Space and Weight When Camping and RVing
When camping or RVing, space and weight are the two biggest factors that determine what you can bring. A few decades ago, all you could bring on a camping trip were the essentials; however, in recent years, companies have developed innovative ways to reduce space and weight of items you may want to bring.
Why is weight so important?
First off more weighted down your RV or car is, the more gas it consumes. If you’re traveling a long distance, the cost can start to really add up. It’s always better for the life of your RV or car parts to travel light. In the same vein, it’s also better for your body to travel light. Carrying more weight costs your body more energy/fuel/calories and your musculoskeletal system, particularly your spine, suffers if you carry a lot of weight over long distances. Typically it’s recommended that you not hike while carrying more than 15% of your body weight.
New Ways to Reduce Space & Weight
The newest space/weight saving items to come to camping and RVing are collapsible silicone items. Food grade silicone is lightweight, durable, heat resistant, and nontoxic. Sea to Summit has come out with a whole line of collapsible, nesting, silicone cookware designed for camping. These items collapse down to about the height of a hockey puck.
Many companies have created other collapsible items that could be useful in RVing and camping. This includes colanders, laundry baskets, steamer baskets, bowls, teakettles, water bottles/canteens, pet/human food dishes, scissors, splints, stoves, tupperware, lamps, coolers, and even kayaks.
Some items just can’t be made collapsible, but you can still find them in lightweight or compact forms. Titanium is a lightweight metal that’s also incredibly durable, so when looking at metal camping items, going with titanium is a safe bet.
Another way companies are changing their products to save weight and space is by cutting out unnecessary mass from products. For example, Klymit has come out with an ultralight, inflatable camping pad (Inertia X Frame) that has gaps except where your body’s pressure points are like the hip and shoulder. Klymit also has compression sacks that can reduce the size of your sleeping bag to give you more space in your hiking pack.
Items With Multiple Uses
If you can bring one item instead of two, that’s always a plus, and the industry of multiuse items has come a long way since the Swiss Army knife. Brands like Rice Husk have come out with versatile, compact kitchen items, like a collapsible colander with a cutting board lid that also stores knives, slicers, and graters. If you want to cook on your RV/camping trip, this is a great item to have. There are ponchos that double as tents, coats that double as sleeping bags, carabineers that double as fire starters, and many more multiuse items.
With all these new ways to reduce space and weight, you really don’t have to go without on your next adventure. Having your essential and comfort camping/RVing without taking up your entire attic or basement in between trips is just another reason to be excited about all these space saving items. Just like renting an RV or renting camping equipment, these items will make your adventures less costly and more convenient. We at RV Camper Share hope these ideas have been helpful and welcome you to call us to help get your next adventure in motion!