How does the famous line go? “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” Family from out of state paid a surprise Christmas visit at the same time we were busy preparing and getting our RV packing list updated and ready for our RV extended stay in Florida.
Imagine cooking for a crowd while simultaneously attempting to clear out the stix-n-brix refrigerator. Visualize stocking up for an extended out-of-state vacation during the hectic Christmas shopping rush. Or boxing up Christmas decorations while packing boxes of necessities for the RV trip. (I had nightmares about opening a box of Christmas ornaments upon our arrival in Florida!) I’m embarrassed to admit it, but this is not how to pack an RV—not even close!
Get your RV packing list done ahead of time
Knowing that the holidays were going to prove somewhat tricky, I thought I’d start packing early. In fact, the Thanksgiving turkey hadn’t been completely digested before I hauled out my RV packing list, boxes, and totes. Then I began organizing my thoughts.
Packing ahead
Wasting no time, I began to pack. “I’ll get this done ahead of time and then relax with the family,” I thought. The problem? I never stopped packing. As the days went on, I’d remember something “important” and stick the item in a box. It didn’t take long for me to run out of boxes. I also suffered from the “Did I already pack the (fill-in-the-blank)?” concern. Invariably, I tucked a duplicate item into the RV, just in case. (I’m not sure I referred to my packing list after that first day.)
Chaos!
Christmas gifts included clothing and camping items that would come in handy in Florida, so those items also found their way into our RV. By the time our departure date arrived, the RV was loaded! And not in a good way.
My chaotic packing translated into several unmarked boxes haphazardly tossed onto the RV bed, sofa, and under the dining table. Items were indiscriminately flung into the back of the truck, as well. It was a disorganized, overpacked, and chaotic mess. This was certainly not how to pack an RV.
Change of plans
When an unexpected health crisis caused our plans to change, I was forced to face reality. Everything was removed from the RV. I determined to keep my head this time and pack the RV rationally.
RV packing list: How to pack an RV correctly
Or the five “P’s” for “perfect packing”
- Pause. Slow down. Had I not been in such a hurry, I could have saved a lot of time and angst. I would have allowed myself time to clearly determine how many shoes (and other items) I would really use during our three-month winter hiatus.
- Peek. Look at what is already inside your rig. RVers rarely unload their entire rig. Basement items stay in place while clothing, medications, food, and personal hygiene items are generally unloaded after each trip. Know what you have inside your RV before beginning to pack anything else. Duplicate items serve no purpose and add unnecessary weight.
- Pack thoughtfully. I carefully laid my clothing selections out on our bed. Then I considered each item and formed “outfits”—a top and shorts—enough to last one week. I repeated the procedure for a month’s worth of medications and personal hygiene items. I allowed two towels per person (one was a beach towel that could perform double duty, should the need arise). Only one set of bed linens is needed because I planned to launder, dry, and remake the bed all in one day. No need for a second set of sheets.
- Purge. I also spent some time inside our rig. I looked through every drawer and cupboard, searching for and removing duplicate utensils, seldom-used appliances, and extra kitchen linens. (It makes little sense to pack eight dish towels when two are sufficient.)
- Plan to purchase. Several times I reminded myself that we were not camping at the end of the earth. If an item or two was left behind in our stix-n-brix home, we could purchase it at a nearby Walmart or another store. This is especially true when it comes to food. Basics like bread and milk do not travel all that well anyway, so we plan to purchase these items upon arrival.
Second try
We plan to restart our trip again in a few weeks. We’ll arrive in Florida later than planned, but this time we won’t have a haphazard packing mess to deal with upon our arrival.
Do you use an RV packing list? Can you add tips or suggestions for how to pack an RV? Please do so in the comments below.
Sign up for a weekly digest of my articles here.
##RVDT2296
“rallies don’t count, if you don’t go to Walmart. ” We had to totally empty our RV. It took 2 pickup trips to get everything.
I make a list before I even start, when something goes in I cross it off the list. I can add to the list whenever needed. This helps not to forget things and once crossed off I know it’s packed/loaded, Sometimes I write where things have been loaded. Boxes can be numbered to keep track of what went where.
Thank you, Gail! I pray that Keith continues to heal and gather strength. 🙏🙂 Safe travels! 🙂
I repeat what Neal Davis has to say : My thoughts and prayers and to you both 🙏
We have duplicate items for home and our RV. So when it’s time to go on another adventure all we do is empty the house refrigerator into the RV refrigerator and hit the road.
Uninvited guests are just that – uninvited.
I use a Google spreadsheet that has 150 items under 30-ish categories. All columns have filters so I can sort and filter (mentally focus) on the categories. It has a column called “Stage” with codes that I set as I progress throught the project: blank = need_to_decide, 0=not_taking, 1=work_on_next, 3=in_laundry, 4=take_tomorrow, 5=staged, 6=verify_in_RV, 7=need_to_buy, 9=in_RV
Sadly, we have been in exactly that situation Gail. Our house is in neighboring Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Prior to snowbirding, Christmas Eve with extended family was always at our house. We were pretty much begged to do it ‘one more time’ before we headed south. Our immediate family would not be present. My wife reluctantly agreed, but it took some doing to convince the rest that we were dead serious that we were leaving 12/27. Abbreviated decorations, no leftovers for a Christmas Day reunion. Meanwhile because we delayed, I was daily clearing snow from the curb and our TT and parked in our front yard.
Christmas afternoon the weather service said a major storm was coming late on the 26th and travellers would be stranded for days. While some stuff was staged for the TT, because of visiting family it was not organized for loading, and next to nothing had been done to shutdown the house for the winter. Could no longer wait until the 27th. We HAD to be gone by the morning of the 26th. We pulled it off, but it wasn’t pretty. We had to take down Christmas decor when we arrived the following spring.
Our lists have lists. When we were part time we had a departure list with all the items that needed to be transferred TO the coach. As we spent more and more time in the coach we bought more and more “coach only” items and trimmed the departure list. We have been FT since 2012 and everything is duplicated between apartment and the coach except food. When we are in the apt we keep a container near the door for items going to the coach. On departure day that container is transported to the coach plus food. We plan on buying what we need as we go.
My checklist has developed over several years and is a life saver. Everytime I have thought, “I can’t possibly forget that”, it is usually the very thing I WILL forget.
Yeah we used to pack every possible, conceivable item including completely packing the fridge and freezer. Used to take at least a couple of hours to load and unload. Typical trips were 1-4 weeks sometimes more. Now we can pack in 30 min and unload faster. We/I have learned that they’re places called Wal-Mart and grocery stores and laundry in most places!!!! We do make an exception for wine which we stock up on before leaving cause it’s just so cheap in California!!! Practice makes perfect.
Although we are not fulltime, the contents nearly are…food only comes out of the fridge in October when we have all service done. What has thrown me off this year us El Nino. Florida is cooler and wetter and although I did add a couple of extra 3/4 tops; I could have used more and long pants.
I laughed when reading this since the article sounded like a larger version of my packing for a 2 week RV trip after Christmas from LA to El Paso where the weather was going to be completely different, but I also had to pack for being at the in-laws for Christmas AND my oldest’s birthday the day after while still putting out some Christmas decorations and tree for the kids.
Surprisingly, I didn’t forget as much stuff as I normally do. I had made a checklist and actually used it while packing things. I did forget my proprietary charging cable for my Fit Bit and after an unsuccessful try to buy one at Best Buy, I opted to have Amazon ship it to one of our campsites in Tombstone, AZ.
When it comes to what do we bring as far as food on our trip? We bring everything that will spoil if we leave it at home. No one wants to clean their home refrigerator after getting home from a long trip. Yes we pack our RV fridge and pantry to the max. We figure if we don’t eat it we can throw it away when camping. Items that we have in our home freezer we just leave it and buy it again while camping. We bring enough water while traveling from home to our destination and buy more water when we get to our campsite.
Although I have been rving now part time for over 24 years there always a way to improve when getting ready to hit the road. After reading the replies I have seen a way to do our clothes better. On one prep day I started a list of trips into the Rv to load. We have these clear plastic that are aprox 15″W X21″L X 12″ T. We use these totes for every thing going into or out of the RV. I counted 92 trips to the RV loading everything, food, clothes, electronics, tools etc. I counted about 10 trips just for the clothes. What we will change now moving forward we will already have our clothes in the RV.
Well over 50 years of traveling. Started traveling without parents in 1968.
I have a spreadsheet that lists clothes/needs for our 3 month winter trip,
3 week June trip, and 5 week fall trip.
I have different clothes/needs for each trip.