You are super stoked about your upcoming campervan adventure. Your campervan is booked, and your itinerary pretty much planned. And then you realize that you have no idea about what would be the best luggage for your campervan road trip. This is how we felt before our first campervan holiday. Today we shed some light on what luggage is ideal for a road trip in a small campervan.
What is the best luggage to take on a campervan road trip? The best luggage to fit into your campervan is a soft travel bag. It is absolutely fine if it has roles. Soft bags fit into the van and make the rest of the trip more comfortable. Avoid suitcases, as they are too bulky to fit into the storage areas. Also, try not to use large backpacks, as the straps and especially the hip belt, might get entangled.
Soft luggage also has more advantages than just fitting into the campervan better. Let's talk about the features your soft travel bag should have.
Soft travel bags are the best luggage for campervans
The softness of the bag is crucial to make the most use of the space offered in the van. You might have to turn, tilt, and push the bag for it to fit. You will need to do all of this and still be able to reach for it easily. After all, you will access it every day.
There are many different designs, brands, and prices out there for soft travel bags. Before you look into buying a new bag, though, take a look at your storage. We have dedusted Jen's old travel bag, with which she left Guatemala over ten years ago. We hadn't used it for the past five years and then suddenly it turned into the most useful bag, which we have taken with us on each trip ever since.
It is so useful as it has two separate large compartments and lots of smaller pockets that come in handy to stay organized in a compact van. It has two built-in roles, which I love because it makes navigating the bag so much easier. I would never want to travel with bags without roles again ๐.
Traveling with a campervan has the beautiful advantage of not packing up every day, like during a road trip with a regular car. However, you still want to navigate your bags comfortably through airports and cities.
Avoid bags with four wheels that stick out from the body of the bag; those will be harder to fit into the van.
As mentioned before, older bags might be best. If you don't have one, then we recommend buying one. Bear in mind that they will get used a lot, opened and closed daily, and depending on your route a little dusty.
What is the ideal luggage size for a small campervan?
Each rental company uses different vans with different interior layouts. Generally speaking, all small campers will fit two large size bags. Check the dimensions on the company's homepage just to make sure. Our two bags are 75cm (29 inches) and 64cm (25 inches) in length. Anything in that range will work fine.
How much can my luggage weigh?
This is all very dependent on the kind of airline ticket you booked. We would assume that you fly economy. The general rule is 23kg (50lbs) per bag on international flights. Be sure to check the homepage of your airline, though, and be sure to book one piece of luggage unless you travel light with only hand luggage. Pay attention to the included piece of luggage, as even on long-distance flights nowadays, you should not take it for granted. We have seen enough fairs from big airlines, without the luggage being included.
Should you choose to travel without any checked-in bags, keep in mind to select your bag carefully. If you plan on doing any hikes, you will use this bag not only to fly but also hiking (don't let the bag be too big). This bag also needs to store the things that you do not take on your daily adventures (unless you don't mind your clothes flying around in the car).
What is the best hand luggage for a campervan road trip?
Definitely bring a backpack as a daypack. For the past ten years, I have tried multiple models of Deuter backpacks, which, in my opinion, are the best out there. They are incredibly durable, functional, and comfortable.
If you are active like us, you will probably also do some hiking during your trip, and your hand luggage should serve as your hiking backpack as well.
In case you do not own an appropriate outdoor backpack yet. We cannot recommend our models enough. I use the Trans Alpine 28 SL, which ranks as a bike backpack, but for me offers the greatest versatility. I use it for hiking, biking, daily use, and even take it to the office (I cycle to the office ๐). Jen uses the One Bike 18 SL, which is a bit smaller and serves as our city bag.
Where do you store your luggage in your campervan?
Usually, there is a designated storage area in each van. In the converted vans that we have rented, it was underneath the bed in a wooden or metal locker. There was always some space between the car seats and the 'bed frame,' so we also had bags out there.
In the US, we rented from Lost Campers. Check out their full gallery for more impressions.
In Australia, we rented from Spaceship Rentals and had a similar size and layout.
What to do with your bags when you leave the car?
Some campervan rentals come with a lockable storage compartment or a lockbox for valuables; others don't. In a campervan, you will not have a classic trunk, so your bags will mainly be behind the front seats and the bed box or underneath the bed. In any case, we always recommend closing the curtains when you leave the car not to encourage any break-ins.
Related questions
What to take on a campervan road trip?
We recommend a mixture of outdoor and urban clothes. Ask yourself how active you will be and depending on that shift to more outdoor or more urban pieces. Also, keep in mind the weather conditions to pack your clothes accordingly.
Next to some hiking shoes/boots, it is wise to bring some light running shoes or trainers for the campgrounds and quick stops along the road and never forget your flip-flops (or similar) for showering. For hygienic reasons, we strongly suggest never shower barefoot in public showers.
Should you love campfires as much as we do, take an extra hoody or fleece with you and make it your campfire fleece. Believe me, it will smell like it ๐.
If you are interested in what we take and what we recommend you, take a look at Jen's article 'What to Pack for Your Next Active Campervan Trip'.
How to pack your clothes for your road trip?
First, there is the question of what to take on your trip, soon to be followed by the how-to pack everything so that it makes sense.
Yeah, that's right. It should make sense. Packing is an art and should be thought through, especially on a trip where you will live out of your bag and won't unpack everything once you reach your destination.
Start to get an idea about your packing task at hand by laying everything out on your bed or floor.
Also, think of any piece of equipment that does not need to be in the hand luggage (e.g., your water bladder for hiking). If you are two people packing together, you might want to consider mixing your clothes and packing a few things from each person in each bag. This will save you a lot of hassles and worries, should one bag get delayed or lost.
Next, start with the things you will need last on your trip. Let's say you have a few days at the end of your trip to relax at some beach, or you will end in a colder place than you started. Pack those things first and then work yourself up with each layer.
Again I have compiled a detailed '15 Steps To Pack Like A Master For Your Next Campervan Trip' guide in a separate post.
What are your experiences with luggage on campervan trips? Would you agree with us? We are looking forward to reading your thoughts below.
