I see new GPS devices coming out with more specialized info and routing for truckers and RVers such as notice of steep grades, better routing for large vehicles, specialized POIs, etc. Garmin claims their Nuvi 465T is one of those.
I also see more RVers going to smartphones such as the Droid and Palm Pre for email and web on the road as well as the usual phone calls to the kids and grandkids.
Not all improvements are spectacular. Some are just simple ordinary living day to day improvements.
The biggie for me was replacing the shower head with one from Oxygenics. Even in low water pressure areas, it boosts the pressure coming out by adding air to the water. It also saves water and thus gray water tank space. We can’t wait to take showers now. It is wonderful! I can highly recommend it. Oxygenics Body Spa RV Showerheads in white or chrome can be found in many RV stores including Camping World. They may seem pricey but they really are worth it. My only gripe is that it does not turn off completely to soap up which is by design as they state.
Along with the shower head, I added a simple valve with an on off slide button between the shower head hose and shower water supply. It is very nice to be able to push a button to temporarily shutoff the water while soaping or shampooing. You can get the valve at Home Depot and other hardware stores.
We finally pulled the second stuffed chair out that I have only used to hold my computer printer and other miscellaneous stuff. That corner now has a lightweight 3 drawer plastic chest which takes up less space, actually provides more storage, and gives me a nice office center with my printer/scanner now more readily available. Any RV could really use this. We haven’t worked out anchoring it down for traveling yet but my other stuffed chair has to be moved out of the way when the slideout is in so we put it in front of it which holds it all back nicely. The printer is held down very well on it with wide strips of velcro for traveling.
We installed a UPS which not only protects equipment but also provides power to my laptop and TV when the shore power goes out for a bit. We also get more outlets with it.
My little wireless TV is now hanging from a couple hooks under the entertainment shelf so it is out of the way. The sound seems to be better now also in the corner. Sometimes we plug in an FM transmitter to it to play the TV and movies through my stereo for better sound.
We finally dumped the never used dutch oven pot that came with my pot set for a spaghetti pot that can do double duty and uses less space.
A Cradlepoint router now handles internet through my aircard and sends it out as wifi for all computers and handheld devices onboard. It can also use a tethered cell phone of Cable/DSL connection. It provides a firewall for better internet security and runs our local network. It also has an external antenna jack. Life is better!
We got a portable satellite dish. I have a dish mounted on the roof but found out the hard way that it is often blocked by trees. While I am unwilling to give up the roof dish due to ease of use, the portable is a nice addition to get around any obstacles if needed. We also found that we could set each dish to a different Dish Network satellite and combine their signals to get all channels we pay for. The really nice thing about it is we found it in a thrift store for only $20. 😀
The square fold down shelf in the bedroom has been pulled out and will be moving to the kitchen to add counter space when needed. It has been a bit of a pain getting around it in the bedroom. We have replaced it with a permanently mounted rounded corner shelf that was placed up higher and has hooks underneath for my TV.
There is an upgrade my brother and I are fighting about. I have 2 soup bowls hanging from hooks under the cabinet in the kitchen. Not only are they out of the way and readily available, they are aesthetically pleasing and home fashionable. My brother wants to move them to hooks on the stove vent hood where their patterns would not be visible and mount the paper towels under the cabinet. He’s the “functionality at all cost” one. Any comments?
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