Packing for your Next Road Trip

Packing for your Next Road Trip

Hitting the open road allows us to explore all that our beautiful Great Southern Land has to offer, at our own pace and within our own budgets! When set up properly, our vehicles provide us with the freedom to explore all the very best destinations, from remote beaches and sleepy coastal towns to lush rainforests and thundering waterfalls, to outback cattle stations and the dusty red heart of Australia, all without a boarding pass in sight! All we need for a successful road trip is good company, a great destination, and the right audio books & music… right?

Not quite. Whether you’re heading off for a weekend escape or a lap of Australia, we’ve put together some helpful tips for your next adventure!

Basic road trip essentials

It pays to be prepared. Where you are going and how long you’re travelling for will dictate what you need to pack, although there are some essentials that should be taken on every road trip:

• Check that your spare tyre is in good, road worthy condition and that your tyre jack is in your vehicle. You don’t want to get a puncture in the middle of nowhere and find out that your spare tyre is flat.
• Staying hydrated is essential for any road trip and packing Jerry cans of drinking water to refill your reusable water bottles is more environmentally friendly than buying bottled water. Pack more water than you think you’ll need.
• Lots of snacks within easy reach to keep hangriness at bay. (Being hangry is a thing… It’s defined as being “irritable or angry because of hunger”)
• First aid kit stocked with band-aids, bandages, antiseptic, painkillers, anti-nausea options, and antihistamines.
• Sunscreen, insect spray, sunglasses, car phone charger, matches or lighters, as well as bin bags for all your road trip rubbish.
• Hand sanitiser and body wipes for when you can’t find somewhere to wash your hands
• Toilet paper, as not all public toilets are created equal!
• Fire blanket, fire extinguisher and vehicle recovery equipment
• Paper maps. Stop at local tourist centres for free maps of the region – paper maps don’t lose signal or mobile phone coverage and can be a great back up if all else fails.

Safe packing tips

Safe driving starts before you even leave the driveway and the way you pack your car is also important: There is actually a right way and a wrong way to pack!

Weight/GVM is an important factor in any set-up as overloading your vehicle can negatively impact the way it performs and handles, as well as reducing its offroad capability and becoming dangerous. It’s also illegal.

When loading items into your car, it is critical that you check the load rating of your vehicle and remember to include any aftermarket accessories and vehicle occupants in the weight. Take a trip to your local registered weighbridge fully loaded and have the total weight of your loaded vehicle checked against the manufacturer’s rated gross vehicle mass figure. If its too heavy, its time to lighten your load.

Balance your load and distribute the weight evenly across your vehicle, making sure to pack heavy items first, followed by lighter items that you need easy access to. Heavy items should sit directly over the vehicle’s axle as much as possible and be stored as low as possible to help keep the centre of gravity down. Lighter items can be packed on top of, and to the sides of the heavier items. Distribute the weight as evenly as possible and ensure that your load is secured so that nothing moves if you brake suddenly.

• Vision equals safety! Do not pack things too high that they obstruct the driver’s view through the rear-view mirror.
• Soft bags and organisers are easier to fit into pockets of space, whereas hard boxes can leave wasted space in corners.
• A sheet of paper towel placed between plates and bowls help prevent rattling whilst on the move.
• Cutlery rolls with individual pockets and elastics keep your cutlery and utensils in place without clanging against each other, preventing scratches or damage.
• If you are transporting items outside of your vehicle, such as bicycles or other items, make sure they are weather resistant. Extreme rain or wind may cause damage to your possessions.
• If you’re carrying fuel in jerry cans, or carrying gas bottles, keep them outside the vehicle and away from possible ignition sources.
• Check that everything is properly secured. If you are loading items on the outside of your vehicle, you may need to use ratchet straps.
• It’s important to know what the vehicle’s roof-load limit is, and the carrying capacity of the roof rack. Don’t overload your roof racks as making your vehicle top-heavy can increase your chances of rolling over in an accident.
• Bulky objects on your roof rack create aerodynamic drag, adversely affecting your fuel economy.
• Measure the total height of your vehicle, including the height of your cargo (make a note of the height under your sun visor to remember), so that you don’t accidently drive into a low overhang.