6 Great RV Galley Storage Solutions

Reefer bars keep your fridge’s contents in place while traveling

I’ve said it before, there is never enough galley storage in an RV. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be creative to maximize your available space. These tips will help you make the best use of room.

1.Use Bulk Bins for Dry Food

Dry food stores from bulk bins eliminate wasteful space-filling retail packaging, providing more efficient use of your storage space. Use square or rectangular plastic containers (round and oval shapes waste space) to contain pasta, rice and other dry snacks. Make storage more efficient by using multiple sizes of heavy-duty plastic bags with a zipper top for each item, fitting many of these into each plastic container. As the insides dwindle, the bag compresses to reduce the space it originally filled, allowing additional items to be place in the same amount of space. Write the contents on the top (above the zipper) in a black marker pen then place all the bags, top up and label facing out, in the plastic open-topped bin. When needed, pull the bin out, select what you want, and replace the bin. Organize the bins by category—snacks, cereals, pastas, and rice, etc.

2. Spice Things Up to Boost Galley Storage

Mount a spice rack on the inside of a cabinet door near the food prep area where spices can all be seen by opening the door. This will save valuable bottom space and boost galley storage.

3. Labeling Cans

Store canned food in a shallow drawer, tops up, instead of in an above-counter locker, where you can only identify the cans in front. Use a marker to identify each can (nothing fancy or laborious, just a letter like P for peas, B for beans, C for chili). Opening the drawer reveals all your cans as well as giving you an instant take on your inventory.

4. Hammock Time

Small hammocks strung between cup hooks are perfect for fruits and vegetables that don’t need to be refrigerated, like bananas, oranges, lemons and tomatoes. The air circulating through the mesh will help keep the fruit fresh and they don’t take up other valuable storage space. Hang the hammocks where they have room to swing but not into anything else and bruise during driving.

5. Plastic Over Glass

Buy liquids in plastic—not glass—bottles to reduce risk of breakage. What glass you do buy, store in empty cardboard wine cartons with dividers for separation and store under the sink.

6. Keep the Fridge Full

Keep your refrigerator as full as possible, or if not full, store most of your vertical and spillable items on the same shelf. Spring-loaded reefer bars (see photo) will keep everything tightly in place. Stack flat stuff and sealed containers together.