How-To Dry Your Clothes While on The Road

We’ve all had this issue at one time or another while on the road in our RV, van or car. If you’re going to be staying in a hotel/motel or have a fancy RV with a washer & dryer then you probably don’t need to read anymore as you’re one of the lucky ones.

If you’re like the rest of us and want to camp off the grid or out of our van and car then drying is an issue we all deal with. We don't need to burn our gear by the camp fire in order to get things dry. Whether you’ve just washed something or got caught in a downpour, gear need to get dry. Sure, the old “hang it out the window” might work on some occasions, but for others you need a proper way to dry your clothes and gear.

The following are drying solutions for various circumstances: 


Travel Clothesline
Is a pretty cool clothesline. It will stretch up to 13” and can be strung inside or outside. It comes with clips to hold your clothes or outdoor gear. We like the simplicity and the fact you can hook it between trees or on the awning or between your car and just about anything. What we don’t like about it is it doesn’t hold very much weight and the items, while hanging, are pretty close together. It’s cheap, $8.99, and if you need something for that rare occasion, this will work fine.

RV Bumper Clothes Line
This hanger is really intended for RVs and maybe some 5th wheels. The brackets mounts permanently to your bumper and you can remove the large aluminum tubs. It will dry a lot of clothes but some RV parks will not allow it, as it looks unsightly. If you are boon-docking, you should be fine. Remember you’re going to need to find a place to store those poles and this is not for cars, trucks or vans. It’s $99.99, a bit steep.

RV Ladder Clothes Dryer
A solution more suited as an RV accessory and balconies. It’s made of stainless steel and has 5 rods for drying and can collapse into itself for storage. It is compact but not very portable. Think of it as an expandable towel rack and you’ll have the idea. At $93.27 it's not cheap.

Old School Folding Drying Rack
You probably remember seeing something like this at Grandma’s house when you were young. These indoor and outdoor drying racks have been around since the stone age. It’s portable, collapsible, can be used inside or out and economically priced at $34.99. Even though it collapses, it still takes up a lot of room. You’ll have to put it in underneath RV storage and it might be difficult to get into small car trucks.

New Portable Drying Rack
The Ultimate Drying Rack was brought to market through Kickstarter in 2018 and has been a hit with the RV, Van, Boat and Surf crowd. It’s designed to hang over the side view mirror of most cars, vans, trucks and RVs. It also has an optional suction cup so you can attach it directly to the side of your Van or RV. You can also use it indoors and hang it in the shower stall or from the roof! The DryRack fully collapses and can be stored under a back seat or in the trunk. It’s durable, lightweight and can hold up to 20 pounds and has 2 drying bars and perfect for Van Life. It works on all vehicles, inside or out, is affordable at $39.99, and has padding on the top and hinges so it won’t scratch anything. You’ll also be able to use it at any RV parks and it comes in black or white. It’s also been featured in Surfline’s Cool Camping Gear Guide.

Five great solutions depending upon your vehicle and circumstances. They range from $8.99 to $99.99 and some are far more “road friendly” than others. Please add to the comments any solutions we should add to this list or personal feedback.