RV Food Storing Tips and Hacks

When living in such small quarters such as in an RV or campervan, storage is one of the hardest things to come by. And food storage is a large part of packing for any trips of getaway — you need a lot of it! But with some creative planning you can make it work. So in this article, I am going to share some tips and hacks on RV food storing.

Smart RV Food Storing Ways

Where Does Everything Go?

The first tip is to utilize your freezer! Freeze some meals so you don’t have to bring as many separate ingredients or as much equipment for cooking. We use every space available in our freezer and pack up some casseroles or hot dogs or any other simple dinners that can easily be warmed up. Preparing meal ahead of time allows you to leave any extra ingredients at home and helps tremendously with the cleanup in a small space.

Another good storage spot is under the bed for all the drinks, water bottles, and paper goods as well as laundry supplies. RVs also generally come with a set of cupboards in the kitchen — in my RV all the canned goods fit in the narrow cupboards over the sink. Think canned fruit, chili, tuna, canned chicken, and also peanut butter & honey for sandwiches. Our RV has a few drawers — the shallow drawer is good for storing bread and cookies. The deeper drawer we use for things like boxes of crackers. We keep the butter either in the refrigerator, or in a butter dish tucked next to the toaster in a cupboard over the table (away from stove or tv where it might get hot) along with napkins and a plasticware holder. Fresh fruit can also store in the cupboards if it’s not too hot. You’ll need a cool location for the bananas and maybe apples. The rest, like strawberries and grapes, can go in the fridge.

Simplify

One way to cut down on the packing is to use disposable plates, cups, and plasticware in place of real dishes. Our family always used paper goods while traveling to simplify and lighten the work load of our mom. However, maybe some of you travelers are more like my grandma who always used real dishes in the RV; she washed those dishes after every meal. You’ll just have to weigh what’s important to you when you travel. Another tip is that we invested in plastic lap trays that could a paper plate and also a drink too — you might want to have some on hand (or even a few foldable dinner trays) if you don’t have enough room for everyone to sit at the table. Side note — it’s also really helpful to have cupholders in the table.

Our family once toured a friend’s RV and noticed they had some in their table. If you already have an RV and the table doesn’t have inset cupholders, you can take your table in to the shop and have them cut holes and add cupholders. This prevents spills with kids (or even with adults!) and creates a little more space at the table.

Overall, planning ahead of time (and making sure everything has a place) will make for a comfortable trip with plenty of room for everything you need! Simplifying and utilizing every bit of space will make all the difference.