DIY Motorhome: Saving space

Living in any type of RV, be it a campervan, motorhome, caravan or yacht, means you have to find ways to save space. There are lots, but here's a few that we utilise:

• Water filter. By having a water filter on our drinking water tap we can carry just one tank of water. We don't need to buy bottled water and this is good for our space saving, money saving and the environment. We fill up from creeks, lakes, town water supplies, tanks, taps with 'water not suitable for drinking' signed on it. If it looks clean enough, we go for it, unless it's salty. 

• Laundry machine. Our washing machine means that we can carry less clothes. We launder almost everyday and if we're driving we hang the clothes up inside and they dry nicely with the movement of the air. We also have only the linen on the bed and a total of 4 towels. In Blac we didn't have a laundry machine so we needed clothes for an entire week plus spare linen. So having our own washing machine is a great convenience, the space used by it is returned by less clothes and linen needed, and it pays its way because we don't have to find coin laundromats which would typically mean coins spent, possible parking expenses and possible cafe coffee expenditures while we waited. 

• Military can opener. 

• Retro Towels.  Raid your grandmothers cupboard or go to an op shop (second hand shop). Old retro towels, for bath or beach, are smaller but big enough snd if they're less fluffy they dry faster.  

• Powdered milk. It's okay in coffee and baking although I wouldn't drink it straight. If you're into nut milks, I think you could save space by buying nuts and making your own. 

• Dried beans. I like chickpeas, H likes Red Kidney Beans. But there are so many bean types available, and, with a stove top pressure cooker (which you can use as a regular saucepan too) they're easy to cook. This saves money and space. 

• Saucepans and frying pans without attached handles. We actually don't have these but the space saving is obvious. And they should stack into each other. 

• Plastic storage containers that fit into each other. You can also get collapsible containers but I don't think they last as well. 

• Keeping products in ziplock bags (I reuse ones from shops, they're stronger), or in any bags with the top folded down and clipped or taped. By keeping beans/nuts/cereals in bags they only take up as much space as what product they contain. And I put all these zip locked bags of products together inside a couple of large plastic tubs (with lids).  

• Aluminium foil for wrapping meat/ cakes/ breads. Cling wrap would works too, but I don't like it. 

• Telescopic ladder. Unable to find one locally, we bought ours on eBay. It's great for reaching the roof or picking fruit from trees. H also has a telescopic fishing rod. 

• Folding bikes. We love our Brompton bikes, even if H does look like he's joined the circus. 

Maybe you have some more ideas that you can share with us in the comments below?