How to pack a van

[TyNicJen]

Not sure this belongs here but I was wondering how to pack a van with no roof racks. This van we got has not got them and I have 5 people in the van!
We usually bring food for the hotel and such plus all the luggage. Someone told me they make a car topper that you can attach somehow. Any suggestions?
No matter what even if we pack like sardines we're going
Thanks

 

[swilshire]

I've never used it that way, but our Samsonite bag shows a picture of it being used without a luggage rack and says you can do it.

You may want to cut back on bringing food and just shop once you're there. I've found most things to be comparably priced at the grocery store. You might even find it cheaper in Florida than Long Island. We usually hit Sams Club on arrival and get everything else at Publix. The only thing I bring is lightweight stuff that I've bought super cheap with coupons.

If you do "pack like sardines", allow extra travel time. Our famly of six has done that a few times and it definitely takes longer at every stop to get in and out of the car. It becomes quite an adventure.

Sheila

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Check at Sears, they have a full range of rooftop luggage carriers. You can also check out U-Haul. I think they rent them, but you're probably better off just buying something in the end.

I've never used one myself. If it were me, I'd check my vehicle owner's manual first to make sure there's nothing in it about not using luggage carriers on the roof, or a limitation of what the roof is structurally capable of carrying.

 

[welovewdw]

Our old, old van didn't have a roof rack and we used that exact Samsonite carrier - it works on most vans - I'd check w/ mfr because there were a few that it didn't work with. It clips to the edge of the car/van around the doors. There are probably other models out there, too but that one worked great and it was pretty inexpensive if I remember correctly.

 

[merekc]

I agree, buy your food when you get there. Also, instead of packing in your large suitcases, pack in several smaller bags. These are easier to stuff in between other bags, under seats, etc.

If you have an overnight stop, pack one change of clothes for everyone in one bag, so you only have to grab one bag out and not have to resqueeze everything back in. Condense what you can, take only one shampoo, hair dryer, toothpaste, etc.

Have everyone take only two pairs of shoes max. One they wear, one they pack. I know when we traveled growing up with four females in the group we had a pair of shoes for every day. Shoes can also be unpacked and squeezed into other spaces also.

 

[formernyer]

You must be talking about a minivan?

We've had full-size conversion vans since 1993 and they are a delight for traveling. We put down the bed in the back and load it up with pillows and blankets. We store all of the baggage under the bed and on the floor between the second row of seats and the bed. We put a cooler between the driver and passenger seats. We hook up a game system to the tv in the back.

 

[dis-happy]

We just got back from a trip where 8 people had to fit in the Landcruiser on the way home. 4 of them were teenage girls! I had a long talk with everyone ahead of time about NOT overpacking. The storage space in the back of that car is tiny, but we were able to fit everything in without the roof rack. I limited each person to one softsided bag, not any larger than an airplane carryon (although a couple of the girls pushed the limit on this one). I packed a few ziplock baggies of laundry soap to wash clothes mid-week. Each person also had their small purse/backpack or whatever it was with their personal stuff to carry in the parks--these stayed in their laps or around their feet during the drive. We bought food when we got there (I LOVE Publix). We also had a small cooler w/snacks in the car and a dvd player, my dh's laptop case and my ds's tennis racquet. If you can pack just the necessities you should be fine for space with 5 people in a van.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

We have a minivan with a luggage rack, but we never use the luggage rack. We have 7 people so all of the seats are filled. We put the cooler on the floor in between the middle row of seats and the door (so yes, the kids have to climb over it to get in and out). Three of the kids use a small suitcase, then the two other kids share a small suitcase (the littlest ones). These stack great in the trunk. Then DH and I share one large suitcase. We have one duffel bag that we pack with toiletries, diapers and wipes and a small suitcase, slightly larger than a child's, that we pack with everything we need for our hotel stay on the way down. We put a small box under the middle row of seats with snacks/breakfasts for the hotels, but we don't bring much because we can't fit much. I also keep a bag of snacks in the front by the passenger seat so I can dole out snacks while we're driving.

We put all of the suitcases in the trunk. The duffel bag usually ends up under the back seat. We can't bring alot of food, there just isn't room, so we usually end up picking up some things to keep in the room once we get there. We also don't bring alot of toys for the drive, just some movies for the dvd player, because between that and the happy meal toys the kids are usually pretty entertained, they usually don't touch the stuff that we bring. They do each have a special blanket that they bring, that goes in the seat or on the floor near them. HTH.

 

[lady9]

We borrowed a luggage rack for the last vacation and loved it BUT we did notice that we seemed to go through a tad bit more gas than last time. I think it was due to the wind resistance. With gas prices I'd try to get everything inside the van but not weigh it down too much.

 

[Zoemakes5]

You sound like us a few years ago. In 2001 I packed three kids, baby items, stroller, coolers, and two adults into mini van. We actually did okay.
My first suggestion is to use EVERY available space. As an example, we had two cases of pepsi/mt. dew in the space between DD's seat and the door. Worked out great, as it allowed DD's toy items to be up high enough for her to have and play with without having to take up precious space on the seat. Since DD was only 13 months and in her car seat, we put items that were okay for her to stand on under her feet. Under the seats, I rolled up beach towels, the kids took them out and used them rolled up as pillows and unfolded as blankets. On the back on of seats, I had the hanging things with toys/books/games/etc. We had the largest cooler we could put in up next to the other side of the van between the seat and the door. I bought a tall plastic rubbermade that fit perfectly between the front seats and that was filled with snacks for the kids. I also agree with using smaller bags. They are more flexible than big ones. You can stack them in and around alot easier. We had a small, softsided cooler next to us for drinks while we were driving. We had a bin that fit under the seats for the videos to be used in the TV/VCR. On the seat between the boys, we put a plastic rubbermade bin (just larger than a shoe box). That way we "doubled" that space, and provided them with a table like surface for drawing, coloring or doing homework. We put in the rubbermade the clothes and toiletries we'd need on the drive down there, that way all we had to do was grab that bin when we got out, instead of having to go through all the stuff and repack it. We had every nook and cranny filled. It worked, too. The kids all had more than enough room to sit in and foot room. On the way back, we had room for souvies because we no longer had all the food/soda. It was a bit of a challenge for the boys to get in and out of the back quickly because of the cooler on the side, but they either climbed over it or we took the cooler out and put it back in to let them through.

 

[dis-happy]

Oh, one more important tip: pack your clothes in the 2 gallon ziplock bags. You can fit so much more in your bags with the air sqeezed out!

 

[Chicago526]

Don't forget, you can always cut back on clothing by being willing to do laundry on the trip. Since the laundry rooms are usually not crowded, you can get several machines going at once, so you can do two or three loads in the time it takes to do one. Just be sure to bring change and soap/dryer sheets along. I did this once, and I actually found it kind of relaxing. And you meet the nicest people in the laundry rooms, too!

 

[luv2nascar]

Don't overpack. Ziplock bags for kids clothes are great so is rolling kids clothes up. They take less space that way. We have a mini van and 2 adults and 2 kids and plenty of space. This Pontiac Montana we have is an extended one and so much more space than our old mini van. We have never filled it to capacity and we have a luggage rack we never use.
Be very organized. One bag up front for kids toys, books, etc. Cooler up front and garbage bag. we took a small cube refrig, all our clothes for a week, stroller, cases of water and soda plus snacks and we could have put your luggage in to boot.

 

[canwegosoon]

Sit on your beach towels..it will keep the car cleaner, and use for blankets if needed. Bring a bunch of disposable bags(like supermarket bags) at throw out everything at every gas up or restroom break. Ziploc bags are great. If you do decide to drive ith food freeze the bottom foods(that you will be using later).

 

[englishteacha]

Pack all clothes in soft sided bags that are squishable! Pack breakables together in something hardsided, and keep all soft items together. You'd be amazed at where a duffle bag can fit when you're not worrying about breaking things. Also, if you're willing to do laundry, you can really bring half the clothes you normally would. Bring some detergent with you and toss in few loads midweek.

 

[swilshire]

You must be talking about a minivan?

We've had full-size conversion vans since 1993 and they are a delight for traveling. We put down the bed in the back and load it up with pillows and blankets. We store all of the baggage under the bed and on the floor between the second row of seats and the bed. We put a cooler between the driver and passenger seats. We hook up a game system to the tv in the back.

I have to confess that we have a large van (12 seater if it weren't converted) and we STILL use the luggage rack/carrier. We always seem to accumulate stuff. A lot of times we take the carrier in the box going TO our destination, but have to get it out on the way home. Last fall we even had a lobster trap tied in front of the carrier and the van was totally full with only four of us along.

Sheila

 

[OhioDisDreamer]

My DH and I have the same problem as we will be traveling with 7 in a minivan, including all luggage, food, etc... and we, also, have no luggage rack.

We just invested in a Kanga Rooftop storage unit. It can be used with or without a luggage rack. It is a soft luggage rack, not the hard-top ones most of us are used to seeing. It does say that it is waterproof, but things can still possibly get wet in it, so we plan to put our luggage in garbage bags, just in case. It was relatively inexpensive. I think we paid around $55-60 for it, including shipping. You can find it on Ebay, among other places.

Hopefully, that helps you if you plan on finding something for the top of your van!!

Good luck with the trip!