Packing A Full Van?

[sunny_stace]

Hello!

Anyone have any advice on packing for a bigger group that are all driving down in one vehicle? We are a group of 7 (4 adults, 3 kids) driving from Indiana to WDW! We are planning on driving overnight (we are hoping to miss some traffic and have the kids sleep for the bulk of the drive.) None of us adults have done the drive since we were kids (and obviously we weren't the ones doing the driving then!) Does anyone have any strategies on how to pack the luggage itself in the vehicle? We are taking my cousin's minivan! Thanks!

 

[piccolopat]

Soft side bags such as duffels may be easier than ones with more structure. Also, just in case you find the drive in one night too much, have one easily accessible bag with essentials and a change of clothes for everyone in case you decide to get a hotel somewhere along the way.

 

[davper]

Waterproof roof cargo carrier.

Personal electronics with plenty of spare power.

Front passenger should always be awake in case the driver gets sleepy.

Be safe.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I agree that some type of cargo carrier will be better, most minivans don't have much storage room, I guess it depends on what type your cousin has. A rooftop or trailer cargo case would be good, depending on whether your cousin's minivan has a roof rack that's compatible with cargo case, or a trailer hitch. If you can't manage one of those storage solutions I'd recommend packing light and doing laundry at Disney. I drive a minivan and I can barely fit my groceries in the back when my stroller is in there, and it's a basic, single graco stroller. The seats fold down or are removable, but of course you can't do that with 7 passengers.

When we take road trips I pack a road bag for everyone, with activities, a change of clothes, electronics and chargers, etc. and make them keep it on the floor behind their legs, you can get more room that way. The only luggage that goes in the trunk is the bags that we have no intention of touching until we reach our destination. Cooler goes under the youngest's feet, because she's still in a 5 point seat and her legs don't touch the floor. be careful of loose objects, they become projectiles in a crash--that's one of my pet peeves.

 

[xlxo]

That's going to be incredibly tight...

• Some vans have storage under the seats
• on a dodge caravan, there's space between the middle row
• not comfortable, but I've placed luggage where your legs go and then have passengers sit with their feet above it for 10 minute trips
• use extreme caution at highway speeds... your vehicle will be tipsy
• have you considered renting a larger 8 passenger SUV with an extended length for luggage? Made a difference for me.

 

[Iowamomof4]

When we take road trips I pack a road bag for everyone, with activities, a change of clothes, electronics and chargers, etc. and make them keep it on the floor behind their legs, you can get more room that way. The only luggage that goes in the trunk is the bags that we have no intention of touching until we reach our destination.

Oh, I LOVE this idea! We'll be doing a similar road trip but we ARE planning to stop for an overnight along the way. I've been trying to figure out if we should do ONE overnight bag for the whole group (6 people) or give each their own. I love the idea of combining their travel activities bag with their overnight things! Brilliant solution.

 

[davper]

If there is a trailer hitch on the minivan, you can try one of these for added cargo space...http://amzn.to/1Tlmee1

You could add a backpack to the vehicle...http://amzn.to/1Tq1SLd

Then there are all types of rooftop carriers....http://amzn.to/1Ja4GN0

Or you could send your luggage ahead. Just search google for 'send luggage ahead'

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Oh, I LOVE this idea! We'll be doing a similar road trip but we ARE planning to stop for an overnight along the way. I've been trying to figure out if we should do ONE overnight bag for the whole group (6 people) or give each their own. I love the idea of combining their travel activities bag with their overnight things! Brilliant solution.

Thanks! : )

Word of warning though, my youngest burned through her two outfits in less than 6 hours on our last trip and I had to dig out her suitcase from the bottom of the pile--basically had to unload the whole trunk onto the parking lot of the rest stop. Lesson learned from that: make sure the kids' bags are on the top in case of oopsies, or pack a couple extra outfits in the road bags for the younger kids.

 

[set1208]

Soft side bags such as duffels may be easier than ones with more structure. Also, just in case you find the drive in one night too much, have one easily accessible bag with essentials and a change of clothes for everyone in case you decide to get a hotel somewhere along the way.

I agree. We are a family of six and we travel often. One year I packed using heavy duty plastic bags and it saved so much space. There are a lot of cool tricks on Pinterest too for maximizing suitcase space. Enjoy!

 

[sunny_stace]

Thank you so much everyone!! So many great ideas!

We have been talking it out a lot over the last couple of days! We have given each adult a maximum of one suitcase and the 3 kiddos are sharing one! I have an expandable, soft duffle that I will likely be using and when I go to visit my cousin next week we are gonna test out the space-saver bags and I'm gonna try the "Ziploc" packing method. The kids each have a small backpack that they are allowed to fill with stuff to do in the car and an outfit to change into when morning comes. We will be leaving later than we expected (somewhere between 9-11pm) so the kids will be spending most of the trip in their PJ's! My cousin and I will be the drivers overnight and her husband and our friend will be the drivers in the morning! (She and I will both be able to nap during our departure day and are both night owls normally). The stroller and as many suitcases as possible will be going in the trunk. All three kids are still in a car-seat of some sort and none have feet that touch the ground so they will have stuff under their seats. Our friend and I are also very short so we will have stuff under foot as well. Snacks and any other travel needs will be going through the centre! We will stop for any sort of grocery items we want during the trip once we get to the WDW area or possibly after we have unloaded at the resort.

There is a small possibility that by the time we go, it might be in an SUV as they're thinking of trading in their van. There is also a slight chance of a roof carrier of some sort going on but if they decide they're not going to keep the van for long it may not be worth the cost...I'm sure we will make it work somehow! I still keep offering to fly and meet them there too since I am the only one who isn't in the same area but I keep being told I must be "along for the ride!"

 

[davper]

I must be "along for the ride!"

They just want you to suffer as much as they do.

 

[Lifeangel1]

We are doing this also. We are leaving Sept 30th with 4 adults and 2 teens. We are leaving right after boys get me from school and driving straight thru from Maryland. I've driven straight thru myself before but this time 4 of us are sharing the driving privileges. We have a Town and Country van and I have a roof top carrier we are using. We have storage in the floor we will be using. WE hope to have room for a cooler with food and drinks but if we can't fit one big one we will use smaller ones.

 

[bluezy]

We've traveled to Disney with 5-7 people in a minivan on 6 different trips....I've become the packing expert in our family. Soft-sided luggage is key. The large Ziploc travel bags are a big help. (The kind you fill with clothing and then roll them up to force out all of the air -- they save a lot of space.) If you don't need the stroller during the drive down and it fits in your budget, I'd rent a stroller from one of the rental companies in Orlando. I wouldn't want to give up the storage space in the van for the stroller. With young kids, even if you don't think you're going to stop for the night, I'd keep a few outfit changes for them in an easy-to-reach bag. Let the adult who has played the most games of Tetris do the arranging of the bags in the van.

 

[NjMamaMouse]

We do this a lot. We have a Town n Country, 2 adults, 1 teenager, threee other children. (And quite often bring a fifth child with us. First we limit ourselves for clothing and tolietries to 2 large suitcases.
These go up on a carrier on the roof. We have the Voyager from Pep Boys and it has been AWESOME. (And more than half the price of the brand name) in the front and sides of the carrier there is still room so here we put our pool item bag and any other extras we may have.
In the back we have a double stroller that takes up half the back. We are sure to fill up all the nooks and crannies of that space with kitchen and food items we are bringing. On the other side we have electronics, diapers, and pillows and blankets. The only thing touched during the trip are the pillows and blankets for overnight.
Between the second row captain chairs we have a soft bag cooler with drinks (mainly for adults, as we limit availability for the kids otherwise we would be stopping for bathroom breaks way too often) and a grocery bag with some snacks. We leave right after an early dinner, so around 6:00pm. We stop by 10:00 for a bathroom break and to let kids get to bed. Next time we see the kids it's 8am at the Florida border and we stop for breakfast. So really the kids are only up for four hours on each end of the trip each following a meal. So really only the adults that are awake may need some food and drink.
Also we travel with our Tervis mugs. When we stop at a truck stop for gas we fill it up with ice for free and pour in our can of soda from the cooler bag! Great money saver.

 

[marie049]

That's going to be incredibly tight...

• Some vans have storage under the seats
• on a dodge caravan, there's space between the middle row
• not comfortable, but I've placed luggage where your legs go and then have passengers sit with their feet above it for 10 minute trips
• use extreme caution at highway speeds... your vehicle will be tipsy
• have you considered renting a larger 8 passenger SUV with an extended length for luggage? Made a difference for me.

I'm going to Disney in 2 weeks! =) renting a dodge caravan when we get there. I will have 7 passengers in total. how is the drivers seat? are they adjustable in height?

 

[sunny_stace]

I'm going to Disney in 2 weeks! =) renting a dodge caravan when we get there. I will have 7 passengers in total. how is the drivers seat? are they adjustable in height?

My cousin's van is a Caravan but I'm not sure what year. I don't think the seat height is adjustable, but we did do a sort of...practice run with empty luggage and coolers and everything fit in very well! 2 of the kids are actually out of their carseats as of the last couple of weeks and so we had everyone pile into the van and test out leg room and such and it seemed ok! Now, we may say different after 15 hours but so far so good!

 

[marie049]

My cousin's van is a Caravan but I'm not sure what year. I don't think the seat height is adjustable, but we did do a sort of...practice run with empty luggage and coolers and everything fit in very well! 2 of the kids are actually out of their carseats as of the last couple of weeks and so we had everyone pile into the van and test out leg room and such and it seemed ok! Now, we may say different after 15 hours but so far so good!

ok! just was wondering if the driver seat is adjustable. because I'm used to driving a smaller car as i'm 4'9

 

[bluezy]

ok! just was wondering if the driver seat is adjustable. because I'm used to driving a smaller car as i'm 4'9

It probably depends on the model they have. I have a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan and the driver's seat is fully adjustable. It raises and lowers; the "seat part" tilts/slants; the back tilts/reclines; and of course the entire seat moves forward and backward.

 

[marie049]

It probably depends on the model they have. I have a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan and the driver's seat is fully adjustable. It raises and lowers; the "seat part" tilts/slants; the back tilts/reclines; and of course the entire seat moves forward and backward.

Great! Thanks so much. 2 weeks away from disney and that's all I have been worried about

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I'm going to say practice in advance! A bit easier with structured suitcases, but if going soft sided just stuff them full with towels or blankets or something.

Take a lazy Saturday with a couple of the adults and play the minivan luggage Tetris game. This way you will have some sort of game plan and know if you're over-packed or have some wiggle room.

Leaving late at night (in the dark) with sleeping kids is not an ideal time to find out there's just no way to fit everything.

I think it might save you a lot of stress trying to get on the road plus you have time to contingency plan.