Organise Your Motorhome With These Best Storage Ideas!

Regardless of whether you’re living out of a Motorhome camper, towable camper trailer, conversion van, or even a class A motorhome, you will undoubtedly come across a need for more camper storage space if you haven’t already. However, getting the most storage space out of your camper requires creativity, and calls for a bit of planning ahead and getting organised. But once you get the hang of it, your overall motorhome experience will become much more pleasant.

It doesn’t matter whether you go on motorhome trips from time to time or live in your camper full-time. You need to know how to store your items and load them correctly; otherwise, looking for things you need will be a nightmare! But don’t worry. In this article, we will share with you some of our top campervan storage ideas and useful hacks. Hopefully, they will open up new possibilities to you and inspire you to create your own campervan storage solutions based on the kind of motorhome you own and the specific needs you have.

Motorhome Wardrobe Storage Ideas

You will find space for clothes in your motorhome extremely limited. However, you can get the most of it with a couple of handy storage ideas. Here’s what you should consider doing:
Keep your shoes in one place. You can put them in a plastic container and place the container under your bed or your seating area.
Another idea is to place a shoe organiser inside your wardrobe/cupboard door. You don’t have to put shoes in it if you don’t want to. It also works as a great storage space for socks, beanies, gloves, underwear, scarves, and other foldable clothes.

• • Use mesh bags for underwear and socks. Mesh bags will fit into any space available, and they’re perfect for foldable items such as socks or undergarments.
  • Install storage units on the backs of any doors. They come in handy, especially if you don’t have space to install a shelf.
  • Install hooks on the inside of cupboard doors. If you don’t have any handyman skills, look for the self-adhesive ones.
  • Purchase hanging organisers with built-in drawers. They’re a great alternative to shelves.
  • Install wire baskets inside closet doors. Opt for them if you don’t want to use plastic containers. Wire baskets give better air circulation to the stored items.
  • Use space-saving hangers in your wardrobe. This way, you’ll be able to fit more clothes inside without getting them all rolled up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro tip: these are just some of the ideas you can use to maximise your wardrobe space and organise your clothes. However, the most important tip is to only take the clothes you’re sure to wear during your trip. This way, you won’t clutter your containers and floor space in general.

Pros

• Plastic shoe boxes and containers are easy to clean, and they also keep the mud at bay. Depending on the space you have, they can fit in anywhere: under your bed, under the seating area, under tables, behind closed wardrobe doors, and any other place you can think about.
• Mesh bags are a great way to keep a small space organised. You can hang them from a ceiling or door, or simply fit them inside your wardrobe or drawers.
• A great storage system will help you organise your motorhome space and prompt you to keep it that way. If you find a method that works for you best, stick to it – it’s definitely worth it in the long run!

Cons

• Storage bins tend to create the temptation of getting more stuff you can easily toss in and forget about. When you place them on the floor, they take up a certain amount of living space, making it feel cramped and cluttered.
• Hanging organisers can be difficult to install in a small space. They can also make navigating through your motorhome a bit difficult.
• Keeping your campervan organised takes time and effort. First, you need to come up with the right storage solutions and see whether they work for your small space. Then, you need to be dedicated to keeping it that way, which can be difficult when you’re on a road trip, and the last thing you want to do is to clean and put things in order.

Space-Saving Storage Ideas for the Motorhome Bathroom

Whether your motorhome is a campervan or a coach-built motorhome, the chances are that the bathroom is quite small. For this reason, it’s extra important to use all the space that is available to you – this includes the back of the door, the shower door, and the shower space itself.

Here are some space-saving solutions for your motorhome bathroom:

• • Shampoo, soap, and shower gel dispenser
  • Wall-mounted toothbrush holder
  • Over-the-door storage basket
  • Over-cabinet door wastebasket
  • Portable hanging shower caddy
  • Drawer separators
  • Under-the-sink shelf storage
  • Over-the-door towel rack
  • Self-adhesive hooks
  • Self-adhesive, wall-mounted folders
  • And more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro tip: if your space is very limited, consider buying plastic containers and store them in your motorhome shower. However, keep in mind that you’ll have to remove them every time you’d like to use them or use the shower.

Pros

• Wall-mounted holders and baskets are great space-saving items because they help you make the most of your otherwise unused motorhome wall space.
• Over-the-door baskets or towel racks are multi-functional. For example, you can use them to store items you’ll be using in your bathroom. However, you can also flip them to the other side and utilise them as storage solutions for clothes, cups, spices, and other accessories, and use towel racks as coat hangers.
• Drawer separators help keep your items apart, even if you decide to store many different accessories in your drawers you will still be able to easily locate them.
• Self-adhesive hooks and folders are easy to install and help utilise your wall space. You don’t even need tools or expert handyman skills to attach them to the wall. Choose ‘Damage-Free’ type to prevent damage to the plastic coated boards used in motorhomes.

Cons

• Storage containers are amazing, but if you have too many of them in your motorhome bathroom, you’ll have to find a place for them whenever you need to use them.
• Self-adhesive hooks and folders may not be durable enough. Sometimes, the low-quality adhesive tape or glue lose their properties due to humidity and temperature.
• If you put too many over-the-door containers in your motorhome, you risk limiting your mobility when you’re inside. Your already small bathroom space will get too cluttered, and as a result, using it will be very uncomfortable. Be aware of how much weight you are putting on the door hinges, heavier items need to be nearer the hinge side of the door.

Motorhome Storage Ideas for Small Kitchens

The motorhome kitchen presents many opportunities to save space, and there are many great storage products on the market designed specifically for campers or van conversions. Let’s take a look at some of them!

• • Use dish cradles in your cupboards. This will allow you to store plates vertically as opposed to horizontally, which will save you cupboard space.
  • Use nesting bowls and fit 4 or 5 bowls in the space you would otherwise only be able to fit 1.
  • Opt for foldable, collapsible, or rollable kitchenware. Almost everything found in the kitchen nowadays comes in a space-saving version. There are even collapsible tea kettles, foldable drying racks, and collapsible pots and pans on the market.
  • If you want to maximise your cupboard space, install under-cupboard shelves. They’re usually made of plastic, and you can add them under a cupboard, a sink, a fridge, and many other spots where you can find some unused space.
  • Don’t neglect the underside of your hanging cupboards. With plastic hooks, this space can be optimised to hang tiny mesh hammocks for produce or canned goods. Another DIY way to optimise this space for extra storage is to install a drawer or a fold-out spice rack. Depending on how you want to utilise the space under your cabinet or cupboards, you could also install a metallic sheet and magnetise some of the cooking tools you need to store.
  • Use non-slip matting. Line your drawers with it and use it between kitchen utensils and glasses to reduce the rattle.
    Install fruit hammocks or hanging baskets. This way, you won’t have to look for bowls or counter space to store fresh produce. Hammocks are probably the best way to stock fruit being damaged while driving.
  • Consider getting see-through organisers with handles. They will help you keep the clutter at bay. Whenever you need something, be it children’s toys, bath supplies, or spices, get an organiser, take what you need, and put it back in place. And that’s not all! Why is an organiser with handles better than a plain old organiser? The handle (or handles) allows you to carry two of them at once, saving you time when loading, unloading, and cleaning.
  • Use drawer separators. They’ll help you avoid mixing the items inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro tip: When it comes to organising your motorhome kitchen space, you should only take the items you know you’re going to use. Why bring that fancy rice cooker if you don’t even like eating rice? Why pack the entire cutlery set if you won’t be having guests and only 2 people are living in your motorhome? Think smart but don’t be overly prepared. It certainly won’t help you in the long run.

Pros

• Foldable, collapsible, and rollable kitchenware is the king of motorhome kitchen storage ideas. It’s the best way to fit surprisingly many items in a small space. And if your shelves and cupboards are stacked already, you can always buy oven-safe items.
• Dish cradles may seem like an amazing campervan storage hack, and you’ll certainly have to go against your life-long habits. However, they’re a great solution to stack dishes in a small space. You can easily take them out and put them back in, and you won’t be tempted to put anything on top. This way, you’ll always have access to your dishes.
• Non-slip matting is a lifesaver – it keeps your items in place and prevents the rattle.

Cons

• Foldable and collapsible kitchenware may be a bit difficult to clean and dry, and some people don’t like using it. When compared to traditional kitchenware, it may feel cheap and low-quality. On the other hand, it can get relatively expensive, especially if you want to buy oven-safe products.
• Fruit hammocks and hanging baskets may seem like a fantastic idea. However, you may simply have no place to install them, and they may not be a good fit for your motorhome kitchen and the way you use them.
• Careful with organisers and storage containers! They make storing things in your campervan kitchen so much easier, but they also give you an illusion of an organised space. If you throw in everything without separating or categorising it, you won’t even know where to look for it since it will all be “somewhere” in there.
• Remember to check the condition of food items you store in your mesh bags and containers. If something goes bad, you’ll have to endure the smell and deal with the washing and cleaning, which can be a pain.

Other Tips to Maximise Your Motorhome Space

Storage ideas for small campers should allow you to save space or gain extra camper storage possibilities. But the storage solutions should be incorporated in such a way as to make them practical in your everyday use. It’s not incredibly helpful to find a space for your spice rack in the sleeping compartment or to find storage space for your bicycle that takes about as much effort as cycling up a hill just to access it.
What are some general tips for organising your motorhome storage space? Let’s take a look:

Think About Your Needs

Instead of thinking space-saving, think space-optimising. Think about how you use your camper, how you move around in it, which places are readily accessible when you’re standing and which places are more easily accessed when you’re seated. This thought process should guide you on which storage ideas are worth implementing and which ones are not so useful in your situation.

Additionally, your needs should determine what goes into your motorhome and what can be left behind. This includes everything from clothes to kitchenware and cooking equipment.

Take Stock

Take some time to make a complete inventory of the items in your camper – down to how many teaspoons and hand towels you have. Make a separate list of things you feel you don’t have space for but that are vital to your trip. From this written record and after thinking long and hard about how you use your space, you should be able to identify items you can get rid of or items you could easily do without.

Every item on your inventory must have its own place. This is a great way not only to get organised but to stay that way. Extra space is only useful if you’re in a position to use it. It’s not much of a help if you’ve created a solution to store your spare towel, but you have to tear apart your camper just to find it.

Additionally, the written inventory of the items in your camper is a great way to limit the acquisition of new, potentially unnecessary items. As you bring a new item into the camper, you must make a place for it in your inventory. Keep that in mind, and you’ll avoid any unnecessary purchases in the future!

Make Time to Clean

One great advantage of occupying a small living space is that it is easy and not incredibly time-consuming to clean. On the other hand, if it’s not cleaned or tidied every day, small living space can just as easily – and very quickly – get out of hand.

Make cleaning and tidying part of your everyday routine. If your camper is small, this shouldn’t take up a lot of your time. Usually, 15 minutes a day should be enough.

One In, One Out Approach

At first, you may think that you need as many things as you can fit in your motorhome. When everything seems to be important, how can you decide what to take, and what can you leave behind? If you already have problems with the lack of space in your campervan, the one in, one out approach can help you out big time. It’s as simple as it sounds: whenever you want to bring a new item inside, you need to take something else outside. This strategy is really effective in reducing the clutter and helping you optimise your campervan storage space.

Tips for Safe Loading

Before you can apply any of the following campervan storage ideas and hacks, you need to load the items first. However, you need to do it in an orderly fashion. Otherwise, your task will be twice as challenging. Here, the most important term you need to know is MAM – maximum authorised mass. Every motorhome has a certain MAM, and it’s their maximum legal weight when fully loaded. As a motorhome owner, you need to make sure that you never exceed it!

Now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about some of the most useful tips for safe loading:

• • Park on firm, even ground when loading and unloading.
  • Make sure that all weight is distributed evenly.
  • Before you set off, secure all loose items.
  • Don’t cause instability – be careful not to overload the rear of your motorhome.
  • Store heavy items as low as possible.
  • Lock your fridge, freezer, cabinets, and cupboards. Anything can happen when you’re on the move, and the road can get bumpy. As such, you should install locks on all doors, especially if some items can push them open.
  • Put weight on the axles. If you are to store something heavy, such as water containers or large equipment, put it on the axles to ensure the even distribution of weight.

 

The Bottom Line

Once you incorporate campervan storage ideas and space-saving solutions that work for you, you should know exactly where each item is, and their placement should make sense. It should flow with how you envision using your camper and the living space it provides. Having a written inventory of the items in your camper will help immensely, so make sure you don’t omit this step.

Many motorhome enthusiasts find maximising storage space challenging. However, the tips mentioned in this article should give you an overview of the best motorhome storage practices and guide you as you organise your van. Feel free to use as many of them as you like but keep in mind that when it comes to motorhomes, there’s no storage strategy that suits all campers. Think about your needs first and use these solutions accordingly!