21+ RV Patio and Campsite Decorating Ideas
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Want to transform your campsite? These RV patio decorating ideas will inspire you to create a beautiful, functional outdoor space perfect for relaxing at the end of a long day.
Don’t worry! This list includes ideas for all styles of RVer—whether you’re parked at a permanent location, traveling regularly from place to place, or just camping for the weekend, you’ll find portable, lightweight, and creative ways to renovate your RV patio.
1. Get an outdoor rug.
An outdoor rug is an inexpensive way to set the vibe of your patio. Available in endless styles and colors, you can find the perfect rug for you.
Plus if your campsite doesn’t have a patio area, outdoor rugs are great to throw down on top of gravel, sand, grass, or dirt to create an even surface and keep you from tracking so much mud or sand into your RV.

To reduce your environmental impact with a plastic rug, there’s a company called Fab Habitat that sells rugs made from recycled and sustainably-sourced materials, including outdoor rugs made from recycled plastic.
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2. Add camping or lounge chairs.
This couple lives in their RV full-time so instead of buying camping chairs, they opted to use pallets to build a couch and 4×4 posts to build an adult swing set. They used this DIY pallet sofa tutorial!

But for most travelers, folding or collapsible patio furniture will be best!
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If you’re traveling in your RV, folding camping chairs are available in multiple styles. Shop our favorites in our Amazon Store.
3. Add some weather-resistant throw pillows and other decor.
Outdoor throw pillows and a few simple decorative items can transform the area outside your RV into a relaxing outdoor living area.

A small weather-proof coffee table is the perfect accent for camping chairs. If you’re staying in campsites for longer periods of time, the above RVers use vases and wall hangings to create their own outdoor oasis.
Recreate this look with:
- Black and white outdoor rug
- Beige zero-gravity chairs
- Outdoor throw pillows with tropical covers
- Boho macrame wall hanging (which these sturdy removable hooks will let you easily hang on your camper)
- Accent table
- Tropical leaf garland
4. Hang string lights.
Using lights to decorate your RV never goes out of style, and there are so many fun options to choose from.

To hang your lights, Camco makes these plastic clips that are designed to clip on an RV awning (and can be left in place even when your awning is rolled up), or you can use these clips to attach the lights along the edge of your awning fabric.
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Don’t have an awning? You can hang lights directly on your RV with these weatherproof adhesive hooks, or you can hang them from tall shepherd’s hooks, which make a nice place to hang plants as well.
(You can also have an RV awning installed if you would like to add one!)
Colorful lights are a great way to add a little light and personality to your RV patio. If you’re feeling extra creative, you can make your own custom lights for your RV like Josh Ward.

The string lights were inspired by some bear lights Josh’s grandparents hung on their RV in the 80s. To make these lights, he collected plastic honey bears and attached them to a string of large bulb Christmas lights. What a fun way to reuse honey bottles!

Really want your RV patio to shine? Consider upgrading your RV’s exterior with a fresh coat of paint!
5. Add a garden flag or a personalized sign.
Garden flags and welcome signs are a fun and easy way to decorate your campsite. You can find a large variety of them at any store with a lawn and garden department as well as on Amazon, but personally I prefer personalized and handmade ones.
You can find endless options for personalized garden flags and handmade welcome signs on Etsy.

Recreate this look with:
- Metal garden flag on a garden flag stand – I couldn’t find that exact one online but this one is really cool.
- Mason jar lantern hanging from shepherd’s hook. HGTV has a great tutorial on how to make your own!
- Pot of flowers
- Hammock with portable folding stand
6. Add step covers.
I recently came across these RV step covers and wished I’d discovered them long ago.

Not only do they look nice (and come in several different colors), these step covers, which fasten to your steps with an elastic bungee hook, will help cut down on dirt and sand being tracked into your RV.
Bonus: Unlike a welcome mat, they can be left in place during travel, giving you one less thing to pack.
7. Decorate with plants.
A few plants go a long way to beautify an outdoor space.
I recommend self-watering planters with a drainage plug unless you are okay with watering every day or are spending the summer somewhere that gets a lot of rain. Hanging baskets tend to dry out quickly. The kitchen sink is a good place to set your plants in the kitchen sink of your RV during travel.

Note: You can’t bring plants into the state of California, and if you drive from the U.S. to Canada with plants you’ll have to have them inspected. For more information and ideas about RVing with plants, take a look at my article about mobile gardening.

Above is my RV! I used shepherd’s hooks to hang potted plants around the perimeter of my patio and weatherproof adhesive hooks to hang string lights. (Since we were parked under trees, I preferred to keep our awning rolled up so my plants could get some sun.)
Recreate this look:
8. Fencing
If you’re living permanently in an RV, building fencing is a great way to make your home on wheels feel more like a real home.
Creating an exterior wall is a great way to give a small space a patio feel. Add an outdoor dining area and extra seating to make it a great place to entertain guests!
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For less permanent fencing, outdoor pet fencing or playpen fencing are great for creating boundaries for small children and pets.
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9. Add a privacy screen.
Fencing can be a major investment, but there are simpler privacy options too.
Some trellis panels like the ones shown below can be used to hide the “ugly” parts of your RV, add shade and privacy to a motorhome’s front windows, create storage under the tongue of a fifth wheel, or add shade around a patio.

Even one panel of inexpensive and lightweight lattice leaning next to your camper makes a nice place to hang plants or decor.
Recreate this look with:
- Lattice panels
- Decorative sign
- Potted hibiscus trees
- Yard ornaments
- Antique chair planter – see how to make one here.
10. Hang curtains from your awning.
Get extra privacy or protect yourself from sun and bugs by adding curtains to your RV awning.

The RVer who shared this photo with me hung tab curtains along her awning which can be closed to block the sun or create additional privacy.
If you don’t have a bar along which to hang curtains, I believe you could also use a grommet punch to create holes in a sheer curtain and hang it along the edge of an awning with these curtain clips.
If you want to hang curtains around your patio area and don’t have an awning, you could run a piece of rope between two tall shepherd’s hooks and hang curtains from that.
Recreate this look with:
11. Set up a screen room.
If bugs are your problem rather than the sun, a screen room can make your time outside more enjoyable. One subscriber solved this problem by purchasing a screen tent to set up next to her RV.

You can also buy a screen room that will fully enclose your RV awning. (These are incredibly popular in Europe, where most RVers have screen rooms attached to their awning!)

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12. Find a decorative bird feeder.
Birds at feeders are fun to watch, and it’s especially fun when you’re in different parts of the country to see species of birds other than what you may be used to.

Recreate this look with:
- Camper bird feeder
- Set of zero-gravity chairs
- Cutout barrel side table
- Brick pavers laid down directly on the grass to create a temporary patio
I have hung bird feeders directly on the windows of my RV. I used this suction cup hanger to hang my hummingbird feeder, and it never fell down.

If you find birds are colliding with your windows, you can add some decals for their safety.
13. Create a little atmosphere with a fire pit.

What’s camping without a campfire? Not all RV parks and campgrounds provide fire pits, so you may need to bring your own.
If you’re camping in an area with a burn ban or just don’t want to mess with firewood, a propane fire pit is the answer. A portable propane fire pit is good for RVing because they are small, don’t require a lot of fuel storage, and they’re easy to store.
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KOA recommends a tabletop fire bowl instead. These are great for families with young kids where a fire on the ground would be dangerous. A smaller, safe fire bowl can provide ambiance safely and still allow you and the family to make nightly s’mores!
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14. Build a temporary patio.
One creative RVer wanted a patio but didn’t want to install anything too permanent. She ended up building one out of free lumber and plywood. She even suggested a way to make a DIY wooden patio like this portable, which is to build it in two halves connected with hinges.

Later she ended up stenciling her patio with acrylic paints. She recommends applying a clear coat afterward to protect the wood from weathering.

Recreate this look:
- DIY plywood patio
- Fire pit
- Pallet used as a base for the grill (a grill mat may be added underneath for safety)
- Flowers/plants
- Pink outdoor rug
Similarly, you can create a temporary (or permanent) patio with a pallet and stone pavers.

15. Add a ramp for accessibility.
Injuries and age can make it difficult to climb the metal stairs built into your RV. Consider building a ramp or custom stairs to make it easier to access your RV.

Read Next: The Top Wheelchair Accessible RVs: What to Look for, Where to Buy, and How To Modify Yours
16. Use multi-purpose furniture.
If space is limited, you don’t have to own separate chairs for inside and outside.
Check out how BB and the RV chose chairs that work for their dining room and back patio.

Using the same furniture for inside and outside saves on storage space and makes setting up your outdoor patio even easier.

17. Hammock
Nothing says relaxing outdoors like a hammock, right?

Some campsites may not allow hammocks to be hung from trees, so a self-standing hammock may be the way to go.
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18. Grill
Spend more time outdoors with a portable grill!

Many full-time travelers favor the Blackstone Griddle. Without a stand, this grill is great for setting on picnic tables and easy to transport.
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19. Umbrella
Add extra shade with a stylish umbrella!

We love that this umbrella matches the custom paint job on this gorgeous RV!
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20. Wreaths
A few RVs on this list added wreaths to their front doors and not just for Christmas! This plastic faux greenery wreath has fake lemons and a bow. (Scroll up one photo for a floral design wreath!)

Create a similar look:
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21. Give Your RV A Theme
Going down in the history books as one of the most unique RV renovations of all time is this gypsy-inspired vintage trailer. Check out the outdoor patio of this little camper!

I don’t know where to begin. The mannequin, the custom table, the platform on the hitch, the curtains! So many details give this renovation immaculate theming. Check out the rebuilt screen door.

The screen door was reframed with wood and the screen was replaced with lace. As far as outdoor patio setups go, this one is by far the most memorable!
22. A Hot Tub ?

This would definitely be better for a long-term campsite, but wow! I can’t imagine having my own private hot tub at my campsite. The fire pit, tiki torches, and string lights all add to the great ambiance outside this campsite.
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More Inspiration for Long-Term and Permanent Campsites
Pictured below is the RV of one of my former RV park neighbors whose campsite landscaping really impressed me. She and her husband were retirees and permanent residents of the RV park.

They have plenty of space in their RV park giving them the appearance of a large lawn. They also have a paced patio, grill, furniture, and a garden shed.
Since the couple who live in this RV stay parked here permanently, they installed the patio pavers and built most of the furniture themselves.

Ideas from the photos above:
- Reclaimed wood trunk – See how to make one here
- Pink & turquoise Mexican blanket for chilly evenings
- Metal cutout side table
- Folding wooden bistro table and chairs
- Concrete propane fire pit
- Hammock chair swings – See how to make a frame like theirs here
- String lights
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This last stunning RV deck and mudroom were built by one of my email subscribers at an RV campground in Utah they own.

It advertises “unobstructed views of the Red Cliffs, Vermillion Cliffs, and the Kaibab Plateau, with epic sunrises and sunsets, and the darkest skies in Southern Utah.” Added to my bucket list!
Start Decorating Your RV Patio
There are tons of decor ideas listed in this article. We compiled them all into this handy Amazon shopping list. Check it out 🙂
Would you like to share a picture of your campsite? We’d love to see it! Add it to the comments below!
Ashley Mann spent three years living full time in a 38-foot, 5th-wheel RV with her husband Josiah and their cat, Kitty. Her favorite thing about RV life is the challenge of finding the perfect way to organize a space, and she loves seeing all the creative and clever ways people come up with to customize their RVs.
Folks who string outdoor lights need to think of how those lights may affect their neighbors. Many times we have camped in places where others go overboard with lights or leave them on all night. We all just need to practice consideration for others.
I completely agree with you! Especially the bright LED rope lights as well as the built-in LED outdoor lights can be very annoying to neighbors! Personally I just enjoy my outdoor lights while I’m sitting outside in the eventing and then shut them all off when I go inside to go to bed, around 10 or 11 p.m. Thanks for mentioning this!
Hey Ashley, I thought I recognized one of the camp sites. Did you by chance live in Shady Creek RV resort? If so, which save?
Yes, that is the one! 🙂 We lived there all summer and fall in 2018! Can’t remember our site number, but it was down the road to the right as you enter the park, on the left and just after the big tree, two lots before you cross the creek. You can see our spot there in the photo at the top of this page. We loved that place!
Hi Ashley, just wanted to let you know where you could find the items in my picture. The garden post was purchased by my wife as a set with a different hanging sign from farm store (years ago). The actual metal sign was purchased at craft show in munising, michigan while visiting picture rocks in northern upper peninsula. The led mason jar lantern was purchased at meijer (grocery store chain) in michigan.
My wife enjoys getting unique things that help to create enjoyable atmosphere for camper & site. We are thrilled to contribute to your wonderful ideas.
Happy camping.⛺♨️
Thank you so much, Greg! I love that those items came from local sellers and craft shows – I always feel that items I purchase at places like that are so much more meaningful as they remind me of the experience of shopping for them, and they are often more unique as well! The only online shopping experience that comes close to that for me is Etsy, but I definitely enjoy checking out art and craft shows when I have the chance!
Idea #8. What kind of pole is used to hang the curtain and how is the pole attached?
Hi Karen, I had the same question as you, and this is what the owner of the RV told me: “The curtains are outside water repellant that have tabs which are used over/under the metal awnings rods.” So I guess the curtain was hung from the awning directly?
Has y’all tried this yet? If so, picture somehow?
Thanks
Hello Ashley, I am looking for those padded chairs in that exact color but I am not having any luck. Do you happen to know where I could get those chairs in that color?
You know what, I believe it is this chair from Camping World and that even though it looks like a beautiful plum color, it is actually brown!