RV Packing List: 8 Tips on How to Pack for an RV Trip
My name is Rhonda, and I'm with Over the Hill Adventures. Today I want to share some packing tips with you for the inside of your RV for a long road trip. These tips have helped me through the years and made it less chaotic and more organized regarding getting the inside of the RV packed with everything you need.
My husband and I are part-time RVers, but we will take road trips. We'll be gone for a month or so at a time. When you're a full-time RVer, you have everything you need in your home; if you don't, you shop at the store and grab it. When you're a part-time RV, you have things at your home and items in the RV, and if you have months in between trips, it can get a little confusing.
Hopefully, this will help you have a little organization before your trip so that you're not exhausted and ready to stay put when you leave.
1. Leave essential items in the RV
Tip number one, leave essential items in your rig. This way, when you're ready to pack for your trip, you've got many of the things already packed. This has been a process. By shopping clearance racks and Amazon and yard sales, I've purchased extra items I can leave in the trailer.
2. Replenish essential items
One of the most important things you want to do after a trip is replenish some items you've run out of. I like to keep an ongoing list of things I've run out of that I need to replenish.
One thing that needs to be replenished after every trip seems to be the first aid kit. Bandages and over-the-counter medications and stuff like that, I will always leave an extra stash in there so I do not have to pack ibuprofen or Tylenol.
3. Prioritize what to pack
Once you replenish the items in your trailer that you want to leave there, you have to start prioritizing and categorizing the things you want to take with you for your trip.
I make it a top priority to start with the medications because my husband has medications he relies on daily. I have medications I rely on day to day. A couple of weeks prior, we always ensure that we're going to have enough supply on our trip, and if not, you start calling in those orders and get the refills done as soon as possible.
Then onto the clothing, we like to leave our raincoats in there, and that way they're just in there, ready to go. We live in Arizona, where it could be 120 degrees when packing, so we forget it can be cold in other places.
So on my list of RV items to pack, I make sure I put gloves, beanies, hats, and things like that on the list because you don't want to forget that the weather will be unpredictable, and you want to be prepared for different weather.
I'm finding that a week's worth of clothing is enough. I do laundry every week when we're on the road, so a good week's worth of clothing is probably more than enough.
4. Packing food
When you pack food, this gets a little tricky. I don't feel like I can start packing my food until my refrigerator is cleaned out and cleaned up.
Start by checking the expiration dates on items and getting rid of things that are expired or won't be any good by the time you get back from your trip. Next, do the same with your freezer.
5. Turn on the RV fridge
After you've cleaned out your refrigerator and freezer, you want to turn on your refrigerator in the RV and get it running. It's probably going to be a good 48 hours before it's cold and ready to start packing food.
6. Clean out your pantry
Next, move on to the pantry. You'll want to look at the expiration dates on the bread and decide if I will use it. Am I taking it with me? Then go ahead and start a spot on your counter or your table where you want to start putting things that are going to go into the trailer. You can begin packing pantry items a week before your trip.
7. Order takeout the night before your trip
I like to go to the grocery store for our RV trip at least two days before our trip. Then the night before our trip, we order takeout, or we'll pick up food and make it easy on ourselves. You'll have plenty of last-minute things to do; cooking shouldn't be one of them.
8. Night-before packing
You've got to pack your toiletries and electronics, and much of that stuff is best packed the night before. That's why I've added many things to my RV list of items to pack. You want to ensure you don't forget your cell phone chargers. We also have headlamps and headlamp chargers.
Another that we pack last is our pillows. If you're like us, we don't leave pillows in the trailer because we have our favorites. So make sure you pack the pillows.
RV packing list
Preparing ahead of time for your RV travel can make the difference between a trip being stressful and enjoyable. As you travel more, you'll develop your RV packing list to fit your needs. Have your RV packing list handy, pack ahead of time (and leave some things in the RV permanently), and enjoy your travel adventures.
Let me know what you think of this RV packing list and let me know your RV packing tips in the comments below.
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