RV Packing Tips for Newbies

It’s the time of year everyone starts dreaming of hitting the open road for an RV vacation. In fact, as I write this, I am en route to the Oregon coast in the Class A motorhome my husband and I live in full time (don’t worry — I’m the passenger). As a newcomer, your dreams may differ from the reality of what vacations in a recreational vehicle are really like. Avoid bumps in the road and ensure a successful trip by first mastering your packing and organizing.

Related: Things New RV Owners Wished They'd Known Before Buying That RV

The first question to ask when packing for a trip: “Do I really need to bring this?” More often than not, the answer will be no. More experienced travelers will be able to apply a general rule that if they didn’t use something on the last trip, they shouldn’t keep lugging it around. (The exception, of course, being tools and safety supplies.) Saving weight should always be on your mind as you load up an RV.

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When loading an RV, make sure you distribute weight evenly from side to side. Especially important for towable RVs is front-to-back weight distribution: As a general rule, you want approximately 60% of cargo weight in the front half of a trailer, so especially heavy items should go closest to the front. Always research your specific RV set-up to ensure you load it safely to reduce sway.

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Make sure everything that’s loaded is secured before you drive away, with all cabinets and doors latched — RVs bounce around a lot on the road. But you’ll still want to use caution when opening cabinets. The warning, “caution, contents in the overhead bins may have shifted” applies to RVs as well as planes.

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Before you set off on your first adventure, absolute needs include hookups for sewer, water, and electricity, unless you plan to stay somewhere without amenities; and an upgraded mattress. In my experience, if you try to sleep on the mattress that came with your RV, you’ll probably spend the trip cranky from lack of sleep.

Some RV parks brag that they have free Wi-Fi. This may be true, but campground Wi-Fi is notoriously slow and unreliable. If you want to game, stream, or work, you absolutely need to have your own hotspot. Before leaving, check coverage on your route and where you’re headed so you don’t end up with surprise connection problems.

RVs break, even if they are brand new, so it is smart to bring along a basic toolkit of safety items. Make sure you have everything you need for changing a flat tire, too. At the very least, travel with roadside assistance coverage from an insurance company, but know that help can take hours to arrive. It is best if you can rescue yourself.

There may not be a grocery store where you’re headed, but no one wants to kick off a vacation by grocery shopping anyway. If you plan meals and pack food, all you’ll have to do is roll up and relax. Most RVs, especially newer ones, can safely run a fridge off propane while driving — follow all applicable laws and check your owner’s manual to be sure this is safe in your vehicle, and don’t forget to shut the propane off before fueling up — but turn it on 24 hours beforehand so it has time to cool down before being loaded with perishables. If you aren’t comfortable with that, take the old-fashioned cooler approach.

If you have breakable dishes, take extra care. One option is to wrap dishes in a towel — it’s what I do. Some RVers use tension rods or pool noodles to keep dishes from bouncing around inside cabinets. An alternative for weekend warriors is to get reusable melamine dishes you don’t have to worry about.

Spice racks are a must-have for chefs in RVs, where cabinets are typically small. You can fit a lot more in when using a spice rack to enjoy favorite flavors on the road.

Related: 30 Amazing 5-Ingredient Recipes for Cooking in a Camper

Rather than hanging clothes on hangers in an RV closet, you can fit much more by using a hanging closet organizer. Fold or roll your clothes and put them on shelves to find you have more room than you thought.

Shoes are notoriously difficult to keep organized in an RV. Having a shoe rack right by the door will help keep shoes from being strewn about the entry of your living area.

Most RVs have a small bathroom medicine cabinet in which everything falls over in transit. Some RVers use spice racks to organize the medicine cabinet; another option is to use small plastic bins or pencil holders to keep things in place.

Cabinets in RVs are often a weird size or shape, and sometimes are all connected, making it easy to lose things. Small collapsible storage bins can help organize anything from food to games to clothes. When you need something, simply pull its bin out of the cabinet.

Some RVs have storage space under the bed. It can be awkward to access, though, and the bed is often heavy to lift. Consider adding some DIY drawers underneath that you can just slide out.

Don’t forget that the fun of RVing is to get out and enjoy nature. You’ll want to bring gear for activities such as biking and kayaking. But because RVs bounce and sway much more than a car, you’ll need to have an RV-rated rack or risk losing your two-wheeler somewhere along the way. RV-specific kayak racks are also a must. You could theoretically strap a kayak on top, but RVs are already tall, and adding height can also mean running into low-clearance obstacles.

Having an air compressor along lets you easily add air to tires before leaving a campsite. But first you need to know tire pressure — which is critical before every drive, as pressure that’s too high or low can lead to major accidents and blowouts. So pack that air compressor, but also install a tire pressure monitoring system. (These come standard on most new cars, but not RVs.) A TPMS will alert drivers instantly of issues with pressure and temperature so they can pull over before things worsen. Sometimes a blowout on a towable trailer won’t be noticed; and by the time it is, it may be because a second tire has gone. 

Upgrade or add fire extinguishers. There should be a large one in the front and back, and one in an outside compartment. Elide fire extinguisher balls can offer some peace of mind if there were to be a fire when you weren’t there. We place them near potential problem spots such as the engine in the motorhome's front and where the circuit breaker and fuse box are. Make sure an RV also has a functioning smoke detector, propane detector, and carbon monoxide detector.

Sooner or later you’ll experience some kind of mechanical issue on the road. Leaks are one of the more common (and potentially deadly to an RV). A self-leveling lap sealant such as Dicor will handle trouble spots on most RVs. Things can also break and be impossible to repair at a campsite; in a bind, many seasoned travelers slap on duct tape until they can get a more permanent fix.

You might consider opting for a RV roadside assistance plan from Good Sam.  Club members also get discounts on RV accessories, camping fees, and even gas. 

Even for RVs with leveling systems, leveling blocks are useful to have. Now and then you’ll come across an extremely uneven site, and leveling blocks can save the day.

If your RV has a garage area, you need to use heavy duty plastic storage totes to keep everything organized and free of moisture and critters. Label boxes so you can find the one you need easily.

There is RV-specific toilet paper, but many household toilet papers work just as well as long as you use plenty of water. You can’t use any toilet paper, though. If it’s not septic safe, you can clog the toilet — and it’ll be gross. Not sure which kind you have? Test toilet paper by putting two to three squares in a lidded jar of water and giving it a good shake at the start and end of an hourlong soak. If the toilet paper dissolves, it is typically safe to use in an RV.

No one really likes to talk about the black tank situation, but, hey, it’s just part of the deal. Put all black tank supplies in one outside compartment (or tote — with nothing else. You should also pack disposable rubber gloves, Lysol spray, and hand sanitizer. Be sure to attach the two ends of the sewer hose before storing, or you’ll have a stinky mess to deal with later.

RV toilets are not like house toilets, and if you don’t take proper care of them, they can quickly become a smelly nightmare. One of the easiest ways to prevent this is to pack a black tank treatment such as Happy Camper, a popular brand of mineral mixture that breaks down waste and eliminates odors. (Never leave a black tank valve open, even when you have full hookups. You should only ever open the valve when it’s time to dump the tanks; black water first, followed by gray water to clean out the sewer hose a bit.)

Related: Black Water, Gray Water, and Other RV Terms You Need to Know

If you plan to use the picnic table at your campsite, cover it — among several health and safety reasons, many RVers set sewer hoses on picnic tables when packing up. (Please don’t do this.)

Bring games. Yard games are an excellent go-to when the weather is nice, but weather doesn’t always cooperate and a rainy day in the camper isn’t nearly such a downer if you have board games or cards to pass the time.

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If you’ll be somewhere buggy, don’t forget the repellent. Even though you’ll be sleeping in the RV, there are still plenty of opportunities for bugs to get at you. Nothing ruins a camping trip faster than mosquito bites.

Related: Ways to Repel Bugs Naturally (and Cheaply)