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03 — Road Trip / Checklist

Road trip essentials list

Organized by where each thing actually lives, because the problem on a road trip is never what you own -- it is whether you can reach it.

By Brijon M.Last updated How we pick
Road trip supplies laid out beside an open car trunk

The short answer

Split the list three ways: a cabin bag you can reach while driving, cargo you only open at a stop, and vehicle items that live in the car permanently. Check tire pressure including the spare, and download offline maps before you leave coverage.

01 — Cabin

The cabin bag: what you can reach while moving

The single most useful organizing idea for a road trip is keeping a small bag in the cabin with everything you might want before the next stop. Everything in it is there so nobody has to pull over and open the trunk.

  • Phone charger and cable. A cable rated for the charger's output, not the cheapest one.
  • Water bottles for each person, refillable, where the passenger can reach them.
  • Snacks that do not melt or crumble. Nuts, jerky, dried fruit, hard bars.
  • Sunglasses, and spare ones. Driving west into a late sun is unpleasant and avoidable.
  • Tissues, wet wipes and a small trash bag. The trash bag is the one people forget and immediately need.
  • Pain relief, antacids and any medication somebody might want in the next few hours.
  • A paper map of the region. Cell coverage disappears across large parts of the American West.
  • A phone mount, already fitted. Not in the glovebox.
  • A small first aid kit. Separate from the camping one in the cargo area.

02 — Cargo

The cargo area: everything else

The rule here is loading order: whatever you need first on arrival goes in last. The cooler should be the most accessible thing in the car, because it gets opened at every stop.

Food and drink

  • A cooler, pre-chilled, with block ice and cubes
  • A second small soft cooler for drinks, so the food cooler stays shut
  • Dry food in a bin or bag, kept separate from anything that can leak
  • A reusable bag for groceries bought on the way

Sleep, if you are camping

  • A car mattress or a tent -- or both, so weather does not dictate the plan
  • An insulated pad and a sleeping bag rated below the forecast low
  • A foam mat to go under or over a car mattress, for insulation
  • Window covers, if sleeping in the vehicle

Power and light

Clothing and comfort

  • A warm layer and a rain shell, accessible rather than buried
  • A change of clothes per person in a soft bag, not a hard case
  • A towel, which turns out to be useful far more often than planned
  • Camp shoes you can slip on at a stop

03 — Vehicle

The car itself: what lives in it permanently

These should be in the vehicle whether or not you are on a trip. If they are not, add them before you leave.

  • A jack, a wheel wrench that fits, and a spare with air in it. Check all three. The spare is the one nobody checks.
  • A tire inflator with a gauge. Pressure drops with temperature and underinflation is the most common road trip safety issue.
  • A jump starter, or at minimum sweater cables. Cables need a second car, which you may not have.
  • A warning triangle or reflective markers, and a reflective vest.
  • A basic tool kit: adjustable wrench, screwdrivers, pliers, duct tape, zip ties.
  • A quart of oil and a jug of coolant, matched to your vehicle.
  • Water in the car, separate from the cooler, for a breakdown rather than for drinking on the move.
  • An ice scraper and a small shovel, in any season where that is plausible.
  • Your insurance and roadside assistance details, on paper, not only on a phone.

04 — Pre-departure

The five checks before you leave

These take fifteen minutes and prevent most of what goes wrong on a road trip.

  1. 01Tire pressure on all four tires and the spare, set to the figure on the door jamb sticker rather than the number on the tire sidewall. Check tread depth while you are there.
  2. 02Download offline maps for the whole route. Coverage gaps across the West are large, and that is exactly where you need navigation most.
  3. 03Check fluid levels: oil, coolant, washer fluid. Washer fluid is the one that ruins a drive when it runs out on a dusty highway.
  4. 04Confirm your roadside assistance is active, or that you do not have it. Find out now rather than on a hard shoulder.
  5. 05Tell someone your route, especially if it crosses remote country. Same principle as a hike.

05 — What to skip

What not to bring

  • Hard suitcases. They waste the space between their corners and the car's shape. Duffels deform into it.
  • A second drinks cooler full of ice if you are only out for a day. A soft cooler with a few packs is enough.
  • A 12V kettle or cooker. A car socket cannot supply enough power to heat water usefully.
  • A thermoelectric 12V cooler. It only cools a modest amount below ambient, so in a hot car a real cooler with ice beats it.
  • A rooftop cargo box for one trip. It costs fuel economy every mile and needs storing the rest of the year.
  • More entertainment than you will use. One book and a downloaded playlist. The scenery is the point.

What to buy

The gear we would buy for this

Trail & Terminal earns a commission when you buy through our Amazon links, at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we pick -- see our affiliate disclosure and selection method.

1

Best for the cabin bag

Anker 335 Car Charger

High-wattage USB-C with multiple ports. A phone running navigation outpaces a weak charger.

A phone with the screen on running navigation drains faster than a low-wattage charger refills it, which is why people arrive with less battery than they set off with. Proper USB-C Power Delivery fixes it. More in <a href="/road-trip/best-road-trip-gadgets">road trip gadgets</a>.

Specs

  • USB-C Power Delivery plus USB-A outputs
  • High combined wattage for simultaneous fast charging
  • Compact body sitting nearly flush in a 12V socket
  • Anker's standard warranty

Good for

  • Enough output to actually gain charge while navigating, not just slow the drain
  • Multiple ports ends the competition for the one socket
  • Small enough to leave in permanently

Bad at

  • Limited by the car having one 12V socket
  • Needs a properly rated cable to deliver full output
  • No display
2

Best for the vehicle kit

VIAIR 88P Portable Air Compressor

Underinflated tires are the most common road trip safety issue, and the easiest to fix.

Pressure drops with temperature, so a car checked in summer is low by autumn, and underinflation worsens handling, wear, fuel economy and blowout risk. The gauge matters as much as the pump. See <a href="/road-trip/best-road-trip-gadgets">road trip gadgets</a>.

Specs

  • Direct-to-battery 12V compressor
  • Built-in pressure gauge
  • Capacity for passenger and light truck tires
  • Hose and accessories included

Good for

  • Fills a low tire in a reasonable time, unlike cheap socket inflators
  • Accurate gauge lets you set pressure rather than guess
  • Also reinflates air mattresses and sports gear

Bad at

  • Connects to the battery rather than a socket
  • Bulky -- needs its own trunk space
  • More compressor than a passenger car strictly needs
3

Best for the cargo area

Coleman 70QT Xtreme Cooler

Capacity beats retention on a road trip with regular stores. Pre-chill it and keep it shut.

On a road trip you pass stores, so multi-day retention matters less than capacity and weight. Pre-chill it, use block ice, keep it shaded and shut. Tiers compared in <a href="/camp/best-coolers-for-camping">camping coolers</a>.

Specs

  • Blow-molded body with insulated lid
  • Large internal capacity for its external size
  • Light enough to carry loaded
  • Available with wheels

Good for

  • Far more usable space per unit of external bulk than rotomolded
  • One person can move it loaded
  • Cheap enough to buy generously sized

Bad at

  • Real retention is a day or two
  • No gasket, so cold escapes on every opening
  • Hinge and lid are the long-term weak points

Questions

Frequently asked

What are the essentials for a road trip?
A reachable cabin bag with chargers, water, snacks and a paper map; a cargo area with a pre-chilled cooler and your sleep setup; and vehicle items -- a working spare, a jack, a wrench that fits, an inflator with a gauge and a jump starter.
What should I keep in the car cabin on a road trip?
Everything you might want before the next stop: chargers and cables, water, non-melting snacks, sunglasses, wipes, a trash bag, pain relief and medication, a paper map and a small first aid kit. The point is that nobody has to pull over and open the trunk.
What should I check on my car before a road trip?
Tire pressure on all four and the spare, set to the door-jamb figure rather than the sidewall number; tread depth; oil, coolant and washer fluid; that your jack and wrench are present and the wrench fits; and that your roadside assistance is actually active.
Do I need a cooler for a road trip?
If you want to avoid buying every meal, yes, and capacity matters more than retention when you pass stores regularly. Pre-chill it the night before, use block ice with cubes filling the gaps, and keep a small soft cooler for drinks so the food cooler stays shut.
How should I pack a car for a road trip?
Soft bags rather than hard cases, so they deform into the car's shape. Heavy items low and toward the rear axle. Whatever you need first on arrival goes in last. The cooler should be the most accessible thing in the vehicle, and nothing stacked above window height.

References

Back up a level

This page sits in Road Trip -- car camping and long drives: sleep, power, mounts, snacks.

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