Full timin' storage... what do you do?

[April Wilcox]

Robin mentioned in another post that we should start a thread about how people fit and store their things in such small spaces for full time use, so I am running with it...

Now that Kirk and I have decided to make a move when the time is right, our entire lives have been revolving around down sizing and preparing to live out of a 10ft. box for a while. Luckily, I have done quite a bit of travleing and living out of a small Saturn coup 2 door, gone to numerous camping festivals and car camped quite a bit over the past few years, and even lived in a VW bus for about 6 mo. so I have some experience in jamming a lot of stuff in a tiny space.

We are about to find out just what it will take to fit a livable amount of stuff into a tiny camper. If anyone else wants to share pictures, ideas or anything related to storage issues and full timing it this would be a good place! I will post updates of what we do as things develop.

[Donna D.]

I hope Leslie and Dave chime in, they're experts. They've been full-timing in a 13' Scamp for <strike>months</strike> 2 years and LOVE IT. I asked the same question when I met them at the Oregon Gathering. Briefly, Leslie said... when you get something "new" something "old" has to go.

Personally, I think the ticket would be to have a permanent storage place. Whether a shed at a relatives home or commercial. I can't imagine carrying clothes for year-around weather. (why carry heavy coats in summer?), so it would be nice to be able to change out stuff as needed. And, I certainly wouldn't want to have to purchase new clothes for the change of every season.

This should be an interesting topic, glad you brought it up

[Pete Dumbleton]

Think how much fuel and storage rental charges that seasonal clothing is going to cost and it will always be the same old stuf -- I means that you have to come back to the same place TWICE every year to swap clothes -- Find a better way to carry fewer clothes...

Remember, most of the folks you meet won't have a clue about what clothes you wore yesterday or will wear tomorrow!

[Frederick L. Simson]

I know that Dave & Leslie tow their 13' Scamp with a Mazda MPV Minivan, and they store a lot in the van to free up space in the trailer. They also removed their Ice Box and use that space for storage. They have a different arrangement to keep their food cold.

[Donna D.]

Think how much fuel and storage rental charges that seasonal clothing is going to cost and it will always be the same old stuf -- I means that you have to come back to the same place TWICE every year to swap clothes -- Find a better way to carry fewer clothes...

It's not just clothes, it's other stuff too. But you have a valid point. When I full-time, I'll need to store somethings somewhere. Family stuff, etc. It's fine if you have family to parse everything out to.. but I don't... at least until my daughter is grown. A lot of people think full-timing means not having anything but their tug and tow. It isn't always that way. Some just chose to not own site built homes.

I know Dave and Leslie do have a home base they go back to on occasion.

[Robin G]

I knew this would be a interesting topic, for those who want to try full or extended timing in a fiberglass. I think clothes are the least of the issue (Did I just say that?) LOL.......... ( won't let Dh read this post) as some other important stuff, paperwork, legal doc's, medical etc etc........



When we owned the rv park, learned that many rv'ers do keep a storage unit or with family or friends. But they had more storage than a fiberglass and I know they had issues dealing with where/what to store/keep with them. It will be interesting to hear what Leslie and Dave have to say.

[Kevin K]

I would not want to carry my tax papers and will with me. Also if you have a laptop with important information on it , make sure it's lockup in a safe place in the car or trailer.

[April Wilcox]

I would not want to carry my tax papers and will with me. Also if you have a laptop with important information on it , make sure it's lockup in a safe place in the car or trailer.

I imagine sending boxes is also a good way to minimize your load yet have the things you need. When we traveled for 2 months in my saturn coup, we ended up sending a couple of boxes to my mom's to lighten the load once we no longer needed to have those things with us. In this situation they were decorative props and clothes for a festival, so we were glad to get rid of them when it was over and have the extra space in the car. I also imagine you will find good thrift stores on your travels, those are good places to find clothing with out paying a lot of money, if you need to replace something, you can even find new stuff in there sometimes. We plan to pack enough clothes for a week or two, t's, shorts, pants, have enough warm layers to keep us comfortable, then have one duffle bag each of "flair" clothing items that we might find uses for on our travels. We don't do suits or formal wear much, so if that need came up, we would probably get them on the spot, again thrift stores are a good way to go. Luckily, I have had lots of practice jamming 2 weeks of clothes, festival flair, and warm clothing items in a couple of medium sized bags so I could travel and go to camping festivals where it is usually hot in the day a COLD at night. I am excited to see just how we can organize the camper space... just a few more days to go!!!

[Aaron L]

Alright, So what are your general preferences to storage space in your camper?
Do you like drawers, shelves, or closet space better?
Does everything have it's own box or tote?
Any special or clever methods of locking/strapping things down that you are proud of?
Do any of you actually use one one of those vacuum bag contraptions to save space?

These are the things that I think would be interesting to see discussed.

I, for one, like shelves for clothing. I'm a bit disorganized, (ok, a down right pig at times). Shelves are just easier for me, I don't have to remember what drawer of box I put stuff in. I just take a quick look around to find what I'm looking for.

I like small Rubbermaid totes. Small to Medium in size is the key because they are easier to toss around in small spaces like your trailer or small storage shed.

I once read about some clever person who made some throw pillows and a large length "body pillow" they placed between the camper shell and themselves. They stuffed the pillows with a mix of traditional stuffing and their off season clothing in some method that took a few uses and rearranging to make a comfortable pillow.

[David & Leslie]

Hello all - Dave 'n Leslie here (well, Leslie ... D is snoozin' with the pooch in the Egg).
Hope our experiences/methods will be helpful - here we go.

Personal stuff - when we sold our "land house" we put some important family stuff & things I was unable to part with at that time into a small storage unit. This is a bit spendy and is soon to be 'downsized' once again, since I am now ready to part with or share stuff I could not before. None of this 'stuff' would be of use to us on the road.

Seasonal clothing - those of you who've met D know he has vowed to never be cold or lift a shovel of snow again! So ... we try to keep to areas of the country where neither heater or AC would be needed. We do have a little cube heater, a propane cat heater and a fan in case we miscalculate. For us, foul/cold weather clothing is not an issue and we handle temp. changes with LAYERING - works for us. An exception would be specialized clothing such as the festival garb mentioned. You would be surprised how a small 'wardrobe' can be ample for this lifestyle. Also truth to Pete's statement about meeting new people who don't know what you wore yesterday.

Storage system - we each have an "under-bed" type box for clothing under our bed, which never morphs into a dinette. The third "puzzle piece" under there is a pantry box for staple foods. We still use the hanging closet, as we attend church when an opportunity arises, and I just like to hang some items. But Donna D was right when she said "ya don't take your prom dress when you go camping". The other 'puzzle' is a series of tubs & drawers in the van, as Frederick said. The seats are removed/stowed for a level deck. And yes, each item has a specific container.

Limits - the bottom line is (as Donna said) "something new in, something old out". Dave loves that I can't be a packrat anymore. I draw the line at books tho and have discovered the value of book exchanges!

That's about it. If anyone has questions, just post or "e" us. Take care, L 'n D, headin' for AZ next week!

[Joyce U.]

I to am planning on fulltiming it in 2009. I made heavy pillow shams to hold those seldom used items such as an extra comforter and clothes for warmth or rain. Than way you always have something soft to lean against when reading on rainy days. Both came in handy at Quartzsite, AZ in February.

I really love the exchange of ideas on the forum!
Joyce

[Robin G]

Ok, I will say this right off, I don't see myself fulltiming any time soon. But find it interesting that people do it in an egg. Kevin, replied that he wouldn't keep tax papers, will's etc with him.......... Ok, if your full timing where would you keep it? A storage unit? I think I would want them with me, but don't know. And think those type of issues are what need to be addressed when full timing in a the limited space of an egg. I guess a lawyer office, but that would be an expense that some may not want. A safety deposit box? What if your across the country from it? Family memebers home? Again some may not want or it may not be resonable. I guess not paying taxes would be the ideal situation...... But since I don't look good in stripes or county orange I wouldn't try that! LOL. I think the important stuff is what would be hardest to know what to do, such as medical records, tax, will, etc. I know a lot of people who fulltime in bigger rigs and they just carry it with them, but a fiberglass trailer is only so big. And I would have to have room for my clothes, makeup, and hair care products. So what would I do with the important stuff? Robin

[brian m.]

Has anyone thought of storing important papers digitally, with an online archiving service? They have them for photography and can be set up with password access. I'm not sure having the papers in your TV or trailer would be any safer. Just a thought.

[Robin G]

Great idea Brian, but what about things that you would have to have a hard copy for the (just in case, issues) I guess that will depend on the individual and what their need are. Robin

[Pete Dumbleton]

When I was fulltiming I carried all my papers with me scanned into my PC and back up to disk, occasionally mailing a disk to family. You MUST carry titles with you in case you need to trade vehicles. I only kept a few things in a safe deposit box and it turned out to be a real pain when a company wanted to get back the original certificates when merging -- I had to fill out papers and send the key to a friend back in FL to open it for me.

[Sebastian H]

I’m glad that you are going for it. Good for you. I wish there were more fulltimers in small fiberglass RVs so we could have a forum to share our ideas and stories. One is not going to have the same perspective if merely going out for a month’s road trip.

Get a few ideas on storage and whatever, but you will get a lot more out of figuring it out on your own. It’s really not that difficult. What works for some one else won’t necessarily work for you. You would probably look at how my stuff is stored and say, no way would that work for me. But it’s exactly how I want it for me. Different strokes. All the items I need for a year are with me. Consider having a custom rack fabricated for the top of your tow vehicle for bulky, light stuff. Out of season clothing is stored in the tow vehicle. Seasonal clothing is in the trailer. Measured what space there is in the back of the SUV with the seat folded down, go to Wal-Mart, purchase a few tubs, and stack them back there. Pack light, get rid of your nice glass jars, measuring cup, etc. and go plastic. I know, no panache, but, lightweight. Try to choose items that can be used for multiple purposes. There are some good hiding places in your vehicle and trailer for important papers and a flash drive. Choose a couple that require a tool to access them. Even when you get down to the absolute minimum, you will find out over the first few months that you have packed WAY too much. My first year I found myself stopping at thrift shops along the way and dropping things off. After you have everything packed be sure to go through all your closets and tubs both in the trailer and in your tow vehicle a few times in the first couple of weeks. You will be getting rid of SO much stuff when downsizing that you will forget exactly what you have kept and packed, as well as, be wondering where the heck you put a particular item. That can be a whole lot of fun. If I remember right, there are some other storage ideas on my February 2008 (the lifestyle) blog posting. If you are going to spend most of your time with hookups and have a lot of people around, it’s really no big thing, somewhat like living in a tiny studio apartment. Downsizing definitely takes some planning but it’s nowhere near as overwhelming as some appear to think. Most of us can think of times in their life that were much more stressful and chaotic than downsizing from a house to a small trailer. I have been full timing in a 17’ trailer for a couple years now and am going into my third winter. Having, “been there, done that” and still doing it, my perspective will probably be different from most. After you start fulltiming in a small RV, you might find that it was all easier than you had anticipated. Not surprising since one is simplifying one’s life in a big way (that does not quite sound right but it got me chuckling). Remember to stay amused. Without a sense of humor, forget it. And doing it in a tiny RV will definitely add more spice and adventure into your life. Hit the secondary roads and follow the roads less traveled. It can be a hoot.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Hit the secondary roads and follow the roads less traveled. It can be a hoot.

Good advice! Especially the plastic tubs. I fulltimed in a Jayco 16' for three years and then my Scamp 13' for six years, with a canopy on my pickup truck for extra storage and my kayak on top.

Following the roads less graveled....

The Journey IS the Destination!

If you don't care where you are going, you can't be lost and if you don't care when you get there, you won't be late.

"If you don't know where you are going, then any road will get you there", said the Cheshire Cat to Alice

[Joseph and Melanie Castine]

WoW!!

In our 17 ft Casita we have under bed storage units, two big ones (Mel and Mine) and three little bins tied together (underwear, socks, etc). All the little areas in the casita are used, back upper area - electronics, side areas are all full. Food in the lower areas.

In our Astro van we have additional bins, the big plastic ones - one for extra clothing, two for Melanie's art supplies, one for cooking/outdoor kitchen stuff, one for ??? Plus the cats stuff, plus our Weber and Coleman two burner cook top, plus a bin for some food...

Plus a Pahe Que 10x12 screen house
10x10 First up sun thing.

My I think i should really check out what we have.

We have a large storage unit where we keep the stuff we will need when we return to a house. maybe next September (if we can buy). This includes family photos, furniture, winter stuff, tools, etc. The things we want to have later and are willing to pay to keep.

We would get rid of that stuff if we did not intend to stop fulltiming in a year of so.

Our combined weight is always 6-10% below the max we are rated for. We weigh often and have found the need to get rid of stuff because we gained too much weight.

Joseph and Melanie

We

[DanM]

I'm in a 17 SD, and found that keeping the weight down was
harder than finding space.
I have 5 storage containers in the back of the pickup that
I use for tools and seasonal stuff.
An extra quilt can be stored under the mattress.
Buying storage boxes; measure the place where the box will go,
then get the largest box that will fit. Then decide what will go
in which box.
In the hanging closet I have cloth hanging shelves, most clothes
are folded and stored on the shelves. In the bottom of that
closet is a portable file storage. It has all my important papers.
Was hard deciding what to keep.
I use the storage above the stove for light food items, bread,
crackers, cookies, cereal, etc.
The storage under one of the seats for heavy food, canned
goods, dried beans, etc.

Under the sink is pots and pans, coffee and sugar, cleaning
supplies.

Living in my Casita full time has been an interesting experiment
and fun.

DrifterDan

[Joseph and Melanie Castine]

Hi Dan,

we have the same stuff in most of the same places except there is a hanging shoe thing next to the hanging shelves in our closet. WE put our dishes, bowls, etc above the sink but like you the heavy food is under the seat.

When we are in one place for more than a month and if we can, we set up the screen house, like in this photo, so we can unload the van. Otherwise we have to drive around with all that weight.

We were in San Marcos for the winter of 05/06. Thought we would be back, but i got this job in SC so here we saty. may come down to visit friends in Seguin, love the Hill Country.


Oh yeah, we also copied our CD's, a few hundred of them, on to a portable hard drive and play them through our computer. Need the music on the road.

Joseph and Melanie