Camping trips often include swimming, which requires packing a swimsuit and a big, bulky beach towel. We all know that space inside an RV is limited, so the less you can pack, the better. And this is especially true for towels. Even when they’re folded as small as possible, they still hog a ton of room inside duffel bags and take up a lot of room in a bathroom. To help alleviate the problem of too many towels for a small space, we’re suggesting that you make a DIY towel holder so that the few towels you do bring can dry quickly and be used over and over again, thus freeing up your bags for other camping essentials. Follow these simple directions for making a DIY towel holder. We also include links to ones you can buy if you’re not up for making your own.
PVC
Making a PVC towel rack is easy and inexpensive. Since it’s lightweight, you can easily throw it in the RV or car and if you build it right, you can even take it apart for easier storage! Here’s what you need from the hardware store:
- 6 feet of 1½ inch PVC
- A 1½ inch PVC cap
- 4 – 25 inch pieces of ½ inch PVC
- 8 – ½ inch PVC caps
- Screws
Putting it together:
- In the top of your 6’ PVC pipe, you will need to drill some 7/8” holes to hold the arms. Measure down 2½” for the first set and the next set 6” down and 45 degrees around from the first set. Follow this pattern until you have 4 sets of holes. You will drill all the way through the pipe when you create a hole so each time you drill you’re creating a set of 2 holes.
- Take your 4-25” pieces and put them through each of the hole sets and center them. Run a screw in through the center of the pipe to secure it.
- Pop the 1 ½” cap on the top and the ½” caps on the ends of the arms and you’re all set!
You can spray paint it if you want to or just leave it white. Once you get to your campsite, just plunge it into the ground to hold it up and you have a great tree-like towel holder for your wet towels!
Branches
If you get to the campsite and need something thrown together in a pinch you can make one from branches! All you have to do is get enough branches to make a ladder. The ladder will need enough rungs to hang each towel and they will need to be spaced far enough apart to be able to drape the towel on it without bunching it. Just assemble your ladder and lean it against the RV or a tree and you’re all set. Just be sure to look it over for sap. That can create a sticky mess on your towel!
Wood
A sturdier but less portable version can be made from wood! Depending on the type of wood and stain you use, you could really make this type of towel holder look awesome! Check out the instructions for this towel holder at Home Hardware.
Store Bought Options
If you’d rather purchase a towel drying rack, there are some great options that are easy to install and use. Check these ones out! Consider buying one that mounts to the outside of your RV and folds in when you’re not using it. The Float Storage Hanging Towel Rack looks great and you wouldn’t have to worry about finding a place to put it up at the campsite or where to store it when you’re on the road. The next is a freestanding Wooden Clothes Drying Rack. This is very handy as it collapses and folds up into a very small and portable size! You can set this up inside your RV if you have room, or you can set it up outside and let the fresh air dry your towels and clothes faster. This last one is great for inside an RV. You can mount this Drying Rack/Clothes Airer to the ceiling, which will allow you to keep it up and out of the way while your towels dry. There’s plenty of space for multiple towels on this amazing rack! When you use a towel drying rack, you can eliminate packing extra towels into an already overstuffed RV. Simply hang your towels up to dry, go take a quick cookie and drink break, play a game of Koob, and by the time you’re ready to hit the beach or pool again, your towels will be dry! For other ways to pack light for your RV bathroom, check out these tips! Have you made a DIY towel holder? How did you construct yours? Tell us in the comments!
