RV Renovation: Motorhome Mojo

When Jessy Muller took to the road six years ago, she wanted a change: to orient her life around nature, live more intentionally and pay close attention to the resources she consumed. At home in Minneapolis, she started tucking extra cash into an envelope. She labeled it “The Great Escape.”

“I wanted to feel alive, to reframe my life overall,” Muller told me recently over Zoom, sitting in her 1978 Commander motorhome. She was boondocking outside Quartzsite, Arizona. Behind her was a groovy accent wall she’d painted brown, mustard yellow, and burnt orange—typical of the vintage rec-room vibe she’s given her place. When she bought her 24-foot Dodge chassis Class A in 2016—$1,900 on Craigslist—it was a rotting, water-damaged mess. With a lot of elbow grease, she has slowly transformed “Mander” into a colorful, happy home.

Photo Credit: Jessy Muller

It took Muller 15 months to get Mander road-ready. She all but gutted the interior, rebuilding the walls and ceilings, putting in new cabinets and a new countertop. She rewired the rig, updated the plumbing, and scraped the roof to bare aluminum to reseal it. Whenever possible, she used reclaimed wood and materials, but she splurged on a Nature’s Head composting toilet and a solar setup. Her personality, Muller claims, tends towards laziness, but once she committed to life on the road, she put her all into the Commander. The work humbled her as she learned to ask for help—and was overwhelmed by support from her family and friends.

“Their help restored my faith in humanity,” she says. And when she took to the road as a solo traveler, she brought that faith along with her.

Photo Credit: Jessy Muller

Before setting out, Muller did little to Mander mechanically—then spent her first years on the road making substantial repairs. She learned to do most of the work herself: Among other things, she replaced the carburetor and fuel pump, dropped the gas tank to have it cleaned, pulled the radiator to have it cleaned and patched, and replaced the starter and entire exhaust system. Lately, Mander’s maintenance needs have slowed (“Knock on wood,” Muller laughs). In total, she estimates she’s sunk just $7,000 into Mander over the years, a sum that covers building materials, decor and parts and labor for repairs.

Inside, the vibe is eclectic and vintage. Macrame plant hangers, crocheted bunting, and tasseled linens complement the Commander’s era. The shag carpeting in the cockpit is original; the faux-tin backsplash behind the sink just feels like it. Blink, and you might miss other modern touches: a new catalytic propane heater, a Lagun swivel table, and a WeBoost signal booster.

Photo Credit: Jessy Muller

The dinette doubles as Muller’s living area, its seats lined with cheerful pillows and a fuzzy tiger-print rug across the floor. Last year, she repainted, ditching white walls for a light, warm avocado that evokes the ’70s without being over the top. Under the seating is a hangout for Muller’s sidekick, a long-haired kitty named Moonchi (or Moo). A cat flap leads out to one of the exterior storage compartments, where Muller can access the litter box from outside.

At the back of the motorhome, daisy-print wallpaper lines the bedroom, what Muller calls her RV’s “crown jewel.” Her queen-sized bed is covered in fluffy, textured linens, piles of velvet pillows, and a crocheted granny-square throw. A mirrored chrome vanity cabinet is original to the Commander, moved into the bedroom after the bathroom renovation. The best part of her room, Muller says, is the long windows that flank the bed on three sides, creating an effect like a sun porch. When they’re all open, breezes swirl around the space.

Photo Credit: Jessy Muller

In her first few years of traveling, Muller cobbled together jobs, waitressing and selling vintage. These days, she’s built enough of a following (her Insta: @slowroamer) to make a living with brand partnerships and mobile-living coaching sessions. She still shops vintage, but she’s choosy about what she buys and lives by the one-in, one-out rule, even for decor. Boondocking and, whenever possible, parking for free help keep her costs down, while the DIY skills she shares on social keep expenses low. After almost seven years in her Commander, Muller is just as passionate about keeping her rig humming and homey as on the day she first knocked out a wall. “Mander is a piece of me,” she says.

Tech Tip: Muller’s space-saving hack for her Camco Olympian Wave 6 catalytic heater? A long-arm swivel TV mount, so she can extend it and direct the heat when it’s needed and tuck it away when it’s not. Head to RV.com/catalytic for more on the merits of catalytic heaters.

This article originally appeared in Wildsam magazine. For more Wildsam content, sign up for our newsletter.

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