Gear storage is a significant challenge campers face during their expenditures. With limited space for your belongings, it can be difficult to fit your equipment in your vehicle without cramping up the space while simultaneously keeping track of every gear.
Having a disorganized camping area can be frustrating when all you want to do is relax and enjoy nature. To help you stay organized, we have compiled ten camping storage ideas for your subsequent camping trips.
Managing Your Camping Belongings
Whether you are truck bed camping, tent camping, or using an RV, storing your camping gear is often difficult. From packing your belongings in your vehicle to unpacking at your campsite and then repacking to leave the site, you can quickly become disorganized and lose track of your items.
Your ability to function and enjoy your camping trip often hinges on your ability to make do with space and know where each belonging is stuffed. If you plan to enjoy your camping trip to the maximum, learning to store your gear properly is one of those essential skills you need to perfect.
Proper storage is vital for many reasons that range from comfort to safety.
- Proper storage before arriving at your campsite will ensure that you pack only the items you need. This will help you save space and keep your vehicle comfortable during long drives.
- Proper storage will ensure that all similar items are kept in their allocated spaces. This will make it easy to spot an item without hassle quickly.
- Proper storage will help you maximize space in your rooftop tent or vehicle. When you keep all your items in a chaotic mess, you use more space than necessary. Organizing your items will provide more space and reduce cramping.
- Organizing your storage makes it easier to unpack. You don't have to spend hours rummaging through your belongings to find necessary items. You also do not need to unpack all your belongings as you can know at a glance what needs to come down and what needs to stay in the vehicle.
- Proper storage helps to keep your campsite clean. Remember, you need to respect the outdoors while camping. Organizing your items will make it easier to honor the Leave No Trace principles and keep your site tidy.
- Proper storage makes it easier for you to pack up and go in cases of emergency. You will not need to hurry around looking to ensure you have all your items because you already know where each item is. This can save your life and properties in situations that may require you to make a quick escape from your campsite.
- Proper storage will keep your belongings clean. Having your property neatly packed instead of strewn around the website will keep them clean and even protected from the weather.
- Bugs are an inescapable problem you will face outdoors. The better you store your belongings properly, the better your chance of keeping bugs out of your stuff.
- Do you spend most of your time outdoors? Proper storage is a great way to save you time and energy. Instead of packing, unpacking, and repacking all your gear every time you switch sites, proper storage will help you pack and unpack only the essential items.
- Unless you plan on attracting wildlife to your camp, you should keep your properties neatly tucked out of sight. Disorganized belongings often attract wildlife like bears to your site. This might put your life and properties at risk.
Where To Implement Camping Storage
If you have ever gone camping with kids or disorganized adults, you will agree that inadequate storage can be chaotic. Chances are you will spend half the time at your campsite looking for gear and trying to clean up after yourself.
Storage doesn't only refer to your laundry. It also refers to your kitchen items, dry food, cold food, drinks, and camping gear. Like other parts of your camping expenditure, figuring out the perfect storage method is all about being creative with your resources.
10 Camping Storage Ideas For Your Next Expenditure
Admittedly, not everyone is an experienced veteran camper with the skills and knowledge of saving space. This is why we have provided ten camping storage ideas for you to implement during your next trip.
1. Pack Intentionally
Proper camping storage begins way before you set out on your trip. How well you maintain your space depends on how well you organize your items from scratch.
On any camping trip, space is an essential factor. Because space is essential, you need to ensure you pack as light as possible.
Packing light means bringing only the necessary items vital to your trip. This will ensure you do not carry excess clothing, gear, and other items that will create clutter in your vehicle and your campsite.
Packing intentionally means bringing only what is necessary. It also refers to measures taken to optimize the space in your vehicle. Some tips to help you pack intentionally includes:
- Create a list of items you might need and only pack those that are necessary. A packing inventory goes a long way in helping you know all the stuff you are bringing along at a glance. If you will be going Overlanding, space is essential, so you need to pack only essential overland gear.
- When packing clothes, roll them instead of folding them as you would do regular laundry. Since you do not have the luxury of space, rolling your clothes will help you maximize what space you have.
- When packing, keep essential items like flashlights, bug spray, tents, sunscreen, and toiletries within easy reach. Since they are frequently used, this will help them remain accessible.
- Make a list of items you do not use during your camping trip to drop them off during your next camping trip. This will help you continue to save space on subsequent trips.
2. Pack Multipurpose Items
A significant part of camping trips is your ability to become creative with your limited resources. This includes using one gear to perform various activities.
Packing multipurpose gear and equipment will save you the space that would otherwise have been used to pack different equipment. This helps you to pack light and enjoy more space in storage.
Focus on packing gear that can serve multiple functions. Don't pack teacups, mugs, and flasks when a flask can perfectly serve all the purposes. Don't pack multiple pots and pans when you can get a skillet or multipurpose pan.
Thankfully, there are many multipurpose equipment in the market designed as survival kits. Camping multitools, as they are called, often feature a combination of an ax blade, hammerhead, knife blade, saw blade, and a dozen other tools in one kit.
Purchasing tools like this will save you from hauling a ton of equipment on your camping trip.
3. Use Compression Bags
If you are going to be hauling bulky equipment like winter costumes, tents, sleeping pads, and hiking gear, it is essential to note that they will take up space. Probably even more space than you are willing to spare.
Finding suitable storage for equipment like this will help you maximize space while minimizing cramping. Thankfully, we know the perfect storage for your heavy camping gear.
Compression sacks may not look like much, but they do a great job compressing bulky hiking and camping equipment efficiently. These bags are used to slash the size of large items by constricting them into the smallest amount of space possible.
With compression bags, you can fit more gear in your vehicle and make enough space for other equipment. This helps you keep your gear organized and lets you know where they are at all times.
4. Use See-Through Plastic Bin Bags
It is almost impossible to know where you pack specific equipment and gears in your vehicle at all times. To remedy this, simply use see-through plastic bags.
Using see-through storage bins not only helps you to tick all your gear away safely but also gives you a bird's-eye view of all your equipment. With this method, you can easily see where specific gears are at all times.
Using see-through plastic bags will save you the hassle of packing and repacking every time you need something on your campsite.
5. Use Plastic Drawer Organizers
Are you a car or truck camper? Making room for yourself and your belongings in your vehicle can be a difficult feat that might compromise your comfort.
Plastic drawer organizers are an excellent organization and storage solution for truck campers. They maximize space by providing individual drawer units that allow you to store different items separately.
Plastic drawer organizers can be utilized in your truck as you do at home. They can be used to store anything you deem fit.
6. Repurpose Old Household Items
What better way to make do with what you have than repurposing household items while camping? Not only will it help you save money, but it will also help you keep your items organized during your outdoor expenditures.
One popular option is to keep your toilet roll in an old coffee can. While this sounds outrageous, it is guaranteed to keep your toilet paper within reach, clean, and away from moisture.
Another popular hack is to store your plastic bags in old baby wipe containers. Instead of having your bags strewn around your vehicle and campsite, you can safely keep them in these old containers.
Do you need a tarp for moisture protection? Old shower curtains are the perfect water-resistant solution. The list is endless when you are out camping.
7. Use A Shoe Organizer
Who says shoe organizers can only be used for shoes? There are various ways to get creative with your handy shoe organizer to organize your camping equipment.
Shoe organizers are the perfect organizing tool because they come with several pockets and can be hung anywhere. They can be used to store multiple small-sized camping equipment and keep them within easy reach.
You can store items like silverware, sponges, shampoos, deodorants, and other everyday items in the many pockets of your shoe organizer.
8. Keep Scented Items Together
Unless you want all your gear smelling like your scented toiletries, you need to keep your scented items together and away from the rest of your items. This includes detergents, soaps, all types of spray, and any aromatic item. Scented items should be kept far away from your food items. They should also be kept from all gear types with no business smelling nice.
The scent of some products attracts bugs and wildlife like bears, so unless you want a bear invading your camp and property, it is crucial to make any fragrance disappear. Air-tight canisters and scent-proof containers are your best bet for storing and protecting your aromatic items.
9. Color-Code And Organize By Type
Packing your equipment in identical bags and containers can leave you at a loss of knowing which bag contains what equipment. This might result in a tiring effort to account for all your equipment by repeatedly loading and unloading each container.
There are two methods to beat this. One includes packing similar items in each container, while another involves a genius color-coding hack.
Keeping similar items in a bag or container will help you quickly know where to find specific items. You can try this by packing your clothes in one bag and hiking gear in the other.
Packing similar items together is also helpful for kitchen item storage. Keep your bowls and cutlery together, dry food together, and raw food in a separate container. The options are endless.
If you use identical bags, simply mark each bag with a sharpie or other color. You can mark a red X on your kitchen storage container and a blue X to differentiate your duffle bag from your partner’s.
10. Plan Your Meals
Meals are an essential part of any camping trip. You might be tempted to bring pots, pans, and a ton of cooking equipment and empty half your pantry to enjoy as many delicious meals as possible.
However, instead of bringing a random list of ingredients and your entire kitchen equipment to the wilderness with you, it is better to plan your meals. Take time out to figure out what you will have for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks during your adventure.
Since many food items are perishable, planning your meals will help you pack just the ingredients you need. Making meal plans will reduce food wastage and make your load lighter.
Make a timetable for your meals, and then create a list of the ingredients you will need. Prepare backup meal options for emergency purposes. Store your dry foods in a camping storage or plastic drawer and cold foods in a portable cooler.
Practicing Better Storage While Camping
Although figuring out the best camping storage method for your expenditure can be difficult, these ideas are guaranteed to make storage a lot easier. Our camping storage ideas are easy hacks that may require more effort than you are used to but are bound to make your camping trips more convenient and comfortable.
