Five years ago, we began our RV journey as a family of five. Now, we are a family of six and travel in our KZ Durango Gold 382mbq. Besides hiking in nature and exploring local towns with our kids, we love bonding as a family over campfire-cooked meals and relaxing by the lake in the summer.
When we bought our fifth wheel three years ago, I had been looking for an RV with a kitchen island. Not only because we love spending time together in a bigger living area, but because I needed room to prepare large meals for my family of six.
When purchasing an RV, I didn’t want to compromise my love for preparing nourishing meals for my family (or special treats—see below for our current favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe). So, having a big kitchen, including an island and a pantry, was on my must-have list.
No matter the size of your home on wheels, organizing your RV pantry and kitchen storage can take some trial and error. Keep reading for my best organization and storage hacks as a mother of six who loves making homemade meals on the road.
The kitchen storage in our KZ Durango Gold 382mbq consists of a closet-style pantry, kitchen island storage, and an extra cupboard around the oven range. I’ve even dedicated some space in the cabinet above the back door for lightweight, bulkier kitchen items.
When we first started RVing, a lot of my organization's inspiration came from van lifers. We used to have a Class A motorhome, and despite the size difference in our RVs, I found the kitchen layouts to be quite similar. Researching how travelers in smaller RVs like Class B campervans or lightweight RVs store all of their gear can offer a ton of great tips and storage hacks. It could inspire you to see your storage space in a different light and get creative with what you have to work with.
My pantry holds all the ingredients to feed my family of six healthy, nourishing, and filling meals that sustain us on our active lifestyle. Most of my groceries come from the local stores, the Farmer’s Market, and occasionally even big box stores like Costco (yes, you can still shop in bulk when traveling in an RV!).
Everything is kept in baskets to prevent movement while we are traveling. I love thrifting these!
I keep baskets with lightweight dry good items like various pastas, and rice, as well as my three cookbooks (Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House, Paula Dean, and my own collection of recipes).
One shelf lower I store most of my baking ingredients. Everything from brown sugar, honey, baking powder, and soda, to chocolate chips, and coconut flakes. We bake a lot, especially in winter, as the oven helps heat the RV. So we have A LOT of baking supplies.
As my kids grow, the pantry has grown with them. The next shelf down holds enough plates, bowls, and cups for our family of six. This shelf is at a height where all the kids can reach their items, which encourages them to help with setting the table and putting things away.
To keep the clutter down, we mostly have one of each item for every member of the household. The kid's plates and bowls are color-coded and are made of lightweight wheat straw or titanium materials (don't worry, the cast iron cookware adds weight back in! It’s all about the balance, right?).
The older kids are becoming more independent and enjoy making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for themselves. The bread, peanut butter, and jelly are stored on the next shelf for easy grabbing. This shelf also holds the canned goods, as they get heavier and it’s easier to take something out or unload groceries when we return home.
Last but not least, at the bottom we have our Costco-size box of Popcorn (we love family movie nights at the end of an active day outside), all my bottles of different cooking oils, Mirin, Rice, and other vinegars. And the Blender. I keep it on the bottom, well, because I’m a little clumsy sometimes, so this keeps it safe.
The cabinets under the island hold food storage containers. I like to use glass as opposed to plastic which can be quite heavy, so I keep them at the bottom of the cabinet. We also keep three stainless steel water containers for boondocking and travel when we only have our fresh water tank and no city water connection available (If you draw inspiration from this, please remember I refresh our drinking water regularly). When we are connected to city water, we have a two-step water filter system to clean our drinking water.
The island also holds flour and sugar, as well as all the snacks for the kids. We like dried fruits, nuts, granola bars, and goldfish.
I have a drawer under the oven range that would typically be perfect for pots and pans, however, I keep our fruits under there. The kids are less likely to bruise them if all they have to do is open the drawer, grab a fruit, and close it right up.
I should mention that I am so incredibly grateful for our big fridge. I can store enough milk and juice to last us a while, which reduces the number of grocery trips needed.
I hope my kitchen storage and organizational tips have offered a little bit of inspiration for how you can make traveling and on-the-go food preparation a possibility for your family. The beauty of RV living is that there are no rules and you can make your kitchen and storage spaces fit your specific needs. Happy travels!
Popular among extended travel RVers, fifth wheels are designed for easier, more stable towing. Living space is maximized with additional over-cab space. This camping trailer—affectionately nicknamed a "fiver"—is a favorite of many, especially those taking extended trips or traveling full time in their RV. The prominent overhang resting above the tow truck bed is frequently employed as a bedroom suite, a living room, even a kitchen.
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