TOP 5 MODS UNDER $20

There is no need to break the bank when you add these little beauties to your set-up

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDA BLOFFWITCH

If there’s one thing we love about the RV lifestyle, it’s seeing what modifications others have made to their set ups to make their travelling experience more enjoyable. I’m not talking about big ticket items here because often it’s the small things that matter most. Here’s my top five mods that we’ve made to our set up that have all come in under $20 each.

KEY BOX

After purchasing our RV, we were provided with a phenomenal amount of keys that we struggled to differentiate. Then later when added other accessories, the load of keys continued to grow. So if there’s one thing that we wouldn’t be without, it’s labelling a simple plastic box with dividers and using key tags to help identify the keys. It’s a simple method, but works perfectly for us.

12V FAN CLIP 

Have you ever tried to keep cool on a warm still night when not connected to 240v? If you’re anything like me, you may have found it a little uncomfortable.So to help circulate the air in our RV, we specifically sourced 12v fans with clips so they can be attached to pelmets. This means the fan is close enough that we feel a gentle breeze while we’re sitting at the table or sleeping, but it’s not too close that it becomes a safety hazard.

WARDROBE SHELVES

When you’re not the kind of RVer to travel with clothes that need to be hung 24/7, the space in your RV’s wardrobes may be going to waste. If you add some shelves using laminated lightweight timber and adjustable shelf pins, you can quickly and easily transform that wasted space into something more useful. But if your circumstances change, it’s simply a matter of removing the new addition and you’ll be back to a full wardrobe in no time.

SATELLITE DISH STORAGE 

If you’ve been thinking about buying a satellite TV kit for your set up, one major factor to consider before making any purchase is the storage of the dish when it’s not in use. To avoid using precious under-bed storage space or the inconvenience of laying it on our bed when we’re on the road, we needed to find an alternative solution. After visiting a local salvage yard, we picked up an offcut piece of tubing that we had bent by a local plumber. So the sat dish now travels outside by clamping it onto the tube that easily bolts onto either the front or rear of our RV’s frame.

OUTSIDE COOKING SOLUTION

With our RV’s outside table located at one end of our RV, and our hooded bbq at the other, it meant travelling with another table of some sort that was positioned closer to the bbq for cooking utensils and other bbq related items. So between visiting a discount store and a couple of hours’ work in the shed, we have done away with the table. Instead we now have a portable shelf and tool hanger that was cheap as chips to make, and cooking outside is now a breeze. It works a treat and is one of our favourite mods.

Not all RV modifications have to cost the earth, and these ones listed are classic examples. So I’m all for cheap upgrades as they make our life on the road more comfortable and better organised, and it’s these small things that have made the world of difference.