Bates International RV Blog

You’ll want to pack things according to their priority.  Pack the absolute necessities first.  The things you think you need next and so on.  The kitchen will probably be the busiest are of your RV.  Begin packing there first.  Put cooking and eating utensils where they make the most sense for convenient preparation and serving of meals.  Place some non-skid padding between Teflon pans to prevent scratching and minimize noise during traveling.  Dishwashing and kitchen cleaning materials should also be handy.

The bathroom is one of the easier storage tasks.  Obviously, you’ll want everyday toiletries well within reach.  Each individual’s toiletries can be packed in transparent plastic show boxes while at home, stored in the RV’s bathroom cabinet during the trip and moved back to the home bathroom upon your return. Daily medicines should be up front or at eye level in the medicine cabinet.  Seldom-used medications can be relegated to the harder to reach locations.  A plastic box can be used to hold soap and shampoo while traveling, and it should be easy to reach when needed.

Most of today’s RVs have a large storage space under the bed.  The space is usually accessible by lifting the bed platform.  This place is ideal for seldom-used, large or bulky items like ironing boards and vacuum cleaners.  Plastic storage boxes (with or without the lids) can make optimum use of this space.

Take only the clothes you’ll require for that trip.  Mix-and-match your outfits to minimize the number of clothes you need.  Pack no more than seven to 10 days’ worth of clothing and plan on doing laundry once a week.

Outside, begin packing the storage cabinets at the utility-hookup cabinet.  Leveling and hooking up the RV may take place as often as every day.  You’ll want the hookup and leveling equipment convenient and accessible.

Drinking water hose(s) and other water-hookup items should be stowed in a clean location in or near the utility-hookup cabinet.  Sewer hose(s) and connections, electrical adapters, TV cable and telephone cable should be stowed nearby but not so they can contaminate the drinking-water equipment.

Large, strong plastic boxes or tubs will provide maximum effective use of the exterior cabinets.

Tools may be more accessible to you if they are kept in the trailer’s tow vehicle or the motor home’s towed vehicle. 

Here are a few packing tips that may help you find a place for everything:

Things have a tendency to relocate themselves during travel.  Try placing non-skid material on the bottoms of cupboards to keep them from sliding around and breaking.  Another way to keep things from moving around is to keep them in containers like boxes, bins or bags.

Transparent plastic storage boxes of various sizes can be packed in your house and carried to the RV.  These containers can be stored in the RV’s overhead lockers, and you can see what’s inside and pull them out like a drawer when you need something.  At the end of the trip, the box can be brought into the house and unpacked.  Ziploc bags and transparent-plastic food containers are ideal for spill-proof, space-efficient refrigerator storage.  They also make efficient use of cupboard space.

You may be able to create more storage space by installing shelves and partitions inside cupboards.  Make them adjustable to accommodate any changes you may want to make later.  Add shelves, drawers or cabinets to the bottom of the wardrobe closet where the space for full-length clothes isn’t needed.  Place clothes hooks in corners or out-of-the-way spots.

The shower is a handy place to keep your laundry bag, which can be moved temporarily while you shower.  Laundry supplies can be kept in a laundry basket in an outside storage cabinet. 

You can minimize packing and unpacking your RV between trips by permanently storing as much as possible in the RV.

Equip the RV kitchen’s storage areas with cooking and eating utensils, some appliances and non-perishable food items.

Equip the bathroom so each person has to bring only a minimum of personal toiletries and their medications.

Keep your RV stocked so you have to add only perishable foods and a few items of clothing before getting on the road.

Lists are especially helpful in organizing and prioritizing your packing.  Joe and I maintain a list of the things we routinely pack in our RV before departing for each trip.  As items are moved into the RV, they’re checked off on the list.  If we forget anything, we buy it along the way or, as it usually turns out, we do without.