Simple RVing: What We Packed to Travel Light on Our 6-Week Family RV Trip
One of the biggest priorities we had when planning our 6-week cross-country trip this summer was to pack light. With three kids and a dog in tow, I wanted to make sure that I had the least amount of “stuff” to worry about as we traveled.Our trip consisted of driving in a car and staying in hotels or cabins for the first week, staying with friends and family for a few days, then traveling in an RV and staying at campgrounds for the majority of the trip. Since we had an RV, not a camper, we chose to stay just one night at each location and keep moving forward each day. This meant we were never going to completely settle into a specific place. We had to keep our stuff together and it had to be easy to “chec
k in and check out” of wherever we were each night.With that in mind, we decided each person would have a backpack for all of his or her clothes and personal items. I had been inspired by Tsh Oxenreider of The Art of Simple and how her family of five packed for a year-long worldwide trip, so I knew we could do the same for our 6-week trip.How did we fit everything we needed into just one backpack each plus four other totes? It was easier (and more fun) than I thought it would be!Here’s what we each took in our backpacks:Clothing & personal items:
- 3-5 pairs of shorts (I chose to switch out 2 of mine for skirts)
- 4-5 short sleeve shirts/tanks
- One long sleeve shirt (I took one 3/4 sleeve lightweight shirt also)
- One pair of pants (the girls and I had cargo pants that dried fast and rolled up)
- 1 set of PJs (other items doubled as sleepwear when needed)
- Swimsuit
- A small mesh laundry bag for dirty clothes
- 5 days’ worth of undergarments and socks
- Lightweight jacket with hood
- Toiletries (we used hotel/campground shampoo when available)
- Quick-dry towels (used throughout the trip as a pillow, blanket, beach towel, and bath towel)
Other items included in our backpacks:
- Journals with markers, pens, and pencils
- National Park Passes (USA and Canada)
- Tollway e-pass
- Devices with chargers (Kindles for the kids and laptops, phones, and cameras for the adults) including this helpful car charger
- First aid items, vitamins, and food allergy medicine (we always carry epinephrine)
- Notebook, post-it notes, work paperwork, and stamps (regular and postcard) for me
- My husband also had the dog’s supplies in his backpack which included:
- Collapsible water bowl
- Heartworm and flea medicine
- Vaccine records
- Leash and harness
- Thunder shirt
In addition to our backpacks, we took the following:
- A reusable tote with one pair of sneakers and flip-flops for each of us
- A reusable tote of travel brochures, magazines, flashcards, yarn for craft projects, and paper for writing and learning throughout the trip, plus the following games and books:
- Games
- Timeline
- Pass the Pigs
- Left Right Center
- Uno
- Deck of Cards
- National Park Yahtzee (which we purchased during our trip at the gift shop at the Grand Canyon)
- Books
- Games
- A cross-body bag that I used on short day trips and that we used to carry the dog a few times
Because we planned to avoid eating out at restaurants and to instead, get food from the grocery store when we needed it, we took:
- An insulated cooler tote bag that was easy to carry
- A reusable tote bag of non-perishable food including:
- Dog food and treats
- Snacks
- Paper products (plates, cups, napkins & plastic silverware)
- Paper towels, disinfecting wipes & hand wipes
- Plastic bags and Ziplocs
- Plastic tablecloth (great for eating on the go on picnic tables)
This amounted to five backpacks and four extra bags. This meant that whenever we checked in or out of a new place, each of us was responsible for carrying two things, our backpack and one of the “extra” bags (or the dog).The following items were also stocked in our RV:
- Pot and pan set
- Cookie sheets
- Cutting board
- Melamine place settings
- Plastic cups
- Large mixing bowl
- Cookware utensils
- Knife set and silverware
- Marshmallow roasting sticks
- Dish and laundry soap
- Sheets, blankets, and pillows
- Hangers & clothespins
- Toilet paper and cleaning products
It’s tempting to feel that the longer the trip, the more you need to take. Let me assure you that you need less than you think! We had plenty and always had what we needed. Yes, we wore the same clothes regularly, yes we did laundry once a week (or so), and yes, we replaced an item or toiletry when it ran out. But by choosing versatile, wrinkle-free, dry fast (colorful) clothing, and having food on hand (so we didn’t have to eat out), it all worked out great.Each time we made our stop for the night during the hotel-stay nights of our trip, it was incredibly freeing to be able to easily get in and out in just one load. The kids did great being responsible for their items and making sure they didn’t leave anything behind. And we saved a lot of time and money by having food with us as we traveled. And by having a limited amount of items in the RV during that portion of the trip, we had more space for “living” and enjoying the experience. Tiny, cluttered spaces make for crabby people.Traveling light meant less worry, less lugging, less weighing us down, and, ultimately, more time to roam and explore.I know traveling light is possible and I want you to be able to do the same! I’m happy to share more details about how this worked for us so please reach out to me if you have any questions.Wishing you much simplicity and joy on your RV adventures!This post contains affiliate links. View full disclosure here.