You’ve been waiting, and now the time has come. You finally have the camper trailer you’ve always wanted. It’s time to hit the open road in search of memories and adventure. Yet nothing could be worse than arriving at your destination to find you forgot to pack a few of the essentials. It can be a vacation breaker.
What should you pack or store in your RV, camper, or trailer? Whether it’s pots and pans, tools, or a first-aid kit, there are plenty of essential items you don’t want to go without. Especially when it comes time to tour, camp, and see the sites. We put together this helpful article to help make sure you’ve got all the bases covered, let’s take a look.
Every camping trip is a little different but let’s consider the big-ticket categories. Believe it or not, this is the stuff that’s easy to overlook. When considering your list of essential items make sure to include
- Camping Equipment
- Don’t forget the sleeping bags. These are the items that make camping fun and comfortable for everyone in your group.
- Cooking Supplies
- Spatula’s, pans, and more. You don’t want to try and cook a meal on the road without this stuff.
- Tools
- Tools for emergency repairs, tools to help set up camp, don’t get stuck looking for a rock to use as a hammer. Think ahead and pack a toolbox that can stay with the trailer.
Make sure you’re prepared from the very start. Don’t get left out in the cold or the dark. Let’s take a deeper dive into each of these categories.
For The Camper
These items are essentials that can stay packed year-round. No camper trailer should be without, and you will see why. While all these items may seem obvious, they can be easy to forget.
1. Electrical Items
One of the best things about an RV trailer is access to power. Many campgrounds, whether in the mountains, deserts, or by the sea, have sites with electrical hooks ups available. With the power at your fingertips, you can keep the lights on longer, charge your devices, and turn on that electric blanket.
Make sure to grab a surge protector, extension cord(s), and power adapters. Helps to be able to recharge more than one device at a time.
- Surge Suppressor
- Extension Cord
- Power Strip
- Power Adapters
2. Safety Items
Don’t forget, now that you have a trailer in tow it’s almost like having another vehicle, so make sure you pack accordingly. Make sure to include things such as an emergency roadside service kit, wheel blocks, an electric air compressor, flairs, a lug wrench, extra oil, and leveling jacks.
- Wheel Blocks
- Road Flairs
- Lug Wrench
- Extra Motor Oil
- Grease (for wheel hubs)
- Leveling Jacks
- Gas Can
- Tire Pressure Guage
- Flashlight
- Jumper Cables
3. Creature Comforts
Here are some of the items that take camper trailer adventures to the next level. This is the wants versus the needs. You could do without this stuff, but honestly, when you think about it, who’d want to?
- Camp Chairs
- String lights (these are great to hang around the outside of the trailer at night)
- Door Mat (it’s handy to have a place to clean your shoes off after a hike)
- Por-to-potty with toilet chemicals and extra toilet paper!
- Gallon size ziplock bags (these things come in handy for all kinds of stuff, especially when wanting to keep things dry)
- Portable Grill
Camping Gear
Here’s the fun stuff, the great thing about a camper trailer is the extra room for gear. We keep our trailer packed with an extra tent, sleeping bags, and other camping items so when it comes time to go, we’re all ready. If you give it a little thought you can include items that push the experience to the next level.
1. Items For Comfort
These are the things that will help you get through the night so you can wake rested and ready to keep the adventure rolling.
- Sleeping Bags
- Pillows
- Blankets
- Camping Chairs
- Camping Table
- Lantern
- Camp Stove
- Large Water Jug
- Hammock
2. Items For Fun
This is the stuff to help you pass the time. Create lasting memories, spend some quality time with your traveling companions. Check out the article on “Easy Go-To Camping Games“.
- Playing Cards
- Puzzles
- Floaties (if your heading for water)
- Fishing Equipment
- Sports Equipment (Frisbee, football, softball stuff, etc.)
3. Safety Items
“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my ax.”
Abraham Lincoln
When you’re out on the road, you have to be prepared for anything that can happen. And truth be told, something usually does. Use this list to stay ready, just in case.
- Wet Wipes / Hand Sanitizer (Probably the most underrated camping essential.)
- First Aid Essentials (we mentioned this one above, Don’t leave home without it.)
- Extra Water Bottles
- Work Gloves
- Extra Water
- Firewood
- Insect Repellant
Stuff For The Kitchen
There are so many useful tools in the kitchen, it’s easy to overlook the essentials. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found myself camping with a great bottle of wine and no corkscrew to open that thing up.
Having the right tools for a meal also means the opportunity to share time preparing with the ones you love. Sometimes it’s as simple as making sure you have a good skewer to roast weenies and marshmallows. Sometimes it’s a bit more complicated, like making sure to remember a can opener…
1. Cooking Tools
So, these are all the non-perishables, the items you don’t have to worry about going bad. These are the tools you use to whip up that famous mac and cheese. So bring that love from the oven and watch your traveling companions turn into raving fans.
- Cutting Board
- Knives (1 Bread, I Chef, 1 Pairing) Having the right knife makes all the difference in the world.
- Utensils (Forks, Knives, Spoons)
- Can Opener / Cork Screw
- Skewers (For the weenies and Smores)
- Tongs (Don’t burn your fingers)
- Spatula
- Dutch Oven / Cast Iron Pan
- Bowls, Plates, Cups
2. Foodstuffs
Hey, now that you have a camper trailer, you have a kitchen on wheels. You can make almost anything your heart desires. When you include packing these foodstuffs items, you’re halfway to creating a real culinary delight. Check out the article on what to bring on a camping weekend.
- Condiments (Save up the extra ketchup and mayo from trips to the drive-thru they have a little longer shelf life)
- Salt and Pepper (yeah, we know it might be considered a condiment, but it’s certainly one you don’t want to do without.)
- Butter ( A famous french chef once said the only essential ingredients are butter, salt, cream, and pepper…)
- Pancake Batter (You can use this stuff to make biscuits too)
- Eggs
- Flour
- Pasta/Rice
- Herbs and Spices (That’s the flavor you’re looking for!)
- Bread
- Drink Mix (Lemonade, or punch mix. Level up that plain old drinking water)
- Dry Cereal
- Smore Makings (Graham Crackers, Marshmallows, and Chocolate)
Tools
With your mini “mobile home”, you’re bound to run into a situation where needing the right tool will keep you on the road. Sometimes it comes down to a simple screwdriver, and if you don’t have one, you’ll wish you did.
A quick look at the list, you come to realize what tools are must-haves. The tools that can help you out of a tight spot and the ones that can make a difficult project easy. Plus they can easily get packed in a small satchel or toolbox.
- Hammer
- Screwdrivers (Phillips or Star head and Flathead. It helps to have a few different sizes too.)
- Needle Nose Pliers (I like these because they have a lot of different applications, from wire stripping to gripping tiny objects in a pinch)
- Crescent Wrench (A good medium-sized wrench will cover 95% of the nuts and bolts out there)
- Saw (Try to find a good portable one, there are lots of folding saws on the market that would be perfect for portability)
- WD-40 or a silicone-based lubricant (this stuff is worth its weight in gold when you’re out on the road)
- Measuring Tape
- Utility Knife
- Vice Grips (these are great for getting a little extra grip on a lot of things)
- Duct Tape and Electrical Tape
- Zip-ties (Pack a bunch of different sizes. Easy use in securing items)
Wrapping it UP
Forgetting items for your adventure will happen. Hopefully, this list helps with the essentials for any trip you plan to take. Although each trip is unique, there might be other items you need based on your need. So be creative, have some fun, and pack everything you need in the trailer.
From a personal perspective, never forget your ability to store wastewater. It can completely upset your loved ones when you are miles away from the nearest water source. Because not being able to shower or use the toilet is NOT an option, especially with females.
