yeah, i like totes for that very reason, we have most of our seasonal decoration items in totes and stored/stacked in the attic. Empty space I am not too worried about, but for the sleeping bags I am concerned about if the regular tote will keep enough moisture out so the bag won't be damp, moldy, etc when it is time to use them.

I'd really like to get the bulky sleeping bags out of the house, no room in any closets for them, a big reason why they are laying about the house, usually i let them lay out on the spare bed outside their stuff sacks, keeping them dry and lofty for the next use. Unfortunately, that doesn't work well when you have company come in from out of town.

Nice tips boatman, we used buckets for some of our gear on our scout float trip last September. However, some of the bags I have are too bulky for them, maybe the 7 gallon bucket might work, haven't seen one of those before, hopefully we can eventually replace these big bulky monstrosities with better more compact bags, but for now they are what we have available.

I keep my dedicated hurricane electronics in the top tray of a rolling Craftsman tool chest....I don't plan on evacuating to a public shelter, but if necessary it is lockable, and I'm able to sit on it... routine storage is in 5 gal buckets and plastic totes... this was a lessons learned from the days my school building was an evacuation center...one of these, a small cooler, and a folding lightweight chaise lounge was standard for the experienced evacuee...

Anything that can tolerate it gets put into an 18 gallon Rubbermaid tote and stored in the garage. The few bits of gear, i.e. computer backup drive, that cannot tolerate garage storage get stored inside the house in a dedicated location.

One technique I've found to hide copious amounts of junk is to put a storage shelf in an empty corner, load it with all your gear, and then hang a curtain (bedsheet, etc) around it. Put the all sleeping bags in mesh laundry bags and either hang them up our place then on a shelf.

some great suggestions, I have a lot to think about, but one thing's for sure, I gotta get that garage cleaned out soon so I can start storing gear out there

Plastic or galvanized garbage pails are less expensive than similar sized totes. Less than airtight, but that can be remedied by lining with heavy duty garbage bag and sealing the top. In earlier times, I experimented with backyard burial of some equipment and supplies, but it was more trouble than it was worth. My acivity in digging and filling in pits at night in the backyard caused some talk amongst the neighbors...

Being a nomad, I have several "homes". In each, we leave some stuff. One place has temps that exceed 120F, another -40F. Another has very hot and humid weather for 6 months of the year.

In each, I use new 30 (?) gallon metal trash cans. I use aluminum tape to cover anything that looks like a hole. Put the stuff in and add a wrap of good quality duct tape around the seam between the lid and the container.

Been doing this for over 18 years now, mostly with the same containers. Last one I bought (about 2 years ago) was $18 at a rather overpriced very rural hardware store.

Nothing, not even ants have breached the containers. No rust, no water, nothing has entered.

Because it is a "metal to metal" seal, it would probably function well as a Faraday shield.

The handles are strong and I have loaded one so that two people were needed to move it. No problem.

There are a variety of sizes and shapes to choose from.

Works for me....

Nomad.

Negotiate for one gear closet. big, flat things fit well under the bed(s).
It its in a blue plastic bin, its easier to find and less annoying to the dear wife.

We have two closets in the master bedroom and they have wire frame shelving along one wall. I found that the typical closet shelf is about 6' off the floor leaving 2' between it and the ceiling. Divided that in half and put anther shelf above the first. Its just the right height for things like bankers boxes, ammo cans, 3 ring binders, milk crate sized file folder boxes, etc.
I found an ACE hardware that sold metal U shaped mounts for the shelving rather than the plastic expanding the drywall that most places sell. These let me mount to the studs with 3" screws making it string enough I can support my weight with them so a few heavy items isn't a problem.
For this extra layer of shelving I ran it all the way around the closet rather than just the clothing side. Then copied the same idea for the garage, ran shelving all the way around the top.

good idea about the garbage cans, I will look into this, and other storage containers when the meager budget allows and see what i can come up with.