How To Secure Items Inside an RV For Travel Day: Preparing for a Long Trip

Introduction to Securing RV Items and Valuables For Travel Day

The day has finally come! You get to pack up your RV and head out on the open road. Before you start loading the vehicle with all of your belongings, it’s important to make sure that everything is secured properly so that it doesn’t fly around inside while driving. In this blog post, we will go over some easy steps for how to secure items inside an RV before a travel day.

How To Secure Items Inside RV For Travel Day?

The first step to securing items within your recreational vehicle is to make sure that the countertops are free and clear of all items. Move all big appliances and items to the floor to prevent falling. Smaller items can be placed in sinks, the oven, or the microwave for safety during the drive.

The vehicle will shift, shake and move on travel day. It is best practice to keep things in a place where they won’t be able to fly, fall, or roll around causing breakage or damage of any kind. Bins and baskets are great for keeping things tidy and for a quick shift on move day.

Dish soaps, salt and pepper shakers, and other small items must be stowed away before moving begins. Big items also need to be placed in a safe space.

These items include but are not limited to instant pots, slow cookers, coffee makers, and more. Bungee cords can be used to secure them to table legs on or near the floor to prevent movement if the trailer shifts. This is your best bet to prevent any damage to walls, furniture, or the item itself.

Why Is It Necessary to Properly Secure RV Interior Items?

It is necessary to properly secure all items that are free moving within your RV prior to movement to prevent any damage to the RV itself or the items that you have spent time and money procuring.

Storage Solutions For Keeping Items In Place

There are many items that you can purchase that will assist you in keeping your items and your RV safe and free from any damage while traveling from one location to another. Here is a list of some items that are available and easy to get.

Food Storage Containers/ Plastic Containers:

• Food storage containers are a fantastic option for keeping cabinets organized and accessible while traveling or living in your cramped RV space.
• The square containers are also great for limiting movement and shifting when the RV is moving down the road.

Magnetic Knife holder:

• A magnetic knife holder is fantastic for freeing up drawer space which is quite limited in an RV kitchen. It keeps your cooking utensils attainable and also allows for a great stowing option for travel days.

Command Hooks:

• Command hooks are a must-purchase item for any RVer. They adhere to most RV walls with ease and allow for a nice aesthetic when adding pictures and homey touches. They will keep your prized artwork safe while hitting the bumps on drive day.

Velcro:

• If you find that command hooks don’t do the trick on your RV walls, the next best option is velcro with adhesive. It is a stronger option to hanging up artwork without having to drill into your vehicle’s walls.

Bins:

• The use of bins will keep everything tidy and accessible while living and vacationing in your recreational vehicle. The best thing about having items in cute bins or baskets is that when you are preparing for move day, it is super simple to grab those cute little bins and move them off of countertops to stow for a safe drive.

Cosmetic Storage:

• Cosmetics, pills, shaving devices, and other bathroom supplies can be easily organized and stored in these cute little plastic containers. They are very space savvy while also being a fantastic option for traveling.
• Use a bit of double-sided tape to keep them in place and you will not have any shifting items on move day.

Tension Rods:

• Tension rods are great for loose items stored in RV cupboards. Just place them at the front of the cupboard and your items will remain in place for the duration of the trip. These also work great in the fridge!!

Fridge Storage:

• There are many different storage options for keeping foods organized and neat within your refrigerator space. Since some RV refrigerators are smaller, it becomes a difficult task is finding the perfect place for everything.
• These plastic containers are great for stacking and maximizing your space options. The use of a simple plastic container can keep everything secure during travel days.
• Make sure that the refrigerator door is closed tightly and latched appropriately.

Dish Holders:

• These dish holders/ organizers will be your RV kitchen’s best friend. They use the vertical space of the cabinet thereby freeing up some of the space for more items. They also keep your dishes in place while driving. You can’t beat that!!

Tea Storage:

• If you love tea, you will love this tea storage option. You already know how difficult it is to find space for all of your favorite things inside your trailer or motorhome. This makes it easy to keep that beloved item, and keeps it from spilling everywhere when you travel.

Keeping Items in Cabinets From Shifting or Falling Out While Driving

How do you keep the items in your cabinets from shifting or falling out when you are driving? That is a frequently asked question among RVers. The best answer is to make sure that all of your items are placed properly in the cupboards in the first place. This takes organizational skills and items.

Our first bit of advice is to ditch the glass. Use yeti for coffee mugs, wheat straw for plates and bowls, and other sustainable and unbreakable items for your RV usage.

Buy collapsible items when you can. And use the best organizational items available (food storage containers, dish storage, and other items mentioned above).

If your latches are not great, upgrade or find another solution.

Making Sure That Things Don’t Fall Off of The Walls

Keeping things from falling off the walls while you travel is another concern. Make sure that when you hang them up that they are hung securely in the first place. Sometimes, you will find that when the weather shifts that command hooks or other types of adhesive will no longer hold the items that you placed on them.

There is no shame in using a screw if you need to. I think that most RVers will agree that command hooks and velcro are the preferred methods. But, it is better to be safe than sorry. If those preferred methods just won’t work, then you will have to decide to either not hang your beloved artwork, or make that dreaded hole in the wall.

Securing Food Items in The Refrigerator

Securing refrigerator items may seem like a daunting task. You can’t always limit purchases to plastic containers. Sometimes you will have to contend with glass and other breakable or messy food products.

Making sure that everything is compact and tightly stored, will be a priority for days when you travel in your RV.

Items that can assist in keeping your Fridge products in place include tension rods and food storage containers. The use of these types of products will greatly reduce the amount of food loss, damage, and spills that you encounter due to shifting.

*Don’t neglect your pantry shelves when working on the kitchen!!

Bathroom Storage and Preparation

It is important that you keep your bathroom items in their ideal spot. This will make it much easier to find them when needed and to stay organized. The countertop should be reserved for the toiletries that pertain solely to the bath or shower area, such as soap, shampoo/conditioner, toothbrush, and toothpaste.

Keeping everything organized and tidy will help you in prepping quickly for move day. As mentioned above, there are great options for storing cosmetics and other bathroom toiletries. Make sure that the medicine cabinets are closed properly and ready for movement.

Confirm that there are no objects left on the countertops and that all loose items are tightly secured to prevent falling and/ or breakage. Make sure that all cupboards and latches are connected properly and that the door is closed prior to finishing up your bathroom prep.

Closets and Clothing

Many RVers have experienced bumps on the road that cause the hanging clothes in your RV closet to completely fall off. This is such a hassle. You will have to untangle hangers, rehang all of your clothing, and repair any damage each and every time you drive.

One quick way to prevent the hanging clothing from getting tossed off the closet rod during travel day is to place a simple pool noodle above the rod. Make sure that you wedge it in tightly enough to tightly secure the hangers and prevent movement.

Another tip for keeping clothing from becoming a mess on travel day is using these packing cubes. They are soft and have sturdy zips. They will keep all of your clothes organized and easy to access during daily living.

The bonus of having these is that you won’t enter the RV after a day of driving to find all of your folding undone. No extra work!!

Soft storage bins can also be helpful in keeping clothing in place. What you use will all depend on your available space and what your specific budget allows for.

For more bedroom storage ideas check out this article!

Properly Stowing Outdoor Items

Don’t forget that there are outdoor items to contend with!! Camping chairs, grills, and all of the other fun things that make the RV life exciting and fun need to be stored before traveling as well. Use your underbelly storage, truck bed storage, or the inside of your RV.

If you choose to place any of the outdoor items within the RV, you will need to make sure that they are placed in such a way that they will not fall or shift and cause damage to the walls, cabinets, or other features of your vehicle. You may consider the use of bungee cords or velcro to secure these types of items.

Factors That Affect the Movement/ Damage Inside the RV on Travel Day

Speed:

• The speed at which you travel will have a huge effect on the amount of damage that you experience when traveling. The faster speeds, coupled with sharper turns will increase the chances for items to shift and become damaged during a travel day.

Weight:

• The weight of your RV combined with the items stowed inside will affect sway, shifting, and movement. Also, if you are traveling with heavy-weight items then it is important to make sure that they are properly secured before hitting the road.
• Check out this article on weight distribution.

Weather:

• Climate conditions can affect movement and damage as well, especially if there has been a recent storm or rainfall in your area of travel. The wetness will increase the chances for objects inside the trailer to shift and move.

Store Items Inside an RV: Suggestions For Improvement

Strong Latches:

Make sure that the latches on your cupboards and other RV features are working properly and are strong enough to contain all of the items within. Check every cabinet door. If you find that the latches are not satisfactory, it is best to upgrade or use another solution to maintain closure (velcro or bungee cords).

Proper Organization:

As we have mentioned before, being organized is the key to a smooth travel day preparation. Use lists to ensure that you don’t forget anything (such as closing a latch or putting up an important item).

Check out this article for great checklists to use!!

Stowage of Loose Items:

Make sure to stow loose items. This is an imperative. The only way to prevent damage to the RV is to make sure that these items are properly secured in a location where they will not shift and cause damage during travel.

Bungee Cords and ties for Loose Furniture/ Appliances:

The use of bungee cords and ties will be a great way to secure loose furniture and appliances. These items may not be secured by the RV’s latches, but with these cords they will no longer have an opportunity to become damaged during travel. Always keep these items handy when packing up for a trip!!

Avoid Jerky Driving:

Avoid jerky driving if at all possible. Smooth driving on the road will give the best possible outcome of not finding damage upon set up.

Hacks, Tips, and Tricks: Store Items Inside an RV

Use the sink:

• Use your available sinks for storing small loose items. The kitchen sink in most RVs has a cover. This makes a great extra storage space for move day.

Use extra towels:

• The use of extra towels to buffer around glass items will prevent any damage, scratching, and breakage.

Shower space:

• You can use your RV’s shower to stow larger items. Make sure that they won’t shift and cause damage to your shower. We like to place bathroom trash can and countertop items on the floor of our shower on travel day.

Doubling up on wall hanging security:

• We mentioned command strips and velcro with adhesive earlier for hanging artwork and other items on RV walls. Doubling up on some of these items only makes them less likely to fall off the walls while traveling.

Conclusion: How To Store Items Inside an RV

We’ve covered a lot of ground here, from securing your valuables to packing with care and getting ready for traveling. If you have any questions about anything we’ve talked about feel free to reach out! You can also find more information on our blog or connect with us on social media.

What are some of your favorite travel day hacks? Let us know in the comments below!

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