What to leave in the cabinets when traveling

[Getahobby]

We're getting ready to take our first trip soon and are pretty new at travel trailer camping. Concerning kitchen equipment,what do leave in the cabinets if anything, when traveling or do you pack everything in boxes and unpack when you set up camp? I can't wait to get to the other side of this leaning curve!
thanks,
Dave

[valmog]

I leave everything in the cabinets. sounds funny, but I take the four little pillows that came with the Airstream and I stuff them up in the cabinets so things don't move around much. I also have mainly plastic dishes and such so I'm not worried about things breaking. The few glass things I have are packed between the pillows on the bed

[Skater]

Yep, leave everything in!

We'll try to pack the cabinets so that things don't slide around too much. I've noticed that plastic bottles with lids have a nasty tendency to fall over and spill (by the way, cooking oil is extremely hard to clean up - I keep a small bottle in the fridge where I can brace it better). I think the heat in the camper when we aren't using it makes them more likely to leak for some reason.

[richinny]

avoid putting heavy things up in the overhead bins. i leave my liquid cleaning products in buckets in case they leak. protect all glass items from touching other glass items. i pack the refrigerator items carefully in a small box to prevent those items from jumping around. i use glass jars with screw on lids to avoid having lids pop off in transit. a little time packing is much easier than cleaning up a spill. pack like you're shipping things by truck because they're going to shake rattle and roll :-)

[Airperson]

Any itemsthat don’t require refrigeration stay such as can goods.I put all the dry items such as flourin plastic containers. We have sets of camping clothing and underwear, caps andshoes that are permanent residences. All cutlery plastic cups and dishesincluding pots and pans remain as well. We have a cosmetic kit and a shavingkit that stay in the bath as well as towels soap and shampoo. We stock paperitems as well. I make a run to wall mart and pick up the items we need for thefrig. And any other items that we are running out of sometime before we pullout.

[Big C]

We leave everything in.
My wife put cork shelf liner in all the cabinets. Works great! Seems to stop most any movement. She puts any cooking oils in shorter containers with screw top lids as well as any other "tall" stuff for the fridge or cabinets.

[robert claus]

You don't to spend valuable camping time packing and unpacking - stock your Airstream with cooking utensils, dishes, etc just for use in the camper. Also, you don't want to subject your good cookware to the beating it may take bouncing and rubbing. I have All-Clad cookware at home, but a set of Ikea pots in the A/S, and they are perfect for that. Leave everything in the cabinets so that you're ready to go with a minimum of work. You'll learn how things move around, and adjust for it as you go. Just do the best you can and pack to keep things locked in place.

[rmk110761]

I keep all of my kitchen equipment in the cabinets. Make sure you pack so that nothing will slide or fall over when traveling, and pad things that could become scratched or broken. I have lined the cabinets and drawers with non skid lining, and I cut squares of that material to put inside the pots and pans as they are stored one inside the other. I put a coffee filter inside the mixing bowls as well. I use a six pack bottled beer container to keep oils, vinegars, and pan spray from falling over and spilling; I have one in the outside compartment for silicone spray, WD40 etc. Sugar, flour, etc. are kept in Tupperware containers. Crackers, cereal, cookies are kept in lock-and-lock containers. I have made pull out trays from the lids of copy paper boxes so that things in the back are easy to get to.

[Len n Jeanne]

I second the above!

I also have a few big pieces of bubble wrap and foam, and I put those in the cupboard (above the dinette) where the dishes are so they don't bounce around too much.

We generally wash dishes the usual way in the AS sink, but if something is a major operation (like a sooty Dutch oven) we may take it into the house to wash it, then put it on our list for re-packing.

Our learning curve was pretty much due vertical when we got our AS-- our first RV.

Jeanne

[A W Warn]

When we get back from a trip we leave everything in except perishable food and dirty laundry. Clean laundry goes back in ASAP and food gets repacked the day before we pull out again.

[Lily&Me]

All of the above.

It is way too difficult to try to remember to repack everything you might need.

Get the dirty laundry out, empty and clean the frig. Make a short list of anything that needs to be replenished.


Maggie

[Protagonist]

I live along the Gulf Coast, and that means that during hurricane season, I'm always prepared to bug out for a storm. Ever since Hurricane Katrina, where I evacuated without preparing first. That was a nightmare in itself, though thankfully not half so bad as the nightmare of the people who foolishly decided not to leave, or who for various reasons couldn't leave.

Anyway, for the six months of hurricane season, at least, my Airstream is kept fully stocked, excluding only prescription medication and those items that are perishable or that will attract vermin like mice and bugs. I even keep a week's worth of spare clothing in the Airstream, though admittedly it's my scruffies that are too badly worn to wear to work but are good enough for impropmtu camping.

[StreamNTyme]

I can't imagine putting everything in and taking it out every time we travel. It is a chore just to get the additional food, next season clothes and other needs into the rig before we travel. That could be easier, but we leave home with the fridge, freezer and pantries totally stocked and ready. Spices, dry goods, canned goods, all non perishable supplies, kitchen/ba supplies, linens etc. all stay in the trailer between trips. Also a supply of DVD's and books stay w the trailer, changed as needed. I take out the dirty linens/towels and put in clean immediately after the trip.

Dirty clothes may stay in the house after the trip. Rain jackets, extra sweaters, jackets, hats, 1st aid kit, toiletries all stay in the trailer, replenished as needed. We have all the needed tools, supplies, portable chairs, tables, yard rugs, grill and other outdoor supplies stay in the trailer. I know that when we sold the last trailer it took me a day to unload it. No easy job. Leave everything in it as much as possible, makes it easier on you when getting ready for a trip.

[mimiandrews]

I keep spices and small food items in a plastic shoebox that fits neatly into one of my overhead cabinets. Take it out when the trailer is stored for long periods to keep vermin out of it, but it's all together and easy to put back when we go camping.

Inexpensive dishes, cookware that I inherited, paper plates, marshmallow forks, all that stuff stays in the trailer galley ready for use. A few organizers from the local Lowe's and a lot of rubber anti-skid shelf lining, and nothing moves when traveling.

Trailer has its own towels and linens that get washed and put back after every trip. Soap and misc toiletries stay in the trailer bath cabinet.

When we get ready for a trip, we move the clothing we're going to need into the trailer and stock the fridge and one of the lower storage bins near the galley with the food we plan to eat.

IMHO, it's best to minimize the packing and unpacking. The more we keep in the trailer, the less we're going to forget to take and then find out we need it.

[robert claus]

One more thing - we have a coffee maker that stays in the trailer - we wrap the cord around it, through the carafe handle, and put in the oven.

[StreamRollin]

We use these type of bottle covers to keep our stoneware mugs and breakables wrapped in the overheads (tip from the PO)... and we have lots of them ... covers that is ... we have two each in between pots & pans as well, to prevent rubbing ... yep lots of 'em ...

We have a set of everything for the Airstream, so all we pack are clothes and food - pack your cupboards closely, because if it can fall over ... it will.
Wendy

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by StreamRollin

We use these type of bottle covers to keep our stoneware mugs and breakables wrapped in the overheads (tip from the PO)... and we have lots of them ... covers that is ... we have two each in between pots & pans as well, to prevent rubbing ... yep lots of 'em ...

We have a set of everything for the Airstream, so all we pack are clothes and food - pack your cupboards closely, because if it can fall over ... it will.
Wendy

Old socks work well, too. Wash them first, of course…

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, pretty much the same as everyone else, we have vertually everything we need in our trailer. We remove the food items. Laundry is done and these items go back into our trailer. We don't have doubles of our dog's stuff [bed and dishes Etc.] so we have to pack his things.

[RickDavis]

Everything stays except for the rock collection

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by RickDavis

Everything stays except for the rock collection

Now that you mention it, I take out my rock collection, too. And my jazz collection, my Irish folk music collection…