If you are planning on going on a trip in your RV, be careful what you pack. It is easy to overload your RV with unnecessary equipment. Here are a few things that you can leave behind and a few that you should bring with you. You don't want to add too much weight to your RV; if you do that, you are going to end up in the repair shop during your vacation.
#1: Food
You don't need to fill up every cupboard in your RV with dry goods and food. You don't want your RV to be full of food that you have not eaten when your trip is done; that will just create more clean-up work for you at the end of your trip.
Before you go on your trip, create a meal plan for the food that you plan on eating. Be sure to include a few alternative or back-up meals for days when things don't go as you plan. However, don't overdo it; for a week-long trip you only need one or two back-up meals. Take into account that you are probably going to want to go out for food a couple of times during your trip.
Purchase the dry goods that you need to make the meals on your meal plan, and purchase the perishables that you will need for the first few days of your trip. Create another shopping list to fulfill when you get to your location's local grocery store so you can cut down on spoiled food.
#2: Kitchen Tools
Use your meal plan to determine what cooking tools you are going to need for your trip. For example, if you don't have any plans to cook breakfast on your trip, it doesn't make sense to pack up your special waffle maker for the trip. Make sure that you have the right pots and pans for the meals that you want to cook during your trip and leave your fondue maker at home. You don't need to weigh down your kitchen with lots of specialty items.
#3: Water
When going on a trip, you don't need to have your entire water tank filled up before you set off. Water is really heavy and can easily make your vehicle reach its maximum capacity. Fill your water tank up with enough water to make it to your destination.
When you reach your destination, fill up your water tank with the water that you will need for the rest of your trip. Make sure that the place where you will be parking your RV will allow you to fill up your water tank.
Remember to dump your wastewater when heading back on the road to home so that you don't carry unnecessary water weight with you back home either.
#4: Firewood
It is a good idea to bring some firewood with you for the first night of your trip. However, if you are staying in a park, you should know that most parks sell firewood, so you don't need to fill your RV up with it. You just need a little bit in case you get started if you roll up to the campground too late to purchase firewood on the first night.
Make sure that you don't exceed the capacity of your RV with all of your extra equipment; doing so can lead to both short- and long-term damage to your RV.
