Fred is so right on. We moved into our RV 3 years ago and we have paired down so much
S T U F F that what we had for storage is also gone. What you need to have on board with you changes over time. When you don't use somthing in 3 years...you figure out you can live without it. By doing this we maximized our bay area and now have room left over. Well you can't ever tell when you might find something that you can't live without....and this way you have some room for it. LOL The storage boxes you are speaking of would work great but we like the clear ones that you can see what is inside them. When you have to un-stack all your storage boxes and go through them to find something your looking for it is a big pain. Good luck with the house and the storage.

I'll expand slightly on George's question.

In regards to the storage boxes, would it be better to have those that seal or snap shut as opposed to those with the "overlapping" lids?

Terry

Just another thought: You may want to store close and bedding in vacumn bags. They will stay dry and clean till needed and use less space.

We also use the clear bins with snap on lids. We numbered each bin and keep an inventory of what is in each bin. When I need something I just look it up on the inventory, get the bin number, then go find that bin. Of course, it will be in the middle of the basement and require moving a lot of bins to get to it, but at least I know which one I need without having to open and search each one :)

Add:  I should mention that we carry everything with us in the coach.  After re-reading the OP post I think they may be looking at storage someplace else besides in their trailer or coach...

-- Edited by NorCal Dan on Sunday 19th of July 2009 03:24:20 PM

foxriverguy wrote:

---

This looks like an ideal container.  Do any of you veterans use them? 

I was on the road in a VAN for 11 years. There, I had a 13" high bay under the bed, 60+ inches long.  I called it "the basement".  Those bins work spectacularly.

It's all going to depend on the specifics of your situation.

In the 'aft' of the van was a wall, giving me a 'utility' area a little more than a foot deep. On the back of that wall I put up some white, wire shelves from a hardware store: they were fantastic as well.  TURN THEM UPSIDE DOWN and the 90 degree bend intended to merely give you strength also provides a rail to hold your things in place.

Bungie cords are good, too.

Think outside "the box", literally. If you have a spare tire, don't forget that it's a good place for low-access, low-sensitivity stuff like a gallon ziplock bag holding fix-a-flat, small flashlight and pen-and-paper other tire-changing-related objects.

How often you use somthing is sometimes MORE important that what you bring along. If you use it all the time, make it handy. Winter clothes for a summer tour? They're going around the water tank in plastic bags. Matches? Screw a wooden box inside a cabinet someplace- keep it handy and dry.

Try not to think "These are clothes: they need to be in clothing areas" because that kind of traditional thinking doesn't always apply on the road.

 

We waited to buy new tote containers till we had the rig in the yard and ready to measure each area to maximize our storage space.

We *overbought* on bins.... 8 large and 4 small, but just the right height for our compartments. They are all pretty steel gray color so they don't show the dirt. They are more upright and squared sides instead of those sloping angled side. You lose a lot of storage space with the triangular gaps between 2 bins side by side. You might be tempted to stuff things between them, but that just goes willy-nilly scattered as you pull things out.

Now during these past few years of being weekenders and vacationers,  we have had to adjust up or down what goes in each bin and if we need a large one or small one for various items. Things we thought we needed larger bins for now have been condensed down to smaller bins, and other things vice versa.

We used a wide strip labeling machine with big letters to label each bin on both ends as to it's contents. (sometimes a certain Mr. Steveio will put one in backwards, thus the need for double labelling)

Examples are:
DUMPING STUFF: drain hoses, adapters, connectors and extra boxes of gloves
DIESEL STUFF: bottles and containers of additives, filters, extra belts, etc.
PROPANE STUFF: small lanterns, extra 1 pound tanks, mantles, hoses
PICNIC TABLE STUFF- all our tablecloths, party lights, clips, cute signs, flag, etc.
SCOOTER STUFF: helmets, rubber boots, collapsible tote and tie downs, filter, plugs
DOG STUFF: tie out ropes, out door bowls, play toys, dog shampoo, clippers and grooming
KARENS STUFF: I get TWO big bins with space bags to compress yarn and hobby materials

We will add a bin for SEASONAL CLOTHING that we will store more clothing in as we head to full-time status.  Using Space Bags is a great way to store clothing too.

-- Edited by KarenInTheWoods on Sunday 28th of March 2010 09:23:58 AM

-- Edited by KarenInTheWoods on Sunday 28th of March 2010 09:29:53 AM