Full Time RVer

Nancy Einheuser isn’t a fulltime RVer, but she sure has the thinking of one.

Describing herself as a “chauffeur mom,” Nancy has spent plenty of time running kids to sports tournaments. Those trips are well facilitated by using an RV–after all, spending a few weeks on the road with tourneys and playoffs can be a hefty charge if you motel it. So the family picked up a “pop up” trailer–that lasted for nearly four years.

Finally deciding to ‘upgrade’ Nancy started shopping and “peeked inside” a lightweight 18′ trailer–she found herself hooked. No more worries about canvas walls, no lengthy setup times, just pull the rig in, hook up, and she’s set.

But. But for a woman like Nancy, there just had to be a few things that might improve that factory look. “I refer to my trailer as my doll house,” says Nancy, “and I totally love taking care of it inside and out.” So a few interior decor ideas came to mind–maybe something you’d like to try, or that gives you a ‘mental nudge,’ toward trying something others might decry as “Outlandish!” but in practice actually works.

Nancy was dismayed that the factory failed to include backsplashes around the kitchen counter area. Well, a trip to Home Depot soon fixed that with the purchase of tin snips, caulk, and–what else–diamond plate. A quick galley transformation followed.
What else might benefit from a little interior tweak–er –decoration? Well, if the diamond plate worked so well, maybe other “heavy metals” might benefit the old camping bus? Since dinette cushions have a nasty way of floating about while in transit, the mental juices got to flowing. How about slip-stitched magnetic strips to the back of those cushions, and glued on lightweight sheet metal to the inside of cushion backboards? All in days’ work, eh?

And on a “practical side,” Nancy soon figured out that the factory had decided to tie up too much space inside the rig. So she took her rolling “doll house” to the RV fitter and had him re-plumb the electrics so the power cord now simply connects up to the outside wall, rather than pulling out of otherwise useful storage space.

That wasn’t the end of the use for diamond plate, by the way. That ingenious mind soon had a use for it as decorative trim on some near-to-the ceiling cabinets.

While Nancy figures 18′ of trailer isn’t quite large enough for fulltime RV living, she certainly has made those 18′ fully livable. Eventually she figures that she and her husband will yet again upgrade to a motorhome, in time for retirement. Heaven only knows what kind of decorative ideas she’ll come up for the motorcoach. We’ll hope she lets us know in due time.

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