What to pack for a month-long road trip? That’s what this post is about!
My boyfriend, Cody, and I went on a four-week cross-country road trip from Delaware to Utah and back again. Both of our jobs allowed us to work remotely, so we would work during the day and then see National Parks in the evenings and on weekends. We stayed in campgrounds about 80% of the time, and essentially lived out of my 2019 Jeep Cherokee for a month.
Here’s a comprehensive list of everything we brought with us!
Most of the items are linked, but you can find a lot of this gear on my Amazon lists.
We packed clothing to be prepared for hiking long distances in both deserts and mountains, sleeping in cold weather down to about 45 degrees F, and driving up to 9 hours at a time. We did laundry at campgrounds twice in four weeks. Here’s what I brought!
In this photo, I’m wearing my sun hat, Oboz hiking shoes, sports bra top, and hiking shorts. This was a typical outfit for hot weather hiking.
I got by with just three pairs of shoes. One for hiking, one for everyday, and one for swimming or walking through water. I used all of them on the trip.
I wore my Teva sandals (pictured here) to hike in water and swim in lakes/streams.
We tent camped almost every night. It’s important to have a good set of sleeping gear so that you’re comfortable. I get cold when I sleep, so I usually work leggings and a pullover every night.
This is the REI Half Dome 2 Plus tent that we used every night.
We ate a lot of sandwiches and dehydrated backpacking meals. We limited eating out to save both time and money. We went grocery shopping throughout the trip, but here is what we started with.
Cody sitting in the parking lot of Rocky Mountain National Park making a dehydrated meal for dinner after a day of hiking.
Since we were working remotely throughout the trip, technology was super important!
That’s everything! If you have anything else you can’t live without on a road trip, let me know!
Copyright Abby Venture
I have no idea how I just spent an hour reading your site, but I fell in love with you and Cody. I am 51 and have been looking for a Cody my whole life. Enjoy every second. 13 years ago, I had a son. He has been my sole road trip companion. I have made three – four road trips with him every year since he has been born. BIG SUR is our heart place. My granduncle owns the hardware store in Cambria, and so we always have an excuse to travel up the coast ( I live in South Pasadena). If you and Cody ever need a free place to stay near LA, lmk. We are waterfall junkies and can take you to two in the San Gabriel Mountains. Much joy, Tylene
Hi Tylene! Oh my goodness thank you so much for you kind words! You absolutely made my day. I’m glad you’ve had the opportunity to travel with your son. I love Big Sur too! I love California in general, so if I’m back in the area, I’ll let you know. And if you ever find yourself on the East Coast near Delaware, I can give you all kinds of recommendations. 🙂 <3