Our RV – Plans Optional

An initial, pictorial overview as we start our full time adventures

Floor Plan – 2022 Grand Design Solitude 280RK

Our floor plan is pretty typical for a 5th wheel…but we really like it, especially the large bathroom that has an entrance from both the hall and the bedroom

Living Room & Kitchen Overview

The interior living area and kitchen of a 5th wheel RV trailer — Stepping in from the door, to the left is the main living space. The birch decals on the fridge have been a fun personalization. One of our dog beds is under the dinette.

The interior of the living area of a 5th wheel RV trailer — …and the same living space from the far corner. Millie appreciates that the dog leashes are in easy reach on hooks by the door. Hue “Go” lights give a soft glow.

Kitchen Customizations

An open RV cabinet showing a partially-constructed spice rack — Making a spice rack in the cabinet above the microwave from plexiglass, foam core, egg crate & zip ties.

The finished product has been a joy to use so far. We left empty bottles to allow for new spices..

Wire wine rack of hexagon shapes inside an RV cabinet with one bottle of wine — An essential item – a wine rack. The 3-bottle hexagon racks were from the “dollar” bins at Target.

A rectangular white planter with basil and thyme plants — This herb planter will hopefully be enough for occasional pesto and will also provide some zing to our mocktail creations.

A shelf inside an RV pantry with clear containers for food storage — We’re lucky to have a big pantry, but if we’re not careful we won’t be able to find anything. A shelf on the left and a lot of OXO containers help make sense of everything.

An RV pantry shelf with a panel clipped in place to prevent storage containers from moving during travel — On travel days we position a sheet of foam core on the side of the shelf and clip it in place so that items can’t move during transit. Been working well.

Decor

A pile of wooden slats that were removed from an RV window — We decided to remove the original wooden window valences

Captain’s chairs and curtains in an RV slide-out — We replaced them with curtains and the whole room looks move cozy and residential now.

We wanted a travel map, but didn’t like most of the ones available online, so I cut out state shapes from matte black contact paper (traced from a printout on several sheets of 8.5” x 11”) and stuck them to the tile wall.

A map made of black shapes of US states, stuck to a white tile wall — We’re really happy with the finished product. If you look closely, you can see a little green dot in Wisconsin approximately in the location of Madison. We’ll keep adding to the green travel dots for 2024.

On the shelf above the map we have three ceramic sculptures created by a dear friend in Madison who is starting a pottery business. The electric candles are on a 5-hour timer.

Bedroom & Bathroom Overview

The bath is spacious by RV standards, with a large shower.

Artwork to the right of the sink from Mike Bass of Zip-Dang depicts the season of the harvest, which seems suitable for retirement.

One of our first improvements was adding a Sleep Number mattress. Usually the bed is made with just our light-colored twin duvets, but when the dogs are going to be left alone inside, the dark blue bedspread is added so the bedding stays clean. Our second dog bed is nestled between the bed and the wall.

My nightstand has art from our son, art from a college friend, journaling supplies, a charging station and a tray of meaningful objects for a mindfulness exercise. Below on a hook is my Matador Refraction backpack, which has become my go-to bag. You can also see some elements of our security system.

Outdoor setup

In most campgrounds we extend both awnings during the day and add a zip-on awning extension for extra shade and privacy.
We have 3 outdoor rugs in a neutral gray pattern from Target that have done a good job for us thus far.
We’ve loved the blue picnic table cover from REI.
Sometimes we’ve had the space to add a tarp in front of the back awning so that our outdoor space is in an “L” shape. When we’re able to do this, we put our lounge chairs in the front area and the picnic table under the tarp, with a cooking area under the back awning.
It feels like we’re still dialing in this space to fit the variety of sites we’re encountering, so there’s likely to be some adjustment in the coming months.