Packing List for 2,000 mile RTers

[mamapajama]

I would love to see a list of eveyone's must haves for these long trips. We are driving from LI in August with 2 teens and a 2 year old in a Durango. The truck has 3 power outlets. We will have a soft rooftop carrier (i know about the possible decrease in mileage but i don't want to cram everything in and make everyone miserable). DD17 will be sharing the middle seat with DD2 and DS13 will have the back seat to himself-maybe with some swapping betweeen the big kids. We are planning an overnight stop each way. I've already set up my "Disney Bag" where i will be stashing all my pre-buys.

 

[patclairesmom]

Great idea about not packing the passanger space with stuff! It's inevitable that my kids always have stuff at their feet. This trip we invested in a 12volt cooler. Kind of on the smaller side, but nice not having to deal with melted ice. It also cooled water bottle pretty quickly, so the size didn't deter us.

 

[kidd_freeper]

In-car
DVD player
ipod
Garmin
headphones for ipod
headphones for DVD player
cell phone
DVDs (dozen)
pillows/blankets
books
Kindle
tray for writing?
football/wiffleball for breaks?
garbage box
sodas/drinks in cooler
lunch/snacks
tissues
napkins
garbage bags
nintendo DS
12V extension cord?
road atlas
road games
gum
paper
pencils (no markers/crayons)
summer assignments

critical items
glasses
eye medicine
wallet
park tickets
confirmation numbers
phone charger
keys
condo info
back-up glasses
computer
hayfever medicine
first aid items
tylenol
basic tools (adj wrenches, screwdrivers)
flashlight
cash
sunscreen
sunburn medicine
air pump
DS charger and in car power cord

 

[mamapajama]

Great list!
I haven't started a formal list but we are planning to take so far:

ipods & their accessories
my zune for videos for zoey on the go
portable dvd player(borrowed) & dvds
asst snacks and drinks
laptop
some new toys she's never seen
everyone's pillows!
overnight dipes for traveling

 

[sharadoc]

Maps. We only had an exit guide on one trip and got stuck in traffic. Thought we'd depend on the GPS, but that was all screwy! Took us back north rather than staying south. So from now on we always have the detail maps of the entire trip.

We pack an emergency power kit - you can plug it into the cigarette lighter to jump the battery, plus it has a light, outlet and jumper cables.

Then it's a trash can, paper towels, water, snacks, DVDs, Nintendo DS and games/accessories, books, pillows and blankets, iPod, speakers, XM radio, cell phones and chargers.

To OP - pack your suitcases in trash bags in the soft carriers. We got stuck in snow and rain last year with one, and our suitcases got soaked. Half our clothes were soaked also - not fun when you unpack. Now we have a bigger van so we don't need it, but if we ever did, we'd definitely pack it in plastic first.

Cool idea for a "spin off" of the 2000+ miles thread

 

[mamapajama]

To OP - pack your suitcases in trash bags in the soft carriers. We got stuck in snow and rain last year with one, and our suitcases got soaked. Half our clothes were soaked also - not fun when you unpack. Now we have a bigger van so we don't need it, but if we ever did, we'd definitely pack it in plastic first.

Cool idea for a "spin off" of the 2000+ miles thread

The one we are getting has 3 separate bags that you pack invidually. They sort of look like the bag a Pack and Play comes in but they are higher on one end like the carrier. We're going to pack the bags and then load each one into the carrier. Have to figure out some sort of plastic situation although they are supposed to be "waterproof". Don't know if our big black trash bags are long enough.

 

[Vickis3js]

I bought each of my kids personalized Disney messanger bags and they are their one must have. I fill them with books, coloring books, printed activity papers, and special treats for them. They all also have DS's. We have tvs in the headrests of the car so we also have movies. Batteries are a must as well especially for the kids wireless headphones for the tvs. Activities for the kids are a must I can do without anything else but bored kids in a car is never pretty LOL.

We have a Ford Flex and last year was the first year we had it. We also had just bought DVC and didn't realize how nice it was to have the washer/dryer so this year we can pack less. We had 2 in the second row and 1 in the third with half of the seat down for luggage.They would take turns being alone in the back and it worked well for us. I can't get one of the roof things since I have the vistaroof/moonroof and no rails.

Its definatly cool seeing what everyone else brings along for the ride.

 

[NotUrsula]

Our rule is that with very few exceptions, if we wouldn't need it on a plane, we don't need it in the car, either -- this keeps us from being overrun by baggage.

The exceptions are:
-a CURRENT road atlas and flashlight for reading it in the dark, plus AAA maps of any major cities we are passing through
-pillows for the passengers
-side-window sun screens (several hours right next to a window with the sun beaming in WILL sunburn a fair person)
-a tote bag containing cleaning supplies, large ziplocs and clean towels, in case of carsickness (which stays in the cabin, NOT the cargo area)

We deliberately don't bring a whole lot of snacks and drinks, because we'll eat non-stop out of boredom if we do. We bring a few, but only what we would take on a plane. This also forces us to stop often, which keeps the driver from getting too heroic and driving longer than he/she should without a break. The kids each have an entertainment backpack, again, same stuff as they would take on a plane.

 

[mamapajama]

I definitely would not have thought of maps when we have the gps and blackberrys!

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

In-car
DVD player
ipod
Garmin
headphones for ipod
headphones for DVD player
cell phone
DVDs (dozen)
pillows/blankets
books
Kindle
tray for writing?
football/wiffleball for breaks?
garbage box
sodas/drinks in cooler
lunch/snacks
tissues
napkins
garbage bags
nintendo DS
12V extension cord?
road atlas
road games
gum
paper
pencils (no markers/crayons)
summer assignments

critical items
glasses
eye medicine
wallet
park tickets
confirmation numbers
phone charger
keys
condo info
back-up glasses
computer
hayfever medicine
first aid items
tylenol
basic tools (adj wrenches, screwdrivers)
flashlight
cash
sunscreen
sunburn medicine
air pump
DS charger and in car power cord

Great list!

I definitely would not have thought of maps when we have the gps and blackberrys!

Our GPS always has difficulty finding the satellite whenever I really need it.

 

[happily single]

One tip I didn't see here was to pack a small bag (duffle bag) for the overnight stay on the way down to Orlando. That way you don't have to lug the entire large suitcase(s) into your hotel. Be sure to put pj's, extra socks, change of clothes for arrival in Orlando, toiliteries, bathing suit.

Also I bought a car charger for my son's DSi and it was a life saver

 

[dblr]

If you did not yet buy the roof top carrier I would look @ the ones from Thule or Yakima they have some really nice hard boxes that are more arodynamic, or also look at the carierrers that slide into a rear hitch they have some nice large ones that even have lights on them if they block the lights on your car, also being behind the car less wind resistance.