My first item is a stand alone icemaker. When we purchased our motorhome, I was disappointed that my fridge didn’t have a built in icemaker. At the time I thought this would be a minimal inconvenience, and my experience with our old rig’s icemaker was not very positive. The ice produced in the freezer icemaker always had a plastic taste to it. No matter how many times we flushed and sanitized the water holding tanks, the ice always smelled and tasted like the plastic tubing. That’s one of the reasons I hated to give up all my water in bottles from the grocery store…using my own filtered water in a plastic water jug just didn’t cut it…I always smelled and tasted the plastic. We purchased our Magic Chef Stand alone icemaker at Target on sale for $99. The prices on these units range from $99 all the way up to $999 or more depending on brand and output. We add filtered water and in 7 minutes we have ice. Filtered water can help protect the innards of the icemaker from mineral deposits that can lurk in campground water. Here are some Countertop Ice Makers to look at and compare.
Filtered water has replaced our dependency on purchased bottled water from the grocery. My number two can’t live without item in the rig is some type of water filtering system. Although I didn’t mind the cost of purchasing water each week, I do mind what all those empty bottles do to the environment. A TV ad I saw several months ago triggered my angst…each plastic bottle stays in the landfill for something like 500 years. I think I can do my part and use a reusable drinking bottle. I finally found some that don’t smell like plastic and I don’t get that plastic over-taste I mentioned above. These reusable water bottles/cups/jugs can be purchased at places like Wal-Mart, CVS or Walgreens. To filter our water, we use a Brita pitcher. Works great. We also keep a chilled pitcher in the fridge so we always have a supply of filtered water at our fingertips. My new reusable water bottle has a hook attachment that hangs from my waist so I can carry it hands free. The only bad thing about it is that the sweat from the bottle leaves a wet spot on my shorts in hot weather. I solved this by making a cotton knit water bottle holder which absorbs the moisture. I think I feel a how-to article in the wings! I must confess however, that we also have a Brita filter on our kitchen faucet, so we actually filter our water twice. We prefer the on demand filter vs. the whole intake filters you see on many RV’s. I don’t need filtered water to flush the potty…I only need filtered water to make coffee and cook with. Either type will work for you…just make sure you have some type of filter on the water intake…camp grounds are not known for their quality of water…sometimes you get city water, sometimes it’s well water at the campsite and it has smells and impurities that can really foul not only your tummy, but the rigs plumbing as well. Here is a link to a Comparison chart of the 20 top water pitchers available in the marketplace.
My third can’t live without item is my espresso maker. I purchased my little hummer at Walgreens of all places. They no longer sell this item (I checked) but I think I paid under $20. I can’t even find a picture of it now (I checked this too….). It kinda looks like this
I love Starbuck’s Americanos….SF Vanilla Americanos in particular. An Americano is espresso with hot water added. I always get a sugar free Americano with room for cream. I lust after these and finally decided I was spending a bunch of my disposable allowance on my coffee dependence. So I bit on the on sale mini espresso machine I happened to see at Walgreens and now make my own. Espresso Machines are not cheap for the most part. Here’s a list of pointers that will help you decide what type is best for you. My lil’ sis Kathy has a stove top maker that makes incredibly good espresso, and I have a friend who shall forever remain nameless who spent $1200 on one (her husband was quite thrilled…my hubby would have filed for divorce…). With one of these wonderful little machines you can make espresso, cappuccinos, café’ breve’s and lattes. Life can’t get any better than having your very own Starbucks on demand in your rig.
If you have any items in your rig that you can’t live without, let me know… maybe we can have a forum dialog so I can get some more ideas on what I am missing!
