early that the only ones you do want in an RV are clear so you can see what's in it from the top or side. Ones with tops and that are stackable are also useful. So now we have a bunch of cute baskets that don't seem to be available at Ikea anymore, so I don't want to throw them away, but they take up a fair amount of space. Oops.

3. This adorable step stool.

I don't even know what we thought we'd do with this. Put our feet up while we're working? I have no idea. Nothing in the RV is too tall to reach (it's an RV, after all), so this thing just ends up rattling around while we're driving. Hoping to forcefully gift this onto someone during the trip. Any takers?

*Stuff update: we bequeathed the step stool to our family in Orlando. Thanks for taking it off our hands!

4. Miscellaneous tools and tech (the rest of it).

We definitely brought too many tools, including Mike's electronics tools. He was feeling ambitious and brought all the tools he might need for projects, instead of the ones he knew he'd need for sure. And with other non-tech tools, we overprepared for everything that could possibly go wrong, and now we have multiple boxes of stuff we never use, taking up space. In retrospect, I would have been more deliberate when picking which tools we'd actually need or not, remembering that we're almost always in civilization, within reasonable reach if we need something. And also remembering that we have roadside assistance if something really goes wrong with the car.

 

Stuff We Didn't Think We'd Need

But Ended Up Buying

1. A portable printer.

We don't really print things much, and figured when we did need to print something, we could either borrow someone's home printer or just go to a FedEx or something. In reality, what happened instead was that my aversion to walking eight minutes each direction in order to print out one piece of paper was strong enough that I just hopped on Amazon to buy this instead. Bonus is that this'll actually be useful for work in the future (I can look all fancy and bring it to a client meeting and print something out on the spot). We still don't print a lot of things, but it's really handy and convenient to have, and I'm glad we have it.

2. Rain boots.

I left mine at home, because this seemed like one of those things that you can easily survive without. But really, it's just a lot nicer to have them, and they don't take up a ton of space. Worth it.

3. Silicone drinking cups.

Before we left, we did a fair amount of research into what materials to stock our RV kitchen with. Glass and ceramics break too easily. I don't like microwaving plastic. Can't microwave metal. Many materials would rattle around a lot while driving and be really loud. We ended up getting plastic cups (and just won't microwave in them) and Corelle plates and bowls (because while they're breakable and rattly, they're at least a lot harder to break than glass, and can go in the microwave). But then, alas! We discovered silicone!

Unbreakable, doesn't make noise while driving, microwave safe, BPA-free, dishwasher safe, and good for all temperatures. We got rid of all our plastic drinkware (except for our cute plastic wine glasses and, of course, some Mardi Gras throws) and replaced with these. Every RV kitchen (and home with children who break things) should be stocked with these.

And a related sidenote: everyone buy reusable straws! Disposable plastic straws are wasteful and bad for the environment. We have these metal ones, but there are a variety of different materials available online.

4. Humidifier.

Don't worry, there's water in there... we're not spraying Sprite all over the room.

For getting sick and for dry places. We got this travel one that you just plug a water bottle into.

5. Dehumidifier.

Yes, we know it's funny to have both a humidifier and a dehumidifier. 

RV cabinets and furniture are prone to warping, and we want to make our rig last as long as possible. When we're plugged in, especially when we're in humid places, we got the dehumidifer to keep it as dry as possible in there, to prevent warping. We got this small one.

And a bonus addendum on clothes:

I blogged a while back about how nice it was to not have very many articles of clothing to choose from. It's now been five months wearing the same week's worth of clothes every day, and I'm finally growing sick of my clothes.

The main lesson is that there are a few items of clothing I brought but still don't really wear, despite having very little to choose from. I'm learning what clothes are actually most useful to have, and which ones I don't need. The main clothes I don't wear often are the Travel Clothes -- you know, the clothes you bring on vacations that are wrinkle-free and kind of dorky looking but you don't mind getting them dirty or they're good for temperature control? You know, like your cargo pants that you'd never normally wear in public or that giant sun hat? I brought some of those, thinking hey, those'll be great for the trip, I don't mind if they get ruined and they'll be comfy and I'm traveling. Except, this isn't a trip to the beach surrounded by strangers. I'm just living my normal life and doing normal things, and want to look presentable and like a normal person, not a perma-tourist. So I basically end up never wearing the Travel Clothes, and end up having more like five days of outfits, instead. Lesson learned!

Before our trip, we mailed some bags of extra clothes to Mike's parents, so we could resupply when we needed. One mistake I made was to send basically an entire new wardrobe of another week's worth of clothing, which was unnecessary because really all I need are a couple of new shirts and a dress. So now that I've gotten the resupply, I have twice as many clothes as I need. I'm going to take out all the clothes that aren't necessary, and try to get it back to about 7-10 days worth of clothes again. The rest will be gifted to my sister in law or donated if she hates them.

Another lesson is that, out of all the stuff we brought, clothes are one of the least of the worries. They're small and easy to shove into small places. Having a little bit more than a week's worth is fine. 

Final Lessons

Bring the stuff that means something to you. Bring the stuff that will 100% for sure definitely be useful. Don't bring the stuff that you don't know for sure will be useful. Do ship clothes ahead of time (or just restock as-needed) but know you'll only need to replace a few things at a time. And fill your life with wonderful family and friends, and bring pieces of them with you!

The Best Way to Make Coffee in an RV, Part 2

Since the original coffee post is the one post people have had the strongest opinions on, I thought you all deserved a follow-up now that we're actually on the road.

First off, the AeroPress is still awesome. I do have to admit, though, that pressing it down every single morning does get a little old. But all in all, I still think it's the best option, with the best coffee, for our journey. But we've since gotten some things that make it even better:

1. A reusable metal filter

It looks like this:

Environmentally friendly because you're not wasting paper filters every day. Good for me because easier to travel with (don't have to store the paper ones, or worry about ordering more when I run out). And a lot of people think they make better coffee, because it retains more of the oils that would get filtered out with paper.

The one challenge I had with it is that the water leaks through a bit instead of sitting in the tube waiting to be pushed out. This inspired me to finally try the "inverted method" of brewing, which I was intimidated about. The first attempt ended in weak coffee and a mess all over the counter. The second one was followed by actually looking up how to do it online, and was good from there.  :)

This is the one I have, but there are a lot to choose from on Amazon.

2. A portable milk frother

This one was a gift from Mike for my birthday. They look like this:

You just heat up some milk and stick the frother in, and suddenly, a latte!

There are a bunch of different ones online, many of them are super cheap. This is one of the highest rated ones. Really fun addition to the coffee collection, to mix things up a little bit and get fancy.

3. An ember smart mug

Smart mug? Seriously? Yes, seriously.

This one was a Hanukkah gift -- something I wanted, but wouldn't have justified buying otherwise! But I'm really excited to have it.

It pairs with your phone, via the ember app, where you can choose the exact temperature you want your drink to stay.

Today is my first day using it. There was a little bit of trouble trying to sign in to the app for the first time, but once I got past that, it was all easy. I learned that the coffee that comes out of the Keurig starts at 165 degrees. Ember presets to 130 degrees, but it'll tell you the exact temperature of the liquid in your mug and you can change it to match your preferences. Turns out, for me, 130 is actually on the nose. 

If you're using the mug without the base (which acts as the charger), it'll heat your coffee for about two hours. If you dock it on the base, it'll heat indefinitely. It takes about an hour to charge, and there's an LED on the mug itself that indicates when the battery is low, charged, or charging, and tells you when your coffee has reached your perfect temperature.

The mug itself is cute, and seems hearty enough to survive living in an RV. Handwash only, and you can't put it in the microwave (there's metal in it), but that shouldn't be a problem. They also sell a travel mug, but that one's more expensive and I just couldn't justify it!

All in all, it's definitely a bit of a splurge, and a lot of a luxury. But now that I have it, I'll have a hard time drinking coffee any other way!

*Note, at the time of writing, the Amazon link is showing the price as way higher than elsewhere! Try the ember website or your local Starbucks to see if it's cheaper.

Happy caffeinating!

The Best Way to Make Coffee in an RV

If you know me at all, you won't be surprised to find out that this is one of the first things I Googled after we got the RV. What follows is a thoroughly non-scientific analysis of the pros and cons of each remotely portable method of coffee-making suitable enough for coffee snobs (like me), ranked.

Honorable Mentions:

• Single-cup Keurig (or other single-cup brewer): convenient, fast, easy clean up, but expensive, mediocre coffee, and didn't want to rely on having electricity available in case of dry camping
• Pour-over: cheap, easy, good coffee, doesn't require electricity, but requires filters, longer brew time, and some mess (piles of soggy filters full of wet coffee grounds become more inconvenient when you have a tiny kitchen and irregular access to outside trash bins)
• French press: cheap, good coffee, doesn't require electricity, but moderate brew time and annoying to clean/makes a mess

#3: Stovetop Percolator

A percolator is one of these guys:

By Imm808 (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The way they work is you put the coffee grounds up top and water below, stick the whole thing on the stove, and then the boiling water evaporates into the top bit, soaks into the coffee grounds, and then filters back down below. I was surprised to find that the vast majority of RVers online said they use a percolator for coffee (or they use instant coffee, but we won't dignify a discussion about instant coffee...). Percolators come in both stovetop and electric.

Pros:

• Small and portable
• No filters required
• No electricity required
• Cheap
• Aesthetics (it's pretty adorable, isn't it?)

Cons:

• Makes mediocre coffee
• Even though there are no filters, you still have a bunch of loose, wet coffee grounds to dispose of, which could be difficult in a small kitchen. Can also get clogged, etc. Easy to make a mess.
• Only works with really hot/boiling water, which makes bitter coffee
• Moderately slow brewing time

#2: Cold Brew

Originally posted by Cory Doctorow on Flicr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/15522501666

To make cold brew, all you need to do is mix coffee grounds with lukewarm water and let it sit for a while. Proportions and timing vary depending on how strong you like yours to be, but I usually go with a ratio of about one cup coffee to four cups water and let it sit on the counter overnight. You end up with a coffee concentrate that's stronger than a regular cup of drip coffee, and the coffee is less acidic and less bitter than coffee that's brewed hot (so heartburn sufferers, give cold brew a try!). Now that cold brew is becoming popular, you'll see more and more products like this around for brewing, but I usually just use a big lemonade pitcher like this. 

I do love me some cold brew. I brew it fairly regularly at home in SF, and I usually drink it by adding cream and water and popping it in the microwave. Occasionally I'll put ice cubes and water or milk in it instead for some iced coffee. 

Pros:

• Can brew a bunch at once and keep in the fridge, so it's fast and convenient and no daily mess
• Cheap
• Easy to brew
• Yummy

Cons:

• While it's really easy to brew, if I want to make normal-sized batches of it, I'd have to lug around large plastic pitchers, which seems like a waste of space in a tiny RV kitchen, especially if I'm only using them every once in a while
• Clean up is messy; no easy way to dispose of coffee grounds
• I normally use the microwave to heat it up, which requires power. If there's no power, I'd have to reheat water on the stove, which, at that point, kind of defeats the purpose
• And yes, it's becoming popular enough that it's easy to buy in stores now, but I'm putting that as a con because buying cold brew every week or two would add up quickly
• While I love the taste of cold brew, if I drink it exclusively, I do miss the aroma and edge of a cup of hot brew after a while

And the winner is:  AeroPress

Look at this space-age beauty:

This image was originally posted to Flickr by Ldiggity at http://www.flickr.com/photos/97311086@N00/296877647/

Instead of using using time or gravity like the other methods above, the Aeropress uses pressure, which means you end up with something closer to espresso than to American coffee. The gist of how to use it: put coffee grounds and boiling water into the bottom bit, stick the top bit into the bottom bit, and push. The pressure created in the tube forces the water through the coffee and the small filter at the bottom and suddenly, coffee!

Pros:

• Really good coffee
• Doesn't require electricity
• Small, portable
• Really easy to clean
• Easy to use
• Fast brew time
• Cheap
• Durable/don't have to worry about breaking it

Cons:

• The force required to push the plunger thingie down isn't ideal for half-asleep, pre-coffee users
• The amount of YouTube videos of people giving their own "recipes" for how to use the thing is overwhelming. I don't recommend it. (The inverted method? What?)

Why the Aeropress? Well, I immediately crossed off the list all brewing methods that required electricity, just in case. The percolator, while easy and portable, leaves too much mess relative to the mediocre coffee it produces. And cold brew, while I love it, also leaves a mess and would require too much storage space unless I brew small batches at a time (which would be annoying). Plus, if I can't use the microwave to heat it up, I'd just be heating up water anyway, in which case it's not really saving me much time or effort. I'll probably still make it sometimes for variety, or if I want easy access to cold coffee in a hot climate. Which leads me to the Aeropress:

Favorite of obsessive coffeeholics around the internet. Easy, portable, good coffee, no electricity required. And most of all, an excuse to buy myself one after wanting it for years.

I used it for the first time on our first morning of the Epic Eclipse Adventure. Sure enough, it was indeed easy, portable, and good. So I'm officially a happy camper. Er... RVer.

Bonus plug: I really love this travel mug. It's the only one I've ever used that doesn't spill. You can even stick it into your bag when you're on the go.

First time using the AeroPress. Never thought I'd be posting a picture on the internet of me wearing my retainers.