This week our “Five for Friday” is all about RV renovations. We spent 6 months renovating our rig before hitting the road and continue to make small upgrades here and there.

We understand that all rigs are unique and that different travel styles require different modifications. But, these are the five renovations that have greatly improved our RV experience.

Watch the Video:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Hg1-mKchQ%5D

#1 – LED Lights

Upgrading to LED lighting is an easy way to conserve energy and extend boondocking adventures. There are many advantages to LED lights; including low heat, low energy consumption, and a long life.

We bought some pretty generic LEDs from Amazon and wired them up ourselves in one afternoon.

The only downside to LED lighting is the lack of ambiance. They can often come off as harsh and super bright.

#2 – Fan-Tastic Fan

This is our most recent upgrade and it may turn out to be one of favorites. Before installing this rooftop fan, we have the original 1985 sky light that offered minimal air circulation.

The Fan-Tastic fan offers forward and reverse fan motion and creates tons of flow through our camper. It wires directly into the DC electrical system and doesn’t pull much energy. We’re hoping this helps us stay cool on warm summer days and helps us cut down on on generator usage while boondocking.

There are many different models ranging in price and features – this is the fan we installed.

#3 – Large Tool Box

Our 1985 Fiber Stream is only 16 feet long and has minimal storage space. Installing a large plastic tool box gave us extra room to store supplies and didn’t add too much weight to the camper.

We installed this box on the tongue, but there are many ways to install it to the rear as well. The extra storage acts as our tiny garage – carrying tools and outdoor RV gear.

#4 – Solar System

As avid boondockers, having a good solar set is key. On our roof we installed two 100w solar panels and upgrade the RV’s battery to a sealed 200ah AGM. If we had more space, we’d love to install a more substantial system – but this works well for us now.

We also add a 1500 pure sine wave inverter and upgrade our converter to a smart, 4 stage unit.

Overall, this system has let us take extended boondocking trips. Just the way we like it!

#5 – Composting Toilet

Many would debate that a composting toilet is not an upgrade – and we totally get it. But for us, and our vintage camper, it was a huge improvement. Our original black water tank was only 7 gallons!

By adding a composting toilet we’re able to get a lot more time camping in the boonies.

During a typical boondocking session we can last between 2-4 weeks before emptying our compost. We wrote an article about it here and, in case you’re wondering, this is the model we installed.

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