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Old 03-25-2016, 08:38 AM   #861
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General comment on my substantial flow of gadgetry -

I must say, I can't think of a single thing that I have purchased that I later regretted or thought "It turns out that I don't really use that". This is a situation of two people and a dog living in a space of about 100 square feet. It's not like a stick house where one can always "make do" with something else because there are no restrictions on adaptation. I keep buying gadgets because I keep being delighted with the results.

In fact, I took my little blue silicone hand tongs, the ones whose exclusive function is to flip toast on the portable propane gas stove toaster, and I started waving them around and clapping them on our last trip. I was going, "Yay!!" (clap clap clap) "I'm so glad that I have these tiny little hand tongs because what other tool would ever get this particular job done?" (clap clap clap). And my husband was going, "Oh God... please stop..."
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Old 04-02-2016, 09:14 AM   #862
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It's not often that you'll hear me describe Airstream using the word "genius", but today is the day. Let me explain.

I want to better utilize the space on the back of our wet bath door. In the T1N Interstate, there is just one 14 inch low-profile towel bar on that entire door. If I could even add a second matching towel bar below it, I would double the usable space. A two-layer towel bar system would work well because we use those microfiber towels that are smaller than conventional towels to start with. Plus I could also hang small pieces of wet clothing on a second bar so that I wouldn't have to look at them strewn throughout the vehicle.

For the life of me, I could not locate any similar product in the consumer marketplace, so I looked up the Airstream part number, only to find that it's not a towel bar at all - they took an oversized drawer handle pull and riveted on a pair of modified washers so that they could attach it from the front side rather than from the back side as drawer and cabinet pulls are universally designed. An absolutely brilliant repurposing and adaptation which accounted perfectly for the fact that there just isn't space on the back of that door for a conventional towel bar - it would stick out too far.

I am going to call Airstream next week to see if they could sell me a second one, but a decade following production, I'm figuring that my chances are slim that they would still have any in stock.

Meanwhile, I thought I would ask -- has anyone else attempted to reconfigure the back of the wet bath door for improved space utilization, and if so, how did you do it?
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Old 04-02-2016, 09:27 AM   #863
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Seems like you could use a variety of cabinet "wire pulls" like the one below (from the residential construction arena). There are all kinds of designs and lengths.

http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Stee...shed+stainless

Do your smaller towels have loops for hanging from one corner? Smaller hooks are handy for lots of things, especially items that have been dried and need to stay nearby and handy to grab with a wet hand.

You can also hang wet things from several of these by folding over the top edge, but this would not be stable on the road of course:

http://www.amazon.com/Liberty-Hardwa...l+closet+hooks

They make a double-hook version of these too.
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Old 04-03-2016, 06:51 AM   #864
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I use the towel bar as a hook to hang an organizer for soap, shampoo,etc. This organizer lifts off to carry to the campground shower when I am using it instead of the camper's shower.

I use over-the-door hooks and reverse them when I 'land.' They face out when camping and turn into the bathroom when driving. Same with the closet door--in when driving, out when settled.

And, if I don't need what's on the hooks, then they stay tucked away and there's slightly less clutter. Plus, I don't have to conquer my aversion to making holes.

Have you installed a retractable clothesline in the bathroom? I use these to put on the retractable clothesline to keep wet things separate and hold more. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004F3MQIM/...=IG6W0J5S8CYWI

You could also put these or S-hooks on your towel bar. You have to take them off when driving, though, if they're empty.
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Old 04-03-2016, 07:12 AM   #865
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OTRA, thanks, I may decide to get one or more wire pulls and duplicate what is there already.

Regarding hooks, unless they are the removable over-the-door types or strong magnet types, I have resolved to use only those that fold flat when not in use. In the Interstate's small space, I know that people and things are going to get stabbed by, or caught up in, permanent hooks that stick out.

Here is one version that I found on Amazon and I really love the quality and the look, although I haven't decided where I'm going to mount this yet. Perhaps on the inside of the closet door as a pair (one on each side of the mirror).
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Old 04-03-2016, 07:33 AM   #866
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Also on the subject of hooks, I really love this device although I note with frustration that the internet lists it as 13 inches wide when it is actually 12 inches wide.

After a year and a half of Interstate ownership, I conceded to the realization that there is just no way that I can customize the closet to meet all possible needs, which include but are not limited to the following:

- Mobile office storage space
- Fancy clothes hanging space
- Backcountry pack stacking space
- Coat storage space
- Grocery space if I'm running errands
- If I'm lazy sometimes I simply cram bedding in there, floor to ceiling, rather than re-packing it each morning.

Furthermore, we may lose part of the space near the floor to the upcoming lithium retrofit (right now our house battery is beneath the cab passenger seat and that has to change).

Anyway, the hooks on this product can be folded up while not in use. Furthermore the unit itself can be lifted off its mounting screws and removed, which is important because one of the main wire chases is behind the adjacent closet wall and my husband needs to remove wall sections routinely to get at it.

No more hiking poles rattling in the closet - halleluja. Also, husband and I both use water bladders in our day packs (Camelback or similar) and we've learned the hard way that those things must be hung up. They are very good at finding new ways to leak.
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Old 04-03-2016, 08:42 AM   #867
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Good alternative hooks, especially that fold-up one with multiple hooks. The white deal on the back of the door "looks" heavy IMO even with the hooks folded up. Will they stay up on the road?

I am pretty sure this small double robe hook only sticks out 1 1/2" and offers the least cluttered look. Used these all over for decades at home. No moving parts. KISS but of course limited utility for large bunched up fabric items. Items with hanging loops work great, as each item can have its own separate mini-hook. Small mounting screws so holes are easy to patch if relocation makes sense. Through-bolt to thin cabinet doors, etc..

http://www.amazon.com/LIBERTY-B46114...productDetails
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Old 04-03-2016, 09:34 AM   #868
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Quote:
Originally Posted by InterBlog View Post
"I'm so glad that I have these tiny little hand tongs because what other tool would ever get this particular job done?"
I have bamboo toast tongs for the Airstream and for home. But I understand what you are saying.
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Old 04-03-2016, 09:46 AM   #869
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Tongs a lot for the post Marty! Ditto on the bamboo toast tongs.



The end of InterBlog's post is what caught my eye a few days ago . . .

Quote:
Originally Posted by InterBlog View Post
. . .
And my husband was going, "Oh God... please stop..."
The old standard SS cook's tongs in 3-4 different lengths are our standard equipment for many uses, ranging from toast on the burner (no blue plastic or silicon to burn up) to large logs on a campfire. Tossing spaghetti in a large bowl. Grilling and serving mixed summer vegetables. Serving salad. Etc.

The bumps on the edges are great for scratching one's back too!

Not to mention other punishing functions:

Tongs for the memories!
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Old 04-03-2016, 09:50 AM   #870
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Or, as Gonzo on the old Muppet Show, "Speak to him in his native tong..."


Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums
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Old 04-03-2016, 06:57 PM   #871
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thanks for photos. what is black pad that looks velcroed in?
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Old 04-04-2016, 06:00 AM   #872
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A bunch of good comments above.

My other aversion to hooks, clips, and graspers is that wet stuff has to be spread out on a rack or bar to keep from moldering on the Gulf Coast. Humidity is so high here that when wet items air-dry of their own accord, we tend to call it a miracle of unknown origin. For instance, if I don't take my dish cloth, wring it thoroughly, and spread it out "just so" to dry last thing before I go to bed, it's going to stink by morning, and mold stink is hard to remove. And that's in my stick house where we have the dehumidification benefit of air conditioning. When we travel to the plains or the desert where humidity is lower and stuff actually dries, I tend to say, "Wow - so this is how the other half lives."

So I have an aversion to hooks. Wet items hanging on hooks stay bunched up and let the stinking begin.

I'm thinking of getting a ladder-style back-of-door rack and cutting down the legs so that it doesn't stick out as far into the wet bath. That is another possibility if the self-modified wire pull idea doesn't work out.

I also picked up the ten-dollar item called "portable clothesline" at Container Store, which is essentially a bungee cord with integrated hooks and clips. I think it will be useful but it doesn't hold much when the items are spread across it.

Knotdonne said "what is black pad that looks velcroed in?"

I think that's referring to the accordion-folded coroplast privacy screen that we made for non-spousal sleeping arrangements. I have a teenage daughter who prefers a bit of privacy, even from Mom. So when we travel together, we place this in the middle of the bed, which she appreciates very much. We did use this on two college tour trips within the past six months and it worked fabulously. There's a description of it here:

http://interstateblog.blogspot.com/2...airstream.html
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Old 04-04-2016, 03:27 PM   #873
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Smile Collapsible Cookware & Dinnerware

While shopping at a nearby REI store this weekend we picked up the following XPot made by SeaToSummit (designed for backpackers). The base is hard anodized aluminum, the collapsible sides of food grade heat resistant silicone, and the perforated lid of BPA free plastic. It collapses to 1.75" and holds 4 liters when full. They make other cook- and dinnerware in a similar style. As you can see, the side handles hold the lid during transport and it sure doesn't take the space of a full pot.

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Old 04-04-2016, 03:47 PM   #874
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Please let us know how that pot works. I saw them and hesitated not because of the silicone but because they don't have full handles and I wondered how that would work on a gas stove. In my experience, pot handles get a lot hotter on gas vs. electric, to the point where my "guaranteed not to get hot" conventional pot handles get too hot on my stick house gas cooktop. They remained cool enough to grab when I was using an electric stove.

I don't mind a cooking pot taking up space because I store my tea kettle in it, and tea kettles don't collapse, so I wouldn't gain much by going with a pot that collapses.

For the Interstate, I did buy a GSI Outdoors frying pan with a collapsible handle... I'm not married to that one and the quality doesn't impress me (it gets panned - pun intended - in internet reviews). I bought it mostly because it was available at Cabela's, which just opened a new location in League City (they are rare in Texas). Reviewers say "better to invest in higher quality" but then they don't cite what frying pan might constitute said higher quality.
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Old 04-05-2016, 05:03 AM   #875
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Actually, you can buy a collapsible tea kettle - similar design to the pot shown. But your concerns about gas would apply as well.
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Old 04-06-2016, 07:55 PM   #876
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I would also love to know how well those collapsible pots work. We were just in an REI store on the weekend, and I was so intrigued. What concerned me was whether they might collapse when you're draining a full pot of spaghetti or something. I thought a hard-sided pot might be safer. But please report back.

With a 19' Bambi and a Tundra with a cap on the back, we have a little more room than the Interstate, but not lots.

But just to give a shout-out to REI, because they specialize in equipment for people who carry a month's worth of food and gear in a backpack, they have a range of very light-weight compact items that would work just fine in a small RV.

We just bought their roll-up camp table. It fits into a nylon tube-style carrier. It's for those back-of-beyond trips where you don't have a picnic table and don't want to eat all your meals inside.
https://www.rei.com/product/765280/rei-camp-roll-table
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Old 04-07-2016, 04:03 AM   #877
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Personally.....I would not get collapsible cooking pots for our rigs.

They seem somewhat fraught with danger of collapse, and we have ample storage space for a couple of pots and pans.

Leave those to the backpackers, who are boiling water and adding a dehydrated meal, etc.

I have one quart and two quart, heavy Wearever stainless saucepans that do for most anything....both have glass lids with strainers at the edge, eliminating a need for a separate item to drain pasta, etc.

A $10 4 quart sparkled enamel pot from Walmart handles the occasional corn on the cob.

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Old 04-07-2016, 05:17 AM   #878
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lily&Me View Post
Personally.....I would not get collapsible cooking pots for our rigs.

They seem somewhat fraught with danger of collapse, and we have ample storage space for a couple of pots and pans.

Leave those to the backpackers, who are boiling water and adding a dehydrated meal, etc.
. . .
Maggie
Ditto from our FC20, another smallish home on wheels. Same for the Removable Handles thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f484...es-148694.html

Just don't want to deal with the extra effort required to make something do the job of what we already have, just to save a little space or weight.


Come on Spring, let's get in gear here in New England!
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Old 04-07-2016, 05:33 AM   #879
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I agree. But I am averse because I like to buy things that will last a good, long time.

To me, these collapsible items seem more prone to wear from the friction and stretching of opening and closing. I have other pans that were my grandparents.

Just like to buy things once if possible.

I did find a nice Dansk pan (no handle style) at an estate sale that will be going in the Lil Puppy.
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Old 04-07-2016, 05:40 AM   #880
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The collapsibles were designed for those little one-burner items that backpackers use, too, not our stovetops. Just not worth the trouble, IMO.

I picked up a Calphalon skillet and a larger pot for things like chili at TJMaxx or Tuesday Morning, and they have the small side handles like the one you show, PB. I love them, and not having the long handle to work around.

I love my cast iron, but the Calphalon is sooooo handy for cleanup.


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