When you’re on the road and living in a tight space, staying organized is critical. Traveling by RV, camper or motorhome gives you the opportunity to explore unlike any other. Having a home base on wheels allows you amazing freedom. Plus, the opportunity to adventure to unique destinations in an affordable way. But carrying your personal items with you at varying locations can be a challenge. The last thing you need is clutter slowing you down! Here are simple RV organization ideas to help you manage the chaos and enjoy your time in the great outdoors.
RV Organization Ideas: Take Frequent Stock of Your Stuff
Before heading out, be mindful of the items you pack into your RV. Especially when you aren’t sure of your final itinerary, it’s easy to overpack for every contingency. Keep it simple and remember that you can always purchase what you need while on the road. Take an inventory of all your items, including those stuffed under the bed or in the overhead bin, and remove anything that you don’t absolutely need. Get rid of old souvenirs, gear or items that are in disrepair. Clean out drawers and restock with fresh supplies.
Even in a small space, it can be easy to accumulate items you don’t use, so be very picky about what you choose to haul from place to place. Souvenirs, maps, and brochures can quickly take over the living area. Plan for your travel memory collection in advance and dedicate one small bin in advance to store items you plan to bring home. Try to limit your purchases to what will fit in the bin, and you will find yourself buying more meaningful and higher quality items, without creating clutter.
Periodically purge your RV while on the road. You can throw out, recycle and even donate unnecessary items to local shops or campground neighbors. When you arrive home to park your RV at home or in RV storage, take the time to clean out and toss anything you won’t be using next time.
RV Organization Ideas: A Place for Everything (And Everything in its Place)
This old saying is the perfect organizational mantra for keeping your RV organized. When packing, make sure that everything you are bringing has a designated storage location. Shuffling items around without them having a place to call home will automatically lead to clutter. Everything from the bottle opener to the dog’s watering bowl needs to return to the same place after use. This will keep your RV neat and tidy and also help you keep from misplacing important items. If you’re traveling with a group, make sure everyone knows what goes where. Set up a planning meeting to delegate tasks. Let everyone have a say in what they would prefer to do.
Use the “One In, One Out” Rule
One of the best RV organization ideas has to be the “One In, One Out” rule. Set a rule that if one item comes in, one must go out. If you buy a new camp chair, be sure to donate or dispose of the old one right away. This will allow you to upgrade items without accumulating excess stuff.
This simple rule has the advantage of also keeping your travel budget in check since you’re constantly asking yourself if the new item is worth the cost of the one it will replace. This is great for kids as well and will keep down the constant demands for impulse purchases and help them make better purchasing decisions.
RV Organization Ideas: Go Digital!
When traveling, you need access to media for both planning and entertaining purposes. Today’s digital media options will help you forgo the paper clutter and save you a ton of room. Investing in laptops, tablets, and e-readers are a great option for storing all your information digitally. Books, DVD’s, maps and travel guides take up a ton of space. All these can be downloaded in digital formats and loaded onto your devices.
Movies and audiobooks can be loaded onto external hard drives to be enjoyed as you travel. With today’s streaming options, such as Spotify and Amazon Prime, subscriptions are a great idea for travel and will save you money on purchasing media. There are numerous travel apps available now like AllTrails and Lonely Planet that will allow you to download maps and travel guides in advance, in case you don’t have wifi access.
By following these RV organization ideas, you can turn even a small camper into a clutter-free oasis on wheels. When you’re not on the road, iStorage offers an array of RV storage and motorhome storage solutions for parking your vehicle securely until your next adventure.
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This was originally published 4/6/18
This post was updated 2/9/21