I see this all the time “How do I downsize my wardrobe to fit into an RV closet?”
That’s a great question and I will share with you my method. But before I get started let me say that I’m from Texas so we technically have two types of seasons; hot and cold-ish. So in my case I didn’t have the need to organize my clothes by 4 seasons. If you live and plan on RVing in 4 seasons you need to prepare for all 4. Try to do as much overlap as possible by layering to minimize the total item counts.
I got the idea by reading somewhere about the 333 challenge. Ok, so here it goes…
PHASE I
I started on January 1st by picking 33 items in my closet that I would wear for the next 3 months. This included:
Tops – sweaters, work blouses, lounge-wear
Layers – Cardigans, jackets, blazers, vests
Pants/Skirts – jeans, casual, jogging pants, dress pants
Dresses / Tunics – work or casual
Accessories – Scarf, hat, belt
Shoes – boots, pumps, flats, gym shoes (sneakers/tennis shoes – whatever you call them in your neck of the woods)
Coat – this was winter/cold-ish season so I had a jacket
Once I selected my 33 items I mixed and matched them for 3 months to get different outfits. As shown below I shamelessly rotated 5 shirts and called it a day. I even recycled the same glasses and lipstick 😂
Example: I would wear my favorite blouse with a cardigan and jeans, then next week wear the same shirt with a blazer and khakis achieving a totally different look.
NOTE: If I wanted something from the other side of the closet that didn’t make it into my 33 items, I didn’t cheat by just wearing it. I would swap it out for an unworn item out of my 33, 1 time only, for the remainder of 3 months. By unworn I mean not worn since I stated the challenge on Jan 1st.
PHASE II
April 1st (3 months later) I would do the exact same thing, select 33 items BUT this time also include items I would like to keep from the first batch. So maybe your favorite jeans or sweater.
Tops – lighter version blouses, tank tops, spaghetti sting tops
Layers – 3/4 sleeve jackets
Pants/Skirts – shorts
Dresses / Tunics – summer type
Accessories – Sun hat, another belt
Shoes – Sandals, flip flops, hiking shoes/trail runners
At the end I ended up with roughly 60 items, less than 66 because of slight overlap from the initial January – March challenge. This doesn’t include underwear, so keep your bras and panties.
However, since you are downsizing and organizing I would strongly recommend going though your underwear drawer. We all have that cute pair of panties that we NEVER wear because they are uncomfortable. Or that favorite pair that’s older than dirt but you refuse to throw away. Just let it go.
Same goes for bras… Only pick the ones you actually wear, the ones that fit well. Free yourself of ones you will never be able to fit again or have wires sticking out or dingy straps. Let them go!
Lastly, go trough your sock drawer. Anything that doesn’t have a mate – toss’em, if it’s missing you will likely never find it. Throw away hole-y and worn out socks. Wool and warm fluffy socks are the best. Select socks that you will bring that are warm, moisture-wicking, etc. Don’t bring them all!
If you live and plan to camp in winter weather you might have to add PHASE III to sort through VERY WARM clothes.
ADDITIONAL TIPS:
If you have something super warm like a wool sweater or a quality down jacket – BRING IT. Some nights it will get cold. Especially in the desert or at high elevations.
Bring a couple hats if you plan on spending a lot of time outside. It can be sunny, cold or both.
Don’t forget your jammies! I have a few light nightgowns for summer nights, few top and bottom sets for cold nights
If you have special gear such as rain jacket, rain pants, windbreaker, ski jacket and ski pants bring that as well. I didn’t count my “adventure” gear as part of my regular wardrobe
Don’t forget a bathing suit
Fanny pack and umbrella are also allowable 😉
Since I don’t have room for all of my stuff in the closet at once, I have a small tote with summer clothes that I will swap out with sweaters and coats once May gets here.
Here is what I ended up bringing to my home on wheels. A box of pants, tote of summer clothes, closet full of tops, vests, different purpose jackets and sweaters.
Okay, now that you know how to approach your closet, check out my post on how to go through the rest of the house. DOWNSIZING POST COMING SOON – Subscribe to the blog to be notified when it’s ready.
If you have already sorted through your stuff check out my Estate Sale Success Tips. It can also be applied to a large garage or yard sale.