Figuring out exactly what to put on your houseboat packing list is a major challenge and not something that we take lightly. A houseboat packing list has two very different factors working in opposite directions on it.
The first factor is space. On a rental houseboat, space is limited. Because everything you bring is going to take up space, it’s important that you only bring the stuff that you are going to use. This helps to ensure that your group will have enough space to enjoy your houseboat rental.
The other factor affecting your houseboat packing list is the remoteness of a houseboat rental. Part of the reason why you are renting a houseboat is to get away from the busy world. This means that there won’t be access to a lot of the essentials that you are used to in the city.
This means that when you are making your houseboat packing list you are bringing everything you need, but none of the stuff you don’t. Luckily we have gone through and have a complete guide for packing for a houseboat trip.
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What Clothes to Bring on A Houseboat Trip
What clothing to bring on a houseboat trip is always a question that comes up as you and your family are planning for your houseboat vacation. The last thing you want to do is bring too little clothes, but at the same time, you don’t want to be going back and forth hauling suitcases that you won’t need.
Like anything it’s important to find the right balance. In order to do this, there are a few questions you need to think about.
Does your houseboat have a washer and dryer?
If it does, then obviously you can cut down the number of clothes that you will be bringing. With that said, you don’t want to be running the washer, and especially the dryer all day since they will heat up the boat.
What is the weather going to be like?
While you always hope for sunny and hot weather on a houseboat, the reality is that depending on when your houseboat vacation is, there might be some cooler days. If this is the case you might want to bring a couple of extra cooler weather items just to keep you warm.
Overall we suggest under packing for your trip. Hopefully, you get great weather and will be spending the majority of the days in your bathing suit. Our rule of thumb is to pack one top and one bottom for each day. This gives you enough to be safe and normally doesn’t take up too much space.
One area where you probably want to risk overpacking is with your swimsuits. There’s a very real chance that you will be swimming multiple times during the day. This means that if you get out of your swimsuit you will need to put on a wet swimsuit. If you have ever experienced this then you know how uncomfortable this can be. As a result, we suggest two swimsuits for your houseboat trip
Dock Shoes
Another thing you will notice is that you will probably be going up and down the docks quite a bit. Most docks are made from old wood that is not in the best shape so you will see a lot of splinters on a daily basis. Because of this, we recommend having a pair of shoes that serve as your dock shoes. This will help protect your feet from splinters and the hot surfaces that you will experience on most docks and even the parts of your houseboat that are in the sun. You can checkout Better Boating's full this list here
Evening Stuff
One thing that comes as a surprise to people who are thinking about what to pack for a houseboat vacation is the need for some cool weather gear. When you go on vacation on a houseboat you will more than likely be sitting outside at night to enjoy the peace and quiet of the lake at night. More often than not people are surprised by how cool it gets during the evening. We always pack at least one long sleeve shirt and one hoodie per person.
What Water Toys to Bring on a Houseboat Trip
One of the key things to enjoying a great houseboat vacation is determining what water items you need to bring. These are an essential part of not only enjoying your trip but also staying safe on the water.
Life Jackets
The first thing that you will need to think about, and put on, are life jackets. We are big believers in everyone on the boat wearing life jackets when the boat is in motion. You never know the bumps that you will hit that might send someone overboard. The guys at FamilyVacationCritic.com have done a great job of breaking down the best life jackets for your family. You can read their full breakdown here.
We would also recommend bringing some type of throwable flotation device. A throwable flotation device is just what it sounds like. This is something that you can quickly throw to a person in the water that they can grab a hold of and be pulled into safety. This can be useful if someone goes over or has found themselves too far away from the boat. To find the best throwable flotation devices you can go here.
Floats
Once you have ensured that you have the right life jacket for everyone in your group you can start getting into the fun stuff. Whether you are looking to relax in the water or give your kids something to play on, bringing the right floats is critical to having the best houseboat vacation.
Floats for Everyone
Kids love climbing on, wrestling on, and jumping off floats. This is a long-held kid activity that can have them spending hours in the water enjoying themselves. The exact float that you may want can vary from the raft to ride on but we suggest you check out the complete list here.
There is nothing more relaxing than floating in the water with your favorite people and enjoying your beverage. While the kids need s float to climb and wrestle on, a float for you to relax and lay in is equally important. There are multiple considerations that need to be made here but for a full breakdown of the best lake floats for relaxing adults you can check out this great list but we've found this Throw Bag from Bass Pro Shops tends to be perfect.
Water Toys
While the kids are sure to be climbing and wrestling and jumping it always helps to add a few toys to the mix as well. From throwing toys to squirting toys there has been an explosion in the different things that you can play within the water, this list has some of the best ones at an affordable price.
What Sun Protection Should I Bring on My Houseboat Trip
One of the best parts about being out on a houseboat is the amount of sun that you will be getting. This is also one of the reasons it’s so important to come fully equipped to protect yourself, and your family, from the sun. The water magnifies the power of the sun and there really isn’t much shade on the water. Because of this, you’ll need to make sure you have all of your essentials covered.
Sun Screen
Sunscreen is an absolute must for any houseboat vacation. While there are a whole host of different brands and protection level, you should really stay above SPF 15 at a minimum. In addition, it’s important to reapply sunscreen throughout the day.
We like to keep a timer that goes off every three hours so that it serves as a reminder for our family to reapply sunscreen. Really any timer that can be reset over a couple of hours will do the job.
Sun Hat
A simple way to keep yourself totally safe in the sun is a sun hat. The construction of these hats continues to get better and they can now effectively cover your whole head and neck and keep it safe from the sun. Many now are constructed from material that also keeps you cool and while giving you some relief from the hot summer days in the water. You can see a full breakdown by the guys at the OutdoorGearLab here but our favorite items are this hat for men and this for women.
Sunglasses
Another important item that you will want to bring on your trip is sunglasses. The glare from the water can be pretty extreme and you’ll quickly get tired of spending the whole day squinting. You can give your eyes some welcome relief with a nice pair of sunglasses. You can check out this great breakdown of sunglasses from our friends at Boats.com here
Chapstick
The last thing is something that most people don’t think about. If you’ve ever had your lips sunburned before you know just how painful it can be. To avoid this you should bring a simple chapstick with an SPF rating of at least 50.
How to Plan Meals on a Houseboat Trip
One of the toughest things to do when thinking about what to pack for a houseboat trip is to determine the food you are going to bring. You know that you will get hungry while you are on the boat, especially with how much activity you will probably be doing.
The problem is, you have to bring all of your food with you. While there are normally some marina stores, they don’t have much in the way of food and what they do have is normally overpriced. This is why it’s so critical to come prepared with a great plan for food on your houseboat vacation.
Snacks
Snacks are a critical part of preparing for your houseboat trip. While each family has a preference when it comes to snacks, you will need to have some salty snacks on board. As your bodies continue to sweat from being in the hot sun you will find it calling out for salty snacks. Whatever your family likes, make sure you have a variety of salty snacks to help replace some of the salt that is lost in sweat.
Recipes
Our first recommendation would be to check out our recipes page. Every week we release a recipe that is specifically designed for houseboats. This means that all of these meals have a small number of ingredients, are easy to cook, and will fill your family up.
Every family structures their meals a little differently but we have found there are few common factors. First, you will need to have one big meal a day. For most families it’s dinner, but some families prefer to have a big lunch. Either way, these daily large meals should be the meals that you plan first.
Next, most families have some sort of lighter, secondary meal. With most families that have a big dinner, they will have a light lunch, while families that make lunch their main meal will have a smaller dinner. In order to limit cooking as much as possible, we like to have our main meal stretch into the next day’s smaller meal. That means if we are making chicken tacos for dinner on Saturday, we might do nachos for lunch the next day. This lets us use all of the food that we brought, and only requires us to reheat the meal from the previous night.
When it comes to breakfast you have to go with what your family prefers. We are a big breakfast family so we will bring some simple breakfast items like eggs and bacon and stuff for biscuits and gravy. This allows us to start the day with a full stomach so that we can get by with a light lunch.
Ice
One thing that you will notice on a dock is that ice is a key resource. When hot weather rolls in, everyone wants to have cool drinks. If you go to the marina and check the ice you can see this desire reflected by their prices. This is why it’s critical that you bring ice down and have enough coolers to keep stuff at the desired temperature.
When it comes to ice we actually recommend bringing a couple of different varieties. Obviously you should have your cubed ice. This fits great in coolers and drinks and is a staple of the dock. The thing that most people don’t think about is having a block of ice as well. When you bring a block of ice in a cooler it is going to last a long time and help keep the items in that cooler for longer. This lets you use your cubed ice for drinks and saves a lot in the long run.
Another, long term option is to purchase your own ice maker. This may seem a little extreme but if you own a boat, it's a must have. Even if you don't own a boat, it's a great add to your house that increases your freezers life span. We recommend a simple one like this option.
Coolers
One of the most critical items to bring for your houseboat trip is a high-quality cooler. This will serve as your base of operations for the majority of your drinks and help to keep everyone cool. You will quickly find that keeping this main cooler stocked with ice and drinks is a great way to ensure everyone is happy.
There are a lot of different coolers on the market but it’s safe to say that DiscountCoolerSales.com has the definitive guide on coolers. A rule of thumb for coolers is that in general, you get what you pay for. The higher quality coolers tend to be a bit more expensive, but they will also help prevent you from having to constantly buy ice and restock the cooler.
In addition to having one base cooler, you should also have a couple of secondary coolers. On the way to the boat, this is the perfect place to put the meat that you are bringing. This helps ensure that if there is a leak in the bag that it won’t ruin the rest of your drinks. Obviously, this should be a good, smaller cooler. Once you get to the boat you can rinse it out and use it as a cooler to take on hikes, fishing, or on any excursion you want.
Kitchen Essentials
One thing to consider is that you will not be in your home kitchen. While most rental houseboats come with some of the basics like silverware, basic pots and pans, and utensils, there is nothing to guarantee that you will have everything you need. This means that you will need to pack anything you need to make your meals.
For us, one of the absolute essentials is the crockpot. We use our crockpot, and crockpot liners, frequently and have found that it the easiest way to cook a meal with limited cleanup. The team at EatThisNotThat have done a great job breaking down all of the top options here.
One more thing to think about is that you will not have any of the spices you had at home waiting for you. This means that you will need to bring every spice that you are putting in the dish. This is one of the reasons why we are big fans of preparing the meals beforehand so that we can just dump them into the crockpot and let them eat. You can see some of our best prepare before meals here.
Leftovers are a vital part of any eating plan. If you plan on storing any of your food it’s a great idea to bring some sort of aluminum foil or plastic cling wrap. Another important item to remember are the ziplock bags for leftovers or carrying snacks . These will go a long way in letting you stretch one meal into two and limit the cooking, and clean up, you have to do.
Water
The last thing we have on our list of essential items is water. More than likely your family is going to be going through a lot of water on their trip. We like to carry three different types of water to ensure that we have enough. We will get a couple of packs of the small water bottles to take with us but we actually use 5-gallon containers of water (the ones with the spicket) as our main source of water. By putting this in the fridge our whole family has access to high-quality drinking water that is cold and refreshing. The final type of water we bring is a couple of gallons of water for the coffee maker.
What Linens to Bring on a Houseboat Trip
The sleeping arrangements on a houseboat trip are always something that needs to be considered before the trip and planned accordingly. Getting a good night’s sleep is critical if you plan on taking full advantage of your houseboat rental. One of the best ways to do this is by thinking through your sleeping arrangements before you arrive.
One item that people tend not to bring on their houseboat trip, and then find themselves wishing for is some sort of sleeping bag or blow-up mattress. Almost every houseboat trip I have been on has had a person who struggled with the motion of the houseboat and struggled to sleep in their assigned bed. This is normally a result of the confined space in the bedrooms and the rocking that the boat does at night.
The only real answer I have found has been to sleep in the salon. This open space takes away the feeling of the rocking and makes it easier to sleep. This is why we suggest that you always bring at least one sleeping bag or blow-up mattress. This gives people an option to sleep out in the salon if their room isn’t a good option. You can find a great breakdown of the best sleeping bags here and the best blow-up mattresses here.
Another thing that is worth thinking about bringing is an extra pillow or two. Beyond making things more comfortable, it can also be useful if you have a member sleeping on the couch or in their sleeping bag.
Towels
Another important thing to make sure you pack is your towels. Again you need to prepare for the situation. Chances are you are going to be in and out of the water throughout the whole day. This means a lot of drying off as the day goes on.
While you might have a dryer on board, you won’t want to spend the whole day running it and heating up the houseboat. Instead, you can use the natural power of the sun and dry your towel on the top deck. If you are going to do this though, you will want a second towel to use while the first one is drying
What to Pack for a Rainy Day on a Houseboat
While you hope you will have nothing but sunshine and blue skies, the reality is that you can’t ever know when the storm clouds are going to come in. In case you do get a stretch of bad weather, you will be thankful you thought ahead and packed some things that still allow you to have a good time.
The worst part of being on a houseboat in the rain is that there really isn’t a whole lot of space. Houseboats are designed to maximize every inch of the boat, but the reality is there just isn’t that much. This means that you will need to find ways of entertaining your group that don’t take too much space.
For the money and their versatility, there is nothing better than a deck of cards. A deck of cards can go a long way in having fun in rainy weather. We have found this book to be one of the best ways to find new card games to play.
Another popular option is board games. When stuck inside a board game like Monopoly can really get the competitive juices flowing and make a day that could have been disappointing a lot of fun.
Don’t underestimate the value of DVDs. Sometimes putting on a dumb comedy like Taledaga Nights (or just about any Will Ferrell Movie) makes for a great way to enjoy the time together, especially as the night winds down. One thing to think about is that the majority of lakes receive poor cell phone signal so it may be difficult to stream your movie choice. That’s why we recommend a DVD collection like these classic Will Ferrell Movies
.
Bringing Your Music on a Houseboat Trip
One thing that has to make it on the top of your houseboat packing list is a way to listen to your music. A day on the water just doesn’t seem complete without some John Cougar Mellencamp or Jimmy Buffet. The downside is that most lakes, especially in the Tennessee Valley Region, are surrounded by mountains and don’t receive a strong signal. Meanwhile, the local radio stations are spotty at best. This means if you want to get the music you might want, you will need to look at downloading your music before you go.
One option for this is Pandora/Spotify Premium. This is a great service that allows you to download your favorite stations and playlists so you always have access to your music.
When it comes to the actual music you have a couple of different options. The safest option is to bring your own Bluetooth Speaker. Obviously, the threat of water is pretty high on a houseboat, so you will want to make sure whatever Bluetooth speaker you bring is waterproof. I would recommend checking out this list for a great breakdown of the best waterproof Bluetooth speakers or you could go with our pick here.
If you are confident that your boat will have a good set of speakers you can actually tap into the boat’s speaker system in two different ways. The first, and highest quality option, is with a Bluetooth receiver. Bluetooth receivers are great for boats (and cars) that have Aux inputs. You can connect your Bluetooth receiver to the Aux input and then pair your phone with it to send your music directly through your boat’s speakers. For a great list of Bluetooth receivers check out this resource.
If your boat radio doesn’t have an Aux input then you can still connect to it through your Bluetooth. In this case, you will want to find a Bluetooth Transmitter. These are great options for older stereos, and because there are so few radio channels on lakes, you will get great reception. These Bluetooth transmitters work by pairing with your phone to get the audio, and then sending it out through an FM signal to your radio. You can read a full buying guide on them here.
Whichever path you decide to go, make sure that you have your music downloaded so that you won’t have to worry about getting signal while you are out on the lake.
Babyproofing Your Houseboat
One thing that people ask all the time is how to baby proof a houseboat. While it can be scary to take a baby out on the water, if you are careful and follow some basic steps, it’s actually an amazing way to enjoy your time as a family.
The first thing you will need to do is make sure that your baby always has a life jacket on. Nothing is as terrifying as the thought of a baby overboard which is why we have a rule that if the baby is out of the indoor section of the boat, they need to have a life jacket on. You can check out this full list of infant life jackets here.
Another useful item are baby gates. These will allow you to let you child roam a little bit, while still keeping them out of the more dangerous parts of the boat. You can check out this list of the top baby gates for every situation here.
As a whole, it really comes down to using common sense and keeping your little one safe and in a life jacket. If you can do this, you will find that taking a baby on the water is a great way for them to get used to the water and can help ease the transition of getting them into swim lessons. I would recommend checking out this guide for a more complete list. While it isn’t specific for a houseboat, it will help give you some ideas and things to look out for.
Other Essentials for Your Houseboat Packing List
There are a variety of other things that will make your houseboat vacation trip much more comfortable if you include them on your houseboat packing list. These don’t really fit in any one specific category but are definitely worth mentioning.
One item that is useful for hanging out late at night on the porch is a lantern. Obviously, if the power goes out this becomes an essential item, but even when you have full power they are great on the front porch of your houseboat. Brighter lights tend to attract more bugs, so by using a lantern, you will have enough light to see, but not enough that you attract all the bugs in the surrounding areas. I would recommend making your pick from this great list.
Extra Rope
It seems like there is an endless need for rope on a boat. If you are planning on tieing up on shore you will definitely need a lot of rope, but even if you are just planning on cruising around all day, it’s nice to have some extra rope. There has never been a time on a boat where I have wanted less rope, but I can tell you there have been several times where I needed more rope. This doesn't have to be anything fancy, this 100' rope should get the job done.
If you are planning on tieing up on shore I would also recommend bringing some aluminum pie tins. If you take these and thread your ropes through them it will stop anything from crawling up your ropes and onto your boat. This will help ensure you don’t have any uninvited overnight guests.
Canopy
There is no shortage of sun on the lake. While it’s really nice to get into the sun and soak up some rays, it’s equally nice to cool off in the shade. The problem that you may start to find is that the boat has limited areas of shade and they can quickly get filled up.
To find this shade many people have started bringing a canopy and setting it up once the boat has arrived at their location. Obviously, you don’t want to be cruising along with your canopy up, but once you reach your destination this can be a great way of increasing the shade on your boat. You can check out a full list of the best canopies here.
Whichever Canopy you go with, make sure you bring something to keep the legs weighed down so the canopy doesn't blow away in the wind. We recommend this set of canopy bags which are easy to apply and very low profile.
Bungee Cords
Similar to rope, it seems like you almost need a bungee cord to keep something attached. Their application is almost universal and can really help secure items to the boat. This can be especially useful if you bring a canopy to increase the amount of shade that you get on the top deck. When it comes to grabbing your bungee cords, I would recommend getting a variety set that has multiple different lengths like this one.
Camping Chairs
Finding seating on a boat can be a tough task. There’s nothing worse than having more people than chairs and spending your houseboat vacation trying to make sure you have a seat.
This is one of the reasons we recommend bringing some camping chairs. They’re easy to pack and move and put away when you don’t need them, but when you do need them, you’ll be happy they’re there. Here’s a list of some of the top camping chairs.