Chris Dougherty, Certified RV Technician, posted this tip while he was serving as RVtravel.com’s technical editor.
When we load our RVs sometimes we pile things into the cabinets any old way just to get it done. When you are going to RV for an extended period or have a small unit like a truck camper, storage space is at much more of a premium. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when setting up RV storage:
Be organized. Spending a little time now to stow your gear in a neat and organized fashion will save headaches down the road.
RV cabinets rarely come with shelves, and in fifth wheels the cabinets can be hugely tall. Quick fix: Add Closet Maid-type wire shelving. Hint: Make sure you put a lip on it, or mount it slightly tilted toward the wall and add shelf liner to keep things from sliding.
One thing I saw years ago — turn your kitchen sink drain into a shelf for rolls of aluminum foil, plastic wrap, etc. Thin cardboard, tape and scissors are all you need. Span the cardboard across the cross pipe of the drain and extend back to the wall or some other attachment point.
Don’t forget plastic bins! Not only are they stackable, they’re usually watertight and can be put anywhere — under the bed, basement compartments, vanity and so on.
Velcro is an RVer’s best friend!
Don’t forget to mount things in your outside compartments. Home centers carry an abundance of little brackets, straps and shelves to make your outside storage much more user-friendly.
With a little time spent early on, your RV adventures can be easier and more carefree!
##RVDT1338
Our Passport travel trailer has “dead space” under a large cabinet in the bathroom next to the shower. Two square drive/phillips screws take the front panel off, revealing the only thing in there is a drain pipe that runs from the kitchen sink up front. It isn’t huge, maybe 1 1/2 cubic feet, but with space at a premium, it was large enough to put a spare water pump, bathroom faucet, and some other assorted small, rarely needed RV specific items in there. Obviously one wouldn’t want to put often used items in there, but for stuff you may only need once, in an emergency, taking out two screws to access the stuff isn’t a problem at all.
(PS: We do a lot of boondocking, and here in the southwest RV supply stores are few and far between. The water pump in our brand-new Passport failed within the first few trips because plastic chips from the water tank plugged it up. We didn’t know the cause at the time, but we had to route ourselves 75-100 miles out of our way to pick up a replacement. We may never need the spare water pump..but we will NEVER be without one!)