Every summer season it takes me just a few weeks to get my van packed and actually dialed. Depending on the place we’re going and the actions we have now deliberate, we have now totally different gear that should come alongside. This yr posed some new challenges with our new child added to the combination.
We needed to swap out a few of our out of doors gear to make room for our stroller and different child objects, however thanks to those camper van group concepts that I’ve developed through the years (and a little bit of Tetris), every part match within the van completely.
I take into account an organized van to be important to my sanity on the street. With two adults, two canine, and now a child, every part HAS to have a spot….in any other case it rapidly turns into chaos.
Here are some suggestions that will help you take your van group to the subsequent degree and make life on the street simpler.
Camper Van Organization Ideas
1) Measure Every Inch of Space & Use Bins to Compartmentalize
Before you begin packing your van, measure the within of each cupboard, drawer, and ground space the place you propose to retailer your stuff. Start to visualise what must go the place.
Then buy bins that completely slot in these areas with a view to compartmentalize your stuff and stop it from sliding round whilst you drive. Bins additionally make it simple to drag issues out and in of the van when you find yourself loading and unloading.
For smaller objects that have to go in your overhead cupboards and drawers, like toiletries, meals, and kitchen utensils, The Container Store has nearly each form and dimension of bin you may think about.
For bigger objects, get some stackable plastic bins with lids which can be the fitting dimension to your van storage. I wish to lump objects of the identical class in my van’s gear storage bins. For occasion, backpacks and climbing gear are multi function bin. Shoes are in one other. Dog meals in a 3rd. This camper van group concept will show you how to hold monitor of what goes the place so that you by no means should seek for issues once more!
If you’re in search of a light-weight and compact storage answer to your Starlink, try the gear packing containers made by Radius Outfitters. I lately bought the Radius Outfitters Starlink Storage Case which is their 5500 Gear Box with a foam insert that’s completely lower for the Starlink Dishy and Modem.
Previously I had an Alubox that was tailored for the Starlink. The field itself was very top quality, however you actually needed to wrestle to get the Starlink out and in. This Radius Outfitters Starlink Storage Case makes it a lot simpler to retailer and shield my Starlink which is fairly vital contemplating it’s how I work and entry the web on the street.
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2) Don’t Overpack
Seems easy, however I wager 90% of us do it in any case. I do know I’m nonetheless responsible of this even in spite of everything these years. Although I’ve my garments pared right down to what’s going to slot in 5 packing cubes, as soon as we’re on the street, I notice that I nonetheless have an excessive amount of.
For instance, we left Salt Lake City 10 days in the past, and I’m solely on my second shirt. If you select fast dry, athletic-type materials and strong colours which can be simply matched, you may get away with a minimal variety of outfits. Having fewer garments you could put on many occasions earlier than needing to scrub them makes it simpler to maintain your van garments folded and tidy. Plus, it’s good to not have an awesome quantity of garments within the van to should hold organized.
The identical goes for the remainder of your belongings. You don’t have to convey each toiletry you would possibly use over the subsequent six months. Unless you’re driving to Alaska, you shouldn’t have any downside getting what you want on the street. You may even get Amazon packages in most locations as you journey if you really want to restock one thing.
Pare down your out of doors gear so that you’re packing stuff to your favourite actions that you already know with confidence you’ll use. That paddleboard that’s been amassing mud for two years in your storage? That can in all probability keep dwelling.
Freebie!
Van Life Packing Checklist
Get this free PDF that can show you how to pack up your van in a jiffy.
3) Use Packing Cubes for Clothing
Packing cubes are a genius option to retailer your garments in your van. You simply want one for shirts, one for pants/shorts, one for socks, one for underwear, and one for miscellaneous objects like a beanie, gloves, and a swimsuit. This helps hold your clothes organized so that you aren’t looking out by means of a duffel bag or a cupboard for a pair of socks.
4) Utilize the Back of Your Seats
This is a reasonably new hack for me. I lately realized that using the again of your seats is a superb camper van group concept, because it offers a spot to retailer small issues that may in any other case get simply misplaced within the van.
On the again of my driver’s seat, I’ve the Overland Gear Guy Sprinter III Seat Organizer. It’s an awesome place to retailer charging cords, canine poop luggage, enterprise playing cards, our child monitor, and different issues that we use repeatedly. It additionally has a secret laptop computer compartment which isn’t solely good for safety, but additionally makes it simple for me to achieve my laptop if I need to get slightly work achieved whereas Ryan’s driving.
On my passenger seat, I’ve the Radius Outfitters Small Trash Tube. I’m not utilizing it for trash although. Instead, I’m utilizing this for my canine gear (leashes, harness, chuck it, frisbee, and many others) – which we use each single day. It’s so helpful having every part multi function place proper by the door.
5) Don’t Forget About Your Trash Storage
Where to retailer your trash is an afterthought for many individuals when they’re constructing out their vans. In my first Sprinter Van, I had nowhere to retailer my trash as a result of I didn’t assume to plan for it. I ended up hanging my trash bag on a hook on my again door. I hated that it was at all times seen, and once I bought a canine, it grew to become an enormous no-go.
In my latest Sprinter Van, I cover away my trash cans in a cupboard so my canine can’t get to them. However with a brand new child, I didn’t need to be placing soiled diapers in my kitchen trash, so I picked up the Overland Gear Guy Spare Tire Trash Bag.
Made of industrial quality vinyl, it’s water-resistant and can be utilized for trash, transporting firewood, instruments, or anything that you just don’t have room for inside your van. And because it sits outdoors the van, you don’t have to fret about any funky smells in your dwelling area.
6) Utilize Outside Storage
If you’ve run out of area in your van or issues are getting cluttered, take into account storing some issues outdoors your van. I’ve the Owl Vans Medium Expedition field on the again of my passenger aspect door, and I really like the added storage it offers (try my Owl Vans evaluation for extra particulars).
Inside our Owl Vans storage field, we hold our hose, electrical hookups, instruments, trekking poles, and even our transportable fuel Lavabox transportable firepit (pictured beneath).
It’s so good not having to retailer that stuff that tends to get dusty and soiled contained in the van, and it actually helps cut back the muddle.
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7) Have a Designated Food Bin
It’s good to have some further pantry items readily available for straightforward meal planning, however meals can rapidly eat up area in your dwelling space. Instead of attempting to cram canned items, pasta, bread, cereal, chips, and different meals into your cupboards, take into account having a delegated meals bin.
We have an enormous bin in our van storage that has all of our meals. It’s simply reachable from our van’s dwelling space so at any time when we’d like a snack or are prepping dinner, I simply attain underneath there, open the lid and seize what I want.
For your meals bin, I’d counsel one thing clear so you may see what’s in there and one thing that latches closed. This method in case your canine will get sneaky OR a mouse ever makes its method into your van (it occurs!), your meals will probably be protected.
8) Tidy Up Regularly
No matter how organized you’re, you actually have to remain on high of the muddle when dwelling and touring out of a small area. When you’re in a rush (ie working out the door to hit the path), it’s really easy to not put one thing again “where it goes.”
If you get lazy, earlier than you already know it, the van is a multitude.
In order to stop our complete organizational system from getting out of whack, we attempt to tidy up repeatedly. Then each couple of days we make a much bigger effort to place issues again the place they belong and do some cleanup.
I hope these sensible camper van group hacks will show you how to keep order in your van, so you may give attention to having fun with the journey.
Got your individual van group suggestions? Share them within the feedback beneath!
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