Packing your basement? - RV-Dreams Community Forum

karen and al · RV-Dreams Family Member

Packing your basement?

Racerguy · RV-Dreams Family Member

We use marked Rubbermaid tubs.You put things in the middle you don't need as often and things you will need more often towards the outside.I can guarantee you will pack and repack several times before you get it like you want.We have been on the road 7 months now and we are still repacking and rearranging occasionally.

-- Edited by Racerguy on Wednesday 17th of November 2010 09:11:18 AM

Luvglass · RV-Dreams Family Member

We also use tubs and baskets for the tihings we don't use that often and they go in the middle. My tool box and fixit things are on the door side along with pet food and other items we need regularly. I keep lawn chairs and hoses on the other side.

Jo pretty much uses the front compartment for kitchen overflow, and I use the rear for dead storage. I wouldn't worry about stuff falling, it gets pretty crowded.

Everyone has different needs and you will figure out your own. As george says, you will change it often till you get it the way you want. But hey, you'll have nothing but time.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Karen,

While Jo and I still aren't full-time, we have been slowly getting things moved to our Mobile Suites. Based on suggestions by others on three different forums, we will probably have several clear plastic tubs arranged as suggested before with most common things needed on top and close to the doors.

Also, from another, we plan on putting numbers on each tub and creating documents listing what is in each tub by number. Then, if we are wondering where anything is, we can look on the computer at those documents, check the number and then go to that tub. In addition, we will print out the documents and place them in the tubs should we decide we don't want to go inside, fire up the computer, and check it that way.

If you have rear storage in your unit, consider putting heavy items there, which may lighten the front end of your unit just a wee bit. I'll probably have some tools and stuff like that in the back of ours. It depends a lot on how much room you have in each area. However, related items should be together. Such as clothes in one area, accessory items in another area, etc. that way, you don't have to keep switching sides of the RV or running to the back all the time to see where things are located.

With the tubs, try to get those where the lid "seals" rather than just be clamped down. That may help keep creepy-crawlies out of the tubs. We are considering the shallow, long tubs even though those tend to be clamp-down lids. But, we haven't gotten that far yet, so more decisions are to be made. In addition, we'll probably get some of those storage bags that you suck the air out of to make them more compact.

Good luck with your planning.

Terry

Ckerr · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have things arranged similar to Fred. Less frequently used items in bins in the middle, tool box and fix it stuff on the door side. Fishing rods on a rack mounted on the front wall. Tackle boxes next to those.

We keep the electrical cord and water hose on the other side. RV cleaning/maintenance stuff is also over there with the air compressor and extension cords.

We've rearranged several times, eliminated some stuff, added other stuff. We've got it down to 2 totes. One has our extra water hose, power adapters etc. The other has our "party" stuff. Inflatable pool, awning lights, nascar flags, etc. Makes it a little easier to have like things together.

One thing we did that works well -- along the lines of what Terry suggested with numbers on the totes, except simpler. I had a label maker. So I just print out labels with the item name on it and stick it to the tote. It I move things around I take the label off and make a new one for the other tote. No lists to check or cross reference. And if we take things out of a tote Johnny can easilty tell which one to put it back into. Good for managing disagreements.

Paul and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

karen and al wrote:
Hello everyone!

Oh .. tubs! That's the way to go.

Paul

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

We also use tubs and have found that Rubbermaid ones last forever while Sterlite ones crack after a while. Go to a variety of stores since different ones seem to stock different sizes and no one seems to have a full collection.

janni · RV-Dreams Family Member

Great ideas! We are still looking for some of our stuff. It's there.........just cant find it. Need more tubs I guess

Hamshog · RV-Dreams Family Member

We too use the clear tubs. They work great! Use 10 to 12 in the main basement, leaving room for the 32" TV and DirectTV reciever and surround sound system. The front storage(genset compartment) is for lightest of storage items. Our rear basement is used for the heavyest items. Tools, ammo, Ez-Up, etc.

Regards, Howard

Froggi · RV-Dreams Family Member

Add us to the clear tub folks...both in the basement and some overhead inside storage we have (toy hauler). Works great!

karen and al · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks everyone! I thought tubs were the way to go. Thanks for the tip on Rubbermaid vs. Sterilite as well. Seems I remember alot of red and green rubbermaid tubs go on sale right after Christmas

.

Also thanks to everyone who visited my blog! I hope to become more entertaining in 129 days, once we're on the road

.

Karen

I've started a blog

.
http://wishuponanrvstar.blogspot.com/

heyduke · RV-Dreams Family Member

gonna have to worry about this soon too as we will hit the road in march also... gotta buy a rig first before i fret too much about packing it :}

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

Don't have to worry about stuff falling over....ours is stuffed so full that I'm lucky if I can get the door closed and locked.

TXRVr · RV-Dreams Family Member

I'm all for the tubs, but have taken a different view on the construction and size of them. Probably because I could never find which one had what I needed at any given time or had lost the list of the contents. If not that, then I got tired of renting out King Kong to lift one that I'd had over packed.

The majority of my tubs are the stacked ones with slide out drawers. Size depends on where I am going to put them. Outside is bigger, inside is smaller. There are some avantages to this arrangement. First, I can make the most use of vertical space without having to lift a tub off of another to get to something in the bottom one. What I needed was always in the bottom one!! If you screw them to the basement floor or cabinet shelf then they won't tip over. If you really want to get fanatical (sometimes I am) about it, you can use baggies, food size tupperware containers, or the likes of a pringles can to store things inside the storage containers. For the guys who hord nuts, bolts, and spare parts that's the way to go.

Don't forget about collapsing storage baskets. They work well for hoses, laundry, etc. They are stackable whether or not in use.

-- Edited by TXRVr on Monday 22nd of November 2010 11:02:24 AM