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12 Items You Should Keep In Your RV Junk Drawer

This post was updated on March 15th, 2024

RV junk drawer
RV junk drawer – Photo via Shutterstock Standard License

12 Items You Should Keep In Your RV Junk Drawer

No matter how organized you are in your own home, nearly every house has some sort of junk drawer. A junk drawer (or junk closet, box, room, corner) is not necessarily full of junk or trash. However, they do tend to hold items that just don’t seem to have homes in other locations.

Junk drawers tend to collect items such as small tools (all those darn Ikea Allen wrenches), rubber bands, eyeglass kits, pens, and other “just in case” items.

RVs also tend to collect items that end up in a junk drawer or random unused space. However, because RVers are usually organized folks, let’s call this space a “utility drawer” instead of a junk drawer.

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It’s just fine to have a catch-all space, but the key is to have only one of these types of drawers. If you have too many utility drawers or too many useful items, you won’t be able to find anything.

box
An RV utility drawer can also be a plastic tackle or shoe box.

Depending on your RV space, you might not have a drawer to spare. That’s okay, a plastic shoebox or tackle box will do the trick, and they are also portable.

How many of these 12 items you can fit into that space will depend on the size of your rig and your junk…er…utility drawer.  Whatever you choose to get, make sure each of the items you keep in there are small, lightweight, and easy to handle, use, and store.

1. Lighters and matches

Keep a few lighters and boxes of matches on hand in an RV junk drawer. They are useful for everything from lighting the stove and the campfire to handing out to unprepared camping neighbors.

2. Small flashlights and batteries

junk drawer
Photo by Christina Nellemann

For some reason, flashlights tend to wander off. So do batteries. Keeping a few small flashlights and their respective batteries in a utility drawer will be handy on those dark nights. It might also be beneficial to keep a battery charger for rechargeable batteries and a battery tester on hand as well.

3. Pens and Sharpies

junk
Photo by Kirsty Hall

There is always a reason to keep a pen or Sharpie permanent marker around. You’ll need a pen to fill out campground paperwork or to write down impromptu directions. A Sharpie marker is useful for marking tools, containers, or even boxes and cans of food.

4. Lubricant

junk
Photo by Christina Nellemann

Whether it’s the front door, a cabinet, or the hitch ball, something on an RV is always stiff, sticky, or squeaky. Having a small tube or spray bottle of lubricant on hand, such a Boeshield T-9 or WD-40, will be useful for numerous jobs.

5. Command Hooks

We have touted the benefits of Command Hooks in the past, so it’s a good idea to keep a few more on hand just in case one breaks. Keep some of the adhesive backing for each hook handy as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2iNediFEdk

6. Ball bungees, gear ties, or zip ties

junk items
Photo by Nite Ize Inc.

Having numerous ways to tie things down is really helpful. Keep a few ball bungees or zip ties around for tying down loose or broken items. Zip ties are inexpensive, but can only be used once since you have to cut them (see below for scissors).

Invest in a few gear ties, which are reusable, flexible wire covered with a plastic sheath. They can be used to tie down bikes or organize technology cords.

7. Adhesive felt pads

junk
Photo by Soft Touch

Normally adhesive felt pads are used to prevent furniture legs from scratching wood floors. However, these little pads can be used for many things. Use them to even out a wiggly camp chair or table or to quiet a slamming cabinet door. I’ve used them to stop an under-seat storage lid from sliding around and to keep boxes from sliding out of cabinets.

8. Scissors and utility knife

scissors-rv

It seems the one tool that I’m always reaching for while camping is a pair of scissors. From cutting open bags of grated cheese to snipping those aforementioned zip ties, scissors are super important to have nearby. Add a utility knife and you will have various ways to stay sharp.

9. Krazy Glue or marine adhesive

junk drawer
Photo by Krazy Glue

Small and useful for many jobs, having a tube of super glue or brand name Krazy Glue seems to be a basic of any utility box. Marine adhesive sealant is also a good choice. The containers and their sticky substance also last for years.

10. Post-it Notes

junk items
Photo by Post-It Brand

A pad of Post-it Notes can come in handy for leaving notes for yourself or other forgetful family members. It’s also helpful that they are colorful and easy to see. Post-it now has Extreme Notes that are water resistant and stick to tough surfaces. That’s handy when camping out in the elements.

11. Kelvin or multi-tool

tools
Photo by Kelvin Tools

For someone who is missing those Ikea Allen wrenches, replace that tool with a multi-tool, such as a Leatherman or the useful Kelvin tool. The Kelvin.17 has 17 tools in one, in a device the size of a cell phone. It has 12 screwdriver bits and driver, a hammer, level, tape measure, and a light. While it won’t replace a full toolbox, it will fit nicely into a utility drawer.

12. Screen wipes and microfiber cloth

RV junk drawer
Photo by Christina Nellemann

How many times have you wiped your cell phone screen or eyeglasses off with your shirt when you couldn’t find a screen cloth or wipe? Screen wipes come in individual packages and can be used for any type of screen or glass. Microfiber cloths cleanly wipe up eyeglasses and sunglasses and can come inside protective cases so they also stay clean.

You might notice that this list doesn’t have tools such as wrenches and screwdrivers, or other useful items such as duct tape and adhesive. These specific tools should be kept together in another location, such as your RV garage or truck bed. They tend to get dirty and sticky and don’t live well with smaller items such as pens and sticky notes.

6 thoughts on “12 Items You Should Keep In Your RV Junk Drawer”

  1. The key is organization. If you can’t find it you don’t have it. ie: a place for everything and everything in its place.

  2. You know you’ve reached the end of the internet when you’re reading articles about what to put in a junk drawer.

  3. The utility scissors and multi tool are good…not sure about the rest. These items look as if it’s a personalized bunch of things. I don’t need felt pads, post it notes or markers in there- those might be found in a kid’s back pack. The krazy glue is a good one though- maybe some common sized batteries, a few fuses, rescue tape and teflon tape. A smaller pair of channel locks and an adjustable wrench. Now you’ll have a good junk drawer that should be universally useful.

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