Tools

Two weeks ago I wrote about my tools and what needed to go on the road with us and what could be purged along with tons of other things. I'm struggling with what to take and how much it all weighs. Well last week I took the scales down to the garage and weighed everything. It seems I'm already at 260 pounds and I'm still not done. Guess I need to take another look at what all I'm taking.

From the many internet sites I've looked at here is a list of tools you might find helpful when traveling in your RV. This is by no means a complete list and you might want to delete or add some other tools.

Screwdrivers, Phillips and slotted several sizes of each.
A good selection of Robertson and Torx Bits
Cordless Drill/Driver
Nut Drivers
Adjustable Wrenches a 6”, 8”, and 10” should do
A set of Open End/ Box Wrenches
Vise Grips small and large
Pliers regular and needle nose small and large
Socket Set
Soldering Iron
Assorted Connectors
Fuses
Multi Meter
Several 120 Ext. Cords
Replacement Bulbs, think about switching to LED
Water Heater Element and Deep Socket
Teflon Tape
Plumbers Putty
Utility Knife
Hack Saw
Small Hand Saw
Small Pruning Saw
Wire Brushes assorted sizes
Wire Strippers, some spools of 12v and 120v wire
Ty Wraps
Duct Tape
Gorilla Tape
Elect. Tape
A/C Duct Tape
Silicone for sealing leaks
Caulking Gun
Rivet Gun and assorted rivets
Flash Light
Level 6” and 2'
Shovel
Axe
Rake
Assorted Nuts, Bolts, and Screws

Remember only you know what you'll feel comfortable traveling with and if you'll really need some of these things. I like to follow the Boy Scout Motto “Be Prepared” but you also have to be aware of weight. That's where I'm at now. Like I said earlier, my tools weight 260 pounds at this time so I'm not sure to purge some or just go with what I've got. Anyway I've added two really good videos I think will help anybody make up their mind.

I will say two very good videos I've watched about tools on the road is Tools and Maintenance Items for the Full Time RV Life by Ray at Love your RV  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmAJXK8Gwt8
and An RV technicians guide to the Best Tools for an RV by Chris Dougherty.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy9ozNqG6m


                        Safe Travels and I Hope To See You Down The Road

God made Life a Gamble

This past weekend Barb and I went to a concert in the park to see Joe Diffie. If you're not a country music fan then this might be lost on you. He played all of his greatest hits and then some. Everybody there had a great time in spite of the rain.



Joe Diffie

Anyway, (an this might be a stretch) one of his songs is called “Ships that don't come in”. It's about the struggles service men and women can have when they return from duty. Drinking, drugs, not able to find work, mental health issues.

A line in the song goes “God made life a gamble, and we're still in the game.” Barb and I are still RV Dreamers but we plan to make it to Fulltime RV'ers before the end of the year. Now I'm not trying to compare our struggles with any service person. No struggle could come close to what they might have gone through.

We all struggle in one way or another, plenty of unanswered questions still ring in my head every day. The biggest of course is can we do this financially? All RV Dreamers have unanswered questions and worry about making the right choice when faced with one of a hundred problems that we all know is going to pop up as we try our luck in exploring this country or whatever your idea of fulltiming will be.

I've read hundreds of blogs and forum entry's about RV'ing to know there is NO right answer for everybody. Some folks say they need $5000.00 a month to live this lifestyle, while others post they live quite comfortably on $1500.00 to $2000.00 a month. So who's to say which ones are right and wrong. God sure did make life a gamble.

But isn't life suppose to be a gamble? Who can say staying in a house that never moves is the right choice in life. We've played that game, and honestly. I'm tired of it. I'm ready for something new, something to inspire me, something to make me want to get out of bed in the morning. Every Morning. We're still in the Game. We just want a different game to play.

I'm not so naive to think life will become a bed of roses when we get on the road, even roses have thorns. Just because we will be living in a recreational vehicle doesn't mean we won't have struggles, of course we will. I'll still need to work somewhere, just not as much as I am right now. And as long as I'm able to be in the game, I feel the gamble is worth it.

As a kid growing up my dad seemed to have a saying for everything about life. Yes I remember most of them. Especially, “Can't never did do anything.”
Well I CAN and I Will some way, some how. And I hope you Stay In The Game and take your Gamble along with us on the road.

Safe Travels and I Hope To See You Down The Road

One big step forward.

Its OFFICAL, the house is up for sale.

  One more step forward in our quest to get on the road fulltiming before the year is gone. It has been a wild ride just getting to this point. So many decisions still to make but I'm thinking most of them will take care of themselves when the time comes.

I think my brain may turn to mush before we get there. We're still discussing (debating) actually what type of RV we want to get. Looks like it will be a 5^th. Wheel, at least we can agree on that. 

Anyway, we continue to purge and sell off everything we own. It seems like a juggling act trying to figure out when is the right time to sell the dining room set. We've already sold the kitchen table so do we keep it till the very end or eat in front of the television. Then there's the living room furniture, I guess we could set on the camping chairs the kids got us last year. That could be a little uncomfortable for who knows how long as we wait for the house to sell.

I won't sell our bedroom set or at least the bed until the very end because I WILL NOT sleep on the floor if at all possible. Of course we do have a air mattress (from our tent camping days) so maybe it could go after all.

Talking about stuff I won't sell, let's talk about tools. Now I don't claim to be a master mechanic but going on the road means taking care of a lot of fixes and repairs to save a little money. I've read a bunch of articles about what some guys refuse to leave behind. The main concern seems to be how much all those tools weigh. I've not weighed my tools yet but I think I might be a little overweight. Actually I think they are way over weight. That's a purge I'll have to deal with at a later date. I hope I'm not trying to hang on to them for no reason. After all I'm not Tim the ToolMan Taylor.

                          Safe Travels and I Hope to See You Down the Road.