How do you manage storage in a smaller travel trailer? Can you really travel for extended periods of time in a small travel trailer? For us the answer is “yes!”

Mentioned in this episode

• Podcast episode 214 links for things we mentioned

• Mark Koep’s video about Gros Ventre

Long trips, small spaces

In 2021 we traveled Route 66 from California to Chicago, followed by a visit to Indiana and a return to California. That trip was recapped in this article.

Check out our entire series on our Route 66 adventure

Later that year, we were back on the road for a couple more months, which included visiting the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

Those trips were taken in a 16-foot travel trailer. Being on the road for 7 to 9 weeks at a time made us realize we actually could use just a few more feet of storage and living space.

In 2022, we upgraded to a new Rockwood Mini Lite 2205s. We really did like our original Rockwood MiniLite, so we decided to keep ourselves in that family and we chose this slightly larger model. This travel trailer is about 19 feet inside, and has a slide-out on the driver side.

Those two additions to the size of our home away from home provided the extra storage and living space that we needed for traveling several months at a time. We still need to be organized, though.

Here are some tips for managing storage in a small RV.

Take only what you need

There are several reasons to limit what you pack into the camper. For one thing, having more stuff means finding a space for each thing.

Figuring out what’s necessary gets easier with each trip. In the beginning, I just kept adding and adding things I thought we might need.

After each long trip, we clean out the camper and really assess what we had riding around with us, that we never used. We have checklists for everything, including what’s kept in the camper. When we decide to remove something from the camper, we remove it from our checklist as well.

As you bring items into the RV that you’ll need for your trip, make sure each item has a home. Use your favorite method to get organized. For me, it’s plastic baskets. They come in all shapes, colors, and sizes, so I can get just what I need to organize each cabinet. Until I find a basket that’s perfect for the job I need it to do, I keep a list of shelf sizes in my phone. Then, if I’m in a store and see baskets, I can figure out if there is something I can use.

A place for everything

Here is a very important tip: Don’t cram every square inch with stuff. You’ll want room for things you might pick up along the way. Also, it’s hard to get organized if things are jam-packed into every nook and cranny. Save yourself a lot of frustration by minimizing what you carry. Leave room to organize and find what you are looking for. It will make your trip much more pleasant if you aren’t always digging through cabinets to find what you need.

Don’t forget that everything you bring along also has weight to it and even lighter items add up. You want to be mindful of your RV’s cargo carrying capacity.

The kitchen

Many of us struggle with the lack of kitchen space in our RVs.  Space can be at a premium, and people get really creative in making the camper kitchen as comfortable as the one at home. Most RVs, though, don’t offer the cabinet space or the countertop space that we are accustomed to. So we improvise. We downsize. We modify our cooking habits. We do without some things (gasp). 

We have two pantries, and a cabinet over the stove and sink. That is a lot of shelves to fill with - well, things that will likely come flying out the next time we open a door, like Ma and Pa Kettle’s closet. So, to minimize the number of items pushing their way out, we use a basket on each shelf. It’s much easier to catch a basket, than a bunch of canned goods.

For us, the cabinet over the stove is where we store all of our coffee supplies, and our spices. The spices live in Tupperware containers, which happen to fit perfectly on a spice rack I picked up somewhere. That rack slides in next to the plastic coffee baskets. Coffee baskets also minimize the mess from loose grounds, and we can just dump the grounds out of the basket when they get out of hand.

We have a video about storing spices in your RV.

The RV cookware we use is also designed specifically to be compact, taking as little precious space as possible while still offering great quality foodies will love. 

When mealtime is over and there are leftovers, we have a couple favorite storage  solutions. We have collapsible, stackable silicone containers that work in the refrigerator, freezer, and microwave. We also have silicone bags that snap closed and hold food (and even liquids) securely. All of these, when empty, take up very little space and are light-weight.

Speaking of the fridge, food likes to come sliding out of there as well. For travel days we use some more baskets, and that thick, rubbery shelf liner to help the baskets stick in place.

We have had fun shopping on Amazon for over-the-door paper towel holders, magnetic spice jars, adhesive hooks to hang our towels and potholders, teeny ice trays, and the list goes on. 

The bedroom

We found that baskets and totes are also very helpful in keeping our wardrobes neat and tidy as well. We also use a hanging closet organizers. We have one in each closet for organizing our clothing. We also have space for fabric boxes for more storage on our nightstands on either side of the bed.

I live in flip flops. I usually travel with three or four pair, plus one pair of solid shoes, for when those are needed. When I keep my shoe selection minimized, I can make all of my shoes fit in one under-the-bed drawer. Tony’s shoes are bigger, so he uses the other two drawers.

If our trip will take us from one season to the next, we each pack an extra bag of clothes for when the season changes. That bag can store in the bed of the truck or in the under-bed storage until we need to re-organize our wardrobe.

The storage under the bed comes in quite handy for items that we don’t need daily. When we travel from one season to another, we need jackets, warmer clothes, and warmer PJs part of the time. Those can be stashed under the bed when we don’t need them.

The bathroom

In the cabinet under the sink and behind the toilet, we have - you guessed it - more plastic baskets!

Since we buy all our personal care items through an online store, we have to carry back ups for the long trips. With some practice, we’ve learned how long certain bottles last so we don’t carry too much extra. Those items, plus our cleaning products and other daily care supplies are in baskets under the sink, on the shelves behind the toilet, and in the medicine cabinet

We have upped our towel game by replacing bulky cotton towels with towels from Almost Heaven microfiber. I have found Chris at every FMCA convention we have attended. The towels dry fast, and take up a fraction of the space. I am really picky about microfiber, so I know what you are thinking. These are a good texture.

The “under there”

RVs have a great deal of variety in the outside storage that they provide. Again, remember to minimize the excess “stuff” and to keep things organized so you aren’t frustrated looking for what you need.

The outside cabinets in our first MiniLite were tall, but not very deep or wide. We had room for a lot of stuff, as long as we stacked it neatly. We find SnapWare totes to be indispensable in those cabinets. We managed to get those so well organized, that we keep using the same totes in the larger trailer, which has a cavernous-feeling pass-through cabinet.

There is a tote for the black tank process; a tote full of string, zip ties, tow straps and other attaching goodies; a tote for electrical accessories like dog bones and extension cords; a tote for just the hooking up process including an apron since Tony’s good at getting grease on his clothes; and more. The totes make getting to any of these sets of tools much easier. They make the whole set-up and tank cleaning process much faster and less frustrating. 

Weight for it

Space is not the only consideration when deciding what to pack and what to leave behind. I used to have a tendency to fill up every little space - because I had a space for more things. But more things means more weight.

It’s very important not to exceed the weight capacity of your RV or your tow vehicle. We recommend packing what you think you’ll need, then take your rig to a weigh center. If you are over-weight, or even approaching the limits, re-assess. You’ll likely be buying souvenirs on your trip, so leave some room and capacity for those.

We did a podcast about RV weight and safety

Everything in its place

When you are done with something, put it away! I know, mom tried to teach you that your whole childhood. Some of us learned better than others. Just trust men when I say, if you pile it on the bed or the counter instead of putting it away, you’ll be really frustrated when you need that counter space, or it’s bedtime and you realize you have half an hour of organizing to do before you can snuggle in.

Truck bed storage

If you travel with a bumper-pull travel trailer, you have the advantage of the bed of your tow truck for storage, Again, please pay attention to the overall weight. The cargo carrying capacity of the truck includes the trailer tongue weight as well as everything in the truck. And by everything, I mean everything, including people, pets, snacks, and fuel.

We do still make use of the bed of the truck, which has a shell to keep everything secure and dry. We carry items that are too large to store in the trailer, that we need occasionally but not daily.

Although the bumper of our MiniLite has the capacity to hold up to 300 pounds, the Curt bike rack we used to have was destroyed in the rear-ending. The new bike rack claims to be as good, but we don’t trust it as much. We do use it to carry our larger camp chairs.

In the truck we use large totes to hold each of our folding Lectric brand e-bikes. Another tote carries our propane griddle.

Save Space and Save Fuel

Let’s face it, the more stuff we carry, the more gas we burn. So it pays to be organized and thrifty in what we pack into our tiny RV cupboards.

Other places to hear the podcast

Mentioned on this episode

RV checklists make for StressLess Camping - our downloadable checklists to help you make RVing easier

Our article on Spring Cleaning where we came up with the idea of adventuring versus camping

Our article on tips for tiny kitchens in an RV

Peggy’s article on traveling big in a small trailer for FMCA Adventure

Jason’s pickup organizer comes from Leitner

Details about the FROG rally in Indiana

Some great storage hacks that were shared with us in our question of the week from February 9

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StressLess Camping podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/StressLessPodcast/

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