When camping in an RV, you have a lot of gear and supplies to round up and keep track of. There are your clothes, food, cooking supplies, camping supplies, and hiking or fishing gear among many other things. All of it is important for camping success, but if you really want to make the most of your experience, get organized ahead of time.
Even a little organization can go a long way. Here are some ways organization skills can help improve your camping trip.
You’ll Make the Most of Limited Space
Your RV obviously isn’t as spacious as a typical home. Instead of a big pantry or a huge closet, you get small storage spaces to use. You’ll be able to fit the most into these spaces if they’re organized.
Consider adding some totes or dividers into your storage spaces so you can truly make the most of it. Have a place that everything goes. That way even if you don’t stay organized while camping, when you go to pack up and head home or to the next campground, you’ll know that everything fits and where.
You Won’t Forget Things
I don’t know about you, but it seems like I forget something every single time I go camping. It’s usually a small item or piece of gear that I can do without, but it’s still not fun to not have the gear and items you want to take along. One thing I’ve found that helps is getting organized before I go.
Make a checklist and stick to it. As you put things in their place in your RV, check them off. Do the same thing when you leave your campground, too. That way, you won’t leave anything behind. There’s nothing worse than trying to track down gear that you know you had at one point.
You Won’t Waste Time Looking For Something
On a related note to the point above, if you’re organized, you won’t spend a ton of time looking for gear and items you know you have. I have spent far too much time in the past trying to hunt down stuff either before I set off or on the last day of the trip.
Instead of spending time hunting items down, it’s smart to have a place for everything and make sure to return it to that spot whenever possible. For example, if you use your favorite cast iron skillet, wash it and put it away when you’re done. That way, you always know where it is.
Not everyone is good at organizing their clothing, gear, food, and other camping items, but it is something that’s pretty easy to learn. It takes a little effort, but not so much that it negates the amount of time and energy you save. In general, taking a little time to get organized is well worth it. That means you’ll have more time to enjoy the great outdoors, which is what camping is all about.
If you realize help would be nice in developing an organizational plan, no worries! We all need help from time to time, which is exactly why the Camping World Design Center exists. With over 46 locations nationwide, Camping World Design Centers help RVers plan and create custom interior design projects, including organizing their belongings, that are unique to their RV. Explore what options might be perfect for your interior setup.
Have some tips for staying organized in your RV? Leave a comment below!
Our checklist evolves every trip we take… I keep one printed in the rv and another one on my phone for ease of updating using highlighting or bold type to know what needs to be corrected. This is the easiest way for us.
I keep a master list that has everything we might need on any trip. It has our kayaking and biking supplies but we don’t always take them on every trip. I’ve made copies of the list and use it when getting ready. I also keep a notepad in trailer and keep track of needed items.
Just a little side note, if you ate a full time RVer the RV is your home and you should have already figured out in your first few years the best ways of organizing. However, with time comes change, when your grill breaks down, it’s time to replace it. We all try to replace with like items (especially if we really liked the old one) but due to time you may end up buying something a bit to big for the original storage spot. Now it’s time to REORGANIZE. And this will go on for life. So, the moral of this story is; don’t think you can organize one time and that’s it. There will always be new stuff introduced to your life that you will need to make a home for and old stuff it’s time to say goodbye to. This is the notable difference between a RV and a sticks and bricks home. In an RV you will REPLACE, in a sticks and bricks home your always ADDING. Safe travels.