- Once a week I have to make the trek to Fort Victoria RV Park to empty the grey and black water tanks and fill my water tank. This means I have to hook up the hose to the output and pull the plunger first for the pooper, then for the grey water (sink water - dish washing, hand washing, etc. While those are emptying out, I dispense with all of my recycling and garbage, filling the water tank at the same time. I also check the oil and brake fluid to ensure things are running smoothly.
- I do not use the shower in the RV (only a couple of times) so shower at my friend's houses and wash up inbetween. I can wash my hair and body in a bowl of water, having learned how to cut my eco footprint over the past couple of years.
- During the week, I have to move my garbage and deposit recycling on by dropping it in the parking lot garbage. The deposit recycling disappears quite quickly with all the bottle pickers in this city.
- I rely on my solar charged batteries to charge/power my toys such as my iPads, iPhone, computer, and television. I can also use it for minor low wattage appliances too.. I haven't had a power bill since moving back to Canada as I generate enough of my own. My lights run on my house battery that is charged when I drive the RV.
- Space is limited, so anytime I buy something for the RV, it has to have more than one purpose if possible. If I buy new clothes, then I have to cull what I have for a bag of clothing. I am a bit of a clothes hog., and this is an ongoing challenge. There is more storage than I thought I would have in here, but it can often be like playing Tetris to make everything fit.
- My hardwood floors are finally complete - they are easy to take care of and look great. I'm hoping they will help keep the floors a bit warmer this winter, especially if I can't find anywhere to plug in for the winter. It sure takes less time to sweep and mop the RV compared to looking after a house or apartment.
- Initially I was concerned that the cat litter would be a problem, as it sure was in the Karma van, as Stormy would take a big dump just as I settled into bed each night and stink up the whole RV, however I have been using the crystal litter and have a curtain between the "house' part of the RV and the front cab. I smell virtually nothing until it comes time to change it. Of course, i do hear him in there at times, digging his way to China...the clawing at the side of the litter to lose any litter stuck under his claws.
- I have two sets of curtains. My regular curtains and my blackout curtains for when I want to curb side camp and not draw too much attention to myself. Now that the mayor here has lifted the restriction about sleeping overnight in vehicles, I don't have to use them as much, but in the summer I like to use them to keep it dark when I want to sleep in.
- My fridge is quite big for such a small space and constantly amazes me at how much I can fit in there. The only issue is that because of its age, it is not frost free, so the ice builds up in the freezer and I have to thaw it out.
- I can literally park just about anywhere and live off the grid for a week or more without needing any services. And I have! I should do more exploring than I have, so hope to do a bit this fall.
- I can watch Netflix just about anywhere in the city as there are Shaw Hotspots just about anywhere, which is awesome. I might not have live TV (which I hate anyway) but this is better. And when I don't have service, I have tons of downloaded content to watch.
- There is no air conditioning - usually not an issue but this summer we have had a few really hot spells that have me sweating like mad in here at times. It will all be over soon enough and when it gets too hot, I sit outside in the shade of the RV.
- Traffic noise - life in the city is bound to be a bit noisy and with single paned windows and four skylights that I have open most of the year round. At night it calms quite a bit so it isn't keeping me up at night. It's farther away from the busier streets than when I was curbside camping, so that's a bonus of the parking lot. I'm surrounded on three sides by nice residential space with lots of trees which tends to buffer the noise a bit too.
- I have been documenting most of the places I've camped at one point or another, a bit of a journal, just to keep track. I don't write more than one page most times and try to include some tidbits of life in the RV.
- Paying for parking has had its own challenges - they came out with an app which worked really well until they updated it and now it's so inaccurate and double charges me, or even triple charges me. So now I am back to using my credit card with the pay station or coins. Annoying as hell, and I have complained more than once to no avail.
So that is the wrap up of RV life...
