~These could be pivotal to your experience trying out this lifestyle~
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Living in a fifth wheel has allowed my dogs, my baby, and me to travel with my husband while he works. This is such a great blessing and totally worth the downsizing required to make it work! Although we don’t plan on this forever, right now it is a lifesaver. It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea by any means, but it is currently ours! Here is what I have come to find helpful/necessary to live this way.
Starting off with the accessories:
- A Tripod Stabilizer
- This will help minimize rocking, stabilizing the front of the fifth wheel.
- Chocks
- X-chocks and wheel chocks also help stabilize your trailer. If God forbid, the parking break goes out these will keep you from rolling.
- Sewer Hoses
- For obvious reasons, you DO NOT want to skimp out on these. Getting a clear elbow fitting makes knowing when your tank is empty easy. We also have end caps for the hoses and keep them in a storage bin. These are the ones we have. You can also get them at Walmart. *getting a support stand that can make emptying easier*
- Water Pressure Regulator
- Most RV parks will have some serious water pressure where you hook up. A regulator will do just as you would think; regulate that pressure. Here is the one we have. There are some fancier ones also that have a gauge to tell you the pressure.
- Heat Trace & Hosing Insulation
- If temperatures get below freezing, your fresh water hoses will freeze and you may be left with no water. A heat trace and insulation wrapping your hose will prevent this!
Moving on to inside necessities:
- A Dehumidifier
- This one is more location based. We are in the PNW which is very humid, so ours is emptied at least every week during the fall and winter seasons. You don’t want moisture build up or you run the risk of mold. You can get these on amazon or Home Depot — stores like that. We have this GE one and it works great!
- Space Heaters
- Most trailers will have central heating, and ours runs off of propane. Propane is just more of a hassle to get, plus it can get pricey. Having a space heater (or 2) so central air doesn’t have to work as hard is a great idea. We have some cheaper smaller ones from Walmart and they work great!
- Screen Defender
- If you have pups or toddlers get yourself one of these, so your screen door doesn’t get shredded. You’ll thank yourself in the long run!
- Step Stool
- We have a folding step stool that saves me and even my 6’4 husband at times. The folding stools will save you a bit of space.
Outdoor Musts:
- An Outdoor Rug
- This will help keep your fifth wheel more clean (not totally but it helps) and makes it feel more homey.
- Camping Chairs
- For obvious reasons. Your fifth wheel is very small and can feel like it’s closing in on you, so get outside as much as you can!
- Grill
- Grilling is fantastic. Definitely not necessary, but it gets you outside and you get to enjoy your tasty food.
For a baby I’d say have a playmat and some interactive, open ended toys with loads of outside time. I plan on doing a post solely about this, as it has definitely been a learning curve for us.
For your pups, I’d recommend a lead outside so they can have more outside time without you having to be right there all the time. They also need toys and bones to play with and chew up to help get their energy out.
All in all, there is so much more that goes into living this way, but we can talk about that in another post. I highly recommend looking into this way of living and testing the waters for yourself! I never thought I’d be living so small, but I am thankful for all the days I get to spend with our little family.
Stay grateful! xo