Fitness on the Road: How We Stay Active While Full-Time RVing

Everything you need to know about fitness on the road from a full-time RV family. When we moved into our 22 foot travel trailer in 2022, we weren’t sure how we’d keep up with our workouts. That uncertainty pushed us to rethink what staying active could look like in a small, constantly changing space. Four years later, fitness is still part of our routine. We’ve had to get creative, and the plan changes depending on where we’re parked, but we’ve found ways to work toward our fitness goals wherever we go.

The Gear We Carry

When we first hit the road, a friend gave us a barbell, two dumbbells, and a set of cement filled plates. We’ve since found more plates at Goodwill, including 100 pounds for just $25. If you’re building a setup on a budget, thrift stores and secondhand marketplaces are worth checking.

Free weights work well for us, but they come with a challenge: the stronger you get, the more weight you may need to bring along. That’s especially true for Anthony, who lifts heavier and is trying to build muscle. We keep our weights in the bed of our truck to free up space in the camper, but they still take up room and count toward what our truck can safely carry. Before adding equipment, check your rig’s weight limits and what you’re already hauling.

We also carry resistance bands. Our set packs into a small bag and lets us do rows, leg curls, triceps extensions, and other exercises we’d normally use a cable machine for. We’ve used the same bands for nearly four years.

A More Portable Option: Rayofi

Recently, we added the Rayofi portable cable machine to our setup, and this thing is pretty cool especially for RV life. It fits in your hand and stores easily in the camper, yet one unit provides 5 to 66 pounds of adjustable resistance. That’s pretty darn good for something so small. It applies resistance through both the concentric motion, when you pull, and the eccentric motion, when you return. You can change the setting with the press of a button.

For me, it’s been more than enough for a solid workout and has worked flawlessly. Anthony uses it too, but he lifts heavier and pushes it harder than I do. On a few occasions, after several sets at the 66 pound limit, the unit got hot and briefly stopped working until it reset. Even so, that occasional issue hasn’t stopped us from loving and regularly using it.

The battery life has been surprisingly good, too. How quickly it drains depends on the resistance you’re using, but we usually charge it after each workout. It charges quickly, and we’ve never had to worry about it dying halfway through the next one.

We’re seeing more portable cable machines come out, but of the ones we’ve looked at, Rayofi stands out for its affordability and resistance in both directions. We’d eventually love to add a second Rayofi. Having a dual setup would give us more exercise options and feel even closer to using a traditional cable machine on the road.

Finding Places to Work Out

When we’re near a town, we can look for a gym with a day pass. Recreation centers are another great option for a family: they may have fitness equipment, pools, showers, and activities for the kids. We wrote more about how we find and use them in our RVshare guide to recreation centers.

When we’re camped far from a gym or rec center, most of our workouts happen outside, beside the RV. We’ve used playground monkey bars for pull-ups and picnic tables for exercises that need a sturdy raised surface.

I’ve even done BODi video workouts on my phone outside in the middle of a campground. Do I look a little silly? Maybe. But I’ve given up being embarrassed about trying to stick to my goals.

Of course, working out outside means dealing with the weather. Anthony will work out in almost anything. Me? If it’s raining or snowing, you can count me out. Sometimes I’ll find another way to move, and sometimes I’ll take a rest day. We have different goals and need different amounts of rest, so our routines don’t have to look exactly alike.

Working Out Without Equipment

Some days, the easiest workout is one that doesn’t require us to unpack anything. We’ll go for a run, head out on a hike, or do a few rounds of bodyweight exercises. A quick workout might be a few rounds of squats, lunges, push-ups, sit-ups, and planks, with breaks as needed. We can do it beside the RV in about 15–20 minutes, with no setup or extra gear.

Hiking is one of our favorite ways to stay active because it’s also how we explore a new place. A day spent walking trails in a national park might be our workout for the day, and it rarely feels like one. Other days, we only have time for a short run or a few sets of exercises before getting back on the road. It all counts.

Finding What Works on the Road

After almost four years of full-time RVing, our workout setup is definitely a random mix: thrift-store weights, resistance bands, the Rayofi, and whatever picnic table, playground, or mountain happens to be available that day. But honestly, that’s kind of the point. You don’t need the perfect setup to stay active while traveling. You just have to figure out what works with your space, your rig, your goals, and the way you like to exercise. We may not have a gym anymore, but we’ve gotten pretty good at making one wherever we go.

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