Brian and I are now on our 3rd RV since becoming full-timers. In each one of our rigs, we have found what we would call "hidden wasted space" or we found where they left air pockets where cold, bugs & other critters could crawl in. This hub I'm going to tell you about some helpful tips that just might help you out.

• If you have slide-outs there usually is a very tiny gap in the lower corners, that cold air could sneak in, or maybe ants and spiders would just love to crawl in and lurk around. Take a little weather stripping foam and cut small little squares (Depending on your rig, size will vary on your slide-outs). Tuck in the squares at each corner of the slide once they are out. This is good for long-term sitting.

• In your kitchen area, pull out all your drawer and open up your cupboards. Look for any water or propane lines running across. Have someone outside and under your rig. Find where your lines run in your floor base. Shine a flashlight down the hole where those lines run and see if that person under the rig can see the light. If they can, these holes need to be plugged. Take a can of Expandable Foam and squirt a very small amount around the lines on the outside. (Be very careful and make sure you put very, very little around those lines!)

In our first rig, we could feel a cold draft coming in whenever we opened our cabinets. Upon investigating, my husband found that where the flooring went under the cupboards, they didn't finish it off. He literally could stick his hand up and inside the floor in that cabinet! Since it was under warranty, he called the dealership and in order to fix the problem, the rig would have to go back to the manufacturer and have them take out our cupboard all along that back wall. They told us it could take weeks to fix. Where were we going to go for that long of a period since we lived in it? So instead Brian bought a can of that expandable foam and shot that in the space; Worked great!!

• Often times these rigs have what we call "Hidden Places". I don't know why they waste so much space when it could be put to use. You can look for these hidden places; you might be surprise what you might find. But a word of caution: Some of these hidden spots do have wires running in them, so therefore you must be very careful.

Again in our first rig, our pantry had a dead space that Brian discovered. We had bench seat, and under the one bench seat, he could reach his hand all the way up and reach the bottom side of the pantry. You really couldn't stick anything in there, and didn't understand why the space was wasted the way it was. So he put plywood to fit in the area under the bench seat. Then he cut a square behind the bench back part of the seat and made a door like that could be opened to All you had to do what fold down the back cushion to access that area. This became a great place for me to keep all of my yarn for the crafts that I did.

In the bathroom under the sink we had one shelf, and dead space under that. So Brian cut out the bottom half, took the door off and we bought a bigger door, now we had two shelves and more storage room.

In our second rig above the frig/freezer was also a dead space. but you would have to be careful what put up there, for it does get very warm up there.

• There are two different types of power cords. One is a Fixed Power Cord and the other is the Removable Power Cord. If you have the Fixed Power Cord, then this means that you have a small door on your power cord door compartment. This is where the cord comes in and out. once you have your electric cord out, take steel wool around that smaller door. This is one of the many places where Mice just loves to crawl in. The steel wool will keep them from coming in and joining you inside. It also helps on ants as well.

Bungee Cords, Now they can become very, very useful and you should always keeps some around. You just don't know when they will come in handy. We take extra precaution before hitting the road and we bungee cord a few things.

• We bungie cord some of our cupboard doors shut. Specially if you have cupboards towards the back of the rig. Remember that the very back of your rig takes the hardest ride and bumps. By bungie them shut, this prevents from things falling out and maybe breaking.
• Also use bungees around your awning bars for added security. If you don't lock the knobs tight enough on the awning bar, it can cause the awning to come loose and cause serious problems.

We have met people that have had cupboards to the back and didn't check to see if they were closed before taking out the slide-out. Next thing they hear is wood snapping and the slide jamming. Now they have two things that needs repair. This could have been preventive if taken the extra measure to first bungee the doors shut and checking before bring out that slide-out.

We also have met folks that have had awnings damaged because they didn't take the extra precaution and didn't lock down their awning bars. Not only can this cause damage to your awning and rig, but could also cause accidents to others that share the road with you.

• If you plan on sitting long period of time with your slide-out. You might want to treat the rubber gaskets on the ends of the slide-out. They don't need to be treated that often, about once a year. You can use regular tire cleaner such as Son-Of-A-Gun or Armoral just to name a few. Spray small amount on a rag and rub lightly on the gaskets.
• NEVER, NEVER get wax on the rubber gaskets! Wax will dry out the rubber very quickly and cause you future problems.
• Inspect your gaskets on a regular basis. Look for cracking or tearing. If these start occurring, you will end up with leaks very shortly.
• Every time you set up, check all of your gaskets to make sure they are popped out and even with your slide-out wall. Sometimes, when coming out, the rubber won't roll out and therefore creating a "fold" which could cause leaks. This means getting on the roof and checking the top as well.

• For those that own 5th wheels: Your hitch has a good opening for which birds just love dearly when you sit for any length of time. They feel safe and will build a nest in it for their young ones. This is okay if you love nature and don't mind them nesting. But then comes the problem; you have to move your rig...

While working at one lake. two years in a row we had a Jenny Wren build her nest and had her babies in our hitch. Once the little ones left the nest, we would remove the nest. The problem we ended up is in the fall time ole' Jenny Wren would try and build another nest. We really didn't want her traveling south with us and taking her out of her elements. So Brian placed a woven mesh over the opening to prevent her from traveling with us.

Another thing that just loves that little opening are Mud Daubers. So you might want to consider closing it up to where no critters can get to it.

• When it's time to wax your rig, be very careful not to wax your decorative stripes and design. Wax dries out the design and they will start curling up on you.

• For those that do have 5th wheels and you plan on sitting for any legnth of time.  We suggest investing in the tri-pod for the front.  This does help in stablelizing the rig while sitting.  
• If you are able, turn your back jacks at an angle.  This too helps in stablelizing the rig while sitting for any length of time. 

 Whew; I know there are a lot of tips and suggestions out there.  And I hope the ones that I mention have help you out when you geet your new rig and hit the road. 

Happy Camping!