I’m a sucker for a good mobile office setup. After traveling full-time for nearly a decade and running a business remotely the whole time, I think I’ve worked from any possible surface. Mostly because 99% of RVs don’t come equipped with a desk or any space resembling a good workstation.
Shout out to all of you entrepreneurs who are taking conference calls at the RV park picnic table!
If you want a mobile office in your RV, you have to get creative, learn how to do a little renovating, and maximize your square footage.
If you’re not a DIY person, a great resource for finding a camper with a desk built-in is RenovatedRVsforSale.com. You’ll find already renovated RVs, many of which already have desks added (like the one below)!
As we all make do with creating an office space in our home on wheels, we’ve found a few essential items that make the situation’s ergonomics a whole lot better.
Tools & Gear for Creating Your Own RV Mobile Office
Laptop Stand
Save your neck the literal headache.
This is Heath’s favorite laptop stand (we’ve also used this cheaper but bulkier one that is slightly harder to travel with), and he has used it for years. If you are slouching over your laptop, complaining about neck and shoulder pain, and need an fast solution, this is it.
This stand has traveled to multiple countries by plane and RV. Highly recommend. You will need even more gear if you go with a stand, though.
Wireless Mouse
Some people hate trackpads. Or they hate Bluetooth mouses, which can be a pain to connect. Or they hate using a mouse with a cord like it’s 2003.
This USB mouse checks all the boxes (and is available in many colors). We’ve used this mouse for years after our Apple mouse kept giving us trouble. It’s under $20 and super reliable. If you use a stand, you’ll need a mouse unless you want to awkwardly navigate on your trackpad while it’s in the air.
Wireless Keyboard
We use the Magic Keyboard that came with our iMac. It’s small, it’s rechargeable, it’s light and easy to toss into a backpack.
But it’s nearly $100.
You can find much cheaper keyboards on Amazon, and I recommend any small, light keyboard that works via Bluetooth so you can easily travel with it.
External Monitor
This is the piece of equipment you’ll see most people below adding to their RVs.
We’ve traveled with our iMac in both of our Winnebagos—laying the heavy monitor on the bed during travel for safety. But for most, a lightweight and mountable external monitor is a better option.
Plus, you can simply unhook your laptop and head to a coffee shop if you want to get out of the rig. That is not so easy with a desktop computer! External monitors are great for running multiple screens simultaneously and keeping your workspace a little more comfortable for your body.
Other recommendations:
Standing Desk: We used a piano stand and a large cutting board as a makeshift standing desk for a while. It worked great, though it was a bit wobbly. If you ask me, standing desks are crazily overpriced, but you can find collapsible laptop stands for musicians on Amazon for a quarter of the price.
Airpods: Heath has raved about Airpods for years, and I’m now on board. Mine aren’t noise-canceling, but the fact that whatever I’m listening to pauses as soon as I remove an Airpod is SO BRILLIANT. And handy.
Portable Table: If the couch if your best workspace, we loved this little table! It scoots under the couch easily and is big enough to host your laptop and lunch (clearly speaking from experience here.) The height is adjustable, but it doesn’t get tall enough to be used as a standing desk.
Those are the biggest ways we’ve seen RVers adapt their workspace to be a little friendly to the body and the small space. It’s a challenge that all RV entrepreneurs love to tackle, so we asked our Facebook group to share their mobile office set-ups to inspire you.
Below are our top 25 picks, ranging from stand-up desks to custom build-outs to folding tables and couches. There’s no one way to set up a desk in an RV, and these pioneers prove it!
Dapper Drive
The Rig: 2007 28-foot travel trailer
Outside Found
The Rig: 2001 GMC Bluebird bus
Phyllis Swenson
Most intense set-up I have seen!
The Rig: Class A motorhome
What is it really like to RV full-time and work on the road?
In our latest book, we share what it’s like RVing across America—breakdowns, bear encounters, stunning hikes, beachfront camping and even starting our first business (also known as the time that our bank account hit zero).
Roamin Ryans
The Rig: Grand Design Momentum fifth wheel toy hauler. Sit/stand up desk set up in the garage.
Sonya Schweitzer
Desk set up in the bedroom for the husband. The wife uses the dinette.
No Address Required
The Rig: 2007 Damon Daybreak 3276
Nathan Kaemingk
They took out the chair by the door and added a small Ikea desk!
Faux Bold
The Rig: Airstream
Migratory Life
The Rig: Rockwood Windjammer
Steffanie and Michael have done a lot of little renovations on their travel trailer, including adding in this desk space!
Mark Roberts
The Rig: Class A motorhome
RV Reboot
The Rig: 40 ft Itasca Horizon (Class A motorhome)
This is actually the existing dinette!
Rachel Brewer
Always on Liberty
Lisa in her outdoor office!
The Rig: Landmark fifth wheel
Mountain Modern Life
Can I choose a favorite mobile office set-up? It’s this one! 😍😍😍 You can learn more about this awesome desk setup here.
The Rig: Class A motorhome
A Team Life
Oh wait, this one might be my favorite. I love the curtains!
The Rig: Fifth wheel
Follow Your Detour
The Rig: Fifth wheel
The Fit RV
The Rig: Winnebago Travato (Class B motorhome)
The Simple Venture
The Rig: Class A motorhome
Northern Nomads
The Rig: Travel Trailer
Technomadia
The Rig: 1961 vintage bus
[For more mobile office set-ups, check out Technomadia’s article.]
Always the Road
#vanlife
RV Love
The Rig: Class A Motorhome
188sqft
The Rig: Keystone fifth wheel
The pup: Foxey, a miniature Golden doodle that Heath tries to kidnap every time we see Kevin and Mandy 😂
Heath, the king of many offices
Heath cracks me up because he has made so many different mobile office setups in our Winnebago! There’s the removal round table in the front of the rig.
Photo cred: Kyle Kesterson
Then there’s the standing desk we made, the fold-out desk built into the Winnebago in front of the passenger seat, the dinette, and, of course, a picnic table!
Back in our Winnebago Brave, Heath would use all five of these desk setups on any given day because he can’t sit still. He likes to bounce around.
Me
This year we moved into a 2020 Winnebago Forza 38D, which has a dual desk setup that has been a game-changer. As I said, 99% of RVs don’t have desk space. We chose this RV because it falls in that one percent. I love having that separation between a workspace and the rest of the house. Plus, having any space at all that is dedicated solely to being an office is pure luxury.
Now that you’ve got the desk, you only need a job you can work from anywhere!
Very cool!
Aren’t they amazing?? I’ve got serious office envy over here.
Those are some great setups. Almost makes you want to work – almost.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Great post. I love “looking” inside peoples campers. We’re finally taking our camper out next week. I’ll post a picture of our office setup while we’re out.
Haha yes sometimes the best part of RV parks is getting to peek inside everyone else’s rigs!
Keepin’ it real… Awesome Post!
These pics are great!! I really love a whole bunch of them. I adore about everything from Mountain Modern Life. Such fantastic style. You are a cute mess at least. Thanks for a great posts.
Hahaha, well thank you 😂 but yes Mountain Modern Life looks gorgeous!
Very nice pictures!
The beauty of RVing is that it takes you into the nature. So just having a laptop and a folding chair is usually all what needed for a true mobile office.
The complicated set ups are usually counter productive, as one mentioned below ” it almost makes you want to work” and inside.
Keep it simple – that’s why we are RVing…
Very true! But I think most of us want to and enjoy working in our RVs because it allows us to go more places and get out into nature more often!
Awesome pics! We pulled out the recliner and installed a big deal made out of a scrap piece of butcher block. It’s right in front of a big window. Awesome-sauce!
Nice!
Thanks for the inspiration! I was afraid I’d have to give up my beloved DXRacer chair when we get our 5th wheel, but I see others on wheels. I’d be curious how they secure their rolling chairs…
Bungee cords! Or tossing them on the bed 🙂
Thanks for the tip!
Love the inspiration and it’s fun to see some of my favorite mobile office spaces in this post, including ours, woo-hoo! The only downside to our living room office is that we have to spend two minutes putting it away or setting it up, which means on my super lazy days I just work at the pop-up desk in the bedroom, haha.
Haha it’s funny how big of a difference those two minutes make! I have definitely spent many mornings with my laptop in bed because that’s just SO much easier!
I’m surprised there weren’t any bunk removals. That’s the direction we are leaning. But have till spring to figure it out.
Well there’s a couple school buses in there, so there were a few that started out with empty buses and built out their whole layout!
Great office ideas, thanks for compiling and sharing!
Thanks Shane! 🙂
[…] See Jordan & Brittany’s custom workspace here! Absolutely love their RV remodel! […]
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/66aad73f77b4793761d407ed6446b97762f7ed84a59715e5be07907702982e5e.jpg
We used a $20 black desk and $20 black 2-shelf bookcase from Walmart and made a great corner desk behind our passenger seat. We have a 37ft Class A Motorhome.
Nice!
[…] for how to create a workable space in your RV for you to run your business (check out this blog: https://rveverywhere.com/mobile-office/). Some keys to remember […]
Just stumbled on this blog because I Googled “why don’t RVs have office space?” As a video editor I need to set up and LEAVE IT…until I move again 🙂 I wish I just used a laptop…but my office setup will be a little more complicated. Thank you SO MUCH for this post and the inspiration. I’m just beginning my journey of research to see if this is indeed something I could do. I hope RV designers take this trend seriously and actually start designing workspaces! RVs aren’t just for the retired anymore. Thanks again for your blog! Great information! Happy travels!
Hey Wendi! I do video editing on the road as well and just takeover our dinette table with a desktop computer. When we’re driving, we lay it down on the bed so it’s protected. 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the post! We actually had Winnebago come out to our conference last month and they interviewed entrepreneurs on how to integrate workspace into future RVs. It will be cool to see what they come up with!
That’s amazing and such great news!! Thanks so much for the tip! I will remember that. I’m so happy I found your blog! Thanks again!
[…] 25 Mobile Office Set-Ups to Inspire You to RV Full-Time […]
[…] RV workspaces are all over the internet! RVers have gotten super creative when it comes to developing unique spaces that maximize efficiency. Heath & Alyssa wrote a great article about these Unique RV Work Spaces. […]
[…] 25 Mobile Office Set-Ups to Inspire You to RV Full-Time. – If you want a mobile office in your RV, you have to get creative, learn how to do a little renovation, and maximize your square footage. It’s a challenge that all RV entrepreneurs love to tackle, so we asked our Facebook group to share their mobile office set-ups to inspire you. […]
[…] 25 Mobile Office Set-Ups to Inspire You to RV Full-Time. – If you want a mobile office in your RV, you have to get creative, learn how to do a little renovation, and maximize your square footage. It’s a challenge that all RV entrepreneurs love to tackle, so we asked our Facebook group to share their mobile office set-ups to inspire you. […]
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[…] for how to create a workable space in your RV for you to run your business (check out this blog: https://rveverywhere.com/mobile-office/). Some keys to remember […]