How much does "stuff" weigh?

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campn fool

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I have camped all my life.  Tents, pop-ups, Class A, B & C.  My last unit was a class B (Roadtrek 190 Popular).  Getting ready to do the trailer thing now.  I have a truck but no trailer yet.  So I am trying to learn about towing, weights, capacities, etc. before I buy a trailer.  So many numbers involved it makes my brain a little numb trying to keep it all straight. 

  I keep hearing/reading that I should add 1000 lbs. to the dry weight of the trailer and that number (dry wgt + 1000) should be 15% below my tow vehicle's tow rating for traveling in the eastern mountains and 20% below for traveling in the western mountains.  First off, I can't imagine packing 1000 pounds worth of "stuff" in the trailer!!!!  :eek:    I can't imagine that I would have 500 pounds of stuff to pack in it.  I mean,.... clothes, linens, pots/pans, dishes, food, drinks, a few tools (screwdrivers, hammer, pliers) etc.,......... how much could that stuff weigh?  My outside gear that I have already (rugs, chairs, tables, mats, etc.) are all lightweight and/or foldable because of exiting my class B.  All that "stuff" probably doesn't weigh but 40 lbs.  What am I missing here?

So what's the average of the total weight of "stuff" that you pack in a trailer?  :-\    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks - Jeanette

PS - This trailering thing is tough -- there is quite a lot to learn but this website is extremely helpful.

 
We recommend that you ignore the dry weight altogether and use the GVWR (max loaded weight) when calculating your tow numbers. That way you know you can handle whatever you actually put in the trailer. We also recommend an allowance of 10% (not 15%) for eastern towing and 20% for western towing, but that's only if you do not have actual measured weights to go by.  Not sure where you got the 1000 lb figure from, though. I might assume a 1000 lb load on a small trailer if I couldn't find the GVWR anywhere, but that's rare.

Dry weight is a condition that exists only at the factory on the day it rolls off the line, and then only with no options installed. "Stuff" includes fresh and waste water (if any), propane, perhaps things like awnings and tvs, any gear you bring (canned food, beer and soda are HEAVY) and even the weight of the hitch on the truck.
 
Yes,, I read about using the GVWR of the trailer as a guideline,... however, I looked at a unit yesterday.  It was a 2010 Keystone Passport Ultra-lite 195RB.  It had a dry wgt of 3860, sticker on the door said it weighed 3864.  The CCWR was 2070 making the GVWR a whopping 5930 which is above the towing capacity of my TV. 

Using the rule of adding 1000 lbs to the dry wgt, that put the wgt at 4864, well within my towing limit of 5620 (at least in the east). 

Other trailers I have looked at, such as, 2009 Four Winds 18F dry wgt = 4076, cargo capacity = 3060 (that's a LOT of "stuff"), making GVWR = 7136.  Again, way beyond my TV capabilities using the GVWR rule but within capabilities using the 1000 lb. rule.  This seems to be the norm rather than the exception.

So, again, I ask,.... how much does "stuff" weigh? 
 
So, again, I ask,.... how much does "stuff" weigh? 
Click to expand...

How long is a piece of string?

Most exercises in trying to guestimate cargo in a trailer turn into a exercise in wishful thinking.  That is why we use GVWR here.  The only better number is actual, scaled weight -- as loaded for travel.

The object of the whole procedure is to evaluate whether a trailer you are chosing will be a safe and pleasant tow under the usual range of conditions you would tow in.  We have found that comparing GVWR of the trailer to the tow rating of the truck properly discounted for towing conditions works.  Most importantly, such a cautious approach will furnish you safety factor when things go sour -- and they will go sour.

 
I don't know where you found this 1000 lb rule, but I know of no such rule.  It sounds to me as though you have already decided that your stuff is no more than a 1000 lbs. You may be right, but the only way to know is to load it up and weigh it. And weigh it again every 3-6 months to keep an eye on it.

The whole point is one you already made: if you load in more than you expect, you will exceed your tow capacity and that is most definitely unsafe and damaging to the truck as well. Weight has a habit of growing after your initial load. Everybody adds a few things  each trip and few things ever get taken out. Then one time you decide you need to carry a full tank of water (@8 lbs/gal) and Bingo, you are well over your 1000 lbs.

Good luck.
 
People's "stuff" weighs different. We travel with a lot of books, too many clothes and too much food, hobbies and toys, and an 85-pound Lab with all his food and toys. We have friends who are minimalists and don't have a generator, get one book at a time at the library, only take enough food for a week and minimal clothing, and have a 15 pound dog. So our "stuff" weighs a lot more than their "stuff." Not only that, but our "stuff" weighs different on different trips during different times of the year. We're not taking our heavy winter clothes with us this summer.

So, like Carl L said "How long is a piece of string?"

Wendy
 
Just how high is up? What folks load will be different between most any individual or couple.  I recommend forgeting the dry weight figure since it is never accurate anyway.  Use ONLY the GVWR to figure weights and Never exceed the GVWR.  Simple as that.
 
If you really want to compute the weight of "stuff", list what you will be taking.  LEAVE NOTHING OUT .  Water is 8lbs./gallon, Propane about 6, food is listed on the can, box or whatever.  For clothes, go to a mail order catalog and get the weights there.  Sheets and blankets are the same.  When you get all that, add either 5% or 10% depending on your confidence in the weights you have used.  I would recommend about 10% as we usually had that much variation even though we weighed stuff as we loaded it.  BG  Not an RV but much more critical vehicle.  It is extremely easy to be off 100# do to last minute "I forgots".

Don't forget the stuff in the truck, you, your wife and all the rest count in the GCVWR so be sure to include everything there too.
 
Or keep a running inventory of EVERYTHING  #/#  oz./oz. -- paper clips to canned peas -- clothes to cookware -- toys to toe nail clippers -- indoors to outdoors.

Works well to keep track of seasonal changes between weighings to keep things within reason. Found I under estimated the weight A LOT before I started the 'weigh-ins'.  Helps to review as to what to keep and what to pitch when getting close to max CCC.  Or the dreaded scales are telling you you are OVERWEIGHT.

Works for me (but then I'm a little 'anal' about keeping lists) JMHO
 
So if I understand you correctly you are essentially looking for an average weight of camping gear/supplies per person per day?

Instead you have received the answers of "how long is a piece of string?" "Just how high is up?" and "Just use GVWR." That's very insightful and helpful stuff people! Asking for an average weight of cargo for a camping trip in a travel trailer isn't an open ended question like "How long is a piece of string?" If your too lazy to properly answer someone's question perhaps its best to go full lazy and not type anything at all? Also if your max cargo capacity in a small trailer is under 1000lbs how do you know you didn't accidently overloaded it?

I have been doing actual research on this myself:

The average weight of food per person per day including packaging is 5lbs. This is for food only not drinks.
1 week worth of laundry per person average is 15lbs (clothes and towels)
Sheets, blankets, pillows for a queen averages 10lbs
1 week of toiletries per person averages 2lbs
cleaning supplies for the week averages 25lbs
Average weight for pots, pans, lids, plates, cups, utensils, will be around 120lbs for 4 people
These numbers will get you close, if you pack enough food for 8 people when there are only 2 of you it will through it off a bit.

Your going to have a lot of one offs that will be easily to calculate:

Ice is sold in pounds
16oz bottle of water weighs a pound each
12oz bottle of beer weighs a pound each
12oz can of soda weighs 3/4 of a pound
A Camco sewer kit will run you 13lbs
a Craftsman 57 piece tool kit will run you 18lbs
A Coleman mesh camping chair will get you for 4lbs
Small appliances like coffee makers and blenders are 5lbs each
100ft garden hose and 100ft 12 gauge extension cord will be 16lbs each
A roll of paper towel or TP will weigh 8oz each
All the personal items you will bring to entertain yourself will need to be weighed separately.
If your going to travel with anything in your storage tanks will need to be calculated.
Propane weighs 4.2lbs per gallon, a 20lb tank stores 20lbs of propane plus the weight of the steel.
 
HUNGRY said:
So if I understand you correctly you are essentially looking for an average weight of camping gear/supplies per person per day?

Instead you have received the answers of "how long is a piece of string?" "Just how high is up?" and "Just use GVWR." That's very insightful and helpful stuff people! Asking for an average weight of cargo for a camping trip in a travel trailer isn't an open ended question like "How long is a piece of string?" If your too lazy to properly answer someone's question perhaps its best to go full lazy and not type anything at all? Also if your max cargo capacity in a small trailer is under 1000lbs how do you know you didn't accidently overloaded it?

I have been doing actual research on this myself:

The average weight of food per person per day including packaging is 5lbs. This is for food only not drinks.
1 week worth of laundry per person average is 15lbs (clothes and towels)
Sheets, blankets, pillows for a queen averages 10lbs
1 week of toiletries per person averages 2lbs
cleaning supplies for the week averages 25lbs
Average weight for pots, pans, lids, plates, cups, utensils, will be around 120lbs for 4 people
These numbers will get you close, if you pack enough food for 8 people when there are only 2 of you it will through it off a bit.

Your going to have a lot of one offs that will be easily to calculate:

Ice is sold in pounds
16oz bottle of water weighs a pound each
12oz bottle of beer weighs a pound each
12oz can of soda weighs 3/4 of a pound
A Camco sewer kit will run you 13lbs
a Craftsman 57 piece tool kit will run you 18lbs
A Coleman mesh camping chair will get you for 4lbs
Small appliances like coffee makers and blenders are 5lbs each
100ft garden hose and 100ft 12 gauge extension cord will be 16lbs each
A roll of paper towel or TP will weigh 8oz each
All the personal items you will bring to entertain yourself will need to be weighed separately.
If your going to travel with anything in your storage tanks will need to be calculated.
Propane weighs 4.2lbs per gallon, a 20lb tank stores 20lbs of propane plus the weight of the steel.
Click to expand...
This thread is from 2009.... people were not being lazy they were giving their opinions which they are entitled to do.
 
This guy is in LA LA land with all the weights he has paraded.. What is also not recognized is the fact that if you own the RV long enough,, it will GROW AND GAIN WEIGHT!! It is inevitable that "stuff" will be added the the RV and left as RV STUFF for the next trip... Case in point: I have weighed my D/P each year to account for weight gain and in 10 years it has "gained" 750 pounds!!.>>>Dan
 
I can tell you when we switched trailers this spring between camp chairs, pots pans, dishes, linens, towels etc, bbq, camp chef 3 burner, gridle,2 pop up gazebos, 2 60lbs batteries, 2 30lbs propane tanks, had over 3 hours of moving stuff over. Hell i have a 160gallon water tank that 1400lbs of water alone when we weighed the trailer loaded its more than 2000lbs of stuff. Then add food clothes 60 gallons of fuel 2 bikes gear and im at my 4200 lbs cargo limit
 
Last edited:
As mentioned stuff has a way of accumulating, camping chairs, BBQ grill, outdoor rug, boot scraper, outdoor pop up canopy, tools, decorations, outdoor lights, blankets, wheel chocks, leveling blocks, hoses, extension cords, ...
 
HUNGRY said:
If your too lazy to properly answer someone's question perhaps its best to go full lazy and not type anything at all?
Click to expand...
There's nothing lazy about the answers from 12 years ago. And the answer(s) are, indeed, something like "how long is a piece of string," though perhaps not quite as indeterminate. First, define a "travel trailer," which can be pretty small (such as a Trailmanor 2019 or a teardrop) or can exceed 35' in length, with varying amounts of storage space and THEN it becomes dependent on the needs of the individual user.

And why are you coming here and, on your first post, making major complaints about what someone did 12 years ago, not even knowing forum typical procedures or the people here (several of whom have passed on), contributing nothing to the discussion and bordering on (not quite) personal attack.

And you list AVERAGES:
The average weight of food per person per day including packaging is 5lbs. This is for food only not drinks.
1 week worth of laundry per person average is 15lbs (clothes and towels)
Sheets, blankets, pillows for a queen averages 10lbs
1 week of toiletries per person averages 2lbs
cleaning supplies for the week averages 25lbs
Average weight for pots, pans, lids, plates, cups, utensils, will be around 120lbs for 4 people
Click to expand...
Averaged over how many people, and what is your source for that information? I have yet to meet that mythical "average" person, and I can guarantee that a lot of us (myself included) don't fit that "average" mold. So people were attempting to find a way to help the OP tailor the information to himself. You don't do that with an "average."
 
You also have to include the weight of fresh water, as well as grey and black water. This can add up. And with a motorhome, you have to include the weight of passengers. Also, "per day" does not make sense since none of us go shopping and add things each day. We tend to pack stuff for at least a week at a time!
 
@Oldgator73 and @HUNGRY, totally agree, @HUNGRY you gave the most helpful info I’ve been able to find, of course it’s averages but at least it’s a starting point and not just a snarky remark like so many made-THANK YOU!!! And @Oldgator73 i agree! So many pissy remarks to someone who actually made an effort to help!
 
I always think stuff weighs less than it really does.

I ran to the grocery store this morning for a head of cabbage. It felt like a pound, but it weighed in at 2lbs at the register. gees.
 
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