17 Essential Road Trip Accessories You Need For Your Next Trip

It feels like it was just yesterday that we picked up our camper van and set off on a road trip across the US. Our 3,000-mile trip from Chicago to Los Angeles served as a great reminder of our love for the open road and the freedom of living out of a campervan.

We used to road trip quite a bit when we lived in Australia, and now that we’ve found a cheap way to go on road trips in the US, it’s the perfect time to get back into it.

When we first started road-tripping, we found the experience to be rather frustrating. Time and time again, we’d realize that we were missing this or that from our road trip essentials and end up kicking ourselves for not thinking of it in preparation for our road trip.

But this trip was different. We finally felt like we had it all sorted out and that our list of road trip travel essentials was now complete. So here they are – our personal list of car essentials for a road trip and the best road trip gadgets that will help take your road trip from good to great!

Best Car Accessories for Road Trips

1. KOOSLA Power Inverter

This power inverter is an absolute must-have accessory for any long road trip, and we consider it one of our best car accessories. It will turn your tiny cigarette lighter port into a powerful AC power outlet. Our power inverter produces 300 Watts of AC power and includes 1 60W PD 3.0 USB-C port, 2 Smart USB ports, and 2 AC outlets. We highly recommend the KOOSLA Power Inverter because of its fast charging abilities, and the USB C port is useful for charging larger devices like laptops and tablets. Using our Power Strip (see below), we are able to charge both of our laptops, plus camera batteries and an iPhone, all at the same time.

Alternatively, if most of your devices can be charged by USB C, we also recommend the UGREEN Car Charger. It’s a cheaper alternative, and the compact size barely takes up any of your dashboard space. 

2. Anker Power Strip

This power strip is a great addition to our travel gear and one that quickly proved its value. It packs a punch with impressive 6-in-1 power. It’s got 2 AC outlets, 2 USB-C ports, and 2 USB-A ports, which lets you charge up to 6 devices simultaneously. It also has 140 Watts High-speed charging, which is a must, especially when you’re constantly on the road. We plug this charging dock into our Power Inverter and have an all-in-one solution for all of our charging needs.

This charging dock is not only a great road trip accessory but a great travel accessory as well. With this bad boy, we’ll never have to worry about not having enough outlets in hotel rooms when we travel either. Double win!

3. Ram X-Grip Dashboard Cell Phone Holder

We love our Ram X-Grip Cell Phone holder! We bought it about years ago and have since successfully road-tripped with it in Australia, Europe, Africa and now in the US. It’s a bit bulky, but what makes it worth the size/weight is the twist lock suction cup and grip handles, which allow for a perfect fit with any phone and easy adjustments to suit any driver’s preference. Plus, with a little addition of the GoPro ball joint accessory, the X-Grip turns into a perfect GoPro holder as well. For safe driving with minimal distractions, this smartphone car mount is one of the best road trip accessories to have.

If you’re an iPhone user with a Magsafe case, here’s a similar phone holder that’s compatible with iPhone 12, 13, 14, 15 Pro/Plus/Max. Another alternative for non-iPhone users is this 360° rotatable car mount that should work with most vehicles.

READ NEXT: A Comprehensive Road Trip Checklist 

4. Premium Music Subscriptions

You can’t go on a road trip without awesome tunes. We know it well; there is nothing more frustrating than rocking out to a great tune one minute and hearing fuzzy noise take over the radio the next. Or if you’re streaming your favourite tracks, it’s music when you have a stable 4G connection and no music when you reach a dead zone. Dead zones suck, so we choose to avoid them by subscribing to Spotify Premium and Apple Music. Both apps allow you to make playlists available offline, so you can enjoy your favourite tunes even when completely off the grid (and having both means you’ll never run the risk of not finding a song you like!).

If you had to choose one, a good thing to note is that Apple Music has a wider catalogue with 100+ million songs, and they’re also known to have better audio quality. Their individual plan costs $10.99 per month. On the other hand, Spotify has over 80 million songs, and their plan comes out cheaper at $9.99 per month.

If you can’t fork out $10/month, you can subscribe for a free 3-month trial just before your road trip. (If you already have an account, just sign up using a new email)

5. Bose Bluetooth Portable Speaker

At night, when we reach our campsite and turn off our radio/car speaker, we turn to our trusty portable speaker to keep the tunes going in our campervan in the evening. We’ve had ours for over 4 years, and it still works amazingly! We can’t recommend it enough to keep the good vibes playing. It’s small, light, and produces great sound. It’s also waterproof, so we can take it on rainy hikes, chuck it into a kayak and not have to worry about it!

There’s also a larger version available for those looking to upgrade or just have a little more room. The newer Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Speaker has great sound quality and is waterproof–and this one even floats! It’s one of the best accessories to bring along on a beach trip. It’s dust, rust, and debris-resistant, so it’s pretty easy to keep and store. Plus, it also comes with a rechargeable battery and a built-in microphone, so you can take calls even through the speaker.

6. iPad

A tablet is your best bet for entertainment on a road trip–it’s sleek, lightweight, and can do basically everything a phone and laptop can. Not only does it double as a streaming and movie-watching device, you can also use it for music, taking notes or planning itineraries, and even reading books. We reach for it so often that we had to add it here as one of our best car accessories.

7. LARQ

We love a good reusable water bottle, and our current favourite is, hands-down, the LARQ. (If it sounds familiar, then you might’ve seen it on an episode of Shark Tank!) It’s a self-cleaning water bottle with unique PureVis Technology. With a touch of a button, the UV-C light activates and neutralizes up to 99.99% of harmful, odour-causing bacteria. 

When you’re travelling on a road trip–especially on long trips where you don’t stop very often–it’s important to stay hydrated. The LARQ has two useful modes: Normal and Adventure Mode. Normal Mode is a 1-minute cleaning cycle that’s ideal for daily use if you’re drinking water from a trustworthy source. But Adventure Mode is ideal for travellers who find themselves in new places where they’re not so sure about the water quality. When it comes to hydration, this is definitely one of our road trip must-haves.

The LARQ Bottle PureVis is also insulated and can keep cold water chilled for up to 24 hours or hot for up to 12 hours, perfect for storing your drinks on a long journey.

8. Biodegradable Wet Wipes

They are perfect for staying clean on the go and have about a million uses, especially if you’re car camping. On a road trip, you won’t always find access to a sink or running water, so having wet wipes on you is a convenient workaround to washing cutlery or even your hands. You might find yourself using them more than you’d think: they come in handy for wiping down surfaces, getting rid of dust, dirt, sand, or mud (none in the car, please!), or even cooling off after a hot day. Just make sure to pick a biodegradable variety to minimize the impact on the environment.

9. Storage Containers

Storage containers are irreplaceable for keeping the car clean and tidy when on a road trip! We used them for more than a few items, like food storage, art and craft supplies, nuts, snacks and much more. These ones are made out of food-grade silicone and are collapsible, so they take up very little room in your bags or the back seat and help you stay organized in a packed car.

10. Multi-Tool

Instead of buying a bottle opener, a pair of scissors, a knife, a screwdriver, and a handful of other random tools, pack this multi-tool for your road trip and have all the tools easily accessible in one place. This particular item is a 15-in-1 and includes spring-loaded needle nose pliers, a wire stripper, small/medium/large flathead drivers, a #2 cross-driver, an awl, a nail file, scissors, a tool lock, a can opener, a bottle opener, a 2.25” partially serrated blade, a lanyard point and a pocket clip. 

They’re made from stainless steel, so you know they’re built to last. The compact, convenient size also makes it easy to store in your glove compartment. Whether it’s fixing a flat tire or opening a can of soup, you’ll want to add this as one of your car travel accessories on your next road trip. Just remember to pack it in your check-in baggage if you’re getting on a flight!

11. Maps Me

Maps Me is the only app you need for a successful road trip. You may have heard us rave about it in our post 11 Mobile Apps We Can’t Travel Without, and it’s once again proven to be a saviour for us on this road trip. No cell phone reception? No problem, we preload the maps for the state we are driving through and can easily route ourselves to any destination. The app also allows us to search for gas stations, supermarkets, campgrounds, shops, and tourist attractions. Download it here. For navigating any area, this is one of the best car accessories.

12. Comfortable Clothing

Comfortable clothing is another must for a good road trip. The thing is that you have to strike the perfect balance between being super comfortable for all those long hours in the car but also looking good enough that you can be ready to jump out of the car and sightsee at one of the national parks on a moment’s notice.

These days, the majority of our clothes come from prAna, a sustainable clothing brand with a great selection. They’ve got everything from hiking gear to sweats, jeans, and nice dresses and dress shirts!

13. First Aid Kit

It’s best to be prepared before heading out on a long road trip, and a first aid kit is a very important accessory to keep in the car. You’ll want to stock your first aid kit with band-aids and supplies for larger bandages, tweezers for pesky splinters, antiseptic, a thermometer, antihistamine, and some pain reliever. It’s a good idea to have face masks on hand as well – COVID is still around, after all. 

You can customize your own kit with supplies that you like or save money by getting one that is pre-packed with the bare essentials.

14. Steering Wheel Cover

While technically a luxury, a comfy steering wheel cover can make a big difference on long road trips! They can provide a more comfortable grip on the steering wheel and prevent it from getting unbearably hot or cold, depending on the season. There are even some that come with heating and cooling features! We consider this one of our underrated car accessories when going on road trips.

15. Power Bank

We all have lots of electronics these days, especially those of us who take our work on the go. Portable power banks are extremely important to have on hand, just in case your phone or laptop needs a charge. They hardly take up any space, and they have advanced quite a bit in recent years. If you have a laptop, choose a power bank that has PD (Power Delivery) for superfast charging, like this one by UGREEN. Also, don’t forget to check the travel guidelines: power banks must be under 26800mAh for you to be able to bring it on a plane. The Anker PowerCore+ is another travel-friendly USB-C power bank we recommend.

16. Cargo Box

If you’re doing an extended road trip in a smaller vehicle, consider getting a roof cargo box. Instead of stuffing your things in the back seat, this will free up precious storage space in the car by attaching your items to the car’s roof. This is especially helpful for those who car camp and pack a long list of road trip essentials. The type of cargo box to get depends on your vehicle, and Amazon has a handy tool where you can input the make and model of your vehicle, and your search results will be filtered accordingly. 

17. Collapsible Travel Coffee Cup

As useful as reusable, stainless steel tumblers, we have to admit they can get a little bulky. Lugging them around when we don’t need them takes up a lot of space. That’s why this ultra-compact, collapsible, reusable coffee cup was a game-changer for us. From a sturdy cup that can hold 16 oz of our favourite drinks, it can collapse into a thin, 1-inch version of itself in seconds! It also has a built-in flexible straw and double wall insulation to keep drinks hot or cold, plus a spill-proof lid that keeps us covered. Cups like these even prevent spills when we drive through rough or uneven roads, making it one of our road trip car essentials.

Are Any Of These Accessories On Your Ultimate Road Trip Packing List? What Items Do You Swear By When Road Tripping?

READ NEXT: Road Trip Essentials: 50 Things To Bring On A Road Trip