Small Space Living

[Mansderm161]

This looks like a hand made soap. They melt easily. Try cutting it into smaller pieces..like thirds. And use 1/3 at a time. May need to use a hot or very warm knife or wire to cut. The smaller pieces will dry faster too.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Warning: First-world problem straight ahead.
. . .

^^^^^ x2



Soap spikes top and bottom, inside the storage container, if time is an issue.

https://www.amazon.com/InterDesign-P...gateway&sr=8-1

Or dry first per Maggie [on soap spikes].

[Pahaska]

I use a plastic funnel-like creation that is stuck to the bathroom wall above the sink. I just drop the soap in it after use and any liquid drains away. The soap is always dry and there is no waste. I bought the contraption at Camping World in Lafayette, LA.

[wachuko]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

I use a plastic funnel-like creation that is stuck to the bathroom wall above the sink. I just drop the soap in it after use and any liquid drains away. The soap is always dry and there is no waste. I bought the contraption at Camping World in Lafayette, LA.

This one?



The Dry Bar Bath Soap Holder - White by DryBar

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016P4OZ82..._EbH5CbFWFQF23

Man! This is great! Wife uses the gel soap... but I prefer using bar soap... this contraption is great for keeping us both happy... She can continue to use the gel soap and I can finally have a bar of soap in our AI!

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by wachuko

This one?

Man! This is great! Wife uses the gel soap... but I prefer using bar soap... this contraption is great for keeping us both happy... She can continue to use the gel soap and I can finally have a bar of soap in our AI!

Link didn't work, but, yes, this one. Best $4 I have spent on the rig

[wachuko]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

Link didn't work, but, yes, this one. Best $4 I have spent on the rig

Updated link to Amazon... could not make the link to Camping World work... but it is 1/2 the price at Camping World

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by wachuko

...
Man! This is great! ....

Excitement over a soap solution. I would not have expected it.

That's a good solution for bars that live permanently in the Interstate. When transporting to and from campground showers, I sometimes forget to take the soap back out of the container to dry.

The ULTIMATE in first world problems, yes, I know.

Back when I took this pic, I was trying a zip lock bag that I would leave open, because I hadn't yet drilled holes in my container. Drill holes to circulate air, and maybe the mush consequences are maybe less severe for forgetting.

[Lily&Me]

You can find soap boxes with holes already in them, too, which I have.

Put the bar back in there, give a shake to remove excess water, then set the holey half into the solid and let dry.


Maggie

[knotdonne]

Here's photo of shoe pockets.

[tallytwo1994]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Warning: First-world problem straight ahead.

Any suggestions on how to keep bar soap from getting mushy in the usual storage containers?

Soap is important in the small space / van context. The number one thing that vanners report that they miss is long hot showers. We off-gridders get military showers and bucket baths. Therefore, given that the bath is meager, the chosen soap is important because it has to compensate.

I used to carry liquid soap, but it's too bulky, especially on trips exceeding a month. Bar soap is more compact and one gets far more mileage from the same volume of product. Bar soap also does not spill in a vehicle that is on the move.

I drilled holes in the top of this container, to try to circulate air. That soap you see is (IMO) a divine artisanal creation - it's also about ten bucks a bar. I don't want my expensive soap to turn to slime due to dampness.

I’ve found that most bars of soap have not been properly dried before they are packaged, so they melt away quickly. The first thing I do when I bring home new soap is remove all the packaging and then store them naked. This will harden the soap as it should have been done and it will last much longer.

Carol

[Lily&Me]

I think that is exactly true, Carol, which may well explain why older soap exposed to the air doesn’t suds like a new bar.

Me, I don’t like mushy soap, but I do like suds.

Maggie

[InterBlog]

I have myself a looming situation which prompted me to "up" my organization factor. Our van is in the shop, and I don't yet have a repair ETA despite a planned 6,000-mile journey this summer. Furthermore, as the van sits unlocked on a shop floor, there's a lot of gear that I took out of it, which would normally NEVER be taken out of it, so that it won't sprout legs and walk off.

This situation has logistical disaster written all over it. I might end up doing what I did last year - having circumstances conspire to have me leaving for a 5-week off-grid trip with only about one day's notice. It was a MESS last year. I literally threw everything in the van and did not get an opportunity to organize it until I was about 10 days into the trip.

Well, I've commandeered this closet and organized it for efficient transfer. Furthermore, almost 5 years into Interstate ownership, I'm finally attempting to husband-proof my gear set-up:

-- IKEA bags are all-trips-obligatory - everything in them must be loaded, every time.
-- The kitchen bin is all-trips obligatory.
-- The rolling laundry cart is all-trips obligatory - and it has wheels so I can just push a lot of heavy stuff straight outside to be loaded (I took out all my tools and spare parts for instance, so they would not disappear while the van was in the shop).
-- There's a large bin which is segregated as off-grid obligatory (we only need that stuff on longer off-grid trips).
-- There's a bunch of smaller bins from which optional items may be drawn depending on the nature of the trip.

Theoretically, I should be able to dispatch my husband in the direction of this closet with the instruction, "Load up everything which is obligatory for this trip." I've never been able to do that before; I just did it myself, because I knew where everything was located.

[Hittenstiehl]

Love an organizer!!!

[InterBlog]

Praise God, I finally found them!!

About a year ago, I bought a roll of paper towels which was more textured than average, and which clung to itself - a perfect cure for the endlessly-unrolling reality of paper towel life in a van. I got so sick of wrapping elastic bands around my rolls to keep them together. And half the time, I'd forget, and I'd find them at the end of the day in a gravity-driven heap.

Only problem was, I had no idea what brand those magical towels were. I had ripped off the outer package without thinking, and crammed them into the van, only later realizing the incremental value that they represented.

I finally rediscovered them today. They are Viva "Signature Cloth" brand, and they act like this (15 second vid):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U760...ature=youtu.be

[Tronadora]

Yes, we use the Viva Signature Cloth towels; Walmart usually has them. I also like their compact outside diameter for storage.

For those that don't find these Viva rolls, you can also use a paper towel holder that grips the roll and won't free spin. You have to pull on the towel and you'll hear a ratchet sound as it turns. Found here: https://amzn.to/2Mo0cdS

When I replaced my towel holder with the ratcheting type, rather than toss the OEM rod, I moved it down underneath to recapture lost space and store my extra roll there.

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by Tronadora

When I replaced my towel holder with the ratcheting type, rather than toss the OEM rod, I moved it down underneath to recapture lost space and store my extra roll there.

I did the same, plus I installed another ratcheting towel holder in the rear. I load it with shop towels to use for wiping off wet power cords and hoses. The ratcheting feature is especially useful in the rear to keep the towels from unwinding from road vibration.

[InterBlog]

Both good ideas. I never thought of using shop towels. They have that same texture. Probably a bit more expensive per roll.

I can't tell you how many otherwise-cool #vanlife pics I've seen ruined because of photobombing by unrolling paper towels - Instagram is full of them. There's just something about the entropy that it represents which is very distracting.

The FitRV's a/c video, released yesterday. What do I notice? More unspooling paper towels, and the rig is not even underway - it's parked.



I couldn't resist:

[Pahaska]

Some time back, InterBlog posted something about 5.11 ammo totes. I ordered a set of 3 totes at that time.

One holds my 20v DeWalt drill and a spare charged battery. A second (pictured) holds 3 DeWalt parts boxes plus my multimeter. I could probably get a fourth DeWalt box in in place of the multimeter if I had one. The third holds an assortment of boxed sets, including a drill bit set up to 1/2" and a 1/4" socket set.

I have each box labelled on the top with white marker pen so that I grab the right box. Since I took this photo, I also labelled the ends of the DeWalt boxes.

These stow almost anywhere, including the space where I removed the drop-down bed extensions.

[InterBlog]

OK, small space people. Whoever cracks this nut gets major forum cred and bragging rights.

I need one or more device(s) of some kind to make ice cubes or balls in this residual available space to the right of my frozen food freezer sorter. The outer dimensions of said device(s) cannot (collectively) exceed 2.25" wide x 3.5" high x 11.5" deep.

It doesn't even have to be an "ice tray" per se. Something food safe, but think outside the box on this one. It needs to freeze water in a very unconventional configuration.

There are a myriad novelty ice products on the market because of the way people fetishize alcohol, hard liquor in particular. But I cannot find anything that really takes advantage of this space and maximizes the volume of ice that it could produce.

It's a first world problem, but it's important. When temps are up to 105 degrees F on the road, we absolutely need a constant stream of ice. People in my neck of the woods even put it ice their dogs' water bowls.

[Lotus54]

Would this fit?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074CRKP7V..._t3_B01H7BF1DA