How we Organized our RV ... (Momentum 395MS)

So we downsized and moved into a Grand Design #Momentum395MS but needed to figure out how to get organized. This is how we moved things around to prepare for our adventures. If you have other tips we would love to hear them. This has been a huge learning curve for us. We love our 395MS but the storage problem has been our hardest organizational challenge.
#OrganizeRV was goal.

[@leonaweltzer4023]

With your light heartedness you make what might seem boring entertaining and fun.

[@robmags5781]

Yes very entertaining.

[@ambermiller8390]

The first thing we always buy for a new trailer is a Camco Cross Bar. About $15 and it is life changing! It's a bar that goes across the front door (screws into the screen door) so you can grab anywhere to close the door. After using it the first time, you won't know how you lived without it.

[@SwitchItUpLife]

I’m gonna check into that- sometime I feel like I’m gonna fall out of the RV just trying to close the door! Lol thanks for the tip

[@EL-bu6rx]

Yes definitely a great suggestion. Seems so simple but once you have it can't live without it.

[@vickijohnson6794]

Because you guy's are a great channel. That's why you are growing so fast. Great work.

[@darleneschwartzman9370]

" I don't know! ?" Lol 😂 thanks for the laugh....

[@barbaraclemons8753]

Like the old say..You don't know what you don't know cause you don't know that you don't know it. But, I'm sure you will learn,

[@TJQuirk]

You don't need all that stuff.... until you do, then you're gonna be happy you have them. I carry 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 impacts and all the sockets to go with. When I needed them, I'm glad I had them.

[@jeffboswell6620]

Small tip get a 50’ blue Zero-G hose for drinking water and a black for the black flush. They store better than that orange hose. Also adjustable water pressure regulator(Amazon around $30). Hope this helps

[@jennifermcclurkin204]

Love how real you are! We have watched dozens of full time RV vlogs for the past several years. We recently discovered you and you guys are among the top 5 of our all time favorites. You show the good, bad, and ugly with out trying to make it all pretty. We have owned RVs for almost 20 years and know we can always learn something new. Learning from others is the best part. Thanks for sharing your life and journey. Keep on making the videos and we will keep on watching.

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Thanks for watching and for the words of encouragement, it means a lot to us!

[@janetfolkerts5827]

"you don't know what you don't know", listen to the old timers, "it better to have and not need than to need than to need and not have"..Burma Shave would've said it if a RV'r. Breathe.."This too shall pass" as ALL were newbie's at one time. Thank you for sharing your learning curve.

[@martinasaxton7033]

Sheila, you sound like me! Labeling containers and a chart of location is totally what I do!! Well done!! Love you guys' authenticity. Discovered you not long ago and am catching up with your videos. Thank you for being real!!

[@georgemccaig5207]

Big plus. You both have a good sense of humour, so you do not sweat the small stuff. Really enjoying your videos.

[@andycommonsincanada]

Todd, this video was not boring at all, in fact it was so informative. Tons of ideas and some great takeaways.

[@carolynridlon3988]

My hubby did the same idea of the stick under the bed. He used a closet rod & the ends - he slanted the rod to fit & it works great!

[@alanstallones8624]

Bright orange cones and triangles are an excellent idea in case of a flat tire along a busy road.

[@Bill-fx8gq]

Your channel is very entertaining and look forward to your new videos. Overall your doing a great job figuring it out. I purchased my RV over three years ago and spent allot of that time doing all the upgrades and making it work for the two of us for our one year journey on the road. Keep the videos coming and stay safe. Hope at some point we could cross paths. One note be cautious of expensive items that you can't lock up...

[@SpykersB]

Holy cow you guys are quick! You got a heck of a lot done, Impressive! (Modifications, installs, bin organizing etc.). This stuff isn’t boring, because it is full of ideas. Interesting drill holder with pvc. 🤔. Love the pot n pan pull out and the garage wall of metal baskets 👍🏼. I agree, your living space layout is a design I prefer as well. I keep whatever I can squeeze (literally) for my road safety stuff, behind the trucks backseats. (Crew cab). The small stuff. Only way you can access this stuff is by lifting up the back seat. I stuffed a couple of rain ponchos and road reflective strap vests, couple of those flashing road thingys, and a packed booboo kit etc. Believe you also have hidden storage in the backseat floor too. I would probably keep that electronic code reader inside the truck, like in the truck backseat floor bin, I’d be worried tools might kill it while I be digging around looking for other stuff, plus keep it cooler when hot summer hits. 😂. Cheers 🍻

[@randyrainwater983]

Just get heavier struts for your bed. We have a spreadsheet for our pantry in our Airstream. Our 30 footer had a double wardrobe in the hallway and I converted one side into a pantry. It has seven shelves which have clear plastic tubs and each tub has it’s contents on the spreadsheet. Containers are the way to go.

[@pierce31012]

Love the shoe rack bed skirt! Definitely borrowing that idea.

[@ddpachall]

the only place I can find that particular shoe bed skirt is @CampingWorld!

[@JacquelynParlee]

Love you but don’t insult the “ladies” by asking us to skip the outside organization bit! Plenty of ladies either interested or towing their own rigs!! Not to mention that some guys are kings of the kitchen!❤️ Other than that, I love your channel!

[@SwitchItUpLife]

You are right... I sometimes feel it's info I want to know when looking at vids but also feels like it boring for many to see... thank you for your perspective... thank you for watching...

[@kendallpayne9760]

Thank u. I’m definitely more into the tools and my husband loves to bake.

[@heathershighway7282]

@@SwitchItUpLife agreed....some of us women are solo travelers and we do it all. lol

[@KodyK2024]

Agreed. Solo female pulling a 30’ TT. I bring tools that I’ve needed, but may need some other things in the future. The biggest thing I miss (other than my family) while traveling is my wood working shop. These skills come in handy at home and in my TT. Have enjoyed watching you video.

[@brooksrose7881]

Lol. When shopping for our RV, my wife skipped ALL mechanical and technical stuff on videos. That was my chosen responsibility. I would just go back and watch that part later. That being said,, don't skip the tech info because people that don't like it can skip it, but if it's not included then those that want it lose out. We each had veto power, she over interior and living areas and I over tech and mechanical. It worked out well because when we were both happy, we knew we found the riggt one for us. Interestingly, I wouldn't consider a rig without a washer dryer hookup because I do the laundry and don't really dig the unpredictability of laundromats.

[@PokyPops]

Two thumbs up for the Ninja Foodie! We use the heck out of ours.

[@SwitchItUpLife]

So agree! I (Sheila) think that everyone needs one of those!

[@cherylwells970]

Snap pads are a great choice. I love your honesty “ I don’t know “

[@sarahjackson6714]

I’m a new subscriber You have not been boring I have watched already 3 videos. I am enjoying both of you very much. Be careful and stay safe, OH and keep having fun!!

[@BenjaminMedlock]

Sheilas organization system is fantastic! Has to be easy to locate items.

[@joanngrundyson3265]

Everybody takes too much at first. If you have room fine. You can throw away at anytime...it's fun to see your stash.

[@barbararobinson2626]

You guys have been busy! Your video was not boring, it’s exactly what we want to see! We have a goal of going full time in 3 years and everything you are doing now is giving us “food for thought”. Sheila, I love your organization style. You are making the most of what you have. It’ll be interesting to see what you find out you need and don’t have, as well as what you have and don’t need 6 months down the road. How did you organize recipes? I too have lots!

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Hi Barbara - for the recipes, I realized I had a couple favorites in one book, another favorite in a magazine so I went through and wrote everyone of them out in a binder. I have seen some people do pictures of each recipe and organize them online - but I’m a tactile person and like the ability to pull the card out of a binder. There are probably 20 different ways you could do recipes but find what works for you. What wasn’t going to work was the 7 big books I had plus all the magazines that I kept for a random recipe- good luck!

[@barbararobinson2626]

@@SwitchItUpLife thanks... I might start working on that now!

[@patriciaelliott9524]

I hit that subscribe button as soon as you said you were watching the Chiefs! I knew it was the right decision when you said you were newbies to this. It is something I have been considering to do. And someone new to the life is likely to be more infonformative than someone who has been doing it a while.

[@scottneedham2593]

In Regards to the Valterra Sewer Hose Holder!! I didn't find the brackets that are included worked for me, so I got some Heavy Duty Zip Ties (Amazon). They make zip ties that will support 120 lbs. You can also use metal perforated Plumbers Tape (Amazon). I found both of these products to have multiple uses. I also store my Folding RV Ladder (Amazon) in a 6 inch ABS Pipe under the trailer supported by plumbers tape. Put Screw On Caps on both ends of the pipe and rigged up locks for it. That way the ladder isn't using valuable storage space or in my way when I am not using it. Your wife's idea of the Containers and a spreadsheet of where everything is at is a great idea. I store my stuff in labeled containers but I am going to steal her idea of a spreadsheet. I know I have it but can't always remember WHERE!?!?

[@debbigifford3630]

Sheila! You know I appreciate your detailed organization and lists! I think you once told me to embrace the nerd. LOL!

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Lol its great to know someone appreciates the inner nerd :-)

[@russellpottenger8584]

“ I don’t know, ... Nobody tells me this stuff “ lol 😂 🤣😂

[@thousel9325]

Looks like a nice rig. Using the dyson makes sense. Good luck on your travels.

[@deemic8260]

Thank you thank you for being as real as you are. We are waiting for my son to graduate HS and we will give the RV life ago! I have learned so much since I started watching from your older videos! Good Jon! Keep the love and laughter going!

[@superg4273]

Love your new rv congratulations and great tips on organization thanks

[@CptnSavage]

Sheila, you have my DEEPEST sympathies, having an onion allergy! I too have an onion & garlic allergy and of course when you go out to a restaurant to eat, every type of food has one or the other or both in the receipe. And Todd mentioned you driving the dually to Walmart. I'd never owned a truck in my life, always drove Hondas or Subarus and my first truck was a Ford F350, 1 ton crew cab with duallys, and to see my wife who's 5'2" driving it was always a shock to see such a tiny woman getting out of such a huge rig. **grins** I LOVE how you maximized the wall storage in the garage area! ! ! That is genius and everything is still handy and available when needed. I thought I was the only one who was anal retentive, measuring spaces, using grid paper to figure out the layout of storage containers to put stuff in. That is a great idea. And I love how Todd added and block of wood under the bed to hold the support bar in place when the storage area is opened. Fantastic ! ! !

[@hrlyrdr9812]

White hoses for potable water, black hose for black and gray tank stuff. PLEASE keep your videos unscripted, the day to day on the spot videos are awesome!

[@susancampbell515]

You all have so much fun! Love it!! I need Sheila to come help me when we get ours.

[@ddpachall]

OMG! I love watching you two!!

[@AlohaSpiritRV]

Great video as always soon to be newbie all this information is great. I recently came across your channel and I’m currently binge watching it at 38,000 feet on my 14 hour trip to Japan. Looking forward to catching up on your journey.

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Well I must say that this is the first time we’ve heard that one! Binge watching at 38,000 feet ha! Safe travels to you!!

[@Tom.and.Missy.Northam]

Great video. It’s fine... LOL You guys are hilarious

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Thanks for following along!

[@kcalver8105]

You are both an inspiration for us as we hope to join the RV life soon. Keep on trucking.

[@marilynthomas643]

I think that 99% of the stuff you have is good. Like you said, you never know when you (or some stranded RVer) might need it. Hope that you’re enjoying yourselves

[@c.victoriaritchie3466]

So happy I found ya'll! Love your attitude 's and your Laughter at your selfs🤣 had me Laughing with you🤣 and as a couple I can see why you have been married so long your just the cutest couple ever❤🤗 looking forward to all your video's to come😊 safe travels 🙏🤗😊❤

[@cruzinbenny3750]

Organization is key to success! Happy wife happy life my friend!! Love the videos!!!

[@omaruth]

Just found you guys love to watch both of you. You might want to check the blog changing lanes, they have a fifth wheel and are so informative about everything they fix or replace. You two make your blogs comical, love it.

[@bettycoggin9359]

Enjoy watching your videos! You two are so relatable.

[@david-lc5lk]

Your wife knows you very well. Have safe travels.

[@deebutler4217]

Y'all are hilarious!! We are also new to the rv life though we won't be full-time until next fall. So glad we found your channel -- keep up the good work!

[@Jan-100]

We love our ninja! Love your humor.

[@debbiebrow8857]

Love your Vlogs! Not boring very light and fun! Your storage ideas are great. I have done the same thing with the shoes and it works really well! except I have to put our hiking boots else where as they are to big for the shoe holders. I love your fifth wheel. We are not full timers right now so we have a much smaller RV .We have a 2008 29 ft Class C Winnebago Access that we revamped. needless to say not as much storage.

[@annjones9016]

I would move your black box underneath that has the stinky slinky stuff and hook up stuff from the the passenger side to the driver side since that is the side that usually has all the hookups in most campgrounds. That way you don't have to go around to the opposite side every time you do your flushing of your tanks.

[@macknpegfay4140]

I LOVE everything about your channel! It's so refreshing to see real people living real life ... "I don't know". I appreciate that so much! Safe travels to you.

[@theresatom4807]

Sam's club in the spring has backpack coolers...they squish down space saver...it hold 5-10 water bottles (16 oz) plus ice or a combination of water/pop aka soda. That way we do not need a cooler

[@janebray9392]

We will be travelling in a 112sqft living space this year, but in 2019, we travelled in a 60sqft travel trailer..12,000miles, 5 months, 33 States...from BC🇨🇦♥️🇺🇲

[@candyc6499]

Great video and getting organized is daunting to start but once its done its easy as every thing has its place. Great idea to keep a record of where things are so you don't have to go in loft and open all the containers to find what you need and then put it all back . you both have a great attitude I love watching. Take some breaks and enjoy your time on the road.

[@ldcross11475]

Go Chiefs. We live in Olathe. Ditto on the zeros G hoses. Ditched the others long ago. We are part timer RV’ers. Could go snow-birding this year due to COVID. Found your channel about a week ago keep up the good work.

[@dannylane3531]

Ditto on the Zero G hose - and ditch the others that just get stiff and hard to manage over time. Also, I didn’t see your air compressor good, but I carry a Viar. Manage the pressure - I use a TPMS - , keep lug nuts properly torqued, and hopefully avoid the blowouts. Enjoy!

[@denicepettit8713]

Quickly has become my new favorite channel!

[@johnnyallan3640]

You guys are a blast to watch!

[@Trippin_and_Zippin]

You guys are great and funny. Enjoying your channel. You may want the collapsible cones. Take less space.

[@nicolettebrooks8680]

"Idont know"! That would be me, lol. Love you guys😊

[@llg421]

Put your sewer horse in a PVC pipe with a screw end and a fixed end keep it in back of truck, y’all need to slow down relax, have fun lol. My husband & I have lived in RVs for about 30 years now, love it wouldn’t change it. We have a saying if you don’t get it done today there’s always tomorrow lol you will find that somethings weren’t necessary to have, but that’s you learn what you don’t really need.🙂 Enjoy your travels

[@scottneedham2593]

Valterra makes sewer hose storage containers you can mount underneath your trailer that makes it much easier to store the hose rather than wadding it up in that box. You can find them on Amazon. Underneath one of my slides I built hangers out of 1 1/2 inch abs pipe to hang the sewer elbows and Ys that way everything is outside in the open air and the hose is just stored in the valterra pipe.

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Great tip - gonna check that out! Thanks Scott

[@beckryanofxoxobeckshop757]

My husband and I were debating which Momentum to get and due to your videos we decided on the same model. I love the living space. We will definitely follow your videos to get more tips. ♥️

[@leeabel5948]

Love your vids, keeping it real it is what it is!

[@tinamccay4850]

Awesome tips. Thank you

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Thanks for following along

[@zeramproxy8502]

As an over the road trucker living in my truck I can sympathize with you. Go Chiefs Go.

[@sandifarrington9066]

Love y’all 💕 Don’t change!

[@jamiestevenson2101]

Great video guys, keep it up!

[@davidavi8554]

I came because of your wife's Chiefs attire, Go Chiefs, beat those Bills. If I want to get a 5th wheel trailer, I want it to have the garage in the back too, with the washer / dryer also...

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Hey David - thanks for following along - Bills down! Next Up those Bucs!

[@carolynknisely2383]

You're doing great!!!

[@festussmom6364]

New subscriber! ❤️🇺🇸💋🧚🏻‍♀️

[@penniclary5588]

Welcome aboard life will be very interesting in your rig

[@susanjohns8902]

OMG, I love you guys!! We will be full timing soon, and I think we will be just like you, ready for anything!

[@michaelvanvalkenburgh5263]

Great video, super fun and love that its not scripted. :) I like how you put the bike under the front cap, I was thinking the same thing. If you get a chance, it would be nice to see a video of it going under there and have you thought about putting temporary walls around it? Like a tarp or something (I'm sure there is a product that would look nice and give the bike some shelter form the weather and prying eyes. Thats what we will probably do. Can't wait to see the garage when it's complete and with the motorcycle and bikes in it. Curious how much space is left after fully loaded. Also, totally using the kayak idea. Be well. :)

[@EL-bu6rx]

First off Sheila 🙌 The Home edit RV edition Congratulations on the new adventures. We look forward to following along. Hubby's storage suggestion is PVC pipe under rv for sewer hose. Happy travels!!

[@n1uno1965]

Very much enjoy you sharing your new thought processes and looking forward to your adventures! 👍🏻🙏🏻

[@sprayhawk808]

Rookie league - right there with you brother...

[@HappyPlaceDiaries]

Outstanding video. Love the organization tips.. we all have gone through that.. we tend to evaluate our system every 6 months.. never ending process it seems. Thanks for sharing.. Congrats on the rapid growth!

[@EasyStreetGarage]

You guys are great. Love the fact that your real, my wife and I downsized a year ago from 3,000sf house to 1,100sf apartment to a 30' Airstream. Love what you're doing.

[@SwitchItUpLife]

We are not sure we could downsize much more...lol... I love Airstream though...

[@ronnoodles8633]

Ron Noonan this video was Great. I out a expandable trailer and it is even smaller then yours and too see all the modifications you have done give me great ideas.... Thanks

[@sherrygiordano6478]

Hey Todd , when you guys start selling your “switch it up merchandise you can add some “ I don’t know!” On hats and shirts with your emblem! Sounds great ! I would definitely buy them ! Again love you guys! Keep the videos rolling! God bless , stay safe!

[@threesixfiveart563]

Hahaha you guys are great!

[@darinanderson9321]

Nice organization trying to get mine done to.

[@ngpoct123456789]

Yay Chiefs! I have done so much research with other full timers, reading magazines and I have made a pretty comprehensive list of things we will need. I know more than my husband for sure. You guys are doing so great though, have fun

[@shannanspeese6980]

Love the tool box! I have much to do in my camper now!

[@alisonklump8493]

We just started as newbie full timers, too (December 28th 2020) and have the momentum 395M. Love your videos and the realness of you guys! And yes!!! Identify with you soo much!! Looking forward to running into on the road sometime!

[@emilykendrick4856]

Great tips! Will you post the link to the shoe storage in the garage?

[@davidmiller4732]

Thanks Matt

[@cavy16262]

Very nice introduction video for a soon to be full time newbies

[@aprilfensom6412]

Just started watching, love how you be you and not script. Sad we didn't meet at the show. Heading back north. Good luck on your new adventure.

[@andibeauchamp9231]

GO CHIEFS!!! I love all your Chiefs shirts. Patrick Mahomes is my son in laws cousin. I love me some Patrick!! We're currently working towards going FT in April. Downsizing, giving most things away and fixing up the house to sell. We've got our F-350 but waiting to sell the house to get our fifth wheel. I look forward to your videos. God bless and take your time on travel days.

[@eleanorroper5657]

Great ideas. Thank you.

[@cruzinbenny3750]

Do a video on your internet install definitely interested in that look forward to that!

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Ok... we should have it all done by this next week and will post video...

[@janm8477]

As for the reflective triangles, just think of the worst case scenario - say, blowing a tire on a rainy cold night on an unfamiliar road - and keep them under your seat or behind the seat, with a headlamp and raincoat, so you can just gear up and deal, and not have to poke around in the truckbed or storage bins. Just an idea. Really enjoy your channel!

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Thank you and I like that rain gear idea..

[@jimmyhuston1140]

Take the panel off the wall in the basement. The vacuum is probably plugged in to an outlet and you can run a power strip from the other plug into the wall of the basement to hookup all your battery chargers or other items. I keep all my batteries down there charging. You may be able to adjust those walls and replace them with your contractor experience and open up some space. When our 395MS comes in i plan to remove those panels first thing to try and make the storage better. Also, love to see you add amazon or were to find some of the mods like the pull out dish racks and the individual shoe holders

[@Lifenarmy]

Very informative and enjoyable!

[@marilyngatson2289]

My rv bed is heavy so I changed out the struts to 150 pounds so i didn't have to use a stick to hold the bed up. It really helps. Less strain on lifting up the bed.

[@tammybunch4249]

I love these tips! I have some ideas for my house now!

[@KyaSimonsLife]

Am New & Learning what’s what will you show how you fill water 💦 & the dump the basics Am so lost plan on going on first trip this spring Am so lost 🤦🏻‍♀️😂💙 I say keep the cooler life happens if you ever had to save food you could grab a bag of ice vs losing all the food Video wasn’t boring this all things us newbies want to learn too 😉

[@dianestevenson2630]

You two are fun. I am enjoying your videos. Great energy and honesty. Just one suggestion, slow down your camera movements, you go fast sometimes, it is hard to focus on some of the things you are showing us. Love your intro!!

[@michael_silverback_henders8156]

Nice video guys... Man! You guys have a lot of cleaning stuff... Since you put in a heavier mattress, have have to install heavier hinges under the bed. Also, to make it easier to lift, install two hydraulic lifts under the bed... And don't worry, you guys are doing fine...for rookies...lol.... Keep up the great work... P.s. your beautiful wife is an extreme organizer... Mine wife is to....

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Michael I am sure over time I’ll get down to a few essential cleaning supplies. So hard to throw it all away when we moved - so I didn’t lol. Thanks for the tip on the bed- I’ll add that to Todd’s list bahahahaha he will be so happy 😂