Easy RV Hacks to Help Batten Down the Hatches and Cruise from Coast to Coast

I remember fondly one of the first bits of advice I received from a fellow RV enthusiast at a KOA off of I-80 in western Wyoming as I was up to my shoulders in the engine compartment trying to address who knows what issue…

“It’s like owning a house that is constantly in an earthquake.”

I popped my head out quickly to greet the kind gentlemen who had just summed up the source of many an issue, large and small, that any fellow RVer has surely crossed while on the road - constant vibration from driving a big rig long distances causes problems. From cupboards clanging and wire connections coming undone to poorly stowed food flying across the floor and engine trouble, thousands upon thousands of miles cause wear and tear. There is no way around it. The RV Richter Scale is always working.

Once you embrace this law of RV life, you realize there are some simple solutions to help batten down the hatches and trim the tremors. With a little common sense and some DIY ingenuity, life on the road can get a little more secure, literally. Some things you will learn by trial and error and others through the experience that can only be gained from days, weeks and months on the road. Here are a few easy hacks to get any RV locked down, loaded up and ready to rumble.

Batten the Hatches! Seriously.

This old phrase comes from sailing and directly applies to RV travel. You need to secure all doors, drawers, cupboards, closets and anything else that could swing or be forced open by bumps or hard turns. A starting point is to make sure your cabinets have latches that secure and are operating correctly. Push button latches, such as these, are a favorite for boats and RVs and are easy to install. I always employ another step and secure the cabinet latch with a piece of rope, cord or bungee.

If you screw in a small eye-hook on the underside of a cabinet (applies for high hanging cabinets, attach on side for cupboards on the floor), you’ll have a solid anchor to tie your cordage to, keeping anything from flying out if the latch fails. Similarly, two doors opening next to each other, French door style, can be secured by tying or bungee-ing the two knobs or latches together.

Cordage is useful in so many situations so stock up on both rope and varying size of bungee cord before any trip. Parachute cord, or P-chord, is durable, cheap and endlessly useful.

Related Read: Top Camping Gear, a Complete List

Stow Your Stuff!

Before leaving home or the campground do a walkthrough inside all areas of your RV to find any loose items and make sure they are properly stored. A frying pan left on the stovetop or a glass bottle on the table will slide off and hit the floor as soon as you hit the gas or take a hard right, causing a startling commotion and/or leaving a mess. We once had a bottle of grenadine escape inspection only to fall to floor, explode and cover a passenger in sticky red syrup. It might have tasted alright but it was quite the cleanup and she looked like she just escaped a murder scene!

Compartmentalizing your compartments is an easy hack to remedy loose articles. Fill cupboards with smaller boxes or bins and keep food stuffs organized this way. It will keep single articles from escaping and limit the potential for random escapes and explosions. Bottle sleeves and koozies are a cheap and easy way to keep wine, beer and other beverages from hitting each other or something else and breaking. Buy in bulk and they are really cheap or ask the liquor store attendant if they have any extra.

Small items that you might need often and easily such as pens, sunglasses, kid supplies, cell phones and accessories can be stored in suction cup bins on windows or walls. These little wonders were designed for showers and tubs to hold bath products but are effective and efficient ways of tidying up an RV. Stick several (at least) of these up and you’ll be amazed how convenient and useful they are.

Related Read: Amazing Uses for Command Hooks and Strips in Your RV

Random but Handy Products

Press’n Seal Wrap – really handy stuff for covering leftover food items, bowls, pots, etc. Put it over any cup and pop a straw through the top and you have an instant to-go cup. Works in a pinch for a temporary cover for an oil jug or milk container, just be sure to secure it so it doesn’t tip!

Zip Ties – always great to have a supply of various sizes. A more permanent, yet easily removable method of securing, they also come in handy for random repairs and can act as hose clamps if you’re in a bind.

Ratchet Straps – these are useful for securing any cargo that you may want to put on the top of your RV or trailer. Also great for some DIY mechanical repairs – I’ve secured a gas tank that fell due to failed welds (lasted for years!) and kept a hydraulic unit in place who’s bolts shook loose and were lost on the road.

Magnets – get creative here. Easy to attach small adhesive magnets to something used often (tire gauge, small tools, etc.) and stick them on the fridge for easy use. Larger ones could secure a chair to the floor or keep your sharp kitchen knives safely stowed.

Stowing belongings and securing your rig is easy and should be part of your daily RV upkeep routine. By following some of these tricks and stocking up on products that can come in handy, you’ll be able to keep rocking and rolling down the endless highways with fewer worries and fewer broken belongings. Let’s call it RV earthquake prevention. Highway seismology on a micro scale. You know that it’s coming so best to be prepared.