Pod Mods

As perfect as the Pod is, as we all know there is always room for improvement!

We've been reading up a lot over at the R-Pod Owners Forum and I came across some really great, simple ideas for sprucing up the interior.  I chose a few of my favorites and they were extremely affordable and easy.

1.)  The sink cover hanger thingy:

 This was a mod that immediately caught my eye.  The sink cover is great - when you're not using the sink, it gives you more work space.  But what to do with it when the sink is in use?  A simple Command hook stuck to the wall and voila - problem solved.  Command hooks come in all kinds of colors but I really like the look of the faux brushed nickel one I found here on Amazon.

2.)  The velcroed wall clock:

Not a necessity, but why not?  It looks pretty!  The trick here is to make sure you buy a clock that doesn't weigh much.  The one I got (can be purchased here) is so light it probably weighs less than a frisbee.  Attach a few velcro circles to the back and to the wall, and now you've got a wall clock that stays put and at the same time allows for you to change the batteries when necessary.

3.)  The wall mounted glow in the dark toothbrush holder:

I like this one so much I might get a couple for the house!  I can't stand keeping our toothbrushes in plastic bags and stuff when we camp.  It grosses me out.  This little miracle is super cheap and equally as handy.  The backing is double sided tape and sticks right to the wall.  Yet another Amazon purchase and can be found here.

4.)  The over the door towel rack:

I have a love/hate relationship with this one.  I just really wanted a place to hang towels so we wouldn't need to store them.  This rack does the trick and fits the door great, but one thing I didn't take into consideration was that it sticks out from the door about 3-4 inches.  No problem in a regular bathroom but the Pod's bathroom is only about 24 inches wide to begin with.  It's a tight squeeze and now it's even tighter. We'll see how it all plays out the first time one of us tries to shower.  I'm thinking we can either leave the door open and pull the curtain across or just turn the rack around while we're in there so it's on the outside of the door.

5.) The all stainless steel appliances, center island and granite counter top kitchen make over!!

Just kidding... ;)

The Organizational Piece

Last weekend, the daunting task of emptying the old camper and filling the new one took up most of our time.  The pop-up really had a ton of storage, between the space under the large dinette and the cabinets.  The R-Pod - not so much.  Things like the heater, water heater and slide mechanism are taking up spots that would normally serve as storage areas, so we really had to be selective with what decided to keep.  Storage space is at a minimum in the new camper for sure!

There were many things inside the old camper that we'd never even used before, so it was a no brainer to toss those items.  When we bought the pop-up the people before us were nice enough to include much of their gear, but we just didn't find a use for all of it.  That also meant we acquired a camper that was already full of stuff. With the R-Pod we are starting with a clean slate - which is great!  And as far as the "clean" part goes, my aim is to try and keep it that way.

Outside we have a storage compartment underneath the camper that will be great for chairs, the R-dome, the outdoor carpet, and things of that nature.  It's not huge, but it's pretty decent.  We have ample storage under the bottom bunk bed, and storage underneath one bench in the dinette.  We also have 2 drawers under the counter, a shallow cabinet under the sink and a small upper cabinet over the sink.  That's pretty much it besides a few shelves.  Space is at a premium in our little Pod, so the plan is to maximize it every way I can.

I started out by measuring the space and purchasing some plastic bins and laundry basket to go under the bunk and dinette.  I was amazed at how much we fit in them!  One bin houses the kids outside toys, one holds the rainy day games, books and activities, the other holds all of our "outdoor use" items (lanterns, flashlights, bug sprays, rain ponchos, tablecloths) and ultimately the plan for the laundry basket is to use it for dirty clothes.

Under the dinette we decided to store all of our kitchen items - pots, pans, strainers, mixing bowls, cooking utensils, the percolator, the dishwashing basins and of course the ever-fabulous Coleman Camp Oven that we reviewed last year (a little shameless linking there to old blog if you'd like to read more!)

Overall we were VERY surprised by what we fit in the limited space we have.  We still haven't put a thing in the cabinets or on the shelves so for the moment we've got room to spare....(I probably shouldn't have said that out loud...)