A camping trip is often one of the most enjoyable things we can experience in our life. Alongside experiencing these amazing feelings, we make more long-lasting memories that make the journey even more special.
We escape our daily routines, spend time with friends and family, and enjoy the breathtaking views of nature. But one thing that can really upset your overall mood is the challenge of camping storage and its organizing.
You must pack as much as you can (food, items) in the limited space and sometimes it isn’t easy to take everything you need. If not done well it can ruin the experience, even if you are car camping.
But it doesn’t have to be like this every time; with a more structured approach and some of the hacks for camping storage, people can easily pack all their stuff.
While we have written about what items to bring camping, in this article we talk more specifically about camping storage ideas, tips, hacks, and everything you want to know, so stay tuned to learn more!
Essential Storage Ideas for a Camping Trip
Planning and Prioritizing Camping Gear
One of the crucial camping storage ideas is planning and prioritizing your camping gear. Appropriate planning and prioritizing allow you to avoid bringing unnecessary items and loading your backpack easily.
Moreover, you will have all the necessities you need in the bag for the camping trips:
List the items that are of prime importance in your camping journey
From that list of essentials, you can prioritize and add first the more important items, and then add the other things till the bag is loaded
More importance should be given to necessary medications than items like sleeping bags and tents
Categorizing and Grouping Camping Gear
Making categories of your camping gear is a solid option in the universe of camping storage ideas. This helps you locate your essentials easily when you reach your final destination. You can categorize the items based on their uses or based on the space they take.
For example, you can pack sleeping bags and tents in one pile as they will take up most of the space. It’s probably a good idea to place cookware in the same spot. You can also put flashlights and batteries in one pile.
Modular Storage Systems
Another great hack is to opt for a modular storage system.
This offers easy-to-handle compartments where you can place your things accordingly, instead of mixing it all.
With this system in place, camping gear storage does not take long. You can easily rearrange these compartments according to your comfort and needs and customize the layout of your gear.
These camping storage systems have handles to move them from place to place easily, making it easier to travel with them. This is especially useful if you are not car camping.
Clear Bins or Storage Bags
The use of clear/transparent storage bags is another good idea for campers.
They will save you a lot of time searching through your gears, as items don’t get misplaced while in transit. Moreover, you can see inside the bag, so you don’t have to search endlessly for something.
Lastly, clear camping storage bins make it easier to determine whether any spillage or leakage happened, so you can easily and timely address the issue.
Utilizing Vertical Space & Hooks/Hangers/Mesh Organizers
The use of vertical space with the use of hangers and other stuff is another one of the great camping storage ideas that can help create much more space inside your backpack.
Vertical space is often ignored while camping storage, which is a mistake, given the amount of space you can save by using hooks, hangers, and mesh organizers.
These can be hung inside tents or outside, and it solely depends on the size & weight of the item being stored. You have a lot of flexibility.
You can make a hanging shoe rack or use it for clothes hanging, and so on. Overall, these items provide extra camping storage capacity while keeping things neat & tidy & off the ground.
Creative Storage Hacks for Camping Trips
Only read this section if you want to take things to the next level. If you’re a more conventional person, that is totally fine; if not, keep on reading!
Hanging Shelves
First, we have hanging shelves as a great storage hack. Using hanging shelves is a great way to maximize storage capacity inside a tent.
This is a simple method you can do at home, with just a few basic supplies, such as rope, hooks, and a sturdy piece of wood.
After completing the process, you can use them to store items like clothing, toiletries, kitchen supplies, or anything else you want.
This creative hack is also very useful if you want to free the floor space of your camping tent.
Repurposed Items
Repurposing is when instead of just discarding items that have been used, you use them for a different purpose than they were created for.
For example, old milk crates can be used as makeshift shelving units, and you can store food and other items in them.
Used plastic or grocery bags can be reused by hanging them from the ceiling using clothespins, where you can store small items such as toiletries or flashlights.
The options here are virtually endless – it all depends on how creative you are!
Nesting Cookware
Cookware can really take up a lot more space if individually packed.
That’s why you should consider nesting cookware or kitchen utensils: in other words, packing them inside each other and nesting them together.
Vacuum-Sealed Bags
These bags are designed to compress bulky items easily, so you save more space.
Not only do they make packing easier, but the contents inside the bag also remain dry and protected from damage.
Under-Bed Storage
Under-bed storage utilization is one great hack to efficiently use space and proper storage.
Most campers know this hack and usually come equipped with built-in drawers underneath each bunk bed, where they can store clothing, shoes, and other items.
Moreover, most of the camping vehicles we carry along on our camping trips have hidden compartments underneath their seats, where you can easily store smaller items, such as snacks or electronics.
Exterior Storage Options
These can be roof racks and hitch-mounted cargo carriers.
Roof racks are often considered a secure platform on top of the camping vehicle where you can easily store large pieces of equipment and strap them down during transport if needed.
Hitch-mounted cargo carriers can be easily attached to the back of the vehicles (we’re sure you have seen those on the road) via a hitch receiver. These carriers can provide ample room for carrying multiple large pieces of gear simultaneously without overloading the interior cabin area with too much weight.
These external storage tools offer convenient exterior solutions that give travelers more flexibility when packing their vehicles before they hit the open road on vacation trips.
Multipurpose Furniture
Investing in multipurpose furniture is last on our storage ideas or hacks list.
We bet that you’ve thought about taking a sofa or a bed to a camping trip, but had trouble doing it because of how hard it is to transport these.
Good news: you can use multipurpose furniture (convertible furniture, so to say) as a sofa when you need to sit on it or a bed when you need to lie down.
This convertible furniture has hidden compartments for additional storage areas within their frames where smaller items, such as books or electronics, can be stored securely out of sight.
Packing Food Supplies by Sensible Utilization of Storage Space
Selecting Appropriate Food Containers and Coolers
You must select containers and coolers suitable for camping trips when organizing food supplies.
You should opt for lightweight options that are also quite durable.
Both of these qualities are essential in your camping equipment, so look for tight-fitting lids to prevent leakage while traveling.
One last thing: if you carry perishable items with you, like meat or dairy products, an insulated cooler is a must-have item.
Organizing Dry Goods, Spices, and Cooking Utensils in Compact Ways
Another thing that you must take care of is to organize your dry food, spice, and others in compact ways.
For dry food like grains, beans, nuts, and seeds, you can use smaller containers within a larger one. It can be in small storage boxes inside larger plastic bags.
As described above, nesting saves storage space for kitchen utensils or cooking equipment, so don’t neglect it.
Labeling & Keeping Track of Expiration Dates
One important thing about food supplies is to look at their expiry dates and label them properly. Accidents can occur without proper labeling, and one can end up eating something that has expired.
So for safety reasons, labeling them correctly and looking for the expiration dates is highly advised. If you have near to expiring food items, just don’t take those on your camping trips.
Another good tip is to consume the food supplies that can spoil quickly first and then consume the other items.
Safety and Security Considerations
Securing Valuables
Always secure valuable items such as electronics, jewelry, money, and other small items by locking them in a safe or hiding them in a secure storage compartment.
If the items are highly valuable, you can opt for a heavy-duty lock or padlock to protect valuables from theft or damage.
Or you can just decide not to risk it and not bring anything that you are not willing to lose when you go on your camping trip.
Securing Storage Compartments
You should also secure storage compartments via a combination lock or padlock on the outside of the compartments.
Keeping Food Safe
Always keep food safe from pests and wildlife.
Use sealed containers and keep them away from your sleeping area, such as inside a car or campervan.
Additionally, you must clean up any food scraps around the campsite and dispose of them properly to prevent attracting unwanted visitors.
Conclusion
We hope these camping storage ideas help you out in the future!