What goes where in small TTs

[Olddognewtricks]

Hello, I am looking for advice and wisdom. My wife and I are new to TT. We are trying to create a load plan for our 154BH. I am a backpacker and my wife is a hoteler. We are trying to figure out the best use of the storage in our trailer. There are 6 storage areas - Over the dinette, under the right dinette bench, over the sink, under the sink, in the cupboard and under the lower bunk. We looking for suggestions on how others organized the storage space for clothing, pots, bedding, food and so on. I know about balancing the load(60/40) but we are not sure the best way to pack to achieve that and have an efficient trailer. Thank you in advance for your help.

[craigav]

Welcome to the Jayco Owner's Forums.

My suggestion is that you would want to store the heavier items as low as possible. So for example canned goods down low, cereals and lightweight food items up high. There really isn't any hard rules other than as you stated to try to keep the RV balanced. ~CA

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by craigav

Welcome to the Jayco Owner's Forums.

My suggestion is that you would want to store the heavier items as low as possible. So for example canned goods down low, cereals and lightweight food items up high. There really isn't any hard rules other than as you stated to try to keep the RV balanced. ~CA

X2. We put things like bottled water, canned goods etc under the bed up front. Lighter things above the sink and dinette. We use a fair amount of plastic dishes, glasses etc, and paper plates to save on weight and avoid excess dishwashing. One caution: Check the strength and support of any shelves you put heavier items on. They are notorious for poor construction and breaking under load and rough roads. Some of us have rebuilt them with extra support.

[Randel J]

You got some good advice from craigav and LuckyDuck, but my experience tells me it's more about the trial-and-error method for you and your wife. You'll find that no matter how much storage you have, it's never enough, and no matter how much supplies you bring, you often don't have the right stuff when you need it.

As they said, store heavier stuff low and lighter stuff high, but you're going to have to start packing your TT with the food and equipment you'd like to bring and then figure out the best place to put it and what gets left behind. Each trip you take you'll learn more and more about how to pack your supplies and what you can't live without. We've been trailering for years and each trip teaches us something new.

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by Randel J

You got some good advice from craigav and LuckyDuck, but my experience tells me it's more about the trial-and-error method for you and your wife. You'll find that no matter how much storage you have, it's never enough, and no matter how much supplies you bring, you often don't have the right stuff when you need it.

As they said, store heavier stuff low and lighter stuff high, but you're going to have to start packing your TT with the food and equipment you'd like to bring and then figure out the best place to put it and what gets left behind. Each trip you take you'll learn more and more about how to pack your supplies and what you can't live without. We've been trailering for years and each trip teaches us something new.

Absolutely true. You will learn what items you access/use most and pack so that they are easier to reach. If you have deep pantry cabinets like us, sliding baskets or drawers help in getting to stuff. A 6 cubic foot fridge like we have fills up quick. DW and I have a running debate — she tries to pack it with food for days while I encourage her to keep it less packed and just buy more things at stores along the way as needed. You’ll figure out what works best for you.

[Marcm157]

We've been RV'ing for quite a few years. What Randel said worked for us and continues to work as my wife rearranges OFTEN! So often that I usually wind up opening multiple cabinets and cubbies just to figure out where she moved stuff from. The only space that she doesn't control is the outdoor kitchen and my front pass though storage...

[Happy wife / happy life]

Originally Posted by Randel J

You got some good advice from craigav and LuckyDuck, but my experience tells me it's more about the trial-and-error method for you and your wife. You'll find that no matter how much storage you have, it's never enough, and no matter how much supplies you bring, you often don't have the right stuff when you need it.

As they said, store heavier stuff low and lighter stuff high, but you're going to have to start packing your TT with the food and equipment you'd like to bring and then figure out the best place to put it and what gets left behind. Each trip you take you'll learn more and more about how to pack your supplies and what you can't live without. We've been trailering for years and each trip teaches us something new.

X2!!! Remember your backpacking days. When you started it was “ I may need this” to “ I need this”. Nice thing about TT’s ( travel trailers) is we can go to the store! Welcome from Northern California!!

[TaftCoach]

It's a slow process. You probably won't notice your load while towing, you'll notice while living. And you'll adapt and change after every long trip

[JFlightRisk]

Although our TT has a different floorplan, plastic dishes go above the sink and pots and pans go below it. Food is in the pantry, like mentioned, light stuff up high, and canned goods down low. We have three drawers with silverware and other small things in them. Clothes are in the cupboards above the bed, and under it is my space for items I want to have with us. The space under the dinette is the DW's space for her things, and some spare hose, extension cords, and long handled BBQ tools that don't fit in drawers.

It's always an evolving process of what goes where, for fit or convenience. If somethings not used in a year, it's left out to make room for something that comes along that we decide is good to have on board.