YELLOWSTONE 2016 - MUST HAVES

A few things that are a MUST HAVE for an RV trip - 

🍞 A toaster - wow, did this thing come in handy! You can take it out of the RV when you get to the RV park and plug it in. We often set up a table near the electrical outlet and would make breakfast there. 

🍚 A rice cooker - the one we have doubles as a crock pot. We used it a few times. Once we made rice to add to dinner. And once we made Chicken Curry and veggies. Coming back to the RV to have some dinner cooking away is a real blessing. I'm glad I didn't bring the crock pot, I want to avoid bringing breakable things and the rice cooker did the job.

📜 Throw rugs - we brought 5 small throw rugs with us - they were very important. They helped keep the RV clean and made it a little more comfy to walk around. Also, don't forget to pick up a welcome mat for outside the RV door, you can wipe your feet before coming into the RV to cut down on sand or dirt. 

🧹 Broom - daily sweeping is a MUST! A good broom makes it easier.

🧼 Shower supplies - let me tell you now, everyone should have their own shower supplies and caddy. We thought we could have one big caddy full of all the shower supplies, but it was inconvenient. Its best if everyone has their own stuff, and small sizes are nice.

🩴 Dollar flip-flops - those are a life saver! You do NOT - I repeat DO NOT - want to put your beautiful little tootsies directly onto the ground in a campground shower. I don't care how nice the place is - you don't want to get any icky on your feet. Wear those flip flops in the shower, the entire time. Wear them when you head back to your camper. We kept multiple pairs of flip-flops in the camper, they're great for just stepping outside quick for something, but they're vital for shower time.

🎙️Walkie-Talkies - these things were the BEST! We needed them so much because so many areas we were in had zero cell phone reception. This allowed us to keep in touch while driving, and even while we were grabbing stuff in a local Walmart. Super handy. Plus, if something important did happen, to try to pull out your cell phone, dial the number, hope they pick up, etc. is just crazy. Pressing a button for instant communication - so important!

📟 Portable WiFi (or a MiFi) - we bought one from a Walmart in Rapid City. It helped boost the cell phone reception when it was bad. The WiFi allowed the phone to be online and function well. Our stupid T-Mobile plan had hardly any areas of coverage and when we ran out of that, we used AT&T roaming. But T-Mobile only allowed so much roaming and we ran out of that also. The portable WiFi really filled in the gap.

📲 We also bought a cell phone signal amplifier. The one we bought was from Wilson. It didn't do much for the cell phones, but it really did help the MiFi to get more signal. I can't say this is a MUST HAVE but it might help in a pinch.

🧊 Another thing I wanted to remember - the cooler. We bought a cheap-o cooler from Walmart. It barely kept the ice frozen for the day. We ended up dumping water and refilling ice way too often. When we were in Wyoming (I think) we stopped into a Walmart for supplies and we bought a much better quality cooler. That made a big difference. However, the more I talked to people about coolers in general, the more people said how much buying a Yeti cooler (or comparable) was worth the money. I couldn't see spending $300 on a cooler, but on this trip, it would have made such a difference. Yes, the RV has a refrigerator, but it works minimally while you're driving, and once you plug into electricity, it takes a while to cool down enough. A good cooler, where the ice won't melt right away, would have allowed us to almost have another refrigerator. If we ever do take another RV trip, I think I will invest in one of those coolers - they say the ice won't melt for like 72 hours. That would have been super handy on this trip!

🪙 I can't forget to mention a very humble item, but one of the most important items to take on an RV trip - QUARTERS! Wow do you go through quarter on an RV trip. First, you will need them for any toll roads. But most importantly, you need a crap-ton (technical term) of quarters to do laundry. Some places charge $2 in quarters per load, and just as many to dry. You can easily go through $12 or more on a few loads of laundry. So before you go, get about $20 in quarters. You will be glad you did.