Pack And Organize Your RV Using Plastic Boxes

Pack and Organize Your RV Using Plastic Boxes

PLEASE NOTE:  Any suggestions we give to help you pack and organize your recreational vehicle (RV) may allow you to carry more “stuff”.  This does not negate the fact that there is a weight limitation on your RV.  Always ensure that you are operating your RV within the manufacturer’s recommended weight restrictions to ensure the safety of you, you family and other passengers.

Traveling and living in the tight quarters of an RV can make packing and organizing all the items you need to take with you a challenging task.  I have found that packing like items in boxes and labeling the boxes helps with alleviating wasted space and keeps our RV organized.

Many of the cabinets in our motorhome, though not tall, can hold taller items than what we usually want to store in them.  I found that in some of our cabinets the “shoe box” size of plastic boxes can be stacked two high allowing us to utilize the “vertical space”.  Since we travel for months at a time, I have a plastic shoe box of office supplies – postage stamps, return address labels, pens, Post-It Notes, stapler, paperclips, rubber bands, etc.  This box fits perfectly in an overhead cabinet with enough vertical space left over to place another plastic shoe box on top of it.

To easily identify what is in the boxes, I use a label maker to make a label for both ends of the box as to what is in the box, for example, “Office Supplies”.  By placing a label on each end of the box, it doesn’t matter how you put the box back into the cabinet as both ends have a label.  You will need to be careful on the weight you are placing in your overhead cabinets so as to not overload them.

Our bed lifts up and has a storage area underneath.  I also use the plastic shoe box size boxes and larger plastic storage boxes to pack and organize items under the bed.  These are generally items I don’t need on a regular basis, like string, wide tape (don’t forget the duct tape!), batteries, vacuum cleaner bags, etc.   For example, I have a box which contains string, tape and bungee cords (in my mind these items are alike in that they hold things together) and the box is labeled with these contents.  Vacuum cleaner bags and any attachments would use a box larger than the shoe box.   If your bed is on a slide-out, watch the weight of the items you store under the bed as to not over tax the slide-out motor.

Since our motorhome is a 40 foot diesel pusher, we are fortunate to have the room and weight allowance to carry more supplies on our long trips.  I found that a plastic two drawer file type cabinet (minus wheels) fits perfectly in an area of the motorhome basement.  I use Velcro to hold the drawers in place.

Velcro comes in two pieces.  I cut one piece into two smaller pieces and attach one to the side of the cabinet (close to the front by the drawer) and another piece is attached to the front of the drawer.  I then used a longer second piece that attaches to the shorter side piece and wraps around to the piece on the front of the drawer to be secured to the smaller front piece of Velcro.  Doing this on each side of each drawer has kept the drawers in place while traveling.  I use this two drawer cabinet to store extra canned goods, paper towels, toilet paper, coffee, etc.  I put the heavier items in the bottom drawer and the lighter paper items in the top drawer.

We also use larger storage boxes in the RV basement, here again, most of the time we stack boxes two to three high depending on the height of the box and how many will fit in the vertical space.  For example, Taylor uses a taller box to store “Wet” items, distilled water for the batteries, liquid cleaning supplies, etc.  There is enough vertical space to stack a same size box on top.  For other items, we use shorter boxes and can stack them three boxes high.

Measure the horizontal and vertical storage areas in your RV so you can determine which size box, stacked, will utilize the most “vertical space”.  If you can stack boxes two high, get the same two boxes and ensure they are made to be stacked.  The boxes we use usually have a smaller bottom and larger top with some type of “groove” system to help keep the top box from sliding around.  Again, putting labels on each end will make finding items much easier and faster.

With a little thought and measuring, you can utilize the vertical storage space in your RV and using the box and labeling system will keep your RV organized.  We have to again caution – Never go over your RV’s manufacturer’s recommended weight limit.

Enjoy your newly organized RV and we hope to see you on the road!

Go To Love To RV Tips Index

Go To Love To RV Home Page