Best RV Storage Ideas

February 15, 2018

A Round-Up of RV Storage Tips and Products from Dutchmen RV

Dutchmen travel trailers are already models of efficiency. With clever RV storage ideas, including RV kitchen storage solutions, you’ll be able to take what you need on the road by making the most of your space.

Organization and storage products work together with ingenuity to help you maximize every inch of your RV—without creating clutter. Walls, doors, shelves, and other built-in features do double-duty to hold and tuck away all that you’ll need—and a little bit more. That way, you can spend more time enjoying your RV lifestyle, and less time trying to find what you need.

WALLS AND DOORS

Walls and doors offer lots of opportunities for efficient storage. There are many products designed to make use of this space.

Magnetic strips. Mount magnetic strips inside doors and on walls to hold anything metal, such as; knives, a decorative tray, jars that hold spices, office supplies or hardware (like screws and bolts), or anything you need to have handy, yet off the counter and out of the way.

Hook and loop fasteners. These fasteners, such as Velcro®, work by applying one side to a wall, inside a cabinet, or on any flat surface, and the other side to the object you want to store (or something that holds the object). Remotes, lightweight flashlights, chargers, tissue boxes, and so on can be kept bedside or anywhere else convenient, without taking up drawer or counter space.

Removable adhesive strips and hooks. These little wonders of invention come in a variety of sizes and can hold anything from poster art to hand tools. Use them on walls and inside cabinet doors to hold kitchen utensils, keys, brooms, and other light cleaning tools. You can also use the hooks to hold mesh bags (which in turn hold toiletries, power cords, first aid supplies, etc.), potholders, dish towels, and anything else you can hang.

Specialty storage compartments. At your local hardware store, you’ll find any number of compartments you can attach with screws to the insides of cabinet doors or hang over the door to be used for RV kitchen storage accessories. These are great for holding plastic wrap, foil, and plastic bags, pot lids, cleaning supplies, and more. Over-the-door hanging trash containers, such as robe hooks and shoe organizers (which hold all sorts of things besides shoes) will also provide extra storage in an RV.

OVERHEAD SPACE

Even in an RV, you can carve out extra storage space under the ceiling and overhead cabinets.

Tiered vegetable baskets can hold not just produce, but art supplies, folded hand and face towels, yarn, and materials for other projects, making good use of an awkward corner.

Use the space under cabinets to mount jars (glue or screw the lids to the bottom of the shelf), hold paper plates, tissue, or paper towel dispensers, or hold extra plates with a slide-on coated wire under-mounted shelf.

CUPBOARDS

Make the most of cupboard space with dividers, stackers, and compartments you can purchase or make.

Magazine files can hold a number of items vertically that you would normally stack flat or put in a drawer. Stand plastic and foil kitchen wraps on end as well as paper plates, napkins, and sleeves of plastic or paper cups. You can get these files for cheap at the dollar store, but you can also make them out of empty cereal boxes with a craft knife. Cover with wrapping paper or contact paper to pretty them up, if you like.

Graduated (stepped) shelving not only helps you see your canned goods better, but you’ll also utilize the upper space in your cabinets.

Install short tension rods vertically in your cabinets in pairs (one in front, one toward the back, behind it) to hold baking sheets, cooling racks, and cutting boards vertically. Tension rods make great temporary hanging bars for drying towels or clothing.

Slide, or attach, under-mount drawers or shallow bins under cupboard shelves to create extra storage space.

BASKETS

Baskets have been used for home storage for centuries, and travel trailers are no exception. Baskets make attractive containers and come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and materials. Keep one or two on the table or counter to corral remotes, keys, lip balms, and sunglasses. Hang one in the bathroom to hold toilet paper.

MISCELLANEOUS

The best RV storage makes use of small but unused spaces to hold items that fit perfectly there. For example, mount PVC pipes to the ceiling of your RV or in the storage compartment to hold fishing poles and long hot dog forks. Use shorter pipes under seating to hold rolled placemats or small rugs.

With so many people looking to downsize and live in smaller environments, new products that work for the RV lifestyle are appearing all the time. Look for collapsible and nesting household items like bowls, buckets, and strainers online or at your local kitchen and home supply store.

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