Packing/Organizing Thoughts

[Katy G.]

We just purchased our first fiberglass trailer, a 17.5' 2006 Bigfoot. We are picking it up tomorrow. I am very excited to get packing and hit the road. Do you guys have any space saving tips, shelving ideas, or any other organizing ideas on how to maximize space in this trailer? We do have a 1 year old, and he tends to come with a lot of stuff. All of our stuff has to fit into the trailer since our giant german shepherd takes up the back of the truck. We are going to take it on a short trip this first time out, but would like to take a 2 week trip this summer. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

[David B.]

We have a 13' Scamp with a fair size closet to hang a few coats. We purchased a couple hanging shoe caddies to put shoes in the bottom 3 shelves, and then use the remainder slots for socks, t-shirts, towels, wash cloths ... what ever fits. This has really freed up a lot of space in our other cupboards. We also placed our heavy coats and other clothes that are not used as often, in plastic bins in the tow vehicle.
You'll figure out what works best for you after a few trial runs (maybe even in your driveway).
Happy Trails and memories.

[Alf S.]

Hi: Katy G... Other than this forum, another way to get good ideas for travel packing is to attend a nearby rally. Then you can visit with other fiberglass fans and actually see how they do it!!! For those with small trailers it's good to have items in the trailer that serve double duty. Baby wipes work great after the dump station visit.
We're lucky we have more storage space than stuff to fill it.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie p.s. One year olds are portable... just wait till he's a teen!!!

[Scouter Dave]

I now carry one(1) folding camp chair. If anyone comes to visit they can bring their own along from their campsite. If you invite someone to share a meal they will be glad to bring their own dishes and utensils, if you ask nicely. I have cut back on dishes and almost everything else now. Take what you need for yourselves and make a list of anything that you do not use on the first two outings. Then leave these items behind on future trips, except rain gear.
You will find the right places for the right gear after a couple of outings.
And it always helps to know just where to look when you need it.
Good luck and happy trails....
Scouter Dave

[CheekyTracy]

Katy:
Be sure to check out the posts under the full-timing forum. Many members have offered up their wonderful tips and ideas there. I have found it most helpful!

[Robin G]

Katy, Congrat's on your purchase. As other's have said, it takes a few trips to decide what works for you as a family. And honestly, each camping trip can vary according to the type of trip. But getting the basics down to what you are comfortable camping with is different for everybody.


I would recommend (you will have to adjust for your camping needs)

First Aide kit
Small tool box (for quick fixes)
In your tool box, I would have extra fuse's, extra trailer light bulbs, electric tape, duct tape then whatever tools you like to have on hand.
Battery cables
Table cloth with table weights for the picnic table
flash lights



As for shelving I don't find it space saving. Just my experience! I can hang far more than I can fold and stuff into a little shelve.


You will learn what works and what doesn't with each and every trip you take for the next 20 years . Adjustments can always be made. Just get out and enjoy! The rest will come.



It's often recommended to do your first camp out in your own driveway! It gives you an opportunity to see/think of things that you may or may not want in your trailer. Have fun! Enjoy!

[rabbit]

I wholeheartedly recommend Robin's view of shelves and add to that drawers. We have a "hanging locker" between rear bed and galley. It is dedicated to food staples that don't need refrigeration. We stack two large and 3 medium snap lid plastic containers in that space. Can be taken in the house for packing and unpacking. I have seen a trailer in which the owner added partitions, shelves and drawers to a floor to ceiling locker. I believe the drawers were salvaged from a steel cabinet. Who needs space organizers that take up space or more dead weight which adds to the fuel bill? If you need separation between articles, nothing beats Ziploc freezer bags. Great for clothes; air can be squeezed out for compactness; easy to label as to contents and/or the day you intend to wear the ensemble. Old bicycle tourist trick but should work for anyone including the little ones.

We have three small drawers in our trailer; all three are suspended under the permanent front dinette table (one for silverware and one each for myself and BH for pens, pencils, memos, bits and pieces). We also use three "car organizers" by High Road, which are essentially light cordura bags. One hangs from hooks on the rear dinette bulkhead. Contains kleenex box, TV remote, magazines and books. Two smaller ones are velcroed on the wall next to our seats in the front dinette. My wife keeps her journal or daybook in hers; also arrival and dragup check lists, sometimes my multimeter gets stuck in there. Mine holds a book or magazine, computer cords and transformer when I want them off the table, lots of miscellany such as notes to self about stuff that doesn't fit in my head. It is amazing the weight you can carry in eyeleted and corded bags suspended from hooks. For us hooks are very easy as can be attached to Burro inner glass shell with VHB tape and removed at will without marks or holes. Some other brands that make this possible (Eggcamper); the rat fur in the Scamp may limit the opportunities to do this. Generally, I like storage devices that are 1 )lightwgt., 2) softsided (can be flattened or folded when not in use and no threat to heads and shins; 3) sanitary and sealable in the case of food storage, 4) adaptable or convertable for the different demands of weekend and longer term use. I also have 3 shallow but long Sterilite bins without lids between the lockers under the bed mainly because they slide well on the wood floor and a neighbor put them in his trash. So they are sort of expedient drawers with no fabrication fuss, light weight, and instant "reversability" (removal).

jack

[Scouter Dave]

I forgot to mention that we/I have never used the built-in water tank. I carry two small water jugs.
I hve just removed the water tank from under the left rear seat [keeping it tho'], scrubbed out the space, lined it and now use if for blankets and bedding.
Scouter Dave

[Anne H]

One tip for clothes and towels - roll them up for stacking on shelves. I find that rolling up clothes reduces the amount of wrinkles.

One tip for storage of food - find some shallow rubbermaid storage containers that fit into your cupboards and get a bunch of them! Food doesn't roll around so much if you store it inside the containers - but the biggest benefit is that when things leak (like cooking oil, honey or even dry packaged things) - and believe me, things WILL leak, they only leak into the container and not all over your shelves!

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Anne H

One tip for clothes and towels - roll them up for stacking on shelves. I find that rolling up clothes reduces the amount of wrinkles.

One tip for storage of food - find some shallow rubbermaid storage containers that fit into your cupboards and get a bunch of them! Food doesn't roll around so much if you store it inside the containers - but the biggest benefit is that when things leak (like cooking oil, honey or even dry packaged things) - and believe me, things WILL leak, they only leak into the container and not all over your shelves!

We use tubs in both our cupboards and our refrigerator to catch spills .
The first time my grandaughter put a jar of pickles back in the refrigerator with a loose lid I learned to appreciate the tub method .

[RogerDat]

Baskets or bins can keep things from shifting around in those small overhead storage cabinets. And pulled out to get small items.

One good stop and the can of bug spray can move two doors down in our camper.

Have also read on this forum of people using soft sided bags or duffel bags to store some clothes, towels, bedding etc. and then use the bag like a throw pillow. I mean who cares if my towel, socks or tidy whites are a little wrinkled?

[cpaharley2008]

buy some of those space air bags for travel for your clothes and linens and then mash all the air out, they keep the items fresh and moisture free

[Katy G.]

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts! I think I am ready to start my organizing now. Very helpful ideas!

[DMAC1]

We just recenlty emptied our old trailer completely in order to sell it as we have a 19ft escape ordered and found that at least 1/3 of what we had in our old trailer was completely un needed, and i bet when we really organize the remainder there will be some more un needed items aswell. So i guess my point is if you only think you MAY need it you probably don't

[Gilda]

Following is a repeat of a previous reply to a request for organization tips. 'Hope it's helpful.

Clothing Storage
I'm soooooo glad you asked about clothing storage in a 13' Scamp! Storage tips of any kind are most appreciated! On our most recent trip this week to Clear Lake, California we "christened" the beautiful new shelves my husband installed in the half closet. We were very frustrated with the factory-installed single bar which allows you to hang your clothes from front to back, not side to side. Access to the clothing in back was awkward at best. When camping we really do not need to hang clothes. A few wrinkles are acceptable. Now we roll each shirt and pair of pants so they stack on top of each other. I store my socks and undies in a net "lingerie washing bag" with a zipper closure. My husband and I each have a small toiletry bag. Of course, being a woman, I have my curling iron, hair dryer and lotions and potions as well! I keep my sleeping accessories (novel, nightgown, sleep mask, earplugs, hairband, knit cap, etc.) in a ditty bag in the cabinet above the dinette/bed.

I was shocked to find that we easily filled all 4 closet shelves with our minimum of clothing and it looked UGLY! I had hoped to use some shelves for clothing and some for other camping "stuff" while using attractive bins to hold it all, but that was not to be. I'm thinking about the following option for the next trip. Each of us will have a 22" duffel bag for our clothing. The duffel can double as bolster pillows side by side on the bed or can be stored upright at the ends of the sofa or dinette. They can also be placed under the bed at night. If we choose this solution we don't have to unpack at all! To make the bolster pillows/duffels look better we can drape an attractive beach towel or fleece blanket over them. To help the duffels retain their shape I might line them with the foam matting that is used for yoga or backpacking. I just don't know yet.

For jackets we use over-the-cabinet hooks on the closet door.

I made custom-made "shoe pockets" for the interior of the closet door to hold lightweight, but often used items such as gloves and knit hats.

We needed a place to put our books and glasses at night because we read in bed. I made custom-made pockets that hang on each side of the window. One hangs on the rat fur and attaches with Velcro and one hangs on the fiberglass side of the closet with loops from suction cup hooks.

By the way, I use locking suction cup hooks everywhere on the fiberglass! I hang towels, keys, fly swatter, etc.

I want to know how to store shoes and boots.

Also, how do you use the storage space in the sofa hatches?

[Gilda]

Following is a repeat of a previous reply to a request for organization tips. 'Hope it's helpful.

Clothing Storage
I'm soooooo glad you asked about clothing storage in a 13' Scamp! Storage tips of any kind are most appreciated! On our most recent trip this week to Clear Lake, California we "christened" the beautiful new shelves my husband installed in the half closet. We were very frustrated with the factory-installed single bar which allows you to hang your clothes from front to back, not side to side. Access to the clothing in back was awkward at best. When camping we really do not need to hang clothes. A few wrinkles are acceptable. Now we roll each shirt and pair of pants so they stack on top of each other. I store my socks and undies in a net "lingerie washing bag" with a zipper closure. My husband and I each have a small toiletry bag. Of course, being a woman, I have my curling iron, hair dryer and lotions and potions as well! I keep my sleeping accessories (novel, nightgown, sleep mask, earplugs, hairband, knit cap, etc.) in a ditty bag in the cabinet above the dinette/bed.

I was shocked to find that we easily filled all 4 closet shelves with our minimum of clothing and it looked UGLY! I had hoped to use some shelves for clothing and some for other camping "stuff" while using attractive bins to hold it all, but that was not to be. I'm thinking about the following option for the next trip. Each of us will have a 22" duffel bag for our clothing. The duffel can double as bolster pillows side by side on the bed or can be stored upright at the ends of the sofa or dinette. They can also be placed under the bed at night. If we choose this solution we don't have to unpack at all! To make the bolster pillows/duffels look better we can drape an attractive beach towel or fleece blanket over them. To help the duffels retain their shape I might line them with the foam matting that is used for yoga or backpacking. I just don't know yet.

For jackets we use over-the-cabinet hooks on the closet door.

I made custom-made "shoe pockets" for the interior of the closet door to hold lightweight, but often used items such as gloves and knit hats.

We needed a place to put our books and glasses at night because we read in bed. I made custom-made pockets that hang on each side of the window. One hangs on the rat fur and attaches with Velcro and one hangs on the fiberglass side of the closet with loops from suction cup hooks.

By the way, I use locking suction cup hooks everywhere on the fiberglass! I hang towels, keys, fly swatter, etc.

[sfoss]

One suggestion was to use hand towels instead of bath towels for showering. I haven't had the need to do this since we seem to have plenty of space for our stuff but just a though...

[RogerDat]

Norm posted some nice pictures of his added storage. He screwed the lids (kind that latch) of plastic bins to the underside of trailer floor, added an extra hook thingy and bungee of some sort and used them to store things like extension cords, leveling blocks etc.

Essentially added waterproof plastic boxes to wasted space under floor for stuff mostly used outside of trailer anyway.

[rgrugg]

We stuck up two of those 3M adhesive hooks (the kind that can be easily removed without damage) in the shower...one for each bath towel. My wife put a buttonhole in each to hang them. We did the same by the sink for a dish towel.

[BCDave]

I've heard the expression "Let me organize my thoughts..." but I've never heard of packing them....