Packing for a Road trip

By now you've probably already created your itinerary, made a list of what you have and what you need, and maybe thought of starting to pack for your big trip. But let's face it, packing is usually not something we look forward to doing. It's maybe the least exciting part of the trip.

However, taking the necessary time to pack in advance really pays off in the long run. I can't tell you how many times I've packed and unpacked, only to repack bags, just to make sure they are as efficient as possible. Ask anyone in my family, I am the designated "Queen of Planning".

During the planning process, I come up with a list of things that I have and things that I need. I'd do some shopping for the essentials we are missing before I start to pack. Once all the orders have arrived and there's nothing else I'm waiting for, the process begins!

I'll break this down into parts for you so it's easy to follow:

1. Clothes

Typically, this is the messiest part of packing for your trip. First, make sure you run your laundry. There's nothing worse than starting this process only to find out 1/2 your clothes are in the hamper and you have to wait for them to be washed before they can be packed.

When you're making your packing list, get specific. It'll be helpful to know what you already packed in your bag so you're not having to take things out and put them back in. This is what we packed for clothes on our last 3-week road trip:

Iman & Woody

2 sets of PJs	Underwear
Denim top	Beanie hat
4 cami tanks	Fall hat
Loose pants	2 black pants
Swimsuit	TENS machine
2 scarves	Gloves
1 legging	Jewelry
Lint roller	Poncho
Black puff jacket	Green jacket

Kids

Hiking boots	Green jumpsuit (hoodie and pants)
Gray warm jacket	Unicorn PJs
Tan hat and mitten set	2 footie PJs
Yellow hoodie and pant set + tie dye shirt	Pink warm jacket
Purple footie PJs	Robe
Pink t-shirt, gray leggings, bunny overall dress	2 hooded hats (lamb + bear)
Pink robe	Hello Kitty dress
Thick gray sweater	Pink and white outfit with white vest
Black jeans + button up	Halloween cat shirt + black pants
White t-short + blue overalls	Pink shirt + polar bear pants
Black corduroys + gray long sleeve	School shirt + blue pants
Black 360 thermals	Blue shirt + endangered animal pants
Blue denim top + jeans	Maroon velvet top + leggings
Mermaid PJs	Sunflower t-shirt + jean joggers

What I like to do is to take out my essential clothes minus what I would wear the week before leaving for our trip. I like to lay them down on my bed so I can clearly see what I have and how to match them up and yes, I match them into outfits. I find it SO much easier to find what to wear when I have a matching pair of clothes.

I will keep a list of all the clothes that I packed in the notes app on my iPhone. It helps when we're packing up the car after each destination and aren't sure if we brought X, Y, or Z. It's also a good visual indicator if you're bringing too much.

It's important not to bring too little of what you'll need or you'll end up having to buy them along the way and bringing too much stuff literally weighs you down. We've packed too little in the past and spent too much time picking things up that we had left at home. We've also brought so much "stuff" that we couldn't possibly use it all.

Now that you have your list and your clothes are piled together, match them up into sets. We learned the military trick of rolling your clothes for maximum space allowance years ago and it's made all the difference! We fold our clothes into halves and roll them tightly to be placed in duffle bags. We love our WalkerGoods State Duffel bags! They're durable and spacious enough without being too big.

Keep folding, rolling, and packing. Because your clothes are rolled, you're more likely to be able to fit more into your bag. I would normally leave heavier shoes/boots out of the bag, but I could place lighter shoes or sandals in the bag with my clothes.

2. Toiletries

What we've found that works for us when traveling on the road is to share toiletries. We'll usually bring one tube of toothpaste for all of us. We've recently switched over to Bite toothpaste and it's so great for travel!

We'll also share shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. If we're sharing between 4 of us I'll get decent sized bottles shampoo and conditioner instead of using travel sized bottles. Another option is to find an all in one shampoo and conditioner, like New Wash. Regardless of what size everything is, it all goes into a shower caddy. If it doesn't fit in the shower caddy, we leave it behind. It's so convenient to just grab the shower caddy any time you go to the bathroom and have all your toiletries at hand. This includes shampoo, conditioner, body wash, make-up, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc.

3. Camping supplies

Camping supplies encompass a variety of things that you might need on your trip. We recommend that you pack large to small when it comes to camping supplies and to pack like items together. The tent, sleeping bags, and air mattress (should you choose to bring one) are the first things you put into the car when packing it up.

Aside from that, we carried all of our dry food goods in a large container that went into the car. This method had its pros and cons. There were definitely times that we realized what we needed was at the bottom of the bin and we'd have to take everything out of it to get to one thing. The advantage of this method was how easy it was to pack and start cooking.

Sometimes we'd arrive at a campsite in the dark and we knew that dinner had to get started. So we'd take out the bin, choose the meal we wanted, and get going. It was something easy to grab from the trunk before even unpacking the rest of it to set up camp.

We can't emphasize enough how helpful it is to keep like items together. This saved our butts on a few occasions! What this means is you put all your cooking supplies together (ie. pots, pans, utensils). We used a small box for our cooking utensils so we could easily grab it and get going when we need to cook. We also placed other camping supplies, like fire starters and matches, together so you can start a fire as soon as you arrive.

4. Miscelleneous

Now for all the miscellaneous items. Miscellaneous items could include diapers, shoes, pillows, massager, TENS machine (for those with a weak back), jackets, supplements, etc. We followed the same rule we did for everything else, contain like items together.

We would use reusable bags or small boxes for the miscellaneous items. Our shoes went into a bag, while some of the cooking utensils went into a box. Do what works for you and your family!

I hope that some of our packing tips came in handy for you while planning your next family trip! If you have any comments or suggestions, please leave them below. We'd love to hear some of your suggestions for packing up for travel.