First Year Anniversary Detail and Inventory

 This week marks one year since we purchased our Metris from MB Orlando, and it's been quite a year.  We have camped in Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri and of course, Illinois. 

To mark the occasion, we had the vehicle professionally detailed (outside only) and oh, boy - it's looks like new again!  Earlier in the spring, while parked at Wal-Mart, the van was side scraped.  We filed a claim, and State Farm paid to have all four panels on the driver's side repainted, and a dent removed.  After this body work, the originally painted parts looked dull in comparison.  The body shop reassured us that if we had it washed, waxed and buffed - all would be be fine.  So that's what we did, and it looks awesome again.  We are wondering why MB does not use a top coat?  The new paint job included it.  So, waxing appears to be the answer, and we have vowed to try to keep it better waxed in the future.  

The detail shop was also able to get the large cicada scrapes off the hood.  They said it took four passes to get the hood up to par.  The combination of Florida sun exposure, heat from the engine, and Southern Illinois bug abuse was a bad one, I guess.  We were worried that we might have to file a claim stating the hood had "force of nature" damage from hitting insects the size of hummingbirds!  There were a bunch of  "scratch like" marks that we could not get off with a damp cloth.  But the cicadas are finishing up their lifecycle now, and it's too hot to head South anyway, so we shouldn't have to worry about that again in the immediate future.  Another issue that was resolved with the detail was the greying of the black plastic on the bumpers.  After scrubbing off all the bug guts, the detailer applied a revitalizing protective product, and the bumpers are so nice now. The wheels are great, too.  The brake dust drives my husband crazy.  So now, the wheel hubs are waxed, and will be much easier to maintain. The pop-top vinyl wrap is another story, though.  It is really faded and showing wear.  I guess the next thing will be to have that replaced.  What a pain!  Not even sure where to get it done?  

Before taking the van to the detail shop, I completely emptied it, and did the inside detailing myself.  I wiped out all the drawers and lined them with cushioned shelf liner.  I also vacuumed the insides and wiped down all of the surfaces.  We've been doing a pretty good job of keeping the inside tidy, but a full cleaning seemed appropriate.  Overall, I have to say I love the wipe clean surfaces.  I thought I would miss the fully carpeted feel that our VW has, but I guess I love CLEAN more.   

Since the vehicle was empty (and the contents were all over the living room floor) it also seemed a good time to take inventory, reorganize, and assess exactly what we actually need to be hauling around, and what we could leave at home. I asked the questions "Have we actually used it?" " Is it necessary?" and sorted accordingly. We are hauling around a surprisingly large amount of stuff! This got me wondering what would happen if we had an accident and needed to replace all that?  Would it be covered?  After some research, my homeowners agent confirmed it would be covered under our policy with them up to the value we have for our house, and stated it would be a good idea to have a list of all items, so here it is - with pictures afterwards of some of my favorites.

Van Inventory 

Kitchen:

Peace Vans Kitchen Box Drawer storage unit

Dish pan

Drain rack

Dish soap

Squeeze water bottle (rinse)

Sponge

Dish towel

Swedish dishrag

Hot pads (4)

Trash bag rolls-small & kitchen

Bag of baggies - asst

Honey

Olive oil 

Sugar

Salt & Pepper

Spice box

Coffee - ground

Tea - Irish breakfast

Coffee filters

Coffee pot percolator 

Tea kettle

Insulated mug

Coffee cups 2

Butter melter - heirloom

Griddle 

Cook kit - 3 pots w/lids

Extra cook pot w lid

Plastic cups 2

Wine glasses in knitted cozy 2

Table cloth for picnic table

Clips (triangle) for table cloth

Measure/grater set

Non stick skillet med - handle folds or comes off

Non stick skillet small standard

Plates- meal size 6, small 3

Bowls - medium 2, small 2

Paper plates

Hot dog/marshmallow forks - 2

BBQ flipper, fork, tongs

Lg plastic flipper 

Aluminum foil 

Paring knife

Utility knife

Toaster tongs

Peeler

Wooden spatulas 2

Silverware - set for 6

Serving spoons 

Folding utensils - ladles, flippers

Propane

Stove 2 burner propane & stem

Striker style lighter

Blue plastic tray

Cutting board that came with Peace Van Kitchen box

Condiment packets

Tucked around the kitchen box:

Extension cords - 2

Grill grate - collapsible

Hatchet

Poker

Storage compartment over tire in rear:

Extra propane-2

Fishing gear:

   Collapsible fishing rod

   Tiny tacklebox with pliers

   Fillet knife

   Dip net with short handle

   Stringer

   Grippy gloves

   Artificial bait

 

Drawer under bench - low use items:

Solar panel

Pole to support table

Screens for sides and rear

First aid kit

6’ x 8’ tarps - 2

Inflator/vacuum set

Power pack/jumper cable set

Inflatable air mattress

Fire pit

Tent spikes

Toolbox

Pocket saw

Front window cover - winter use

Wiring plug for trailer towing

Towing eye bolt

Ratchet straps 

Battery clips cable

Extra awning parts

Milk crate #1

Hammock or Heater (seasonal)

Small USB fans with cords and straps -2

Solar lights-2

Fire starters & lighter

Mosquito incense coils with terra-cotta pot & lighter

Small lantern

Party lights

Folding light and cords

Citronella candles & lighter

Milk crate #2

Bungee cords

Binder clips

Cargo net

Mirror

Compact backpack

Hanging storage pockets

Gorilla duct tape

Charcoal

Milk crates are multipurpose. They have cushions on the bottom so they can be turned upside down to sit on. They can be used as a step up to pop top.  But main use is turned on their side they support the end of the bed and we put a cargo net across the front of them to keep stuff from falling out. For photos, visit my other blog post: Milk Crates and Love -  https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7115572343900035207/17924571809376117

Between crates:

Cushions of black foam-2

10 inch fan (battery powered)

Outside rug 10’ x 6’

Collapsible water bucket

Dutch oven 

Behind crates:

Folding bag chairs-2

Folding bag table

Shelf for pop top

Middle cabin:  

Rugs 2

Curtains 

Umbrella

Bench pillows 2

Reusable grocery bags

Crank for awning

Sun visor for front window

Sun visors for side windows

Frisbee (behind seat)

Leather work gloves (behind seat)

Sun hat

On back deck:

Protective plastic tray (dog crate liner)

Folding camping table  (mounted under deck)

Bed pillows 4

Blankets -3 in a duffel bag

Sheets in a bag

In the pop top:

2” mattress

Driver/passenger cabin:

Ice scraper

Trash can

Binoculars

Broom in a dustpan (small)

Sunblock

Bug spray

Hand sanitizer

Scissors

Multitool

Sunglasses

Water bottle harness

UNO card deck

Regular playing card deck

Travel sweeties

Coin pouch for toll money

Glove compartment:

Organizers

Keys to bike rack and hitch

Extra fuses

Gas mileage log w/ ink pen

Visor mirror

Magnets

Magnifying glass

12 volt adapter 

Insurance card

Manuals

Double socket snap adapters for curtains

Manicure set

Safety pins & elastic

Tire pressure gauge

Black electrical tape

Lighter

Cables = USB etc…

Always on the outside:

Awning

When we make bed out ahead of time: 

3” full size memory foam mattress with cover on top of

2” green foam spacer (goes next to the 2” mattress we bring down from the pop top) 

For a total of 5” of sleeping comfort on top of the rock solid bench bed! 

When we are on a trip:

(All in middle area)

Coleman cooler

Food box

Paper towels and plates

Water dispenser

Firewood in a carry sling

Luggage - 2

Towels 

Tent (sometimes)

Bike gear (sometimes)

Sometimes on hitch:

2 Bikes on Thule rack

Non Kitchen stuff: 

 

 

Kitchen Stuff:  These items might seem excessive to some, but we do like to cook!  In the summer, I take fresh produce from the garden, and we have some of our nicer meals when camping - when we can take the time, and really enjoy them.

 

The grater/measure box:

Expandable Dish Drain Rack:

Knitted Wine Glass Cozy:

Foldable Utensil Set:

Coffee and Tea - We have a mixed marriage.  And yes, we probably don't need the tea pot at all, since we could boil water in one of the cook kit pots, but I do love "putting the kettle on" and he enjoys his perc, so it's worth the space to us. 

Herbs and Spices (like I said, we like to cook!):

Butter Melter - Heirloom.  Okay, this really is a luxury item I know we could do without. But I grew up with it, and I love using it.  It is fairly small, and works great to melt butter over the stove for my homemade pancakes, or for popcorn!

The empty kitchen box drawers just waiting to be refilled:

All tidy and organized:

We finally stopped packing the stove back in the box it came in, but I left the cushion wrap in there, to reduce noise.

We are still hauling a lot of stuff, but things are much more organized than they have been.  The low use items go under the bench because you can not easily access them when the bed is made out.  All of the "pots and pans" are now in one drawer, and the dish washing set up is a complete unit that can be brought out all at once.  The 3" memory foam mattress and 4 bed pillows go in just before we leave, and the dutch oven and wine glasses only go with us if I plan to use them on that trip.  The van is shiny clean inside and out. It's loaded up, and ready to go again - and it's almost Friday.  The open road is calling...