I am once again trying to reduce my volume of stuff. I currently live on a 30 foot racing sailboat and have a 5 x 5 storage unit. I hate living in clutter and would like to end the need to pay rent on the storage space.

I am trying to be guided by the principle that if I have not used it lately [1 year? 2 years?], then I must not need it and should find it a new home. This is remarkably painful.

I am also trying to follow the principle of replacing bulky stuff with functionally equivalent compact, lighter stuff. Candidate new gear is proving remarkably expensive.

And, I am trying to follow the principle that each set of functional gear should be stored as a "kit" within one bag or container. This has meant spending a lot of time thinking of, creating, or shopping for containers.

As a further matter of storage principle, I am labeling most sides of most containers.

Are there principles of storage that I am missing or about which I am in error?

Thoughts?

Thanks.

Am unaware of any principles of storage. Friends with big basements could be helpful.

I do similar with grouping by kit, then I keep a running spreadsheet that is categorized then each category has the container(s) listed and justification as to why I have it and its priority if bugout/evac is needed.

So for example a plumbing kit, I'll list the container and its use and what level its at, this case pretty low.
A BOB/GHB, etc will be listed and at he highest priority.

Get a larger vehicle and use it for storage?

The sailboat is parked, right? Tether a floating 53' intermodal unit to it?

Sue

Great thread!



If you can actually carry that out, then you'd be all set. Try labeling stuff that's, say, five years old and unused. Then, have a disinterested third party come in and take it away, sell it and split the proceeds with you. I need to take my own advice.

I admire organized people who have few things but everything they need. I encourage these people to post here!

The fact that you've got limited space is a good thing. Getting rid of extraneous stuff is more emotional than practical and if you start playing the "what if" game you'll never give anything away. Start with your EDC and work outward from there. I recently went through something similar with various gadget adapters, cables, battery chargers, etc. Talk about a nightmare. I couldn't even remember what some of them were for. Its 2011, we've mapped the human genome but can't standardize the plugs for computers, cell phones, mp3 players, etc? Good luck dweste, I applaud your streamlining efforts.

I think a lot of us are in the same boat as you, so to speak. However, if I lived on something that could sink, I would not mind having dry land storage.

I do applaud you efforts, and I should emulate them...

I am having a particular struggle with two categories of stuff: things of only sentimental value and two CPUs with no-longer-accessible-but-potentially-necessary-records on their hard discs.

I am not likely at this point to ever have kids or family who might be interested in things like childhood, school, or old girlfriend momentos [sp?], but they still seem to tug at my heartstrings a bit.

The computer passwords are long forgotten and I do not know if they could even run; I want to erase / destroy the hard drives some time soon - or maybe just remove and store just the drives.

Your talking about computers, the cpu doesn't have any storage

You can get external drive cases for $<20, pull the drives out and put in the external case, plug into your current computer and wipe them. Give the old computers to someone who can use them.

I'm unaware of any formal principles of storage but a few tips I've gleaned from friends and experience:

Reducing what you have:
If you don't use something in (insert appropriate time limit here) you can likely get along without it.

Pension off unneeded goods, put them up for sale on E-bay or Graig's List. Alternatively take advantage of tax credits by donating to charities and charity organizations. Or find sympathetic people who are just starting out in your areas of interest.

Work with neighbors to share equipment. Does everyone need a lawnmower? Or could you just slip a neighbor with a lawnmower a few dollars to use theirs?

Get familiar with local rental shops and what they carry.

Packing stuff away:
Favor soft-sided luggage and storage containers. They can be stuffed into tighter and odd-shaped spots. And when the contents of a container are in use a duffel bag or sack folds up. Hard cases take up the same space full or empty.

Be careful with vacuum bags. They can save a lot of space by compressing towels, pillows, and sweaters. But if they leak they can destroy shelf systems and containers. Compression sacks, which use banding to remove air, are less likely to decompress at inconvenient times.