By Gail Marsh
Can you travel in an RV and still pursue your favorite hobby? I didn’t used to think so. But now I know better!
A man for all hobbies
My husband has many hobbies. He likes to ride his motorcycle and bicycle. He enjoys fishing and hiking, along with snorkeling and occasionally scuba diving. The best part? My husband can pursue many of his hobbies as we travel in our RV all around the country.
…And then there’s me
I used to envy Hubby. “So many hobbies. So little time.” That seemed to be his motto. And then there’s me. I like to read. Not too exciting, huh? Of course, while we were in our stix-n-brix home I enjoyed gardening, sewing, and crafting. When it was time to get back in our RV and head out on the road, I used to put my hobbies away. That was a mistake. Turns out, you can travel without giving up your hobby.
Organization is key for RVing with a hobby
Yes, a gardening hobby requires special consideration when you’re on the road. I’ve learned to make use of portable pots and planters. If we’re going to be in the same general area for an extended time, I will try growing plants that do well in that climate. It’s fun to learn how to grow things that I can’t grow back home.
I’ve learned to pack along my favorite gardening tools like gloves, hand spade, and watering can. Because potting or garden soil bags are so bulky, I usually plan to purchase those items when we get to our destination. Gardening takes up a good deal of space, so I keep all of my plants outside. When it comes time to leave, I often “gift” the camp manager or campground host with a plant. If I plan to keep the plant for myself, I put it inside a deep cardboard box and place the box inside our shower for safe transport.
A sewing hobby also takes a bit of planning if you’re going to sew while in your RV. I use the floor or bed when cutting out pattern pieces because those are the largest flat surfaces in our RV. When I sew I place my sewing machine on the dining table. It isn’t in the way because my husband and I eat on TV trays or at the picnic table most nights. I enjoy finding fabrics at local area shops. They often carry prints and designs that I cannot find back home.
A dear friend recently introduced me to “Mandala dotting.” It’s a fun way to use paint in decorating wood, plastic, glass, or other surfaces. Since I’m just starting out, I haven’t found the perfect storage for my brushes and dotters yet. For now, everything fits inside a small cardboard box. If I continue with this new hobby, I might need to find a better organizer/container.
Organize and pack for any hobby
You may not be interested in gardening, sewing, or dotting. The point is that you need to:
- Think through what to bring from home, and what items are better purchased near your campsite.
- Consider where you can best work on your hobby. Is inside or outside of the RV best? You may decide to modify your RV’s interior a bit to better accommodate your hobby.
- Finally, remember to think about how you’ll get your completed projects back home. Or, if you’re full-time RVing, where you’ll place/store your completed projects.
The right storage is important
When at home, I have a craft room. Inside that room is one entire wall of cabinets where I store hobby supplies. Because space is limited inside an RV, you should give some thought to how you’ll contain the supplies you need for your hobby.
I’ve purchased some great storage and organizational containers that help me when I take my hobbies on the road. These totes, boxes, and crates enable me to easily pack my hobbies for a trip. The containers also provide storage while we’re on the road traveling. When we return home, the containers fold flat for easy storage.
Where to find hobby supply containers
No matter what your hobby, you’ll probably find the perfect container for hobby necessities on Amazon. Just search for “hobby containers.” Here are a few of my favorites:
For sewing, I use this one. For gardening, this one is my favorite. And for my new painting/dotting supplies, this is the one I’m considering.
How about you?
What hobby or hobbies do you enjoy while RVing? What accommodations do you make to your RV in order to easily pursue your hobby while on the road? Please leave a comment below.
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I enjoy fiber arts, so my spinning wheel comes with us. Sometimes an 8 heddle loom. My sewing machine always comes as well as all knitting, crocheting and cross stitch supplies. For a while we carried stained glass supplies and tools. We full-time and crafts are part of my life. We also hike and kayak. As for travel “hobbies” as we travel we visit the state capitols and have a book to stamp by the capitol. We have toured all but 3.
We are full time RVers, and both of us are ham radio operators,so we always have radios with us to talk locally or long distance, as well as the necessary antennas. I also enjoy entering sweepstakes, and my husband is a webmaster and IT guy so our computers are ‘must’ items to have.
Though I’ve had a ‘tech’ ham license for 30 years, I just recently upgraded to ‘general’ and discovered HF radio. We’re talking four months here, so I haven’t yet got what I need to set up for HF while on the road. That’s coming fast though.
Also a long time ham. I’m currently working on putting together a mobile HF station to take along.
I’m a quilter and cross-stitcher. My hubby has graciously allowed me to bring a lot of it with us as we full time. We have a Class A and my cross stitch supplies and quilting supplies are in the closet where a washer/dryer go. I sew on the dinette and cut fabric on my bed also on one of those foldable cardboard cutting surfaces with my mat on top for the rotary cutter.
A quiet spot to park the RV and a new book to read while sitting outside. That covers my hobbies.
It’s kinda difficult for me to work on/maintain my street rod (a 1936 Hudson Terraplane) or make sawdust out of 2 x 4s while camping 😁😁😁😁
Scuba diving and RVing (like @Wayne Caldwell’s street rod) is a difficult mix. Deliberately add lead weights to an RV??? Sure you can rent gear (in some locations), but it never quite fits as well and air regulators are never quite as well balanced as my own. The gear might be fine for shallow reefs, but you really want to be completely comfortable with your gear before doing advanced dives.
Thank you, Gail! 🙂 Great ideas for storage containers for your hobbies! 🙂 DW’s hobby is reading and playing some sort of game. She does both on a computer tablet. The closest thing that I have to a hobby is baseball card collecting, but that is an occasional deal because the cards are multiple dollars/each. I don’t attempt traveling with any of my cards, but might take along a box or two and insert them into notebooks during a trip in the future. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
I take dance classes online in our camper. We tossed the dinette, etc.