My husband and I retired and moved into our camper. Here are the Top 10 struggles we’ve encountered, and what you should know before you buy a camper or RV.

1. Bugs. They aren’t just outside of the camper. We tried to play cards outside last night, but we were attacked by bugs. We went inside, but they somehow snuck in with us. Bug spray helped a little but was not a magic fix. In a previous post, I shared that the GIANT wolf spider in this picture popped out from a bundle of firewood and into our truck.

2. Barking dogs. Many campers bring their dogs with them, which is actually an advantage of camping over hotel vacations. But, because so many campers have dogs, there’s a lot of barking going on. We have our two dogs with us, and they can’t help but bark at every dog that walks by.

3. A very small bathroom. Depending on the size of the bathroom in your RV or camper, this could be irrelevant, but our bathroom does not have a lot of “elbow” room.

4. VERY thin toilet paper. Because you are essentially using an upgraded port-a-potty, RV toilet paper has to be thin so that it can break down and not clog your plumbing. The thin paper feels almost like using nothing at all…ugh!

5. Storage. Where do you put everything that you need? Then, once you’ve found a place to stash everything, how easy is it to get to it? I find myself pulling everything out of a shelf to get something from the back. I’m sure I’ll get better at it…?

6. Counter space. I’m an explosive cooker, meaning by the time I get done cooking there’s stuff everywhere on the counter. But now, I really don’t have a counter. It’s tricky to cook a meal in such a small space. It is forcing me to start cleaning up somewhat as I go along!

7. Neighbors. These can be good or bad. Right now, our view out of our large windows is of our neighbor’s site, and they aren’t very tidy, let’s say. You are VERY close to your neighbors in many RV parks or campgrounds.

8. Tanks – gray, black, fresh water…You have to worry about dumping them, cleaning them, what you put in them, etc. These tanks and their care will consume you when camping. We currently don’t have full hook up with sewer, so we’ve had to have an emergency drain of our tanks. We’ve also learned that our gauge is not accurate. It was still reading 2/3 full right after we were drained. It’s important to learn all about your tanks and how to keep them in good working order which can be overwhelming at first.

9. Sleeping. Our mattress is actually very comfortable, and it’s a good size, but… it’s not easy to get in and out of it. Since the mattress is a full-size queen, it goes almost all the way to the door. You have to crawl in and out of it. I have to squeeze between the mattress and the door to get to my clothes. The air conditioner also works very well in the living area, but never seems to cool the bedroom in the same way.

10. DISHES! DISHES! MORE DISHES! Every time I cook, the sink is overflowing with dishes. I’m used to having a dishwasher, so doing dishes is new to me, and it’s not just doing dishes, but doing A LOT of dishes. We are trying to eat in and eat healthy, so I’m cooking three meals a day in the camper, and the dishes pile up FAST!

11. I know I titled this Top 10, but I had to add a # 11 for an important note–these struggles are totally worth it! Even with all of these issues, I love camping! Being able to hang out with my hubby all across the country with new adventures, far outweighs these struggles!

Don’t even think of going on an RV roadtrip without these 5 things!

A big RV trip, but the little things are most important