full-time rving

RV Park Co-Ops

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What is a coop? A co-op (or coop) as in a “cooperatively owned entity” is one in which everyone involved in the entity is also an owner. Companies can be coops (like REI, Ocean Spray, and Welch’s), but so can neighbors who have a collective stake in their communities and who want to build a better neighborhood. Residents of mobile home parks have been forming coops over the years, inspired by heartbreaking and heartwarming stories about landlords who raise lot rents so high that people are left homeless, and neighbors banding together to collectively purchase and run their parks. Just last week, VTDigger published a story about 4 mobile home parks converted into resident-owned coops. This 1986 LA Times article about a group of tenants who banded together to buy their home from their landlords is especially empowering, because their actions created a whole new category of government loans. Mobile …

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RVing with Cats: Taking Walks!

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When we moved into our RV, we knew the cats would have a tougher time adjusting than we would. Their whole world (their indoor home) was squished down to less than 300 square feet, with all kinds of new smells and sounds. We’ve done a lot to “cattify” our RV, like adding scratching posts to the slide-out trim (blog posts forthcoming!) and low-profile cat condos handmade by David. But it’s not the same as being able to really stretch their legs and get some exercise. When we were still living in a “sticks and bricks” house, we started practicing walking our cats using a Kitty Holster cat harness. We have four (yes, four!) cats, although at the time we had five, and the fifth was a professional traveler. Sadly we had to say goodbye to her about a year ago. Of the other four, two are little old ladies who …

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Insulating the RV for Hot Weather

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This summer we are going to be spending an unfortunate amount of time in the famous Phoenix, Arizona heat. In order to make things as tolerable as possible, we learned from the examples set by our neighbors. Last year, before we moved into our RV but when were spending many hot summer days customizing it, we cut pieces of Reflectix foil covered bubble wrap to fit the windows. The added insulation and reflective material made a big difference during the hottest parts of the day, and our electric bill went down about 30%. This year, we wanted to improve on that. Our space is oriented so the bulk of the day’s sun is directed at our two main slides: our bedroom and our main living space (couch and kitchen table/work desk). Slide walls are thinner than the rest of an RV’s walls, so they have less insulation. When the sun …

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Preserve Tableware: Recycled Eco-Friendly Dishes

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For about three years before moving into our RV, we regularly complained about our dishes. We were tired of our ten-year-old, inexpensive, drab gray, and super heavy Ikea set, but we didn’t have a good reason to replace them. They were still doing what they were designed to do, even if we were tired of looking at them. It seemed wasteful to replace dishes just because they weren’t pretty any more. But after counting the chips and cracks in that old set, and considering the unnecessary added weight, moving into our RV was a doubly exciting time for us: time to get new dishes! (We enjoy our simple pleasures.) After lots of research, we first decided on Corel because of their designs, weight, and durability, but we weren’t ready to commit to a pattern (or a price tag), so we looked for something inexpensive and environmentally friendly that would last …

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