Our Packing List for Long Road Trips

Nancy and I love long road trips and we spend a lot of time planning out the details of where we are going. To quickly launch one of our journeys and to make living on the road as hassle free as possible, we have devoted a lot of time to honing what items to pack and how to organize them. Getting these items sorted and grouped helps us to transition from location to location as quick as possible.

If you read our post “How we decided our approach to retirement travel”, you know we travel in a Toyota Tundra Crew Max with a Cap we have nick-named the “Brown Beast”.

We talk about our strong preference for staying in Airbnb’s, Regular BnB’s, historical hotels, extended stay hotels with a dash of tent camping if the right opportunity presents itself.

You can think of this type of travel as “camping” with the big difference being the type of “camp site” we are leveraging.

So just like our old tent and RV camping days and our old days of “fly and drive a car rental”, we need to think about what we take with us.

Packing for Long Multi-Month Road Trips

Before we retired, we were limited to about a maximum of 3 weeks for a road trip. Over the last few years we have started to push this out first to 2 months, then to 3 months and now later this year to a 6-month Alaska road trip.

The list of items we need on the road to enjoy this type travelling has grown over time.

I’ll break down what we are doing at the moment by reviewing each item and how its grouped and stored the Brown Beast.

The Golden Rule: Everything has its place

Everything we take with us is sorted and placed in a specific location / container by answering a set of questions:

• Do you need to access it while driving?
• Does it need to be locked up when parked?
• How often do you need it?
• What type of lodging are you staying at?
• How long are you stopping at a location?
• What’s the purpose of the item?

We find these questions work as a great filter for getting items organized.

Let’s begin….

Truck Cab Front Seat Area

Front Seat – Bare Necessities

These items are always within easy access for daily use.

• VAVA Dash Cam – We have a dash camera installed in the front and rear of the truck. We have seen a lot of crazy things on the road and we like being able to have a visual record if we get involved in something.
• Garmin GPS – although the truck has a built in GPS we find the functionality and usability of the Garmin DriveSmart 65 so much better.  If nothing else, it allows the passenger to enter routes while the vehicle is in motion, it show us the speed limit and warns us when the speed limit goes down.  (unlike the built in GPS).
• Cell Phone Range Extender – not a 100% answer but it does help. We go to a lot of places with spotty service.
• Charging Cables – primarily for keeping cell phones charged. One charger cable for each of our phones.
• Coffee Travel Mugs & Water Bottles- our truck has 3 cup holders in the middle console and 2 in each door!
• Lap Desk – for occasionally working on of our lap as we’re driving.  Not just for laptops, it is helpful for reading maps and books.
• Hanging Trash Container – This hangs on the back of the driver’s seat (easy access by passenger seat).
• Ez-Pass – There are times you just can’t avoid a toll
• Nancy’s Tinkle Belle – a FUD (Female Urinary Device) – for when you need to go by the side of the road or in a bottle – where you can stand and pee without dropping drawers.  It takes practice – but what a lifesaver.
• Nikon 610 with 35-80mm lens for passenger use while driving.

Truck Console and Glove Compartment

I installed a safe in the console of the “Brown Beast” where we can lock the GPS and other items when we are parked.

• Sunglasses 
• Sunscreen
• Magnifying Glass / Readers – because some of those maps have tiny print
• Hand Sanitizer
• Scissors – you never know when you need to cut something
• Marking Highlighters / Pens / Pencils
• Paper Notebook
• Small Change for Parking and Vending Machines
• Mints and/or Hard Candies
• Playing Cards (not that you use those while driving – just convenient storage for this small item)
• Tissues
• Nail File
• Head Lamp – one each as we use them at night if we camp or there are great for looking for things at night.
• Flashlights
• Face Masks – this is a covid-19 issue. hopefully we can ditch these sometime in the future, but each state and town can have different requirements.

Console Safe

• Passports – for crossing the Canadian border
• Extra Cash
• Other high value items as needed

Truck Cab – Rear Seat Area

We have removed the single passenger seat to add room for packing.   The double rear seat folds up nicely to maximize packing area.  On these longer multi-month trips we are sometimes joined by friends or family for a long weekend or a week.  They fly out to meet us and we can put the rear seat down so they have a place to sit.  While they are visiting, we store some of the “rear seat area” items in our lodging unit.

Picnic / Truck Travel Food Box

We are often out and about in areas where restaurants are not an option.  There are also times we just don’t want to eat out to save time and eat healthier.

We have a clear plastic box with an assortment of unrefrigerated food to address this need.  We also pick from this box when we hike in the afternoon and want to have lunch or snacks on the trail.

• Beef jerky
• Turkey pepperoni (requires refrigeration once opened)
• Unrefrigerated summer sausage and salami (requires refrigeration once opened)
• Tuna packets
• Fruit Cups / Apples
• Peanut butter
• Assorted crackers
• Pringles / potato chips
• Trail mix and/or nuts
• Peanut butter crackers & cheese crackers
• Cookies
• Oatmeal bars / granola bars
• Bottled Water

Location: Rear passenger area, behind the driver’s seat.  This generally stays in the car and doesn’t go into our lodging unit.

Picnic Utensils Box

We keep a basic set of utensils for a picnic in a small plastic box.  One of us typically carries this box to the picnic table while the other carries the food.

• Paper plates / bowls
• Plastic spoons, forks, knives
• Cozies
• Cups
• Napkins
• Hand sanitizer
• Two sharp knives with a sheath cover
• Foldable plastic cutting board
• Box of small plastic baggies

Location:  Rear passenger area, behind the driver’s seat.  This generally stays in the car and doesn’t go into our lodging unit.

Small “Day” Coolers

1, We have a small cooler that is just big enough for a couple sandwiches, 6-8 drinks and a blue ice block when we pack ahead for the day’s adventure.  We also use this when we want to bring just a few drinks to our room and don’t want carry in the entire larger cooler.

2. When we do a 3 hour or longer hike, we have a small cooler backpack for drinks, snacks and sandwiches.  Sometimes our “ice” is a frozen water bottle.  It keeps items cold but eventually melts and serves as a drink!

Location:  Rear center passenger area on top of the Tour Book Box Library.  Comes into the lodging unit when needed.

Map Box Library

A GPS isn’t sufficient as the only tool you need to adventure in unknown areas.  We always have a complete library of Gazetteer’s and other detailed maps we take with us for an area. These maps elaborate just about every dirt road and recreational feature for the state or area that you are visiting and we have found them to be indispensable in our travels.  We store them in a milk crate that has small bungie cords to keep them organized.

• Gazetteers of each state
• State pamphlets and trail guides (not lose, but in plastic sleeves by area/region)
• AAA maps of each state

Note:  The front passenger seat has the maps & Gazetteer for a particular state while in that area.  The narrow space between the passenger seat and the console can hold these.

Location:  Rear center passenger area.  The box stays in the truck, but individual maps are taken into our lodging unit as needed.

Travel Book Box Library

We never go to an area with doing extensive research first to help us plan out what we want to do. In particular since we love going into the back country.  We have found there are deep dive books written for many states. These are “must have take with you” guides we like to keep in our on the road travel library.

• Backcountry / Scenic Driving books
• Assorted Detailed Travel Guides

Note:  The front passenger seat has the books for a particular state while in that area.  The side pockets of the passenger door can typically hold 2 books.

Location:  Rear center passenger area.    The box stays in the truck, but individual books are taken into our lodging unit as needed.

Lock Box

I removed the single passenger seat in the back of the Brown Beast in order to add an easily accessible lock box that’s secured to the truck.  I took a heavy duty tool box and used a chain to secure it to the truck. You can’t totally prevent theft but you can make it harder.

We use it to keep some of the higher value items we carry with us like the high speed air compressor.

When we are in transition between overnight stops and want to hike, tour a museum or do some other activity, we lock our high value items such as our cameras and laptops in this.

Location:  Rear passenger area behind the front passenger seat.  Stays in the car and doesn’t go into our lodging unit.

Electronic Backpacks

We carry 2 dedicated backpacks, that contain an assortment of electrics, with one dedicated to laptops and the other for cameras, additional electronics, and associated items we use regularly.

Laptop Backpack

• 2 laptops
  • Some downloaded movies and shows for when we don’t have internet service
  • Photography use, setup to sync to OneDrive, Google Photos and Amazon Photos when connected to the internet
• power cords
• 2 mouse and mouse pads
• Bluetooth headsets
• USB hub

Location:  Rear passenger area while in transition (on top of Map Box Library), in the Lock Box as necessary and brought into our lodging unit every night.

Camera and Electronic Accessories Backpack

• “Octopus” Charger – a fast charger with 6 ports plus short USB cables – no more hunting for multiple plugs for every charger and less likely to be left behind
• Amazon Fire Stick & Remote –
  • we carry our regional TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streaming services with us.  All we have to do in a new location is plug it into the TV and login to the WiFi network. 
  • We used bright red nail polish on the remote, so it stands out as ours (we almost left it behind twice until we did this).
• Spare assorted Batteries
• Spare USB B and C cables
• Camera chargers
• 15′ extension power cord with multiple outlets
• Small Camera Table Tri Pod
• Extra Assorted USB Cables and Chargers
• HDMI Cables
• 12-volt DC Power Invertor
• Extra SD Cards
• Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
• Nikon 7200 with a 70 300mm telephoto lens
• Waterproof Camera – when we get out on the water

Location:  Rear passenger area while in transition (on top of the Lock Box), in the Lock Box as necessary and brought into our lodging unit every night.

Cell Phones

• Downloaded audio books
• Amazon Music synced to the phone for offline listening
• One Drive Notebooks, Excel spreadsheets and files we need access to without internet service are set to be stored locally
• Cell phones are set to sync photography to the cloud with One Drive, Google Photos and Amazon Photos.

Small 4K TV/monitor

There are occasions when we want an additional monitor or TV.  An additional monitor hooked up to your laptop can come in handy when reconciling credit card statements to your budget.  It can come in handy when sifting through photos when drafting our travel blogs.  We like a TV in our bedroom and not all rental houses offer that.  When camping in the rain, we can hook the TV up to one of our laptops and watch a movie we’ve downloaded.

Location:  Left side of the truck bed. It’s not something we take out of the truck very often.

First Aid Kit

• Band Aids
• Bandages
• Lotrimin
• Ibuprofen
• Anti-Itch Cream
• Benadryl

Location:  Rear passenger area. We have two of these – one to keep in the car, and one to take into our lodging location when needed.  We also will grab one of these when we hike.

Miscellaneous Truck Cab items Used on a Regular Basis

Seat pockets and Door Cubbies

• Paper Towels
• Squeegee for cleaning windows
• Bug Spray
• Windex Spray
• Umbrella
• Ice Scraper
• Spare plastic bags for trash

In general, these items stay in the truck.

Behind Rear Passenger Seat

The rear passenger back seats in a Tundra fold completely up and have room in between for sweatshirts and jackets.  We removed the single seat, so this is the double seat.  Notice there is also a little space behind the seat too which can also hold jackets and items you don’t frequently need.

• Sweatshirts
• Jackets
• Gloves
• Extra hats

Truck Bed With Covered Cap Area

The truck cap area is well organized such that things we rarely need are way in the back or left side of the truck bed. The things we need on a fairly regular basis are located next to the side lockable ‘Windoor’ or the tail gate area.

Rear Truck Bed Area (closest to truck) – Lightly Used Items

• Pillows
• Camp Stove and Stove Fuel
• Foldable Memory Foam Mattress for camping
• Truck SUV Tent 
• Bedding Bag (see below for description)
• Velcro-in-place curtains for camping
• Foldable Kitchen Table
• Large Collapsible Water Jug 
• Utility Box – (duct tape, zip ties, extension cords, power strips, etc.)
• Emergency Tools (high speed air compressor, tire repair kit, impact wrench, etc.)
• Tool Box – (wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, etc…)
• Camping Kitchen Utensils Box (see below for description)
• Camping Box (see below for description)
• Bedding Bag (see below for description)
• Camp Chairs

Location:  In the back or left side of the truck bed – things we rarely need (primarily camping equipment and tools)

Front Truck Bed Area (tailgate/windoor area) – Frequently Accessed Items

• Folding Step Stool
• Ozark Trails 6 Day Cooler + Blue Blocks
  • We have been really impressed with this cooler its kept ice for up to 7 days before
  • Frozen water bottles and blue blocks help keep the need down for draining the cooler.
  • We always stick bottles in a freezer when we have access to one
  • Waterproof Food Storage Containers
• Brush and Dustpan
• Hiking Poles
• Fire Extinguisher
• Cases of water
• Coffee Bag (see below for description)
• Kitchen Food Bag (see below for description)
• Kitchen Appliances Bag (see below for description)
• Cleaning Supplies Bag (see below for description)
• Hiking Shoes Bag
• Hiking Backpack
• Collapsible Dirty Laundry Bag
  • We use this to accumulate laundry we will wash when we have laundry facilities.  Dirty laundry can smell up the suitcases.
  • Is also handy when carting the laundry to/from the washer/dryer.
  • Stored near the Windoor, it is carried into the lodging unit for stays 3 nights or longer.  For shorter stay, we keep the laundry in a plastic grocery bag and then toss it into the Laundry Bag when ready to transition.
  • We learned this trip back when we used to “fly and rent a vehicle” – collapsible to fit in the suitcase while flying, but open & ready for use once there
• Souvenir Storage
  • We generally buy a shot glass as our souvenirs.  Small and inexpensive.  We really don’t need much else.
  • We do buy t-shirts and sweatshirts once in a while.  We can double wrap shot glasses inside t-shirts after we accumulate a few.
  • We have stopped buying souvenirs for family.  They really don’t need them.
  • We keep the souvenir bag by the windoor so we can easily toss a new purchase into the bag.

Location:  In the tail gate area or near the ‘Windoor’ – things we frequently use or don’t want to hunt for when needed

Cargo Net (ceiling of Truck Cap)

Our truck cap has a cargo net on the ceiling where we keep a set of items that we only use on occasion.

• River Shoes / Sandals
• Spare Collapsible Cooler
• Spare Storage Bag
• Battery Operated Fan
• Ultra-lite Quick Dry Towels (30″x 60″)

Details of Organized Bags/Boxes of Truck Bed Area Items

Coffee Bag

We are big coffee drinkers.  We typically drink 3 cups each in the morning.  The availability of a coffee maker, coffee cartridges and bagged coffee varies widely from place to place.  We also have coffee preferences – we don’t drink decaf, we don’t like dark roast coffee and we prefer flavored coffee (only naturally flavored).  Therefore, we carry coffee cartridges, ground coffee and a small drip coffee maker (2 cups in a steel thermos).  We’ve used the small coffee maker in the bathroom at a campground!  We keep it all in one bag for easy access if needed.

• Small Coffee Maker
• Bag of Coffee
• Coffee Cartridges
• Coffee Filters

Location:  Tail gate area for easy access

Kitchen Appliances Bag

Eating on the road doesn’t have to always be at restaurants.  We love traveling with a small 3.5-quart crock pot where we can start a meal and let it cook all day while we are out exploring.  An electric skillet is another great kitchen appliance to travel with.  You can use both of these in a hotel room!  We have several recipes we will share in a future post that focus on using non-refrigerated/canned goods.  We keep this in an old beach bag for the convenience of carrying it in when needed.

• Small Crock Pot
• Electric Skillet (optional)

Location:  Tail gate area for easy access

Kitchen Food Bag

We like having an assortment of non-refrigerated food items with us so when we camp or end up at a place with a kitchen, we don’t have to rush out and go to a grocery store. This list works for us and fits in the brown travel bag below.

• Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Oregano, etc.
• Olive Oil
• Vegetable Oil Spray (tape the cover on or it can unload in the bag if the cover pops off)
• Aluminum Foil
• Large and Small Zip Lock Baggies
• Powdered Milk
• Spaghetti Noodles
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Kraft Velveeta Packets
• Canned Tuna / Chicken / Roast Beef / Pulled Pork
• Canned White Potatoes
• Canned Corn / Carrots / other veggies
• Rotel Diced Tomatoes
• Hot Sauce (e.g. Tabasco, Cholula – does not require refrigeration once open)
• Canned Chili / Beef Stew
• Salsa (refrigerate once opened)
• Spam (our favorite is the Hickory Smoked)
• Canned Corned Beef Hash
• Onions
• Instant Mash Potatoes
• Microwavable Rice
• Almond Milk (refrigerate once opened)
• Dehydrated Potatoes

Location:  Tail gate area for easy access

Cleaning Supplies Bag

You have a small bag of cleaning supplies for laundry and other things.  This almost always goes inside with us when we are at an AirBnB/VRBO rental.

• Sponges
• Dish Soap and Hand Soap
• Hand Towels
• Clorox Wipes
• Hand Sanitizer
• Laundry soap
• Dryer Sheets
• Tide Stick or Shout Stain Treater
• Latex Gloves

Location:  Near the ‘Windoor’ we don’t want to hunt for it when needed.  Typically only brought into the lodging unit when we have a washer/dryer.

Utility Box and Emergency Tools

You never know what you will need on the road in a pinch.

• Drop/Extension Cords
• Power Strip / Surge Protectors
• Gorilla Duct tape
• Electrical Tape
• Zip Ties (small and Large)
• Small Board to Rest Jack on
• Tire Repair Kit – you may be a long way from a tire repair place. The Toolux kit works for works well for us
• Bungee Cords of various lengths
• Spare Fuses
• Spare Velcro
• Rope
• A 36,000 pound tow strap
• Small Reel of Wire
• Work Gloves
• Safety pins
• Cordless Impact Wrench – I found that the Hychikaa 1/2 in impact wrench is inexpensive and powerful enough to quickly remove lug nuts off a truck if you need to change a flat tire.
• Battery Jump Starter – I carry a hulkman jump starter 85 instead of jumper cables. You can also use it a charging unit for other devices if needed.
• High Speed Compressor – I have a Viair compressor which attaches directly to the truck battery to get enough power to quick inflate a truck battery
• Spare windshield wiper fluid

Location:  Near the ‘Windoor’ we don’t want to hunt for it when needed.  Always stays in the truck.

Tool Box

I carry a compact tool box with a wide assortment of SAE and Metric tools.

• screw drivers – large and small
• wrenches
• Allen wrench’s
• socket wrench set
• assort of other odds and ends (see picture above)

Location:  Near the ‘Windoor’ we don’t want to hunt for it when needed.  Always stays in the truck.

Camping Kitchen Utensils Box

• Can Opener 
• Corkscrew
• Wooden Spoon
• Serving Spoon
• Meat Fork
• Cutting Knifes
• Foldable Plastic Cutting Board
• Measuring Cups
• Spatula

Location:  Tail gate area for easy access.  Always stays in the truck.  Maybe once or twice our lodging unit didn’t have an item in here that we need, but it is rare.

Camping Box

After years of tent camping with large groups, we now only carry a very small camp box for those times when we do want to camp during our travels.

• Yard Guard & Bug Spray
• Hand sanitizer 
• Latex gloves  
• Collapsible pots and pans set 
• Cozies  
• Fire starters 
• Fuel for camp stove 
• Long Handled Lighters 
• Matches
• Whistle or Air Horn
• Draw String Garbage Bags 
• Dry Box
• Watertight Containers to transport food
• Tarp
• Bug Netting – Large mesh if camping in mosquito areas
• Ponchos
• Tablecloth
• Nested Mixing Bowls
• Camping Knife
• Pocket Knife
• Extra Rags
• Camp fire glove
• Camp Hatchet
• Camp Saw
• Survival Camp Shovel

Location:   In the back of the truck. We don’t camp all the often and when we do, we empty out the back of the cap.

Bedding Bag

This bag keeps our camping sheets and blankets neatly stored away.

• Sheets
• Blankets

Location:  In the back of the truck cap. We don’t camp all the often and when we do, we empty out the back of the cap.

Hiking Backpack

We keep a hiking backpack supplied with a standard set of items and then add in food and water before we go off hiking.

• Hand Sanitizer
• Head Lamps / Flashlights
• Water Bottles
• Hiking Boots
• Bear Mace
• Compass
• Binoculars
• Bowie Knife
• Hiking Sticks
• First Aid Kit

Location:  Near the ‘Windoor’ we don’t want to hunt for it when needed.  Stays in the truck unless we plan to hike the next day and want to pack it with additional items.

Clothing and Personal items

We have learned a lot about packing light and taking advantage of washer/dyers that are available where we stay.  The use the royal blue bag in the lower left corner of the photo above.  We pretty much keep to a small number of bags that contain the following:

Hiking Shoes Bag

• Hiking Boots
• Low cut Hiking Shoes

Location:  Near the ‘Windoor’ we don’t want to hunt for it when needed.  Stays in the truck unless needed.

Toiletries Bag

Nancy has grown to love toiletry bags because there are so many cubby holes and pockets such that everything has its place.  Since using toiletry bags where each item always goes in the same compartment, we have NEVER left something behind.  We have a large one that has all the items we need every night; the larger one is approximately 15″ x 12″ x 4″.  We have a smaller one for longer trips where we need to replenish things in the larger one (for example, prescription medication and spare contacts); the smaller one is approximately 10″ x 8″ x 3″.  The larger one is the navy blue bag in the lower right corner of the photo above.

• Medication (prescription, vitamins, travel size Motrin, travel size melatonin)
• Toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss
• Shampoo & Conditioner
• Glasses
• Contact Cases & solution 
• Brush / comb 
• Washcloth soap
• Deodorant 
• Facial cleansing towelettes 
• Electric razor and charger
• Razor
• Chapstick
• Q-Tips
• Tweezers 
• Nail clippers & nail file

Location:  Rear Seat Area behind the front passenger seat, on top of the Clothing Suitcases.  The larger toiletry bag is brought into our lodging unit every night.  The smaller one primarily stays in the truck.

Clothing – One Suitcase Each 

It’s important that you pay attention to assembling clothing that can be layered. How many pieces of each type of clothing depends on how many nights you will be traveling and the weather in the area you’ll be traveling.  The red bag (top left) and the gray/green bag (top right) are the suitcases we use.  We try and mix and match this requirement with the following and here is what we bring for most trips 2 months or longer:

• 2 Sweatshirts
• 5 Long Sleeve Shirts
• 5 Golf / Polo shirts (men); 5 Short Sleeve Shirts (women) 
• 5 Wick-Away/Dri-Fit T-Shirts
• 3 Pairs of Jeans (long pants – Nancy does 2 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of leggings)
• 4 Pairs of Shorts
• 1 pair of zip off hiking pants / shorts
• Swimsuit

Location:  Rear Seat Area – one on top of each other on the floor between the Lock Box and the front passenger seat.

The Underwear Bag (one bag combined)

As we leave one destination to head to another, we transfer underwear from this bag to the front pocket in one of the clothing suitcases.  If we are staying somewhere for a week or more, we just take this bag in with us and don’t bother with any transfers.  We use the gray backpack in the bottom center of the photo above.

• 14 pairs of underwear each
• 28 pairs of socks – we both fit into the same size socks
• 4 bras (for Nancy)

We arrange lodging such that laundry is available every 2 weeks, so this works for us.   Two weeks is the maximum – sometimes we have it available more frequently.

Location:  Rear Seat Area on top of the Lock Box.

Overnight Clothing Bag

Sometimes we are only staying somewhere for one or two nights.   Rather than lugging in 2 full-size suitcases with everything, we take the spare storage bag and just put in a few items from our full-size suitcases and the underwear bag.  If we’re lucky, the “underwear bag” has enough room for the spare shirts and we just use that.  For example:.

• 1-2 pairs of underwear & socks each
• 1 spare shirt each (might be one long and one short sleeve each – depends on where we are)
• something to sleep in

If we need a fresh pair of shorts or pants, for example, they are only a few steps away in the car!

Location:  Rear Seat Area, empty and collapsed behind the folded up rear double passenger seat.  Generally stays in the truck.

In Summary

We try and group items that make sense for us in the same bag or container. There are some items that we always take into the place we are staying like laptops, toiletries and electronics bags while other bags and containers are only brought in depending on how long we are staying and the type of place we are staying at. This way of organizing works really well for us.

Over the years we have refined this list and it continues to evolve as our needs evolve.

We keep a great deal of this prepacked and ready to go so our get out one the road time is usually pretty minimal, and this check list helps us to get through packing for a trip quickly.