Stowing the "loose" stuff for road time

[bikemutt]

I'm probably overthinking this but...it is dumb question Friday.

The trailer has plenty of counter space, cabinets and drawers which is great but, what stays where it is when on the road, and what get's packed into totes and stored?

I'd think most things on countertops needs to be stowed, like a coffee maker or any small appliance for that matter.

Stuff in the cabinets like melamine or plastic dinnerware I'm not sure about; one half of our team thinks the contents bounce around and ruin the cabinet finish, the other half is skeptical.

Items in drawers I'd think would be fine as long as they drawers have a soft close feature, or something like that so they don't open go flying.

Pearls of wisdom solicited please .

 

[Onyrlef]

We use folded towels, blankets, etc to keep stuff from banging around in the cabinets, pillows as well.

 

[Ex-Calif]

Stuff in the cabinets like melamine or plastic dinnerware I'm not sure about; one half of our team thinks the contents bounce around and ruin the cabinet finish, the other half is skeptical.

As for the finish on plates and stuff in cabinets you can buy plate separating racks. I never saw this as an issue. I used corelle type plates.

Most of the stuff hanging around the kitchen sink - dish soap, scrubbers and so on were just placed into the sink.

I had a maybe 24X24 plastic basket. A lot of stuff would end up in that and it was stored in the shower while underway.

But TBH it wasn't a lot of thinking or a lot of stuff. I didn't worry about "road vibration" scratching anything up. It was more about securing anything that could go flying in a panic stop.

I never had one drawer or one cabinet door open up while underway.

The fridge door however was chronic on the first trip - fully loaded fridge dumping on the floor - I added a safety pin/clip to the doors.

 

[Skookum]

We lined our cabinets and drawers with thin anti-skid rubber mats so stuff doesn't scuff, rattle or move.

Our plates and drink ware are plastic. Ceramic coffee mugs ride just fine on the rubber mat stuff in a cabinet.

I read about how people have issues with stuff flying around, door popping open, fridges flying open even though they supposedly are latched and/or have catches so the doors can't just freely swing open without some pulling force. Suggestions to drive slower and take turns more carefully are usually met with defensiveness, but it actually works.

 

[Believer45]

Toaster ovens, toasters, coffee makers - any of the small appliances you have on the counter need to go on the floor, in the oven, in the microwave, in cabinets, in a tote or some such to keep them from moving and falling off the counter. Same for anything loose you have on the dinette/dining table. You will find (like most if not all of us here) what will stay and what will move around. We have found that spices in a spice rack stay put and, as long as the door cannot open, the contents of the refrigerator stay OK for us.

We have found that things put on the bed seem to pretty much stay put as long as they are not right at the edge of the mattress.

 

[UTTransplant]

We leave things on the counters all the time. However our kitchen is close to the wheels of the MH so there isn’t much vibration. The expensive espressor machine does get anchored with suction cups and cord though. The little baskets at the back of the counters are on no-skid mats, and they never move. Decorative objects are stuck down with museum putty aka earthquake putty. No movement with them! Miscellaneous loose stuff sometimes gets placed on the chairs or sofa if we will use it at our next destination. Things like my sewing supplies for example. Sewing machine goes on the floor under the dining chairs. Dishes stay where they are. We never had a cabinet door come open when it was completely shut, but a few times they were almost closed they did. Lost a Corelle plate and bowl then. But remember each rig has sweet spots where things done move and where they do. In a towable, the smoothest spot is right over the hitch. The bounciest place is the back. Most motorhomes are much smoother because of wheel placement and shocks.

 

[Larry N.]

Toaster ovens, toasters, coffee makers - any of the small appliances you have on the counter need to go on the floor, in the oven, in the microwave, in cabinets, in a tote or some such to keep them from moving and falling off the counter.

In our Beaver and in our Ventana we left the toaster on the counter (rubber feet) and it didn't move much, even in a hard stop or over rough road. We also left a basket on the counter and it, too, stayed put. Ceramic cups in the cabinet we wrapped in small towels or washrags, but everything else in the cabinet was left alone, though sitting on the soft mesh cabinet liner material. But we DID do a thorough "preflight" before rolling to be certain that all cabinet doors and drawers were shut tight, as well as a bungee on the microwave door (it was a light magnet latch) and on the refrigerator door (the latch could vibrate open after a while).

We did put away our soap bottle, sponge, dish drainer, and coffee pot (under the sink) though.

Lighter rigs may not fare quite as well, so check often at first on anything you leave on the counter to be certain what may make it, perhaps leaving a kleenex box or some such on the counter to see how it does (ours stayed put, except for being caught by a plastic riser on the forward edge of the counter on hard braking -- once there it didn't move again.

 

[Professor David]

Lots of good comments/information above. We are still learning about how to stow things efficiently and quickly after a year of RVing. It has taken us some time to figure this out but we are getting there.

 

[LarsMac]

Our coffee pot has its very own cabinet, and the crock pot sits in the sink while we travel. Laptops are on seat cushions, everything else goes in drawers that have latches to keep them closed. Any random loose stuff on the table or counters gets dropped into the sink, or the basket that sits behind the driver's seat prior to take-off.
Barring a roll-over, or something equally drastic, we're good.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

When we had trailers, especially the smaller ones, stuff moved around a lot more than the later big motorhomes. Not just road vibration either - cornering tended to throw things around, even free-standing furniture (if there was any). We had one trailer with a closet across the rear and it threw all the hangers off the rod until I added a retainer to keep them in place. And a rear kitchen 5W also tended to bounce dishes around the cabinets, so we took some extra care with padding. Neither of those trailers had shock absorbers on the spring suspension.

We used Corelle dishware and slim foam dividers between layers. Foam sleeves on any glassware, or even old socks. Everything on countertops went into the sink or a cabinet or maybe a nearby dinette seat. It was never something we gave much thought to and everything was nearby rather than "stowed away". It was a matter of an extra 5 minutes to put the stuff away for travel or bring it out again on arrival.
Do be cautious with the fridge doors, though. Spilled contents are an awful mess!

You will quickly learn what precautions are important with your rig.

 

[Fluffywhitedogs]

I recently discovered museum putty. It kept my test, an IKEA can of kitchen utensils, perfectly in place on the counter from southwest Tennessee to Toronto. I’m not 100% sure I trust it with my coffee maker yet, but maybe…

 

[Kirk]

Like, Gary we have traveled with both travel trailers and motorhomes and a travel trailer is much more prone to things moving around while on the road. Because people do not ride in them most manufacturers do not put nearly the quality into the suspension for aa nice ride. On a rough road or in an emergency stop, only things that are attached to the counter will stay where placed. A good way to test if you have any doubts is to leave the item in question sitting in the center of your floor when you travel and see where it isbac when you reach your destination. Ride quality inside of most towed RVs varies quite widely but in very few with the OEM suspension would it be considered to be good. Looking at the specs for the 2024 Grand Design Imagine 17MKE it appears to be 22' long and about 6400# so it is probably somewhere in the middle of the ride quality for travel trailers. Tandem axles give a better ride than single but in my opinion it would be very risky to leave anything fragile on the counters or table. With a similar trailer we used to put the TV and coffee maker on the bed and they always rode fine there and were easily put back into service each night but anything else was usually put into something for safe travel.

 

[jlhog]

Most everything goes in different sized totes. Toaster and things like that get bigger totes.. Smaller things get stored in little totes also. Coffee maker we just lay in the sink when in motion.

 

[LMHS]

Non-skid liners on the shelves. I run some really old Corelle that has bounced thousands of miles down the US highways and Interstates (popup camper, Class C, bus conversion and some has been moved into a truck camper). I've never broken a plate due to traveling. Concrete pads are a different story. I use mason canning jars as drinkware and food storage. Never broken one while traveling.

I use museum/quake putty to secure decor in place. I tend to leave my appliances on the counter if that is their normal place. I use strategically placed single bar "refrigerator bars" place vertically between the countertop and the bottom of the upper cabinets to keep the appliances from moving. I have locks on my refrigerator and freezer. I have a few single "refrigerator bars" in the cabinets, refrigerator and freezer (my freezer is filled to overflowing). When not in use, those get pushed upwards the top of the cabinet or nestled against the shelf above the shelf they are in use on so they are out of the way but still handy to be put back in place.

The same is done for the truck camper. Except we often forget the dog's water bowl sitting on the table. It tends to be sitting in the same spot, still half full of water, when we get home (12 miles) from a trip to town.

 

[LMHS]

Do be cautious with the fridge doors, though. Spilled contents are an awful mess!

Mayonnaise and pickles! Yuk! Always make sure the refrigerator/freezer doors are secure just before you pull out. Someone else may have opened the door and forgot to latch it closed again.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Speaking of stowing stuff. Many Dometic fridge doors use a handle with a simple plastic latch molded into it. I always push the fridge door to firmly and listen for the click of the thumb latch, catching. I carry a few small parts that are invaluable, set screws that hold the hitch brackets to the frame, seal for the toilet, some of the old LEDs I removed but are suitable for spares, a fridge heat element, and a fuel filter for the truck. I am giving thought to buying a set of the fridge door handles and carrying at least one of them.

I'll illustrate with the white ones, they are easier to see in the pics.

Door handles/latches in WHITE $12.99 Pair.
Kscjdg RM2652 RV Refrigerator Door Latch for Dometic Refrigerator 3851174015 DM2652 DM2852 DM2862 RM2852 RM3662 RM2662 RM3863 Fit RV/Camper/Trailer Freezer Door Handle - 2 Pack (Beige White)

Door handles/latches in BLACK $12.89 Pair.
Kscjdg DM2652 RV Refrigerator Door Latch for Dometic Refrigerator 3851174023 DM2852 DM2862 DM2662 Replacement RV/Camper/Trailer Freezer Door Handle - 2 Pack (Black)

Charles

 

[Excalibur]

Speaking of stowing stuff. Many Dometic fridge doors use a handle with a simple plastic latch molded into it. I always push the fridge door to firmly and listen for the click of the thumb latch, catching. I carry a few small parts that are invaluable, set screws that hold the hitch brackets to the frame, seal for the toilet, some of the old LEDs I removed but are suitable for spares, a fridge heat element, and a fuel filter for the truck. I am giving thought to buying a set of the fridge door handles and carrying at least one of them.

I'll illustrate with the white ones, they are easier to see in the pics.

Door handles/latches in WHITE $12.99 Pair.
Kscjdg RM2652 RV Refrigerator Door Latch for Dometic Refrigerator 3851174015 DM2652 DM2852 DM2862 RM2852 RM3662 RM2662 RM3863 Fit RV/Camper/Trailer Freezer Door Handle - 2 Pack (Beige White)

Door handles/latches in BLACK $12.89 Pair.
Kscjdg DM2652 RV Refrigerator Door Latch for Dometic Refrigerator 3851174023 DM2852 DM2862 DM2662 Replacement RV/Camper/Trailer Freezer Door Handle - 2 Pack (Black)

Charles

I use two bungee cords across my fridge door. Never has opened in transit.

 

[JudyJB]

I solved some of my breakage problems by not having anything made of glass. I use paper plates only and do not own a single glass. I use water bottles and plastic glasses with lids to prevent people (mainly me) from spilling stuff. Plastic also is a lot harder to break. I also use the adjustable curtain rods in the refrigerator and built some small rods in my grocery shelves after the first month or so of constantly picking things off the floor whenever I made a stop.

I don't own a toaster--toast bread and bagels on a griddle when I want them. Pans and pots store under my dinette, mostly. And since I don't drink coffee, no coffee pot to put away. Anything on the counter gets dumped in the kitchen sink. I use a soft plastic dishpan that keeps things from rattling when I drive, and I also use it to store used dishwater to dump in the toilet.

The object is to have enough storage that you don't have to leave a bunch of stuff laying around to pack up when you move.

Finally, make sure the microwave door is always closed when you drive because if it opens and the glass plate slides out, it makes a horrible mess and is very difficult to replace.

 

[JudyJB]

Mayonnaise and pickles! Yuk! Always make sure the refrigerator/freezer doors are secure just before you pull out. Someone else may have opened the door and forgot to latch it closed again.

Also, when you shop, always choose the mayonaise and pickles jars that are plastic, instead of glass!!!!

Oh, and museum putty is wonderful, but don't get it on your clothing or fabric furniture covering as it makes a stain and is impossible to get rid of.

 

[MN Blue Skies]

Has anyone used velcro straps to secure their refrigerator doors? Since we often stop for lunch I'm wondering if the velcro would be a better solution than bungee cords or tie wraps.