Maggie Butler
Maggie Butler
0

Blog / Travel Journal

What to Pack on a Year-Long Cross-Country Road Trip

I’ve been on the road for over a year now—since April 2022—and have learned along the way what I’ve needed and which things I could probably do without. You’re basically living out of your car so you have to think about everything you’ll need but also try to save on space. Here’s my checklist!

Kitchen

  • Cooler

  • Ice packs

  • Water bottles (We use these huge Iron Flasks (64oz), which seems excessive but it was totally necessary. We also have smaller ones for hiking)

  • Water purifier pods (I love these)

  • Tupperware/food storage containers

  • Reusable napkins

  • Paper towel

  • Tin foil

  • Beeswax wraps

  • Coffee grinder and French press (optional, we are coffee snobs)

  • Olive oil/your choice of cooking oil (most Airbnbs have some but I like to have a bottle to be safe)

  • Can opener

  • Scissors

  • Reusable tote bags and produce bags

  • Compost bin (we collect our food scraps while on the road and find places to compost it via ShareWaste and community gardens)

  • Spices/seasonings that you use regularly. Try to narrow it down to a handful. These are mine:

    • Oregano

    • Dill

    • Garlic salt

    • Paprika

    • Italian seasoning

    • Cajun seasoning

    • Chili powder

  • Pantry staples. These are mine:

    • Rice

    • Black beans

    • Chickpeas

    • Oatmeal

    • Tuna packets

    • Popcorn

    • Coffee beans

    • Vinegar

    • Sugar

    • Nuts and/or seeds

    • We also have baking supplies leftover from a family trip and work project but unless you’re a big baker I don’t think they’re necessary (i.e. flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch)


Bath

  • Toothbrush

  • Toothpaste

  • Floss

  • Mouthwash/coconut oil

  • Deodorant

  • Makeup

  • Cleanser/skin care

  • Makeup remover

  • Reusable makeup remover pads/towels

  • Air freshener (don’t skip this one!!)

  • Reusable Q-tip

  • First aid kit

  • Sunscreen

  • Aloe

  • Nail clippers

  • Nail file

  • Nail polish remover

  • Shampoo and conditioner (most Airbnbs and hotels have these but I like to bring my own to cut down on single-use plastics)

  • Soap saver (I love this thing SO MUCH)

  • Lotion (again, a lot of places have lotion but I like to use my own to cut down on single-use plastics)

  • Lip balm

  • Razor

  • Hand sanitizer (don’t skip this one!!)

  • Mints/gum

  • Wet wipes

  • Earplugs!! (this one is huge and we’ve needed them so many times!)

  • Eye mask if you’re a light sleeper

  • Laundry bag (we immediately put our dirty laundry in it to free up space in the suitcase)

  • Laundry detergent sheets (most Airbnbs have detergent if they have a washing machine included. If not, you’ll need to go to a laundromat and you’ll need to buy detergent. Hotels that have washing machines are usually coin operated and you need to buy detergent)

  • Any medicines you might need. These are mine:

    • Tylenol

    • Lactaid

    • Tums

    • Pepto-Bismol

    • Day-Quil and Ny-Quil

    • Allergy medicine


Clothing

You want to pack clothes that are easy to mix and match so your outfits don’t get too stale. You’ll probably wear a lot less fancy clothes than you think you will and you don’t need as many shoes as you think you do. The most important thing is comfortable walking shoes (womp womp). Here’s what I packed, and I would say this is on the heavier side. Narrow it down if you can! You’ll also need to plan for the weather that you’re expecting so this may vary depending on how hot or cold you’re expecting to be.

  • Big suitcase

  • 3 pairs of jeans

  • 1 pair of nicer pants

  • 1 pair of capris

  • 2 pairs of jean shorts

  • 1 dress

  • 5 cute T-shirts

  • 2 blouse shirts

  • 4 button-up long sleeve shirts for layering

  • 2 workout T-shirts

  • 1 pair of leggings

  • 1 pair of sweatpants

  • 2 pairs of PJ pants

  • 1 pair of athletic shorts

  • Lots of underwear (10-15 pairs), socks (10-15 pairs of varying heights and thickness), and bras (~5-7)

  • 1 swimsuit

  • 2 winter hats

  • 3 summer hats (this is excessive unless you’re a hat person)

  • Small baggy full of accessories, jewelry, scarves (narrow it down to ONLY the essentials and leave room for purchases)

  • 1 belt

  • 1 pair of athletic sneakers

  • 1 pair of fashion sneakers (I have 2 but only use 1 regularly)

  • 1 pair of fashion boots

  • 1 pair of hiking boots (if you plan on doing any hiking or national parks, they are a must)

  • 1 pair of sandals

  • I also have 1 pair of fancy shoes but I very, very rarely use them so keep them as small/flat and lightweight as possible. Also, I keep most of my shoes in a bin in the car except for my sneakers and fashion boots

  • 1 pair slippers (again, flat if possible)

  • 2 sweaters

  • 2 sweatshirts

  • 1 light jacket

  • 1 heavy jacket

  • 1 raincoat

  • Sunglasses (1 pair for the car, 1 for your bag)

  • 1 purse


Camping

  • Tent

  • Tent peg mallet (don’t skip this one, we learned the hard way)

  • Tarp

  • Sleeping bags

  • Camping pads (the older we get, the more we need these)

  • Pillows

  • Folding chairs

  • Day pack

  • Bottletop Propane Camp Stove (“This thing has saved our ass so many times” - James Martino)

  • Propane

  • Lighter

  • Bug spray

  • 1 frying pan

  • 1 large pot

  • 1 fire-safe kettle

  • Cutting board

  • Good cutting knife

  • Dish soap

  • Sponge (if we go to an Airbnb and the sponge is individually wrapped, we assume they don’t reuse the sponges and take it with us to reuse for its entire life cycle)

  • Dish washing bin

  • Dish towel

  • Beach towels (1 per person)

  • Silverware (1 set per person)

  • Plates (1 per person)

  • Bowls (1 per person)

  • Mugs (1 per person)

  • Cups (1 per person)

  • Roasting sticks (1 per person)

  • Water jugs (we buy right before we go camping so they don’t take up car space)

  • Firewood (buy treated, local firewood near your campsite to avoid invasive species and contamination! Read more here)


Car

  • Tire pressure gauge

  • Air pump

  • Fix-a-flat (James just informed me that we don’t have this in our car but my dad would probably not be happy to find that out. Sorry, dad! We do have a AAA membership though)

  • Which brings me to my next point, AAA Membership

  • We have an atlas just in case we don’t have cell service but have rarely had to use it

  • Flashlight

  • Phone chargers

  • Phone mount (we love this one — thanks to our friends Nick and Nat for the recommendation! You absolutely need a good phone mount)

  • Storage containers for things that you don’t want to take inside with you every single time you go to a hotel or Airbnb (i.e. shoes you don’t wear as much, camping supplies, heavy coats when it’s hot out, etc.) I have:

  • Blanket or some kind of cover to put over your stuff when you’re not in your car (we sadly had a window smashed after leaving a backpack sitting out in the back seat. Thankfully, it was only filled with toiletries so they didn’t steal anything of much value). Or one of those car sun shades to hide the contents in your car.

  • Coffee tumbler

  • Reusable utensils (you can also collect them along the way)

  • Napkins (you can also collect them along the way)

  • Trash bags and/or grocery bags (not a ton, we just grabbed a few from home and get bags at the grocery store when we run out)

  • Hand sanitizer (this was in another section but you need one for the car and one on your person)

  • Toilet paper (haven’t needed this as much but it comes in handy when you’re camping or if your Airbnb runs out)

  • Before you leave, take your car in for a tune-up and oil change; check the tires and make sure to change them if they’re getting old. You’ll probably have to get oil changes and/or services done on your car while you’re on the road. Having records of previous services helps.

  • Make sure your car insurance and vehicle registration is up to date and keep a copy of your insurance card and vehicle registration in the glove box


Work

  • Laptop

  • Chargers

  • Headphones

  • Backpack

  • iPad

  • Notebook

  • Pens

  • Lap desk (optional but nice for working in the car or if the place only has 1 desk. I don’t use mine a ton but my back and neck appreciate it when I do)


Miscellaneous

  • America the Beautiful National Parks Pass (this pays for itself in 3 national parks visits—it is absolutely worth it. If you’re even just thinking about going to multiple national parks, buy it at the park entrance when you visit your first park of the year. It’s good for a whole year after you purchase (we bought ours in October 2022 so it’s good until October 2023). There are so many parks along the way that we stopped at just because we could and would have missed out on cool memories and opportunities if we didn’t have this!

  • Extra phone chargers (2 for the car, 2 for your backpacks)

  • Spotify Premium, Audible, Apple Music, Sirius XM, or your choice of audio streaming service. Whatever your listening preferences, just pay for it. Trust me.

  • YouTube TV, Hulu, Netflix, and/or whatever streaming service you want on the long list of options you have. I personally only think you need one but James would disagree :)

  • Sturdy phone case. I love my Otter Box.

  • Books. We have an excessive amount of books in our car so maybe get an eReader to save some space.

  • My favorite apps are GasBuddy, AllTrails, Merlin BirdID, and Sky Guide!

Things we did NOT need

There are some things we thought we’d need that we didn’t really use:

  • Personal hotspot. Most places have WiFi and our phones become personal hotspots if we need to work in the car. When we’re camping we take it as an opportunity to unplug.

  • Salt & Pepper. Most places have this. Bring small shakers if you’re worried or if you’re camping. Or just keep some in your camping supply bin.

  • Plastic wrap. I use food storage containers and don’t really like plastic wrap as a rule. We were given some that we rarely use. If you think you need something more than just food storage containers, beeswax wraps work or aluminum foil (which we also inherited) because it can double as a cooking tool and it’s easy to rinse and reuse more than one time.

  • Iron/steamer. Most places have these.

  • Roof cargo box. Sometimes I wonder if we should have bought one but we’ve been fine without it. I think it’s good to pare down and only pack what you need. If it doesn’t fit in the car, it doesn’t come with us.

  • I didn’t pack a DSLR camera because most of the time I don’t actually take it out and just opt for my phone. I think having one extra valuable piece of equipment taking up space and tempting burglars was unnecessary given how often I’d likely use it. I do wish I had higher quality photos but the iPhone 13 Pro does a pretty good job. If you’re an avid photographer and already use a camera regularly, definitely bring it. If you think this road trip is a great time to dust off the ol’ camera and get back into photography again (aka me), leave it at home.

  • Kayaks. I was sad to leave mine behind but we’ve been splitting our time in nature and bigger cities so it would have been more of a nuisance than anything, I think. We’ve rented kayaks which was just as fun, and we’ve gotten more into hiking! If we go on a shorter road trip in the future that’s more exclusively outdoor focused, I will most definitely be bringing the kayak.

Maggie Butler