Clever Ways to Use Tension Rods in Your RV

Adding personal touches to your RV is the very best way to make it feel like a home away from home. For most people this means adding a fun bedspread, some rugs, and a few throw pillows. Some people even add artwork to the walls.

What most people don’t consider is just how much more comfortable a well-organized and well-used space can be. For this reason, we highly recommend going out of your way to find some great mods.

Of course, the idea of doing any sort of modifications to your home-on-wheels can feel overwhelming. After all, you wouldn’t want to mess anything up, and besides, who wants to use valuable time to work on their rig when they could be out camping and enjoying it?

Fortunately, there are some super simple mod options that don’t require much time and certainly don’t require making any permanent changes. Some of the best of these involve tension rods.

Wondering what on earth you could do with a tension rod to make your RV a more enjoyable place to be? Check out these awesome options.

Bed Rail

Have a kid who falls out of bed? They are certain to have trouble with those skinny single RV bunks, and if that kid happens to be on the top bunk, they are likely to get hurt. Clearly, this is no fun, and it certainly isn’t something you want happening on your family getaway.

Fix this issue with a tension rod bed rail. Simply put a tension rod across the bunk about 4–6 inches up, making sure it fits snugly between the walls at either end of the bed. This will remind your sleeping child where the edge of the bed is and should help protect them from rolling off.

Curtain Rod

For the most part, tension rods are made to hold curtains. Why not use a tension rod for just that purpose?

RVs are small spaces, and often, finding privacy is next to impossible. By placing a tension rod across your home-on-wheels and hanging a curtain on it, you can divide one part of the RV from the rest of the space. This creates a private space for changing clothes or just hanging out.

This is the perfect solution for those RVs that don’t have any doors at all, and because it’s so easy to put up and take down, you can change how your rig is separated in no time. Best of all, this is a lightweight alternative to walls and doors, meaning you won’t be adding tons of extra weight to your setup.

Related Read: Creative Decor Hacks for Your RV

Drying Rack

One of the biggest issues with RV bathrooms is the fact that there just aren’t enough places to hang towels. Sure you can put some hooks on the door, and you might find space to put up one towel rod, but chances are, you’ll never find a spot for every towel your family gets wet. This is where a tension rod steps in.

Tension rods are ideal drying racks. You can hang one across your shower area behind the shower curtain to create additional towel drying space, or you can hang a couple in various places in your rig to hang laundry after washing it.

They’re easy to take down when you’re done using them, and just as easy to put back up once you need them again, making them the ideal drying solution for campers.

Shelf Front

Things falling from shelves and cabinets during moving day is another common problem that most RVers face at one time or another. Non-skid shelf liners help enormously with this, and obviously, making sure your cabinet doors are closed is helpful as well. Some people even go so far as to add latches to their cabinets.

That said, this does nothing for the stuff you may be storing on an open shelf. Moreover, even the items that are contained within the cabinets during the drive are likely to shift and end up falling out when you open the cabinet for the first time after parking.

Once again, a tension rod can help. By placing a short tension rod across the front of a shelf, you can help keep things contained. When combined with a non-skid shelf liner, this is actually quite effective, especially if you carefully choose the particular items left on the shelf.

As far as cabinets go, a tension rod placed across the front of the cabinet but behind the actual door will keep things from toppling out during transit, and even when you finally open the cabinet door after a rough ride.

Related Read: RV Bathroom Storage Tips and Tricks

Basket Holder

Anyone who has ever owned an RV knows that storage is a precious commodity. That’s why RVers are always on the lookout for clever ways to add storage to their rigs. Believe it or not, one clever storage option can be created with a tension rod and a few plastic baskets with handles.

To create your new storage space, hang the baskets by their handles from the tension rod. Next, hang the rod anywhere you see fit. Many people use this option in the shower to hold toiletries and bath toys. Others might find it useful when hung above the kitchen sink to hold soap, a sponge, or even kitchen utensils. Still others might choose to hang their baskets in their bedrooms to hold bedside items or elsewhere in the kitchen for holding fruits.

Wherever you hang it, this is an excellent and versatile solution that anyone can create.

Clearly, tension rods are an amazing thing when it comes to making your RV your own. They can serve a number of purposes and modify things without making any permanent changes.

We’re betting one or two of these ideas will work for you, making your camping life just a little bit easier. In fact, if you get creative, you can probably come up with even more ways to use tension rods to improve your tiny home-on-wheels!