What Not To Pack For Your RV Vacation
If you are like most people, you’re bound to over-pack for any trip. Suddenly things that seemed optional at home are essential as you leave the safe confines of your four walls. You’ll find yourself tossing in those hardcover books you’ve been meaning to read for the past two years, a couple of extra sleeping bags in case a zipper breaks and more food than a small army would ever need.
It doesn’t stop there — the many gizmos and contraptions that are on sale at the camping store are also a huge temptation. After all, who doesn’t need an electronic marshmallow roaster?
So it’s no surprise that we end up packing far more items than we actually need. Here’s a list of five things you definitely don’t need on your next RV trip.
- Canned food
Seriously, you’ll never eat all the emergency supplies you’re tempted to hoard in your RV. You’re better off planning your meals ahead of time and making sure you have the ingredients you need, rather than stocking up on heaps of dead-weight soup cans that you’ll never get rid of. - Electronic items
This includes laptops, tablets and video game consoles. You’re on the trip of your lifetime, do you really want to be scrolling through political Facebook posts or sifting through an inbox full of spam? Take a phone for emergency situations, but make the decision to unplug and unwind. Pack (light-weight) family board games, puzzles and paperback books instead. - Kitchen appliances
Keep your meals simple. Forget about cappuccino machines, waffle irons and your well-seasoned wok. Stick to easy-to-make, one-pot recipes or campfire delicacies and you’ll save lots of space and weight by ditching uneccesary indulgences. - Fresh water
Unless you’re in the boondocks, you probably don’t need to lug hundreds of gallons of water around. Keep a bit of water in the tanks to stop things clogging up, but in general, you can get fresh water at camping grounds. While you’re at it, dump gray water frequently. This fills up much faster than black water tanks and can be a real drag on your RV. - Firewood
Yes, you might save a couple of dollars by pre-buying your firewood, but storage is a very real problem. Ditch the stacks of firewood and buy it (or collect it!) as you need it. This will not only save you space and weight, it also helps to keep your RV clean — wood leaves a lot of mess behind.
Remember, your RV has limited space. You have to pass weight checking stations on your trip and weight adds up fast. Even more importantly, an RV trip is your chance to escape from everyday life. Don’t complicate and clutter your getaway vehicle by packing things you don’t need!
