Shopping List: Comfortable Outdoor Living
Some of the best parts of RV living is spending time outdoors. We enjoy relaxing in the fresh air, and socializing with your RV neighbors, family, and friends. Some people have a huge outdoor set up, and spend a lot of time at their site. At a minimum, you’ll want a comfortable chair to sit by a fire or socialize with friends. You may also be interested in some additional comforts you see below. This article contains affiliate links.
We use this outdoor rug when we are in sandy, dirty areas without a concrete pad. I can’t say I love this rug, as it’s not really a rug but more like a soft tarp, but it does its job and it’s colorful. The dogs seem to enjoy laying on it, so no complaints from them. It folds up rather than rolling up, so it takes up less space than some others. We sweep it off and can hose it off, but I don’t usually have time for it to dry before folding it up again.
Most people have a preference whether they like the traditional fold up camp chair, a stool, the gravity chair, or one that has a foot rest. There are so many choices. There are rockers and collapsing chairs, but this Kijaro brand chair has become a favorite as it’s sturdy and still light weight. Steve likes the firm nature of the seat as it doesn’t hurt his back after sitting in it a while. It still folds up and has a strap for carrying.
For years, we cooked over a small Coleman camp stove or portable grill, but we wanted a real grill and burners that was more substantial yet still easy to transport. We love our Camp Chef “Big Gas Grill” because I can cook over just burners with the flat griddle and/or pots & pans, or we can add the grill cover and use it as a grill.
Other campers swear by their Blackstone, so I would like to try it sometime to see why it’s so popular. I still like the grill’s functionality and versatility, but the Blackstone is a great option.
To prevent slips and knock off more dirt prior to entry, we got a set of these stair liners (carpet) for both sets of stairs. They bungie around and they haven’t moved or slipped at all. They do soften your step and prevent slipping, even when wet.
This ClamShell Pop Up Canopy is awesome. We have used this in warmer areas that tend to be buggier, and it gives us a little protection from the elements, more room to spread out, and it extends our outside living. We have also brought this to parks to give us shade when we are picnicking. I could see us using this on non-camping trips, as it’s better than a pop up canopy and easier to put up and take down, too. When you have walls on and it’s sunny, it does act a little as a green house, getting quite warm unless you have a cross breeze.
I’m surprised how many campgrounds don’t have picnic tables. This table is good for food prep, as a portable desk, to eat dinner at, or for kids to do crafts and stay out of your hair. While we have a free-standing grill, I see a lot of people put their Blackstone grills on a table like this.
We recommend a heavy-duty tablecloth rather than the thin plastic disposable ones. We have one from many years ago that is vinyl with flannel lining and it’s worked great. I would love a more colorful one, but until mine tears, I will hold off on buying a new one. These are vinyl with the flannel backing, which helps keep it from blowing away or moving around. You’ll probably also want tablecloth clips.
We love this battery-powered lantern. We use it to sit out at night at the picnic table, walk the dogs after dark, play games while boondocking, check the hoses or water hookups after dark, etc. There are many reasons we are out walking around at night. Just add this to one more thing you need to charge regularly, but I have found it holds a charge for a while, even while in use.
I love seeing people light up their camp site with fun lights. We don’t have a separate pole to hang lights away from the RV, but we do use traditional Christmas lights to give us some ground lighting and create nice ambiance. It also helps when our awning light isn’t working.
When camping in nice weather, having some activities to do outside helps keep you moving and socializing. We usually carry bocci ball, which can be used in small areas, we always have footballs, soccer balls, and frisbees, and sometimes we pull out the corn hole or ladder ball if we have a little more room. Enjoy yourself and your time outdoors.
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