View Full Version : Storage of Gear
seakayaker
01-02-2020, 08:06
What are some good options for containers for storing all my gear between trips? I'm currently using a large Rubbermaid Action Packer but it doesn't hold everything and it's not stackable. I have limited space as I store all my gear in my home office so stacking containers would be good.
Thanks!
Seakayaker
I have several totes in the basement that do stack, but would need to get a close look at them this evening to get you a model number/brand. That seems to work well in combination with a set of shelves. Amazon has a few options for reasonably priced and sturdy shelving. I just ordered a set of 14x82x48" shelves for $90 that can be rolled around. That should work well for storing sleeping pads on top with adjustable shelf height for other gear below.
Edit - the totes we have are similar to these:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-18-Gal-Storage-Containers-Black-Set-of-8/55489780
An 8 pack of 18 gallon totes is $40, and you could probably stack at least 4 high so you could get a lot of sealed storage space in two columns.
I'd highly recommend boxes (totes, as you may call them) that are transparent, so you can see from the outside what stuff is inside.
Like the ones I'm using for older office stuff and most of my climbing/hiking gear:
https://www.ikea.com/at/de/p/samla-box-mit-deckel-transparent-s69903214/
I think that's this one on the US website:
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/samla-box-clear-90102971/
trailmercury
01-02-2020, 12:08
https://www.menards.com/main/storage-organization/storage-totes-bins/storage-totes/incredible-solutions-trade-15-gallon-clear-storage-bin-with-flip-top-lid/31524850-72/p-1444435940995-c-12667.htm
These are great because the lid sections stay attached when bin is open, and they are stackable.
@CalebJ:
Wait, half the price than in the EU?
OK, you have to buy the lid separate, but still...
The boxes work just fine, only downside is that the plasticmaterial is becoming quite brittle when cold.
I have most of my storage in an unheated loft and broke some of them while manipulating them clumsily when really cold.
https://www.menards.com/main/storage-organization/storage-totes-bins/storage-totes/incredible-solutions-trade-15-gallon-clear-storage-bin-with-flip-top-lid/31524850-72/p-1444435940995-c-12667.htm
These are great because the lid sections stay attached when bin is open, and they are stackable.
I just came back to post something similar - the integrated lid might be a good idea.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-27-Gal-Tough-Storage-Tote-in-Black-HDX27GONLINE-5/205978361
trailmercury
01-02-2020, 12:23
I have used both and the integrated lid is a huge difference.
fastfoxengineering
01-02-2020, 13:04
Duffel Bags > Totes for space saving. Less stuff = less storage needs.
Slo-go'en
01-02-2020, 14:31
Gear closet. And that's not everything. Sleeping bags are under my bed, jackets and clothes in another closet.
I really should get rid of that giant -20 hollow fill bag from the late 70's and maybe I really don't need 11 packs...
46013
trailmercury
01-02-2020, 14:40
Duffel Bags > Totes for space saving. Less stuff = less storage needs.
fastfoxengineering = hiker trash!
I mean that in the most endearing way possible.
Gear closet. And that's not everything. Sleeping bags are under my bed, jackets and clothes in another closet.
I really should get rid of that giant -20 hollow fill bag from the late 70's and maybe I really don't need 11 packs...
46013
I wish all my junk would fit in a closet... It's expanded into the guest bedroom at the moment. Maybe with a second set of shelves I can bring it back to one area in the basement again.
And yet somehow there's always a piece of gear I want to add to the collection for a particular purpose.
I just came back to post something similar - the integrated lid might be a good idea.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-27-Gal-Tough-Storage-Tote-in-Black-HDX27GONLINE-5/205978361
I have used the plastic 18 gallon totes from Walmart (good for cheap storage), the clear ones (WONDERFUL to see contents..even though I also label the outside), and the integrated ones (more expensive but durable). In climate controlled areas, the first two work well; however, when we stored things in an unheated storage unit, these were brittle and broke apart as Leo L. noted. The integrated ones have been holding up fine for us in unheated storage.
MtDoraDave
01-02-2020, 20:39
All of my camping and hiking gear has been in a small closet in my living room since I started accumulating it. Now it doesn't all fit, and my fiance and I are moving into a new house. She has made it clear that in the new house, my camping/ hiking gear can either be in the shed, the workshop, or the garage... So I'm either going to have to build a closet in the workshop, or get good, strong, stackable totes.
I don't want to store my down sleeping bags/ quilts in totes though, for fear they'll get funky ...where do you guys and gals store your down sleeping bags?
The two I have currently are in their large storage bags on top of the dresser in the spare bedroom.
fastfoxengineering
01-02-2020, 21:24
fastfoxengineering = hiker trash!
I mean that in the most endearing way possible.
All you need is two duffel bags. If you have anymore... you got too much stuff lol!
I must have way to much stuff. Since my daughter and her husband moved out I took a whole room as my gear room. She left a long short dresser with lots of drawers so utilizing the drawers , 1 has homemade stoves, 1 has fire making stuff, 1 hasmaps etc. And I have them labeled. Closet full of hiking clothes, boots , winter gear etc. Nice having a whole room dedicated to all my hiking crap.
4eyedbuzzard
01-02-2020, 21:47
All of my camping and hiking gear has been in a small closet in my living room since I started accumulating it. Now it doesn't all fit, and my fiance and I are moving into a new house. She has made it clear that in the new house, my camping/ hiking gear can either be in the shed, the workshop, or the garage... So I'm either going to have to build a closet in the workshop, or get good, strong, stackable totes.
I don't want to store my down sleeping bags/ quilts in totes though, for fear they'll get funky ...where do you guys and gals store your down sleeping bags?
The two I have currently are in their large storage bags on top of the dresser in the spare bedroom.What? You're a WB member and you don't have a dedicated gear room?! ;) :D My two sleeping bags get stored in their large manufacturers bags on the top of my gear shelf which is 36w x 18d x 72h. A couple of packs, a tent, and a hammock, are the next shelf down. All the rest which includes some books and guides goes in cardboard boxes on the bottom two shelves. But I'd never store stuff in a non climate controlled space - especially in a climate like Florida. Humidity and changing temperatures leads to mold and mildew, insects, animals looking for nesting material, etc.
As an official Empty Nester, I have a dedicated gear room.
Sorry I forgot to add to my post, I acquired a long 1" strip coat hanger with about 12 hangers that I screwed to the wall to hang all my packs, works really well.
peakbagger
01-03-2020, 08:27
I have most of my major gear in a laundry room. It was sized for a washer and dryer and that is about it. I went to Home Depot and bought a vinyl coated wire shelf that is about 20" deep that runs from one wall to the other above the washer and where the dryer should go (I dont own a dryer) The rack has a built in hanger rack. It looks like this https://www.homedepot.com/p/ClosetMaid-144-in-W-x-20-in-D-White-Steel-Close-Mesh-Ventilated-Wall-Mounted-Wire-Shelf-37403/203032253 I have it set about 18" down from the ceiling. This is normally a dead space in a laundry room. I have my collection of sleeping pads and a sleeping bag on top. I hang clothes underneath in the space where the dryer went. I expect the shelf could be mounted lower and it could be used to store totes although there is a weight limits to the shelving. They sell accessory braces to support the shelf in the center to up the capacity. On one of the side walls I have row of pegs to hang things like dont stick out from the wall like poles, straps, crampons and gaiters. Sure its bit crowded but its a laundry room with door on it.I do not typically give tours of my laundry room;)
The tough thing with storage space is its real easy to just store stuff I dont use anymore that I probably never will. I try to go through the inventory on occasion and turf the obvious stuff like old worn out socks or gloves with holes in them. The tough stuff is the perfectly good gear that has been replaced, probably useful for someone else but not for me.
...where do you guys and gals store your down sleeping bags?...
We have a huge wardrobe in the sleeping room, half of it for my wife, the other half for me.
My wife's half is stuffed full of clothes and has one tiny top compartment reserved for the one down sleeping bag she owns.
My half is full of all the sleeping bags I own (including the ones I occassionally lend to her) and has one or two compartments left for the few clothes I own.
lonehiker
01-05-2020, 10:45
46025
Walk-in closet works perfectly. Everything in one location. When center shelf is empty I have packed everything I need for a trip (not sure where my tent is when I took this photo, outside drying perhaps) minus food/water. If anything is left behind it was an intentional decision. If trip calls for supplemental gear it is pulled from "shelves" to the left or right. Not factoring in food planning/packing I can be packed in about 12 minutes. Notice daypack bottom right of third picture. It is always ready to go. Simply get dressed, add a snack, throw in water and I'm out the door.
Since photo was taken I have reorganized and purged most of the "excess" stuff. Closet is much more user-friendly than pictured.
What are some good options for containers for storing all my gear between trips? I'm currently using a large Rubbermaid Action Packer but it doesn't hold everything and it's not stackable. I have limited space as I store all my gear in my home office so stacking containers would be good.
Thanks!
Seakayaker
You said it. Get totes that are stackable. And, realize a single Tote may not store all things. OMG I have two Totes with food alone mostly prepackaged and ready to grab in a sec for those impromptu outings. Seems like a lot but I mainly LD hike going out for three wks or more and the same food can and does get eaten at home. This is a resource I refuse to waste not allowing 40% of food to go into the garbage can as is normal in the U.S. Three Totes and a 6'x5' bookshelf contain maps, Journals, and guidebooks and Bucket List hikes. These I refer to rather regularly to add to my knowledge as others share and I do more research and gain more experiences. The bookshelf looks like that at a library. One Tote contains my hybrid touring bike/bike packing gear. The bike hangs on the wall of my bedroom up near the ceiling. Two totes contain mainly clothing. Two Totes contain gear like shelters, loosely kept sleeping bags, etc. I built my bed and have integrated DIY built in self built "dressers" which were intentionally designed to store the Totes(all the same size) unseen. One can find couches or settees or beds with storage space underneath. Storing all this in the sleeping area rather than the basement, shed, garage, extra room, etc requires routine cleaning maintenance of gear and all other stuff. Family gear gets stored in the garage because they don't take care of their stuff to the degree I do. Yaks and a Scanoe are stored at a friend's house on Lake Lanier. I have access from multiple sources to various trailers.
Lastly, if I don't use something at least once every two yrs I donate or sell it. FWIW, I embrace the nomadic adventurer life. I do go through activity phases. Seems like a lot but I use my stuff and don't give into rampant Consumerism. For example, the same clothes I may hike in I wear at home or recycle for garden work, changing the oil in the car, etc. Consequently, I feel very comfortable always wearing hiking apparel AND it allows for less stuff overall.
fastfoxengineering
01-07-2020, 02:35
I use to dream about having a gear room. Now I just dream about being on trail.
Selling, donating, and trading is such a great way to keep everything in check.
Yesterday, I sold 3 older power banks. I got my moneys worth. With the accumulated funds I plan on buying a modern high tech power bank.
Most people would just stock pile em and never touch them again.
The trail made me less attached to material possesions. Its so much easier to let go of things now. It truly spreads light on what is sentimental or not.
It's also how I live out of 2 100L duffel bags.
I definitely still geek out on gear. But even gear has become just stuff to an extent. A medium for adventure.
With that said. If you own a home. Totes are probably best. If you plan on being a bum like me forever, duffel bags are great.
Sent from my SM-J737V using Tapatalk
Lots of great advice here. I echo the recommendation to use clear totes--it makes finding things and staying organized much easier. My go-to place for totes is Walmart. If I can't find what I want there, then Lowes usually will have something that fits the bill. Lowes has a much better selection of storage products than Home Depot IMO.
Patrickjd9
06-06-2020, 17:33
Had to search this thread from a few months back, but it is of interest right now. My gear storage in totes in the utility room is not working out because we walk by it to enter the house, and we need to add closed pantry space there.
Everything but my main overnight pack, tent, and a couple of sleeping bags is going to have to go into the unheated/cooled garage. I have a reasonable budget for cabinets or totes.
Anyone use vent fans, heaters, or desiccant to protect their gear in a garage or basement?
steady123
06-07-2020, 16:29
When you get married your fiancee get a promotion to wife. You get a demotion to husband. When you have kids, your wife gets a promotion to mother. You get another demotion to Dad. Your gear (as did mine) will be evicted to the location where neither your wife/mother nor your children frequent. My gear is stored in trash bags in the basement. It is unfinished. My treasured possesions are safe.
Hikingjim
06-08-2020, 08:50
I just use a clear bins in my basement on a cheap shelf, with some large items hanging from hooks. Certain items, such as down sleeping bags and clothing, end up hanging in a closet upstairs instead.
We don't have tons of extra space so others in my household appreciate that only my sensitive/expensive items take up normal household space