Ultralight Furniture/Appliances?

I love dairy crates! Many people wouldn't keep them as furniture but I keep a few around.
They can be stacked upright for storage or sideways as shelves, and you can sit on them.
They're often discarded so no need to spend any money.

If space is an issue, you could forego a mattress. I got rid of my mattress almost 5 years ago and sleep on a mat. I pick it up and store it in the closet every morning. This isn't comfortable for everyone but the extra space is so valuable for me.

Milk crates for storage, laid out one layer high, 3 deep and six or seven long. Top with plywood and a thin mattress from IKEA.

Dorm fridge, toaster oven, crock pot, no microwave.

Washer, no dryer, retractable clothesline. Laundromat dryer for bulky stuff.

Ceiling hooks for the bikes.

No TV or cable. Radio.

I used to have a basic type queen sized futon mattress, with a wooden slat frame.

It was very comfortable. I sanded and stained the wooden frame to match my other items like my medium dark walnut colored dresser and nightstand.

The futon could be used in a pinch, as a basic loveseat or a lounger, but not very comfortably. Worked great as a bed though.

When moving, the mattress rolled up and the frame un-screwed and un-bolted into individual components, all of which easily fit into the trunk of my Chevy Cavalier.

They used to be pretty cheap too, anywhere from $179.00 to $250.00 for the set back in 1999.

You would have to custom sew the fitted sheet from a flat sheet because the thickness of the mattress was only 3.5 inches, but easy enough to do.

I don't think they sell them as a set anymore, but you can still find them with a little effort.

Here's a link to one of the places to get the frame.

I'd like to use Daniel's idea from above.

"Milk crates for storage, laid out one layer high, 3 deep and six or seven long. Top with plywood and a thin mattress from IKEA."

I haven't had a bed in years so it seems like a nice luxury and an easy project to keep my mind busy.

"You would have to custom sew the fitted sheet from a flat sheet because the thickness of the mattress was only 3.5 inches, but easy enough to do."

What the hell is a fitted sheet?

"Top with plywood…"

Or triple-wall corrugated cardboard, cut, and hinged with good duck tape, would be fold-able and more portable.

Rent furnished

Bedbugs, fleas, etc. That's all I'll say.

I lived on a boat for 7 years and in a converted ambulance for 18 months. You learn not to keep too much stuff…

Fridge from a caravan runs on 12V/propane : A good sized solar panel with leisure battery backup will work, but you won't be keeping a full crate of beer in it. That's what baths are for on party nights. Bonus; you won't find anyone sleeping in it the following morning.

Bed : Go Japanese and use a futon. With a couple of pallets it'll be aired from underneath and turn into a sofa during the day.

Stuff : Wooden crates for stuff when you're moving become shelving units for stuff when you're not. Try not to have too much stuff.

Dining : Wooden patio furniture folds up and is easy to clean/maintain.

Wardrobe : Clothes rails on castors and a tarp over are neat. Also fun for riding down the street to your next apartment…

We just spent the weekend in a yurt on Lopez Island. In fact I'm sitting on the deck outside right now. That totally go the gears going.

The major challenges are kitchen and bath; the rest is just a round studio apartment :)

As to the ultimate nomadic bedding, a hammock trumps all else, indoors or out. There are all kinds of designs for hammock frames of you can't bolt into the walls.

Storage? Stacking warehouse containers work well and nest when empty. They too can be used as platforms.

My favorite desk is two 2-drawer filing cabinets and a door. The doorknob hole is perfect to run the cords through. I once made simple 2×4 frames to support a door and cleated the back edge to the wall. That was in the days when a big monitor could weigh 50+ pounds. Flat screens and laptops have changed the electronics of nomadic life; tablets too. Of course I'm writing on my phone now.

The IKEA desks with removeable legs work great. I've brought one home in the back seat of our Corolla after snagging it at Goodwill for $20.

Another favorite table is a double gate leg. They fold to 36x32x8. My daughter was living in a studio and I found her a solid oak version for $25 at a yard sale and that one came home in the back seat of the Corolla too.

A fitted sheet is a sheet that is sewn along the area from where it lays across the top of the mattress to the area that tucks under the mattress. It usually has elastic at the corners to help it stay tucked under the mattress. It's also known as a mattress cover. The top sheet goes on over top of it.

Hi Max – As someone who will be building her own tiny house on wheels, I've done a lot of online searches for just what you're looking for. IKEA is a good place to start. You can also check out RV equipment websites; there is a lot of compact stuff for RVs that could work very well for you. I found a website called compactappliances.com. that features all kinds of compact appliances. Hope this helps! Huzzah and kudos!

Oops! Just rechecked the URL. The website is http://www.compactappliance.com (I mistakenly added an s to appliance.

they looked to the catalogues of companies that make products for the boating/yacht industry. With the explosion of ultra-high-end motor homes and the growth of the tiny house market there’s been significant growth in that market segment. As with anything that’s produced for a limited target audience it can get pretty expensive. a friend became friends with a couple of boat yards that up-fitted yachts and he had access to what they were throwing away. You’d be amazed at what was going to go in the dumpster.

Oh, I've seen those. Dumb people say they're hard to fold. I'm thinking a regular sheet would be better for building forts.

Multi-use.

BTW, milk crates are 13"x13"x11"
18 of them with plywood top is a hair long for a twin mattress and a hair short for a twin XL.

>"They're often discarded so no need to spend any money."

Actually, they're stolen property. Years ago, some Bay Area dairies employed a huge biker-looking guy and he'd go around flea markets and just collect them. Not even saying anything, just gathering up the ones anyone had. If someone said anything, he'd flash a PI license or something, but mostly no one said anything.

The knock-off ones at Target are legal. But not nearly as strong or long-lasting as the thicker, metal-reinforced ones owned by the dairies.

You can buy legit crates on Amazon. Four bucks each if I remember correctly. Shipping might be a wasteful issue.

Cutting down clutter or living simply is a great notion. I however have a problem. I'm like Thomas Jefferson, who famously said "I cannot live without books…"