16 Ways Real RVers Use Their Toy Hauler Garage

When it comes to different types of RVs, the function of toy haulers may seem obvious. They’re RV models with a built-in, rear garage that can hold and secure motorized toys. Straightforward, right? But campers have gotten creative with how they use their toy haulers. Instead of transporting side-by-sides, they’re using the space in new and creative ways that show there’s truly no limit to what RVers can do.

How do different campers use their toy hauler garage space?

Recreational Toys

Let’s start with the basics. Toy haulers were designed to fit and secure the kind of toys that campers and road trippers love. You can haul motorized toys like ATVs, side-by-sides, dirt bikes, motorcycles, jet skis, and more. Or you can use it to transport other sporting equipment like mountain and road bikes, paddle boards, surfboards, snowboards and skis, kayaks, skateboards, etc. There’s plenty of room to hold recreational toys for the whole RV family for almost any activity you can think of.

Loading and unloading toys are easy with a rear ramp, there’s tons of wide-open storage space, and toy haulers are constructed to handle heavier loads. Plus, with professionally-installed tie-downs, you can move your valuable toys with confidence, knowing that they won’t move around or come loose while you’re towing. The flexibility of a toy hauler garage means that you can bring different toys depending on the season, like kayaks in the summer, four-wheelers in the autumn, and snowboards if you travel in the winter. Whatever you might want to take with you on your next trip, a toy hauler can handle it.

Back Deck

One of the biggest benefits of a toy hauler is that the back ramp can convert to a raised patio space. Many new toy hauler models include a standard patio kit and those that don’t usually give you the option to purchase one. If you have an older toy hauler model, you can purchase aftermarket patio kits to add to your coach, or you can build your own with a DIY project.

What does a patio kit include? It depends on your toy hauler model. First, there will be some way to keep the ramp raised and level, like steel cables that attach to the RV, or jacks that clamp to the ramp itself. Then, there are elements to keep the area fenced in, like guard rails and solid or fabric panels. These are great if you have small kids or pets you want to keep secure on the back deck. Sometimes it also includes a gate, so you can access the rear patio steps and come and go more easily. Toy hauler travel trailers often open directly into the coach with no door between the garage and the living areas. Patio kits for travel trailer configurations often include a fabric screen door that zips open and closed, keeping insects out of your RV.

Once you have a secure, fenced-in back deck, it makes a great place to have your morning coffee. Just add a table and chairs and an awning or umbrella and you’ve got an outdoor dining space, an impromptu work desk or a homework station for your kids.

Transportation

Many toy haulers are big enough and capable enough to haul alternate forms of transportation, like compact cars. The smaller the car, the easier it will be to move. So if you have a dream of road-tripping out to Big Sur in your RV and then driving the Pacific Coast Highway in a two-seat convertible, a toy hauler may be your best bet. Popular car models to haul with a toy hauler include things like a Ford Fiesta, Mazda Miata, Chevy Spark, Fiat 500, MINI Cooper and more.

On the other end of the spectrum, another popular form of secondary transportation for campers is a golf cart. For older campers who go south for winter or campers with mobility limitations, golf carts can provide a fun and easy way to get around campsites and resorts. They make it easy to pick up a cord of firewood for your campfire, take swimming gear to the pool, move around the campsite with multiple small children, and give people with disabilities an easy (and fun) way to move around freely. Not all campsites allow golf carts, so be sure to check the rules for wherever you’re headed, but golf carts at campsites are popular for a reason.

Primary Bedroom

With all that wide-open, unfettered space, toy hauler garages make the perfect blank canvas for a primary bedroom. After all, with open floor space and features like electric beds that raise and lower, you can create a bedroom space that transforms at the push of a button. Plus, there’s plenty of room to add dressers, an Ikea wardrobe, a bookshelf or whatever else you want to have in your bedroom.

Amber in Wanderland moved the main bedroom in her toy hauler to the garage and then turned the previous main bedroom space into a nursery and guest room. She installed her queen size bed onto a Happijac bed lift, allowing her to raise the bed out of the way when she wants more floor space where she can play with her young daughter.

Secondary Bedroom / Bunkhouse

Another popular option, especially for anyone traveling with kids, is turning the garage into a secondary bedroom or a bunkhouse. Many toy hauler garages already include bed lifts, loft spaces or both, which allow you to create multiple dedicated sleeping areas.

Check out how Jessica from Family of Nomads customized her toy hauler garage space. She custom ordered her Cyclone 4014C and requested interior flooring in the garage rather than diamond plate TPO flooring. Two queen size beds on bed lifts serve as bunk beds for two of her kids. During the day, they can raise to the ceiling to create more floor space to play. There’s another bed in the overhead loft where her 14-year-old daughter can sleep and have a bit of privacy. Rounding out the space, there’s plenty of room to store the kids’ things, including clothes, school supplies and toys. They even have a private bathroom, which makes the Cyclone’s garage feel like a deluxe bunkhouse.

Home Gym

Anyone who likes to work out knows the struggle that comes with travel. If you fly somewhere, you’re limited in what you can bring with you, and hotel gyms are hit or miss. If you enjoy road-tripping or car camping, space is at a premium, and workout equipment can be heavy. But in a toy hauler, you have plenty of room to add the workout equipment of your choice, along with tons of floor space to use it.

Fitness trainers Fraser and Lauren Bayley live in their Road Warrior with their daughter for six months out of the year. Working out in the garage lets them keep an eye on their young daughter and dogs, who can hang out within view on the secure back patio. They’ve even shared with us a full-body workout that campers can do on the road, with or without special equipment.

Molly of the Flying Hens also uses the garage of her Cyclone 4007 to store workout equipment – in this case, a Peloton bike. That means she can always access her favorite way to work out, no matter where they go or what the weather is like.

Homeschool / Roadschool Classroom

Many people who travel in their RVs year-round choose to homeschool their kids on the road, which is called roadschooling. Kids do schoolwork from their RV and learn by exploring the world around them. Families with multiple kids need space where everyone can sit, study and do homework – and that’s where a toy hauler can come in handy.

The Proha Family roadschools their five kids from their RV. They originally traveled in a 33-foot Mallard, but they found they didn’t have the kind of space they needed to school their kids comfortably. They sized up to a Cyclone 4006 and created a screened-in back patio where they can set up a table for three of their kids to work. The other two kids work in the main living area of the RV, which allows kids of different ages to collaborate or focus as needed.

Of course, the education doesn’t stop at the RV door. Traveling full-time in an RV also allows them to expose their kids to a wide variety of cultures, heritage sites, national parks, specialty museums and important historical landmarks. What better way is there to learn about the world than by it hands-on?

 

 

Kid's Playroom

What if your kids are too young for school? Toy hauler garages make an excellent kiddie playroom. There’s tons of space to build storage for toys, books, games and more. And having a secure, indoor area for small children to play allows parents to do their own work or prepare meals in the RV kitchen without worrying about them getting into trouble.

The Class Family uses their Heartland toy hauler garage for multiple functions throughout the day. “The garage area serves as a playroom, sunroom, office, classroom and bedroom at different times of day,” according to Sandra. “When we pull out toy boxes and tuck the table and couch away, we have an instant playroom.” That means her kids, Julien and Milena, have a place to hang out, work out some energy, and spread out their things throughout the day. At night, all their toys get stored away, and the room turns into a bedroom, kind of like magic.

And if you need ideas for how to keep kids occupied in an RV on a rainy day, check out this amazing list of ideas provided by The Flying Hens. (We’d go straight for the blanket fort.)

Mobile Office

You don’t need to have kids to appreciate the flexible space of an RV garage. If you’re one of the many travelers who work remotely from their RV, a toy hauler garage can become the perfect mobile office. You can add a desk or multiple desks of your choice, including standing desks. There’s room to add ergonomic office chairs, which are handy if you sit for long periods. You even have room for things like a second monitor, printer, and any other equipment you may need.

Couldn’t you just work from the dinette table? Absolutely. But if you travel with a partner who also works remotely, you may need to have separate areas where you can take video meetings and phone calls without disturbing the other person.

If you’re looking for more tips on how to get started working from the road, we’ve assembled a few to help you get the ball rolling.

Kiddie Pool / Hot Tub

Ok, hear us out. We’ve recently seen some campers doing something pretty wild with their toy hauler patio – adding an inflatable kiddie pool or hot tub. Seems crazy, but all you need to do is inflate the tub, add water, plug it in (if needed) and you’re good to go. When it’s time to travel, you can easily drain it and break it down for transport.

This idea may make the most sense for people who like to stick in one place for more than a few days, as we can imagine that setting it up and taking it down every few days may be exhausting. Still, it’s a novel and joyful approach to enjoying the perks of a toy hauler, and we love the ingenuity.

If you’re looking for something a little more low-key, check out The Rollin Boles’ video tour of their Cyclone. They have a portable sauna set up on the back deck for all the heat of a hot tub without the water.

Bonus Storage Space

There may be times when you need space for things that don’t fit neatly into other storage spaces. If you’re a snowbird or someone who lives in your RV for extended periods, you might want to add the comforts of home: a washing machine, a chest freezer or storage bins that hold off-season items. While some RVs come with a washer/dryer closet, many don’t, and refrigerator freezers may be too small for families who need to buy in bulk.

That’s why a lot of toy hauler owners use their garage spaces to store these kinds of oversized items. Adding a combo washer/dryer to the garage seems to be a popular choice, especially among parents of young kids. When you’re doing multiple loads of laundry every week, having more space to maneuver around a washing machine, store laundry supplies, and fold clothes can make it a little more tolerable.

Amber in Wanderland shared her Heartland Torque garage renovation on Tiny Home Tours. She turned the garage into the primary bedroom and added a two-in-one washer/dryer to the space. Because she and her husband Jaylyn travel with a baby, they knew they would need frequent access to laundry facilities and didn’t want to trek back and forth to a laundromat. Adding the washing machine to their bedroom makes it easy to keep clothes fresh and clean up after messes. You can see what else they modified in their toy hauler here.

The extremely handy dad in the Fummins Family broke out his tools and built custom storage in the garage of his Cyclone. Because they travel full-time in their RV with four young kids, they found that the garage bedroom could get pretty messy. Not only did Dad build a triple bunk bed for three of the kids, but he also installed a shelf to hold large plastic tubs right onto the existing bed lift. Now the shelf can raise out of the way, and lower when they need to get into one of the tubs. Genius.

Early Morning / Late Night Room

Are you an early bird with a night owl travel partner? As Lisa of Adventure Starts Now mentions, her Torque garage is the perfect place to go when she gets up earlier than her partner, Jerry. She loves to make a cup of coffee and sit at the garage dinette table without worrying that she’s making too much noise or using lights that might wake him up. She can play music and enjoy her mornings the way she likes.

If you stay up late, a toy hauler garage works just as well at night for creating quiet on the opposite end of the coach. You could turn it into a TV room, a gaming room, a music room, or anything else you need. Noisier activities are less likely to disturb your travel partner, you get to stay up late and everybody’s happy.

Craft Room / Workshop

When Dan and Lisa from Always On Liberty decided to redecorate their Cyclone, Lisa knew she wanted to handle a lot of the textiles herself. She decided to sew custom window treatments for all the windows in their RV, plus add a privacy curtain between the main living area and the garage, concealment curtains for storage spaces and a curtain for the loft. Dan helped her set up a sewing room in the garage, so she could work on the massive redecorating project each day and then leave it behind a closed door when it was time to relax at night. Click through above to see the results of her makeover project.

Anyone who creates something by hand knows how messy crafting and DIY projects can be. Whether you’re a woodworker, a sewist, a jewelry maker, a knitter or someone who needs a place to store their tools, you know just how quickly items can multiply. A toy hauler garage provides plenty of room to set up a workbench, a craft table or storage for your hobby supplies where they won’t get in the way.

And that goes double if your craft isn’t a hobby but a profession. Lots of RVers are makers and artisans who travel to art fairs, craft fairs and festivals year-round to sell what they create. Choosing to travel in a toy hauler gives you the extra room you need to spread out and create the handmade goods that pay your bills.

Yoga Studio / Meditation Room

As we mentioned above, a toy hauler garage can be a great place to work out. But what if your workouts are a little more chill? Or what if your kind of movement is more intentional, meditative and peaceful? Then go ahead and turn your garage into a yoga studio or a meditation room. We recommend putting down a rug if you’ve got diamond plate TPO floors. Then roll out your yoga mat, take a deep breath, and get into your flow. You’re always welcome to take your practice outside, but on days that are too hot, too wet or too crowded, your toy hauler garage is always ready to make you feel right at home.

It’s also the perfect place to squeeze in some meditation time, especially if you have a door between the garage and the main coach. You can block out the noise of daily life and focus on your breath. Or open up the back ramp door, let some sunlight and fresh air in, and listen to the sounds of nature while you settle your mind. There’s plenty of space to get comfortable – and you could even have your travel partners join you if that’s your thing.

Dining Room

Sometimes a dinette table just isn’t enough for what you need. Big families and people who like to host multiple guests may find they need a bigger table for shared meals – which can be tough in typical RV layouts. But a toy hauler garage with a ramp patio has plenty of space for setting up tables where you can have everyone gather for a meal.

Mark and Rachel use their Cyclone 4006 garage as a dining room when they need to. As they mention in their video tour with Less Junk, More Journey, when they need to feed eight people, they can move a table with folding leaves into the garage and patio space. Then they just raise the leaves, add chairs and everyone can eat together.

And if you spend holidays in your RV, putting a larger table in your toy hauler garage can be a great way to keep the traditions you love going in a smaller space. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Passover, Eid, Lunar New Year – any feast holiday you celebrate can be made RV-friendly with the addition of a garage dining room. Plus, inviting your campsite neighbors to join you for a special meal is a great way to make new friends.

Pet Patio / Kennel

Campers and dogs make a perfect pair. But there are times when you need to leave your furry friends in the RV. If your dogs are crate trained, a toy hauler garage is the perfect space to set up their crates. That way, you’ll know your pets are safe and sound when you need to leave them alone for a bit.

But even when they’re not in crates, the garage and back patio make great places for dogs to hang out. You’ve got easy-to-clean floors, fresh air and space to lay down a dog bed or two. We love this video of Jay from RVTravelKing lowering the rear door to his RV and setting up his toy hauler patio for his dogs to enjoy. He even shows off the dog crates inside his garage – with a bonus surprise that shows you can RV with any kind of pet.

With so many different possibilities, we’ve only scratched the surface of all the things a toy hauler garage can be. But these flexible, convertible RV models are a wonderful choice for anyone who likes to customize their space. Whatever you can dream of, your toy hauler garage can become – and we can’t wait to see what you do with it.