Ever arrive at your destination to find your belongings scattered and damaged inside the RV? Proper cargo control is crucial, not just for preventing items from shifting and sliding during transit but also as a vital safety measure to protect you, your passengers, and fellow motorists.
Unsecured cargo can become dangerous projectiles during sudden stops or sharp turns, potentially causing serious injuries or accidents. Moreover, improperly stowed items can disrupt the balance and stability of your RV, affecting handling and increasing the risk of rollovers. Beyond safety concerns, loose cargo can damage your RV's interior, leading to costly repairs and unnecessary stress.
Learn how to keep these nightmare scenarios far from your travels with proper RV cargo control. This guide will help you get your cargo and gear storage mastered like the pro you are.
Damage Prevention For Your RV’s Interior
Any respectable RV enthusiast knows the importance of securely stowing and locking dishes, pots and pans, supplies, and food away in cabinets and drawers before getting underway. Still, there are ways to take your interior cargo storage to the next level. Make sure anything that can become a projectile gets locked down tightly with a few clever solutions.
Cargo Nets and Baskets:
Plastic- or wire-framed stretch cargo nets and baskets are a space-saving solution that allows you to store awkwardly shaped items for quick access once you park.
Utility Hangers:
A set of heavy-duty utility hooks can be a great anchor for items in bags. You can also use attach netting or webbing to them, securing items inside a specific area, like underneath tables or on the floor.
Bunk Bed Safety Nets: Bunk bed safety nets aren’t just for securing people. They’re another clever solution for securing items that don’t necessarily fit inside cabinets or drawers like pillows and toys.
Tension Rods: Extendable tension rods help create a barrier for larger items. They also double as extra space to hang items from as long as those items aren’t too heavy.
Non-slip Mats: While not a great cargo security option on their own, when coupled with some of the solutions above, non-slip mats can help ensure that whatever you’re trying to lock down slides around as little as possible while driving.
Maximizing Cargo Capacity
While the innovative solutions above can certainly help you carry as much cargo as possible, more isn’t always better when it comes to the somewhat minimalistic theme the RV lifestyle promotes. A key aspect of cargo control involves actually controlling how much “stuff” you bring along for the ride. Check out some of the items below, designed to optimize your cargo storage.
Collapsible Containers: Collapsible containers, strainers, dish bins, and bowls help make the most of the limited storage space inside your RV. Nesting pots and measuring cups are also great space-saving choices. Collapsible funnels, water jugs, and utility bins are great options for outside storage compartments.
Folding Gear: Maximizing storage space by purchasing gear that can become as compact and flat as possible is also key to managing cargo space. Folding tables, grills, and collapsible lawn chairs are a must for folks whose usable cargo space is at a minimum. Shrinkable water hoses, telescoping roasting sticks for the campfire, pop-up trash cans, and collapsible cooler bags are other clever ways to save space when you’re not using these items.
Multi-Purpose Items: Using items that serve more than one function can significantly reduce the amount of gear you need to bring. For example, prep bowls that double as storage containers with locking lids are particularly nice to have on hand, as are pots whose lids act as strainers. Another RV staple is a cutting board that fits over your sink to provide extra counter space. In addition to helping cut down on countertop clutter, it can also be used as a serving tray and hot plate.
Specialized Cargo
Now that you’ve got your interior gear and cargo safely stowed and organized, it’s time to talk about all the unusually shaped and bulky items that need to somehow be anchored or secured to the outside of your RV during transport.
Bikes, kayaks, canoes, coolers, paddleboards, portable stoves, tanks, and outdoor furniture, all must be under tight control if you don’t want them turning into dangerous projectiles while moving from one place to another.
Tie Downs: Every good RVer owns a solid selection of tie downs that can make RV cargo control a cinch (pun intended). You can never have too many ratchet straps, bungee cords, tie-downs, or netting if you mean to transport gear on the outside of your rig. Always be sure to check the integrity of these items prior to anchoring equipment and gear and replace them at the first signs of wear and tear.
Cargo Carriers: The selection of different RV cargo carriers is almost mind-boggling, so suffice to say if you have a bulky or oddly-shaped item, there’s sure to be a cargo control solution for it.
In addition to general cargo carriers, there are also specialty accessories designed to accommodate specific items. So, if you find yourself loading up the camper with nowhere to put your generator, spare tire, or tandem bike, Parts Via’s got you covered.
Cargo Carrying Capacity
Another key factor to safely transporting cargo, whether on the inside or outside of your rig, is knowing and understanding your cargo carrying capacity.
This can often be a confusing topic for even seasoned RVers. It centers around your Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), which outlines the maximum weight your RV can haul when fully loaded. This includes gear, passengers, propane, water, accessories, and any other essentials. You can usually find it on a federal certification label somewhere on your RV.
Basically, if the weight of your fully loaded RV exceeds its assigned GVWR, you’re overloaded and unsafe. You will need to pare down items and gear in order to safely transport your rig and yourself to your destination. The consequences of traveling with an overloaded RV can lead to injury, crashes, and even death, so it’s not to be taken lightly.
Additionally, too much weight can damage your RV’s suspension system, lead to tire blowouts, brake failure, steering problems, and other potential and very costly damage, so just don’t risk it.
Safe Distribution—and Travels!
It’s also imperative to distribute your cargo and gear evenly from side to side and front to rear to maintain optimum balance and stability of the RV. Always try to place heavier items lower down and toward the front of your rig.
Another step that you don’t want to skip before embarking is checking the integrity and pressure of your tires each and every time you intend to travel. Underinflated or worn tires can not only compromise handling and fuel efficiency, but they can also exacerbate vehicle sway when driving down the highway, leading to disaster.
Lastly, optimize your RV cargo control by driving responsibly and defensively. Factors like rough terrain, poor weather, crowded highways, and time constraints should be taken into consideration whenever you are traveling from one destination to another.