Scamp Closet Shelves - Quick & Inexpensive - Fiberglass RV
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Old 05-24-2014, 08:04 AM   #1
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Scamp Closet Shelves - Quick & Inexpensive

There are already many excellent ideas out there for adding shelves to the closet next to the door. Here's my own addition to the literature. I wanted something lightweight that didn't require any holes in the fiberglass or adhesives. It did not need to be super heavy-duty, since it will store towels, paper goods, and dry foods (noodles, oatmeal, crackers,…). (We put canned goods under the front gaucho for better towing stability.) It did need to have a good lip, though, to keep things from banging against the door in transit, and I didn't want to spend a lot of $$ or time.

I liked the idea of using stacking plastic bins, but it took some searching to find some that were just the right size for the Scamp closet. I found these at Big Lots! and they had the added advantage of locking tabs that will keep them from coming apart in tow.

I supported the bottom with an inverted plastic crate that I notched out to fit over the wheel well. The wooden supports are screwed to the front corners of the crate and rest on a wood strip on the floor of the closet. A tension curtain rod, zip-tied across the back of the crate, holds it in place.

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The first bin rests on the crate with a second tension rod also zip-tied across the back holding it flush with the front of the cabinet. The remaining bins were stacked and latched into place. Tension rods also support the front lip of the upper bins. The top bin wedges quite snugly between the cabinet face and the curved upper back wall of the closet, making the whole installation very secure. NOTE - the curve also limited the height of the top bin. I would have preferred having the whole stack a few inches higher for better access to the bottom bin.

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COST: 4 bins @ $3.50, 4 tension rods @ $2.47, everything else found among shop detritus
TIME: about an hour
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Old 06-17-2014, 10:48 AM   #2
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Nice job. I'm going to try this myself.
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Old 06-17-2014, 08:30 PM   #3
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That's my kind of project
Where did you find the nicely sized bins?
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Old 06-17-2014, 10:16 PM   #4
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I found them at "Big Lots!" - a local discount retailer. I did have to look around a bit before I found these that were just the right size. Since getting this trailer, I am learning to appreciate dollar stores & similar discount retailers! All of our camp dishes and throw pillows came from there as well.

We just returned from a trip to San Diego, and the bins worked as hoped - perfectly stable. I don't think the tension rods are needed except at the bottom (because the cabinet is deeper there). As planned, we kept towels, paper goods, and dry foods on the shelves. I don't think they would be sturdy enough for canned goods (which we carry under the front sofa to keep the weight low).
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Old 06-17-2014, 10:58 PM   #5
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Wow. I worked for Big Lots Canada (Distribution centre) until they went under early this year. They closed all Canadian outlets. Was right under my nose, now it's a cross border trip.
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Old 06-17-2014, 11:19 PM   #6
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Wow. I worked for Big Lots Canada (Distribution centre) until they went under early this year. They closed all Canadian outlets. Was right under my nose, now it's a cross border trip.
That's a bummer! I am sorry about your job situation. I hope the US company is doing okay - they have become my go-to store to outfit the camper. Their prices and selection are better than WalMart, at least for lightweight housewares for occasional use.

Do you have any of the other discounters up there (like Dollar General, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, to name three we have in our area)? It'd be worth taking your closet measurements and a tape just to see what they might have… never know what you will find. Kind of like wandering through a hardware store...
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Old 06-18-2014, 12:01 AM   #7
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Neat idea for the closet. I haven't seen anyone actually use it for hanging clothes!!
"shop detritus"...I have some of that!
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Old 06-18-2014, 08:09 AM   #8
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Neat idea for the closet. I haven't seen anyone actually use it for hanging clothes!!
Actually, we do, although only the upper half, for rain jackets, sweat shirts or flannel shirts that we do not care to fold. The bottom half usually has a big bag used as a dirty clothes hamper.
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Old 06-18-2014, 12:51 PM   #9
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Smart & inexpensive. Like it.
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Old 06-19-2014, 01:04 PM   #10
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Jon..

What is that on the sides of the closet?
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Old 06-19-2014, 01:05 PM   #11
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Jon...

Duh.....that's the side of the bin isn't it?
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Old 06-19-2014, 01:15 PM   #12
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Very nice. Took me a bit to figure out that the dark milk crate was turned upside down when installed.

We also use the closet to the hang rain ponchos, sweatshirts, and store dirty clothes bag but to me it makes more sense to keep that hanging stuff in the car. Always available even if I am out and about and it gets chilly.

Hmm do I have any left over materials in my garage? Let me think.... That would be an affirmative! (times 10)
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Old 06-19-2014, 01:43 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Lfoxmont View Post
Jon...

Duh.....that's the side of the bin isn't it?
It is, and there is about a 1/2" gap on either side of the bins (i.e., the bins are 1" narrower than the closet), which is just enough to be able to put the bins into the closet vertically, and then turn them horizontally. Because they were such a tight fit, I had to put all of them in and nest them together at the bottom, and then raise them up, one at a time starting from the bottom, into the stacking position.

I was actually surprised no one commented on the wasted space under the bins around the wheel well itself (where the upside-down crate is)…

For now, my goal is to keep stuff out of that space, since it is so difficult to access. This set-up accomplishes that. Eventually, I plan to cut a second door in the lower closet and install a permanent divider between the upper and lower closet. At that time the crate will go away and the bins will rest on the divider. Then I'm thinking with Paul and Roger to use the lower closet for dirty laundry.
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Old 06-19-2014, 07:56 PM   #14
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Ok, here's what I did with my Burro closet. I bought a hanging organizer and two packages of storage drawers. Got all the stuff at Target. I also put in a divider board to prevent anything from falling down by the wheel well. Didn't add much weight at all.

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Old 06-27-2014, 06:03 PM   #15
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[QUOTE=Jon in AZ;465114]I found them at "Big Lots!" - a local discount retailer. I did have to look around a bit before I found these that were just the right size. Since getting this trailer, I am learning to appreciate dollar stores & similar discount retailers! All of our camp dishes and throw pillows came from there as well. /QUOTE]

Jon, thank you for posting your closet mod and for mentioning Big Lots. Hubby and I went to Big Lots today and found the exact same bins. We will get much better use out of the closet now. We've seen many other closet mod ideas on this forum but have never got around to doing any of them.

This was quick and easy. Although, even though we bought a milk crate for the bottom, I'm thinking of not even using it and just using the bottom of the closet for dirty clothes storage like Paul and Roger suggested.

Big Lots had lots to offer for camping and I went a little bin crazy and bought many other various sized bins for the rest of the camper.

Linda, your idea is also quick and easy. However, I like the open storage bins. I've learned after unpacking from many trips that out of sight = out of mind. If I don't see something right in front of me, I forget that I even brought it along.

Many a times after a camping trip I've "found" things in the camper and thought "oh this is neat, I forget that we have that" or "oh we could have used that".
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Old 06-27-2014, 06:07 PM   #16
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Glad it helped, Wendy!

I just got back from a week at a church camp 4 miles down a rough dirt road. A lot of stuff ended up on the floor, but nothing from the closet.
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Old 07-04-2014, 06:46 AM   #17
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Dear Jon,
Very creative indeed! I did my Scamp closet shelves using the PVC pipe support idea and cedar plywood ordered from Homey D. Beauty is in the simplicity of the design - so Bravo to you!

Wendy
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Old 05-31-2015, 04:34 PM   #18
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Jon do you think it is necessary to have the extra support of the upside down black bin over the wheel well? We just added bins like yours (from the Container Store, the Basic Stack Basket is a perfect fit) to our closet this weekend. Only I cut the legs off of the bottom one so the whole thing would sit flat, but now I'm worrying that it will be too heavy on the wheel well. Thinking I may use your modification of adding a base to ease my mind. I plan to store clothing in the bins, one bin per person. Thoughts?
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Old 05-31-2015, 04:57 PM   #19
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Scamp Closet Shelves - Quick & Inexpensive

The purpose was to provide a flat surface for the bins to rest on, since mine don't have legs. I also needed to raise them up a bit, because the closet opening doesn't go all the way down to the level of the wheel well. I don't think you need to worry about the wheel well. It's pretty sturdy.

Eventually I plan to cut a second opening in the lower part of the closet and put in a permanent divider between the upper and lower sections. Then the bins will rest directly on the partition, and the lower section will be usable again.
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Old 05-31-2015, 05:11 PM   #20
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Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
The purpose was to provide a flat surface for the bins to rest on, since mine don't have legs. I also needed to raise them up a bit, because the closet opening doesn't go all the way down to the level of the wheel well. I don't think you need to worry about the wheel well. It's pretty sturdy.

Eventually I plan to cut a second opening in the lower part of the closet and put in a permanent divider between the upper and lower sections. Then the bins will rest directly on the partition, and the lower section will be usable again.
THANK YOU!

I could also see where a second opening down below would be a lovely thing to have!
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