6 Best Wall Mount Paper Towel Holders For RV Bathrooms That Nomads Swear By
Free up precious counter space with a secure, wall-mounted paper towel holder. We review 6 durable, nomad-approved options perfect for compact RV bathrooms.
There’s nothing quite like opening your RV bathroom door after a bumpy road to find an entire roll of paper towels has unspooled onto the wet floor. It’s a small annoyance, but one that perfectly captures the unique challenges of life on the move. Choosing the right paper towel holder isn’t about luxury; it’s about reclaiming your sanity and making your tiny space work for you, not against you.
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Why RV-Specific Holders Matter for Nomads
In a stationary house, a paper towel holder just needs to hold a roll. In an RV, it has to be a security guard. Your rig is a moving earthquake, and anything not bolted down becomes a potential projectile or a source of incessant rattling that will drive you mad on a long travel day.
A standard kitchen holder will let the roll spin freely, leaving you with a pile of paper towels on the floor after navigating a few potholes. RV-specific designs, or those well-suited for motion, incorporate tension arms, ratchet systems, or other mechanisms to keep the roll in check. They are designed with the assumption of constant vibration and sudden stops.
Furthermore, space is the ultimate currency in any small dwelling. A bulky countertop model is a non-starter. A well-chosen wall-mounted unit frees up precious counter space in a cramped bathroom or galley, turning vertical, unused areas into functional storage. It’s about maximizing every square inch without creating clutter.
Command Paper Towel Holder: The No-Drill Champ
For anyone hesitant to put holes in their RV walls, the Command holder is the undisputed champion. Whether you’re in a rental, a brand-new rig, or just aren’t ready to commit to a permanent location, this adhesive-based solution is a game-changer. Installation takes minutes, requires zero tools, and leaves no trace if you decide to move it later.
The key is proper installation. You must clean the surface with isopropyl alcohol first to remove any grime or residue. Don’t skip this step. Once you press the adhesive strips firmly, let them cure for a full 24 hours before hanging the holder and a roll. When done right, they hold surprisingly well through temperature swings and road vibration.
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The tradeoff is its plastic construction. It’s not as robust as its metal counterparts and lacks a tensioning feature, so the roll can sometimes spin on very rough roads. But for ease of use and damage-free mounting, it’s an incredibly practical choice that solves a major installation hurdle for many nomads.
Kamenstein Perfect Tear: For One-Handed Tearing
Effortlessly tear one paper towel at a time with the patented Perfect Tear Technology, preventing unraveling. This brushed silver metal holder easily mounts horizontally or vertically and fits all roll sizes.
The Kamenstein holder is famous for one thing: its patented ratchet system. Every time you pull a sheet, the internal mechanism clicks, providing just enough resistance to tear the sheet off cleanly while preventing the rest of the roll from unraveling. This is a feature you don’t know you need until you have it.
Imagine trying to grab a paper towel with one hand while steadying yourself in a moving rig or holding a dirty part. With a standard holder, you’d pull the whole roll onto the floor. With the Kamenstein, you get one perfect sheet, every time. It’s a small detail that massively improves daily function.
This holder is built to last, typically from sturdy stainless steel that stands up to the humidity of an RV bathroom. It does require screw-in mounting, making it a more permanent installation. However, that secure attachment means it will never fall off the wall, no matter how bumpy the road gets.
Simplehuman Wall Mount: Sleek and Secure Design
If you believe in the "buy it once, cry it once" philosophy, Simplehuman is your brand. Their wall mount paper towel holder is an investment in quality and design. It’s engineered with a heavy-duty die-cast metal bracket and a durable stainless steel rod that feels exceptionally solid.
The magic is in its tension spring, which is shaped to provide gentle resistance from the inside of the roll. This allows for an easy, controlled pull and a clean one-handed tear without the clicking sound of a ratchet system. A quick-release knob on the end makes swapping out empty rolls effortless—a small but elegant touch.
This is a premium product with a price tag to match, and it requires a secure, screwed-in installation. But for full-timers who use their rig daily and appreciate high-quality tools that just work, the Simplehuman holder delivers a level of refinement and reliability that’s hard to beat. It’s as much a functional upgrade as it is an aesthetic one.
OXO Good Grips Holder: Tension Arm Technology
OXO has built a reputation on thoughtful, ergonomic design, and their paper towel holder is a prime example. Instead of an internal mechanism, it uses a flexible, spring-loaded tension arm that presses gently against the outside of the roll. This simple design is brilliantly effective.
The primary advantage is its ability to adapt. The arm maintains consistent pressure whether you have a brand-new jumbo roll or are down to the last few sheets. This ensures a smooth, one-handed tear from start to finish. The open-ended design also makes loading a new roll as simple as sliding it on.
It’s the perfect middle-ground option. It offers the crucial tension needed for RV life in a durable, user-friendly package that’s more affordable than premium brands like Simplehuman. For nomads seeking a reliable, no-fuss workhorse that balances performance and price, the OXO Good Grips holder is a fantastic choice.
Sun-E Adhesive Holder: Minimalist Under-Cabinet
When wall space is literally zero, you have to look elsewhere. The Sun-E holder is a simple, L-shaped metal bar designed for under-cabinet mounting. Its ultra-minimalist profile makes it disappear, preserving clean sightlines and freeing up wall space for other things, like towel hooks or a medicine cabinet.
This holder relies on a large, powerful 3M adhesive pad for a no-drill installation. As with the Command strips, surface prep with alcohol is critical for a bond that can withstand the rigors of the road. Its stainless steel construction also means it won’t rust in a steamy bathroom environment.
The obvious compromise here is the lack of any tensioning system. On rough roads, the roll can and will unravel. Many nomads solve this by simply squishing the cardboard tube a bit before putting it on the holder or using a rubber band around the roll on travel days. It’s a simple solution for a specific problem: getting paper towels off the counter when you have absolutely no other place to put them.
Spectrum Diversified: Versatile Mounting Options
Sometimes, the best solution is the simplest one. Spectrum Diversified makes straightforward, heavy-gauge steel holders that are as tough as they come. Their key feature isn’t fancy tech, but versatility. Most models can be mounted vertically on a wall, horizontally under a cabinet, or even on the inside of a cabinet door.
This flexibility allows you to find a home for your paper towels in the most awkward of spaces. Mounting it inside the bathroom vanity door, for example, keeps it completely out of sight and contained, solving the unraveling problem by default. The all-metal construction means it will never break.
Like the Sun-E, these basic holders lack a tension arm, so they aren’t ideal for open-wall mounting where the roll is exposed during travel. But if you need a bulletproof holder to tuck away in a protected space, and you don’t want to pay for features you won’t use, a Spectrum holder is an economical and incredibly durable choice.
Installation Tips for a Rattle-Free RV Ride
Getting your holder to stay put is half the battle. The thin luan walls in most RVs don’t offer much for a standard screw to bite into. Following a few key rules will ensure your installation is rock-solid and rattle-free for thousands of miles.
For adhesive mounts:
- Clean the surface with isopropyl alcohol. I can’t say this enough. It removes oils and residues that prevent a strong bond.
- Press and hold firmly for at least 30-60 seconds to ensure the adhesive makes full contact.
- Let it cure. Wait 24 hours before you hang the holder and add the weight of a paper towel roll. Patience here pays off.
For screw-in mounts:
- Locate a wall stud. Use a stud finder to find the aluminum or wood framing behind the paneling. Anchoring into a stud is always the most secure option.
- Use the right anchor. If you can’t hit a stud, do not just drive a screw into the paneling. Use a hollow-wall anchor designed for thin materials, like a small molly bolt or a self-drilling drywall anchor. These expand behind the wall, providing a much stronger hold.
- Add a drop of Loctite. A small dab of thread-locking compound (like Loctite Blue 242) on your screw threads will prevent them from vibrating loose over time. It’s an old RVer’s trick that works.
Ultimately, the best paper towel holder is the one that fits your space, your budget, and your tolerance for travel-day hassles. This small, deliberate upgrade won’t just stop a mess; it will make your mobile bathroom feel more like a functional, predictable home. And on the road, it’s those little victories that make all the difference.
