When you loaded your RV to explore the country, to watch the sun rise over a mirror-smooth mountain lake complete with leaping trout, and all that other stuff of RV dreams, you probably didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about cabinet and locker storage.
Except for those things you use on a daily basis, the rest of the stuff you absolutely had to take disappears unseen and often forgotten – until that time when you need that Frisbee or left-handed screwdriver. However, with a simple, easy to use system your stuff can be organized and easily found when you need it.
Outside Storage
Measure the insides of your lockers and buy various sizes of clear plastic containers with lids that will stack and fit precisely inside each locker like a 3-D jig-saw puzzle, leaving little excess (useless) space. Gather the stuff you want to store in each locker along with the containers that will fit inside. Then arrange your stuff by category and match to the container that best fits everything in that category.
I used categories like tools, spare parts, electrical, campsite (barbecue tools, bird feeders, table clothes, mosquito coils, etc.), and Misc. Write the category with a large black marker or print out labels to fix to the side of the box that faces out.
When I think about how much time I had spent previously looking for things, the time it took me to organize and categorize all my stuff was well worth it.
Inside Storage
RV kitchens are what they are and never have enough storage space, so it is a good idea to downsize the pots, pans, and appliances from the sizes you would use in your house. Find pots and pans that nest within each other and use a common removable handle eliminating all that awkward-to-store cookware.
Use wire cabinet organizers that come in various sizes and configurations and fit perfectly in your cabinets and drawers (look in Amazon or in kitchen and hardware stores).
Use plastic bins for items on top shelves – it is easier to take a bin down and find something inside it than to take each item off the shelf until you get to the things hidden in the back. Keep similar items together, like canned goods, spices, pasta and rice, cereals, snacks, etc. Write the category on the front of the bin.
Underbed storage is well-suited for organizing also. Use bins with clear plastic lids so you can see what is in each one without having to take the lid off. Keep similar items together – sheets and pillow cases, towels, TP and paper towels. Switch to digital for all your books, maps, regional guides etc. to save a lot of storage space.
Undersink storage in the bathroom requires ingenious measuring to fit around the pipes and trap. Containers without tops or wire storage should be rectangular rather than round that don’t make effective use of space.
You will find that taking the time to organize storage spaces in the beginning, and putting replacement items back in the same space, before long you will know where everything lives and be able to find all your stuff instantly. And that gives you a lot more time to go out and play.
You can find Bob Difley’s RVing ebooks on Amazon Kindle.
Cori Pofahl
I like to use tubs!!! I hate the cardboard boxes!!