The 2002 Fourwinds next to the 1979 Tioga.

The magazine rack on the inside of the bathroom door was really handy.  back half; kitchen, bunk beds, and bathroom (Tioga)

At some point someone added this couch that created a large storage area.  (Tioga)

The dining area had storage in each seat.  I used cardboard boxes with the flaps folded in to store food.  I could life out an item, or the whole box, when it was needed.  (Tioga)

My husband removed the original carpeting and installed laminate wood flooring.  The upkeep was amazingly easy!  (Tioga)

I really missed the small extra counter that folds up.  The sink did have inserts to create counter space.  I usually had to make sandwiches on the dining table though. (Tioga)

Before (Tioga)

RV kitchens are bare minimums (Tioga)

No floor covering, no mattresses, no toilet, and no storage!  Inside several doors we added metal racks that attach right to the door.  Just be sure the door will still close & don't overload your hinges with heavy items.  (Tioga)

I quickly learned to sew.  I made new curtains, tie-backs, and recovered all the furniture and mattresses. (Tioga)

Jack-knife sofa, dining area, kitchen, bathroom, double bunks, and a second dinette.  (Fourwinds)

The second dinette had a toy box, cabinetry, and both seats were storage.  (Fourwinds)

The bunks don't offer storage, but they are an amazing use of space.  (Fourwinds)

The kitchen area had very few cabinets, so I used those in the living area for pantry.  (Fourwinds)

Pans traveled in the stove, with dishtowels between to cut down rattle.  In the top cabinet I put plastic drawer units.  I could fill the drawers and place items on top to use all of the space available.  (Fourwinds)

One of the seats was a water tank, but the other was storage.  The over-cab area was usually used as a bed, but once we hauled a few larger treasures home on top.  (Fourwinds)

The jack-knife sofa has a small amount of space under it.  We usually stored folding camp chairs there.  (Fourwinds)

What have we gotten ourselves into?

We bought our first RV, a 23' 1979 Tioga Bunkhouse Class C, in 2003.  It was UGLY!  We redid whatever we could tear out.  It turned out great and we had many adventures from Washington to Alaska.

We decided our initial trial went well.  We loved RVing as a family!  We sold it and purchased a 30' 2002 Fourwinds 5000 Bunkhouse Class C, in 2005.  The extra length allowed us to go with my husband for out-of-state military schools.  We drove it from Alaska to Texas to Pennsylvania.  We enjoyed the bunkhouse being the main bedroom.  This allowed the kids to go to bed before us.  We could catch a few minutes alone at night to watch a movie or read before bed.  The floor plan was so livable that we hung onto that rig until 2011.

The kids have grown so much that having no slides began to be an issue.  We purchased a 45' 2009, Luxury by Design Quad Bunkhouse Fifth Wheel with slides, in 2011.  We have high hopes of living full-time in our newest RV.  HOW will we do this?  Well, that's a good question!

We expect there are a few changes we'll need to make.  This re-do won't be as difficult as with the Tioga.  We need to create desks for the kids to homeschool, a space for our laptops, the litter box, clothing, personal items, and food. 

Food.  The 8 cubic foot fridge it has now is not going to cut it.  It has a pantry, but I have a teenage son and daughter.  Something is going to have to be figured out before we can give up our full kitchen space. 

That's what I'm going to be writing about.  I haven't been able to find help online for storing larger amounts of food in an RV.  I think there has to be a way.  I'm stubborn.  As we prepare over the next few months I'll share here what we learn and how we do it.  Obviously, there are thousands of RV floor plans.  You might not be able to use all we discover, but I hope you find a tip or two that does work for you.

Sincerely,
Lorinda