Shop RV shows for accessories

Making the most of limited space is an art form, and manufacturers are constantly updating their offerings. One RV show finishes up today at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

By GORDON and JANET GROENE

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 21, 2001

Buying an RV is just the beginning. The next step is to add equipment and accessories that will make it truly your own.

An RV show like the one wrapping up today at the Florida State Fairgrounds, just east of Tampa off Interstate 4, is the perfect place to see the most and newest RV gear -- convertible furniture, spacesavers, dual-purpose accessories and furnishings that are sized for the RV life.

These items might include a non-electric carpet cleaner that really works, or a set of cleaning mops and brushes that share the same handle, or a 12-volt electric skillet just large enough for two eggs.

Some dealers are at the same show year after year, but others may be at this show only once. When you see a left-handed vacuum cleaner or a portable potty in robin's egg blue that you want, grab it: Oddball accessories come and go.

If you already own an RV, bring to the show as many measurements as you can -- exact sizes of its beds, the length of the spot where you can mount a push-button awning, the sizes of the windows if you want new blinds, how much space there is for that magazine rack or towel bar.

A note to the new owner: Sleeping bags are an inexpensive, easy way to cover the beds in an RV, but they can be hard to launder and are hardly romantic.

However, in many RVS the beds are just a tad longer, shorter or narrower than standard, or are convertible to something else during the day, either of which makes them hard to make up using regular sheets. Shop the RV show for alternative bedding.

Constant concerns: cooking, storage

Camp cooking, whether you have the most luxurious motorhome or a tiny pop-up camper, comes with special problems. Buy the right pans in the right sizes for your RV stove and grill. If they nest for compact storage, that's best, but don't settle for the flimsiest and cheapest camp pots. They cook unevenly and are difficult to clean.

Add one or two ice chests to supplement the RV refrigerator and to keep stinky fish and bait away from food supplies.

At the RV show, you are likely to see many accessories that lead a double life, such as a cutting board that sits over the sink to serve as counter space. Get a double boiler with steamer insert and you will have a big pot, a double boiler, a small pot, a steamer and a strainer.

Buy a stainless steel bucket to use for toting, heating water, mixing, cleaning and cooking lobsters or big batches of stew. If you do a lot of campfire cooking, get the most versatile Dutch oven you can find.

If you plug into electricity at least part of the time, consider one or two electric appliances: A single electric burner can double as a thermostatically controlled skillet, corn popper, coffeemaker, waffle iron and toaster, depending on what you place atop it. It is likely you'll also find a wide range of 12-volt electric appliances at the show.

Look for stackable storage containers with square corners, so that you can carry a lot in a small space. Add one or two collapsible water carriers with built-in spigots.

Look for containers that will help you store clothing, towels, the sewing kit, first aid supplies and so on. The show probably offers good choices in bins, carriers, blanket bags, dish pans and covered plastic storage boxes.

The larger the storage space (e.g. an unused, overhead bunk or a big bin under a dinette seat), the more important it is to compartmentalize it before it turns into a jumbled mess.

For the fun of it

You will probably want a stereo if the RV does not have one, a CD player and perhaps a 12-volt television or 12-volt TV/VCR combination. Many campgrounds offer cable TV hook-up, but you will also want to look at rotating TV antennas and the folding satellite dishes made for RV use.

With a special mount, you can carry one or two bicycles on the RV. Perhaps your motorhome can tow a boat. Or, mount a folding boat on the side of the RV, a canoe on top or an inflatable boat, deflated, in a closet.

Your traveling library should include a dictionary to settle Scrabble arguments, wildlife identification books, a basic cookbook and specialty cookbooks matching your cooking style, a campground directory and a first aid manual. Audiotapes of books, motivational messages or language lessons also help pass the miles.

You can probably also use board games such as Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit, and a magnetic checkers set.

For the campsite, you will probably want to add folding chairs or loungers, leveling blocks (to keep your RV level), an awning or screen room, roasting forks and a portable gas grill.

If you are heading to an RV show, bring a list of all the manufacturers of accessories that are already in your RV, and visit their displays to see what's newer, lighter, more fuel efficient or more cost effective. You may be able to upgrade, update or trade in to great advantage.

If you have problems or questions about your equipment, this is also the best place to deal with them, because your will have a knowledgeable person facing you, instead of having to deal with an automated telephone line.

Learn all you can about each product's use and care. Find out how to replace lost user manuals. Ask the salesman to explain fine points of the warranty. Ask what is on the drawing boards for next year.

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