The 10 Best Road Trip Essentials You’ll Want for Your Next Adventure

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Heading out on a grand adventure is always exciting. But no matter how long you’re going to be away, whether it’s a couple of days, weeks, or even months, you’ll want to stock up and prepare. The last thing anyone wants is to be stranded in east whatsitsname with nothing but some pocket lint.

That being said, we’re not talking about the obvious supplies. Of course, you’ll need fuel, water, food, and some form of shelter. Also, your license, registration and insurance information. You should know that already, though. Instead, we’re referring to everything else. The best road trip essentials to take with you, especially when you have limited storage space in your vehicle.

Staying prepared for whatever you may encounter is only half the battle. You need to remain vigilant and adaptable, considering all the elements you’ll face. You’ll have to worry about weather, road hazards, vehicle maintenance and breakdowns, other drivers and traffic, wildlife, terrain, and much more.

That puts a lot of weight on the supplies and gadgets you bring with you, meaning every single item has to have a purpose and potentially even serve multiple functions or roles. Think Leatherman versus a singular screwdriver. Every piece of your road trip gear should maximize usability.

The best road trip essentials to stow in your vehicle

1. A Power Station

Why: Use them to charge and power anything from phones to tablets, GPS gear and lights.

I know what you’re thinking. Why bring a portable power station for energy when I already have my vehicle? Because, even if you live in a van or an RV, you don’t really want to power all of your electronics and extra gear using your vehicle’s battery. Not only is that not good for its health, that could wind up leaving you stranded when the battery dies.

So, packing a portable power station is always a great idea. If you have room, you might also consider adding a compatible solar panel, which can be used to recharge the station when you stop for the day.

Power stations, if you’re not aware, are essentially large batteries, sort of like an electric generator. They can power everything from mini appliances, like a fridge, to coffee machines, laptops, game consoles, and beyond. What they can power, exactly, depends on the wattage output and the capacity — the bigger the better usually. Also, because they don’t produce emissions like a gas generator, you can use them indoors and in confined spaces, such as your vehicle. Great brands to check out include BLUETTI, EcoFlow, Jackery, Goal Zero and Anker.

2. An OBD2 Scanner

Why: Diagnose what’s wrong with your vehicle with simple readouts and clear answers.

We’re partial to Innova products here, but that’s on the nose. Not just because we make and provide the scanners, but because of what they offer. When you’re on the open road and your car breaks down or experiences some trouble, you’re not always close enough to a repair shop or mechanic to find out what’s wrong. But that’s why OBD2 scanners are so useful.

There are no gimmicks. No weird adapters to mess with. And they’re compatible with most modern vehicles. You just plug in the scanner and it tells you diagnostic information with straightforward results. You’ll know almost immediately what’s wrong and how to fix it, if you have the equipment. If you don’t, well, you’ll be waiting for a service call anyway, so it’s still a good thing to have on hand. Besides, no roadside mechanics can bamboozle you by lying about what’s wrong. Just keep in mind the engine has to be running for the best compatibility.

While we’re on the subject, some other tools you might want to pack include jumper cables, a tire pump and tire patch kit, a flashlight or torch, and a jack and lug wrench — if there isn’t any with your spare tire already.

3. A Dedicated GPS

Why: Access location-aware maps and topographical information from anywhere with true reliability.

For turn-by-turn navigation, get a dedicated GPS. While you may be tempted to use your phone instead of a GPS device like a Garmin, because it saves you money, we’d recommend avoiding that. Why? When you’re out in the middle of nowhere with no signal, it’s highly likely you’ll run into trouble with the GPS on your mobile.

That’s because dedicated GPS devices connect to the satellite networks more frequently. Not to mention, battery life tends to be better, so you have access to maps for longer, they’re easier to read and there are fewer distractions on screen. Plus, if you exit the vehicle and go off-trail Jurassic Park-style, you can bring the GPS with you. It’s just a very useful gadget to have on any type of trip and that’s why we consider it one of the best road trip essentials.

4. A Dual-Camera Dash Cam

Why: Record everything that happens in or around your vehicle, including accidents.

Dash cams mount to the windshield or dashboard of your vehicle to record any and all events. Sure, they might capture a lot of mundane comings and goings, but it’s when you really need those recordings that they matter most — like after an accident. A dual-camera dash cam has both a front and rear-facing camera to capture the most important sides of the vehicle. If you have the money, you might even splurge for a 360-degree camera that records all angles.

The more coverage, the better overall. That way, you have footage of what your family is doing, and what’s happening around the vehicle, whether it’s moving or parked. A lot of dash cams also have a unique security feature so that when the vehicle is parked, it will sound an alarm or send mobile alerts when something is awry.

If you don’t already have a dash cam, you should definitely pick one up, even if you’re not going on a road trip anytime soon.

5. Some Picnic Gear

Why: Instantly set up shade and a comfortable place to chill outside your vehicle when you take a pit stop.

You always want to have some picnic gear handy for when you pull off the road. Not necessarily because you’re going to break out some food and drinks and have a classic picnic. Instead, it’s just so you and your passengers have a place to chill out. As for what picnic gear you should pack, you’ll want a blanket or some ground cover and something for shade. For the latter, there are a lot of pop-up tents like White Duck’s Sun Shade tarps, or East Oak’s Shade Shelters.

The point is to give yourself and your riders a place to sit down and relax outside the vehicle, that’s comfortable, safe, and shielded from the hot sun. Obviously, if it’s raining, you’re not going to get out of the vehicle unless you’re going inside somewhere. So that’s not as much of a concern. What you really want is something you can set up, and break down, quickly so you can get moving as soon as possible, or relax as soon as possible.

6. A cooler with some snacks

Why: Snacks are an inevitability, especially for roadside haunts, but you’ll need a place to store them, and chocolate, where it won’t melt.

You gotta’ have some snacks. Even if you don’t, you need a place to stow them where they won’t melt. For the beverages, you don’t want to be drinking warm water, soda or juice. That’s why a cooler is an excellent idea. But this is where a power station will also come in handy. Rather than keep a traditional cooler in your vehicle, that you have to keep refilling with ice, get an electric one.

Shoot, Anker even has one that doubles as a power station called the SOLIX Everfrost 2. It will keep your food and drinks cold for over four days on a single charge. If that’s out of your price range, there are plenty of smaller, generic brand options, as well. You don’t even have to get one that is a power station. As long as it has a plug, you can plug it into a station you already have. But that will give you plenty of space to store your foodstuffs, so you don’t have to stop at a restaurant or fast food spot every time your tummy starts to growl.

If you’re traveling as a family, with little kids, a cooler with some snacks is an absolute necessity.

7. A national gym membership

Why: Nobody likes to spend days or weeks smelling rank. The gym membership will offer you national access to bathrooms and showers.

When you’re on the road, don’t have a hotel or motel booked and need to clean up, what do you do? Well, if you have a national gym membership at one of the big franchises, like Planet Fitness, Gold’s Gym, Anytime Fitness, and beyond, you can always visit a local spot and shower there. Even if you don’t use the gym, it’s an excellent place to take a pit stop, get cleaned up, have some grub and stretch your legs.

If you’re travelling as a family or a small group, you definitely want something like this in your mini arsenal. Plan ahead. There’s nothing worse than being crammed in a small, hot vehicle for hours on end with a bunch of smelly people — body odors are not what you’d call pleasant.

8. A decent camera

Why: A dedicated camera is far superior to most built-in mobile cameras and it conserves your phone’s battery.

These days, everyone carries a smartphone which has a built-in camera. That’s great, and we would never shame anyone for using those. Mobile camera quality has advanced considerably over the last few years. But we will argue that you’ll also want to pack a dedicated camera, even if you’re not a photographer.

For starters, it won’t eat away at your phone’s battery since it’s a separate device. Get the right one, and you can easily transfer your pics from the camera to your phone for social media sharing — most Canon mirrorless cameras have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to send pictures to nearby devices. Bluetooth works great when Wi-Fi isn’t available.

In general, they also take much better pictures with a higher resolution than most mobile devices. If you’re taking photos of wildlife and scenery on your trip, then a camera should always be in the bag. That leaves a lot of room for editing, creative content, if you’re into that sort of thing, or even just looking back at some great memories.

9. A GPS Tracker

Why: Keep an eye on your bags or instantly locate your lost and misplaced items. On a cross-country road trip, GPS trackers are more valuable than you realize.

We’re not referring to an actual GPS device like a Garmin, but something more like Apple AirTags or Tile. They’re small, lightweight devices that you can track remotely from your phone. But here’s why you’d want some. You can toss them in an important bag, attach them to your gear — like stowing one in your wallet — or adorn your items. Then, if you misplace what’s most important to you, or leave it behind, you can instantly track it and find its location. Go check the Steam Deck Reddit community and take a look at how many times they get left at the airport. Go on, we’ll wait.

On a road trip, especially cross-country, a GPS tracker is going to prove valuable more than once. If you ever leave your item(s) behind, you can find them easily. You might even consider tossing one into your child’s backpack or go-bags, so you know where they are at all times. Little kids tend to wander off when you’re not looking, even for a second. The point is, you can find your lost or misplaced gear if and when you leave it on the table in a roadside diner. That saves you money, too, as you’re not always having to replace it or buy new.

10. Other small toiletries and supplies

Why: Imagine stopping somewhere that has no toilet paper. Or, trying to brush your teeth in a gas station bathroom, only you forgot your toothpaste and toothbrush. Yeah, that’s why.

Last, but certainly not least, you’ll want to pack some small items and supplies, including toiletries. Toilet paper is an excellent example. Why? Because if you stop at a restroom somewhere and they’re out of toilet paper, you have some. If you have to hit a porta potty or go roadside, heaven forbid, you’ll have some toilet paper. Just pack some, alright?

Some other small items you might want to pack are: Hand sanitizer, spare change, napkins or paper towels, tissues, blankets, laundry supplies, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, sunscreen, portable fans, and so on. While a lot of that is tough to organize, it will help to have some storage bins, containers, or even go-bags tucked away inside the trunk or the back of your vehicle.

Either way, pack these road trip essentials before your next trip and you’re well on your way to a grand, successful adventure. Don’t forget the most important part, though. Have fun!

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