Small Space Living

[Lily&Me]

Okay, then...as long as we each understand the others intent.

Maggie

[rmkrum]

Don't know about you folks, but in my family, we season our garlic with food...and my very Sicilian Godparents would heartily approve...

Where the recipe calls for a clove or two of garlic, we use the whole bulb...you never see vampires around our campsite, so I guess it works...

[wachuko]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

Don't know about you folks, but in my family, we season our garlic with food...and my very Sicilian Godparents would heartily approve...

Where the recipe calls for a clove or two of garlic, we use the whole bulb...you never see vampires around our campsite, so I guess it works...

Love fresh garlic... ohhh... baked with some olive oil... use it as a spread on the bread... yummy! or chopped with cilantro and mixed with some spices and real butter to season a skirt steak...

Goodness... I am hungry now...

[Len n Jeanne]

Pre-peeled fresh garlic cloves keep for a long time in a small glass jar in the fridge.

[InterBlog]

Part of this thought process is here (permalink) on the "Interstate Mods" thread where I talked about adapting a Lagun table mount in a front-of-the-van mini-office design. Knowing that this will now require me to swivel the passenger seat frequently, I need to keep our Telesteps ladder somewhere besides being strapped to the back of that seat (I think).

One possible location is in the wet bath to the left of our upgraded Dometic commode (blog post on that here). But that requires that I raise the shower curtain out of the way of the floor, because normally it hangs down beside the commode (see the OEM strap at lower left).

I sewed this keeper using ripstop nylon and some mesh that I had left over from last year's gear loft project. Originally I had planned to make the gear loft itself out of this mesh, until I realized it was too stretchy and would sag down in front of my face.

The idea with this keeper was to create as much mesh surface area as possible, so that I can bundle up the shower curtain in this and still have maximum air circulation for it to dry.

I am cautiously optimistic about these suction cups, which I got from Joann Fabrics. I am really tired of suction cups falling off the walls of this wet bath - I don't know what the deal is, but many brands refuse to stick. These ones appear like they may work.

I also need to optimize that back wall as well. There's a lot of recapturable space in the wet bath.

[Pahaska]

Those look like the same cups I use to attach my wireless tow lights to the rear window of the Smart. The ones I have hang on tightly. After a week on the road, I had to use the little pull tabs to get them off the window.

I removed the wires and pressed the necks of the cups through slightly undersized holes in pieces of Lexan, then screwed the Lexan to the tow light bar..

[Lily&Me]

Those are the hooks I like best, too, tho I also have some large ones that are flat, unridged, which do well.

Maggie

[gghayes]

I found some Command hooks that are waterproof and made for water and have them in my shower at home.

[InterBlog]

Back in 2014 or 2015, I dimly recall a minor melt-down on the forum about the quality of the available automotive cup holders. Many of them were cheaply made, plastic, and could not hold a heavy drink. Someone suggested this all-metal product which at the time I bought, and then proceeded not to install because the correct place did not make itself apparent.

Several years later, I dug it out, and here it is, in my mini-office. It's a flip-down model and the whole thing can be folded up into a slim position. The arms can be slid together or farther apart, to hold a variety of container sizes.

[InterBlog]

This is the simplest thing in the world, but inexplicably, it took me 3 years to figure it out, that the paper plate dispenser belongs here, mounted on the middle galley cabinet door. I guess I assumed that the dispenser's depth would be too great to close the door easily given the contents within, but I was mistaken. I prefer paper plates, which burn well in camp fires.

[WhereStream]

That’s nice and clean.

I’ve never seen one of those paper-plate dispensers.

Great idea to mount it in the cabinet door.

I’ve got to try that.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

I am cautiously optimistic about these suction cups, which I got from Joann Fabrics. I am really tired of suction cups falling off the walls of this wet bath - I don't know what the deal is, but many brands refuse to stick. These ones appear like they may work.

INTERBLOG - I hear you. Decades ago, I used those simple suction cups & they worked well. It seems the newer generation of that "simple" design don't stick too long or the rubber just gets brittle too soon. So lately, I have used the ones with the hooks that are also the levers that you need to flip for suction. The small clear & white ones are used in our home bath and they stick forever. The big black one is the usual ones used to attach accessories on auto windshields but probably overkill for the bath, though I have seen many plastic shower shelves they that comes with those huge ones.

[Lily&Me]

I have found the levered suction cups to not hold up well during travel.

The larger ones, that become nearly flat, do much better.

Maggie

[InterBlog]

My other new favorite piece of hardware besides those suction cups - this little mending brace. Mount any length of Velcro to whatever surface, and have an instant tie-down. I moved our Telesteps ladder behind the driver's seat, stabilizing it against the wet bath wall with two of these loops. And the table legs and trekking poles inside the closet.

[InterBlog]

OReillys is selling these telescoping clothing bars for about 15 bucks but I can't find them on their website. Other websites have similar looking bars but with metal rings and a piece of plastic sticking off each connector (?!) which would cause an interference with what I've done here with this one.

Anyway, I already had a couple of those bungee clothes lines but they are useless due to the sag. This one will actually stretch between the two OEM cab hooks in the T1N Sprinter trim, and it collapses down for easy storage.

Obviously those little plastic trim hooks are not very strong, and I would not put much weight on this. But for drying a bunch of T-shirts and underwear while stopped overnight, I think this would work nicely. It could also be used to hold a lightweight privacy curtain, albeit not at the highest location (it would still be difficult to see to the back of the van due to the angles).

[Lily&Me]

I use something similar, telescoping and with hooks on each end, meant for putting in the back of a vehicle so as to hang clothing while traveling...resting on the little hooks on each side meant for just that purpose.

In the Interstate, I open the upper back cabinets, and put the hooks over the lower base of the cabinet on each side. It then runs across the back, and can stay there as long as I need it to.

Works very well, and is very secure.

In the past, I have filled that rod with semi dry men’s shirts on coat hangers, after a weekly stop at the laundromat.

Maggie

[Hittenstiehl]

In one of my favorite stores with lots of stuff for small space living and organizing.

[Hittenstiehl]

Wonder what came first my love of Airstreams or my love of things shiny and aluminum.

[Lily&Me]

Is that the Container Store?

A great place....take your wallet, as Doug would say.

Maggie

[Hittenstiehl]

Yes Maggie I knew you would recognize it. I am alone today so I can wander at my leisure and I have my wallet....and permission.

I look more than I shop as sometimes I can find these things at home goods or Tuesdays also. A couple things I have price matched today and they are the same price on Amazon so I'm going to be leaving with at least a little baggie full.