When you live and use something as extensively as a camper trailer, you’ll find over the years that things build up. Often it happens without us even realising.
One day the penny drops, and we realise that your brand new camper trailer is actually a few years old and has a lot of unnecessary junk packed inside.
There’s a whole host of reasons why your camper trailer is filled to the brim, but you won’t need to put it off any longer with our tips for decluttering your camper trailer.
The most common reason for having too much junk while camping is that you want to be prepared. Maybe one day I’ll need a step ladder, or that rope, or a really expensive GPS phone. While these aren’t bad things to have, they can take up room.
It’s also quite common for campers to keep doing the same types of trips over and over. Some people like fishing and they might go down to their favourite spot in summer, while others are visiting nature reserves and national parks.
Regardless of whichever type of camper you are, your camping lifestyle and habits will mean you’ll be using the same equipment for most of your trips.
Now, we’re not saying you should throw out absolutely everything you didn’t use on your last trip. However, if you’ve been camping a few times or even for a few years and there’s a particular thing you’ve never used — you might want to bin it.
The best plan of action for decluttering your camper trailer is to take stock of everything you have and be as realistic as possible.
Organised chaos is the name of the game here. A really good way to visualise and realise the entirety of preparedness (or hoarding) is to lay everything out on an open surface.
Whether it’s your living room or backyard, being able to see everything you take camping can really put it into perspective how much stuff you take with you.
It’s also a great opportunity to see all of the double-ups you take away with you. Sometimes people take too many light sources like torches or too many cooking utensils that could be done with one tool.
Another reason to lay everything bare is to discover all of the things you take that you never realised were freeloading. Maybe you never even realised you had a toolbox or torches in your camper trailer.
Once you’ve found a way to pull everything from the camper trailer, the next best thing to do is to sort all of the equipment into general groups.
The way you do it is up to you, but we’ve got a few suggestions of our own. If you’re thinking of the kitchen and you’re sorting all of the kitchen equipment, you’ll easily discover junk, double-ups, and even things you may be missing.
Let’s have a look at the first area to declutter.
One of the most important aspects of camping is the clothing you take. It’s especially important during the winter months where if you’re unprepared the cold can really make it an unpleasant experience.
Thankfully we’ve got some tips to keep you warm while camping during winter.
While being prepared is the name of the game with winter camping, it does mean that you’ll very likely be packing unnecessary equipment for your journey. The longer you go for and the colder it is, the more gear you’ll need.
For snow campers, keeping a little list of the actual clothing you wore can be a great way to reduce the excess sweaters, socks, or sheets you take with you — all of which can be very bulky ad times.
Another great idea for winter goers is to spend a bit more of the clothing you have. There’s no point buying several layers of clothing when one really good jumper or jacket could do the trick.
If you’re going around autumn or spring, when the weather can be a bit unpredictable, take quality garments for cool and warm conditions will help reduce the clutter in your camper trailer.
Try to consider the area and time of year you’re going and pack for the most likely weather forecast. Obviously, there’s no point bringing snow gear to northern Queensland, but you’d be surprised at the few that think, “Well, just in case”.
Depending on your camper trailer or camping capabilities, you might be looking at a portable gas cooker to take with you, a plumbed gas and 4 burner cooker like the Titan or a thought out external kitchen like the Mars 16 has.
Having a burner or portable shove can be a great option, even a solid backup for when things go south. However, if you’ve been on several road trips and never used the cooktop, it’s probably time to stop bringing half your kitchen with you.
One way to make sure you know exactly what to bring is to plan out when you think you’ll be cooking on the road. Maybe it will be just soups — so a pot and ladle might be enough, or perhaps you want to go a bit more MasterChef with your camping experience.
Regardless of whichever you choose, planning out what you’ll cook will dictate what you need to bring.
Some other general kitchen utensils you’ll need include a can opener, measuring equipment, bottle opener, zip lock bags, sealable containers, foil and glad wrap.
For many campers, the cooking and eating utensils you take while camping are often the things you leave behind. One way of making sure this never happens is to have an entirely different set of kitchen camping gear.
It might seem like a waste since you’re doubling up on things you have in your kitchen at home, but if you’re often finding you’re missing and forgetting things its an idea to consider.
Paper documents might be the last thing on a camper’s mind, but it’ll be the first when something goes wrong. It’s always a good idea to have two copies; one physical and one digital.
Having only one or the other can only lead to disaster if you don’t have internet connection or you find that you’ve misplaced the file.
Documents you should always go camping with include pet records if you’re taking a pet, insurance policies and identification paperwork. All of these can be very useful if something goes wrong while on the road.
Decluttering your camper trailer is a great way to make sure you have these documents at hand and that they’re in a spot you’ll remember and find.
While we are on the subject of documents and paperwork, taking basic stationery with your while camping is another handy tip. You’ll never know when you’re in need or loose paper and a pen.
A handy toolbox in the back of your camper trailer is a backup safety measure all campers should have. Even if you don’t exactly know how to use them, just having them is still a very good idea.
We’re not saying you need to have power drills and a chainsaw, but general utility tools you might have around your own home can be useful allies on the road.
Some of these include a plier, hammer, screwdriver, wrench, bungee cord, duct tape, torch, jumper cables, zip ties, extension cord, and an empty petrol container.
If you’re thinking about being a bit more serious with your toolbox, then perhaps consider oil and water filters, lug wrench, measuring tape, a hand shovel, and lubricant.
It might also be noteworthy to consider the age and parts of your camper trailer if it’s on the older side then getting it serviced regularly can help prevent the need for tools.
The last area is probably the hardest, and that’s the fun stuff you take with you while camping. It could be all of the board games, inflatable balls, or surf equipment you lug around but never actually use on the road.
We previously discussed how winter goers can often be taking way too much winter gear with them. However, summer campers can find the very same problem.
Especially if you’re one to do a lot of water sports and activities that require boogie boards, inflatable toys, surfboards, swimming gear, wetsuits, and everything in between.
Unfortunately, we’ve got no tips for sorting any of this. If you haven’t used the deck of cards in years or the family favourite board game, then it might be time to retire them.
It doesn’t mean you have to throw it out; maybe put it in a cupboard for a rainy day. We’re just saying that there’s no need to take excess stuff with you while camping.
There are plenty of reasons to clean out for camper trailer. Maybe you’ve put doing it off for too long or you’re thinking about buying a brand new camper trailer. Whichever reason you’ve decided, the team at Mars Campers can help you find the perfect camping companion.