Efficient packing

[Octopus Prime]

I know I'm asking a ton of questions. We're newbs.

When you have a smallish unit, how do you pack efficiently?

My parents own a large fifth wheel with lots of storage. They bring all that they need and want--even yard decorations.
I'm looking at these in its that are in my price range (and sanity range), and I'm wondering if my Tetris skills are up to par.

It would be dh, myself, and two small children, and all the gear associated with said people.

Where do you store all the chocks, hoses, blocks, etc that you use at the campsite? Where do you store your lawn chairs, folding table, grill, water toys, etc?
If you have a propane grill, where do you store that?
Where do you store ice chests?
I'm assuming clothing, toiletries, food and dishes go in wardrobes and pantries and under cabinet areas.
What do you do with shoes?
Where do you put clean towels if there are no linen closets?
Did you buy one of those ladder drying racks for drying towels and washed clothing?

If you mount a tv, do you take it down during the drive?

I know this is a lot of questions. I'm sure I could eventually figure it out, but wanted to find out what everyone else does.

[oldmanAZ]

Packing efficiently is all part of the adventure!

So much of it depends upon your 'stuff', your TT and your tow vehicle. It's possible your parents wanted more storage space in their 5th wheel!

It's not just packing stuff. You have to consider getting AT the packed stuff. For example, "chocks, hoses, blocks, etc that you use at the campsite" will be needed first, every time you stop... and also will be the last things you can pack; even if they are wet or muddy.

That's not much help, but I could type all day with specifics on how we pack that you'd probably find useless!

[RogerR]

I have a small tv that we keep on the bed while moving and put on counter when parked. Don't have to unplug or anything.

You will have to prioritize in a small RV
Must haves, water, electric, blocks, etc.
Probably need, outdoor rugs, seats, cookery
Might need, best left if no room.

Every town has a Walmart, and we end up there at least once every trip. LOL

[JFlightRisk]

Chock, grill, and cooler ride in the back of the truck. Two folding chairs ride on the bed. Hoses, extra power cord, sewer hose accessories (not the hose), Lynx leveler blocks ride in the front compartment on their appropriate side of the TT. There's only the two of us, so not as much gear/clothes/etc. as you, but it's an ever changing process as you go on.

[bluegill1]

Totes (plastic bins ). Label them. Stackable ones help. Clear helps to see what's inside. All sizes available from super small to extra large. Available everywhere , Walmart, even Dollar Stores.
Jayco now includes plastic bins that slide in the storage under the dining table bench.

[Jagiven]

Lots depends on the tt. I know people that their floor is covered in stuff when they travel.

Me everything needs to be put away. Part of the reaon, we purchased a 23B. I liked the 17Z, but there was NO storage space at all, so you have to haul a lot of stuff in your tv.

I found lawn chairs that fold up small and they go under a dinnette seat. I modified the entire dinnette benches, to create a pass through, lots of useful storage. Modified the closed, and added shelves. Modified a few more cabinets for a better layout.

If you are at all handy, you can find a lot of wasted space in most campers.

But it is really good, that you have noticed this before buying. It is common someone buys a camper, on looks alone, then realizes it does not fit their needs or stuff.

[MAJPLO]

My husband insists that while we are camping he and my son don't need to change their underwear. That saves lots of room. [emoji849]


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[BigJohnD]

What we did from day 1, is take notes. Pack it all up, hit the road, and as we went we'd jot down notes on what we needed, wanted, what we could do without etc. Over the years, we got it ironed out depending on the rig we were in. We've made it work in a pop up, and we've made it work in a full time 40' 4-slide fifth wheel. Sometimes we've had room to spare, sometimes we had to leave stuff behind. We've had our chairs and stove just laying in the floor on smaller rigs, and we've had a place for each in bigger ones. Each rig and adventure is different. I'd suggest just starting with what you know you'll need. Storage bins are your friend. It keeps things neat and organized. When you run out of room for stuff, go through all of that, see what you really need, see if there's anything else you might really want, and go from there. It's trial and error. There is no magical answer really. I still fight with this after 14+ years. I still have to leave stuff behind since we're in a smaller rig. Now that we're not full timing, each trip depicts what comes with us outside of the normal "have to have it" stuff.

[us71na]

Our Skylark has lots of storage, but to use it efficiently, we bought some plastic tubs (Omni Box 15L 17 x 11x 6.6") that stack two high for our clothes in the upper cabinets more efficiently. It works for towels, games and other miscellaneous items as well.

[DebKen]

We keep all of the TT related accessories (water hose, leveling blocks, etc) in the pass through storage. The sewer hose is stored in the bumper. Pots and pans are on the lower pantry shelves while food goes on the upper shelves. I keep extra towels and blankets in soft under bed totes (soft so they can be squashed if needed) under the dining table benches. Our TV is mounted and has a thing on the mount that it gets pushed into that keeps it still while towing. We have large plastic dish pans that we use to store our clothes in the cabinets above our bed. The dish pans are smaller than traditional totes with lids so they fit perfectly. Dishes go in the cabinet above the sink. We also have cabinets above our dining table and couch where we store things in cloth totes -- one for games and fun things to do, one for tools, one for paper plates/cups/napkins, one for bread/buns (so they don't get smashed). We store extra supplies like paper towels under the couch. Chairs and grills and such also go in the pass through storage. I put a pop-up hamper in the clothes closet in the back so that we can put our dirty clothes in it as needed. Shoes go in a plastic milk crate under that closet next to the bed.
Our TT is very small but it has a lot of storage!