Tips for gear storage

Heeeeeeeeelp,

My side of the bed looks like the local sporting goods department exploded, with assorted packs, sleeping bags, and other gear laying about on the floor. Likewise, other areas of the house have become repositories for assorted scouting/camping/survival type gear. My wife is ready to lynch me (or at least, make me set up a permanent camp site in the back yard to store or otherwise get rid of all the gear). Any tips on gear storage in a home with limited storage space? Some gear, like tarps, chairs and tents are out in the garage, but I am reluctant to put other gear out there, such as packs and sleeping bags, as I'm not sure if the conditions of the garage will negatively affect the function of these items. That is, the garage is subjected to what I consider pretty extreme variations in temperature and humidity; we've had lows so far this winter at or below 0 degrees F, and expect highs in the summer in the 90 to 100 degrees F range.

So if I may ask, what does everyone here at ETS do to store your gear? What items need to be kept in temperature controlled environments (i.e. in the house) and what items can I place in the garage or attic? Can I expect the items I put in the garage or attic to hold up over time while being subjected to extremes of heat and cold and humidity? I am particularly wondering about items such as packs and sleeping bags. How can I create extra storage spaces in the home and/or garage that will be both inconspicuous and relatively easily accessible? I've considered and used everything from drawers to storage totes but wonder what everyone else uses? Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. As always, thanks in advance for any help.

Rent a storage unit !

Packs and sleeping bags are going to be okay in the garage if you keep them away from moisture and vermin. Plastic bins with secure lids work well for this. If humidity is a big concern use airtight bins and some kind of dessicant in the bins.

Airtight bins do not mean that you have to mortgage your home for Pelican (although they make super-nice gear). There's much less rugged and less expensive stuff out there that will still keep humidity out.

Mark, I use plastic bins in the garage. My garage is insulated and finished inside though. There are good bins available at most hardware stores.

Inside the house you can try to find space behind, under, and even inside the furniture (beds, chairs, sofas, tables). You can buy or make special storage furniture yourself or alter the existing one. You can hang some gear on the part of a wall, at the ceiling, and drape it with a curtain of sorts. I've heard of people sawing through the drywall and making hidden stashes in the walls behind paintings and curtains. Or you could build a new decorative storage wall somewhere in the house. The same way you can rise the floor at some spots/rooms (like a square podium under the bed). Same for the parts of the ceiling (e.g. shelf above the door in a small corridor). If you have 2 story rooms - use the under the stairs space. Or, perhaps you just need a tall and deep cabinet?

I use plastic bins and more importently try to get rid of excessive gear.

Tjin, there is no such thing as excessive gear!! We need all of it, and we need more, lol.

This might be the truest thing ever written.

LOL chaos, yeah I feel that way sometimes about the storage unit, guess I'll be making more of an effort to finish cleaning out the garage when the weather breaks here to make some room out there. The packs and sleeping bags are what is taking up a large amount of the space. Three summer weight bags, three honking big 0 degree mummy bags, plus DS got a smaller summer weight mummy for Christmas that will fit in his backpack, although this one is no where near as bulky as the others, this one packs down to the size of a football in it's compression sack.

Vermin will definitely be a consideration for putting stuff out in the garage, we have found more than our share of evidence of furry four legged critters out there. I'm not sure how big a concern humidity will be. I think I may be able to get by with the dessicant in the bins.

Definitely will be checking into some storage bins montanero. My garage is unfinished and uninsulated, however it is well vented, hoping that will help some.

Thanks for the tips alex, unfortunately, most of those spaces are already being used or are inaccessible. Under my side of the bed, I have small gear organized in various clear shoe box size totes. In addition, I have a stack of those clear plastic drawers in which I have other small gear organized. DS has a captains bed so that space is unavailable, under the spare bed DW has already commandeered for assorted gift wrapping and craft totes (as well as the closet), under the couch is already crammed with stuff as well. Thinking I have to get more creative with my approach to storage inside the house. Or maybe it's time for a big purge of all the useless junk we don't ever use yet refuse to part with lol.

hmmm, looking online and finding some 20 to 25 gallon airtight totes here and here

Not sure if one of those would be big enough to hold all three 0 degree mummy bags loosely. I also saw a 50 gallon tote here and wondering if i'd be almost as well off sealing the sleeping bags loosely inside a garbage bag before placing them in the 50 gallon tote? Any thoughts on this?

Standard disclaimers apply, I have no affiliations with any of the products or companies linked to above.

You may do better price-wise elsewhere: http://www.target.com/p/sterilite-air-ti...qt/-/A-15066036 (no affiliation).

I have used Rubbermaid containers of this general type very satisfactorily for years - http://www.uline.com/BL_317/Rubbermaid-Cargo-Boxes . REI, among others, carries smaller sizes.

Also, you mention using loose storage bags of plastic. All the loose storage bags I have ever seen, at least those provided by manufacturers, are of a loose cotton weave....

I use big totes for most of my stuff. Lots and lots of big totes!

thanks chaos, unfortunately that is only a 20 guart size, i.e, only 5 gallons. A search on their site yielded a 13.5 gal size, but I'm not sure those would be big enough to hold all the sleeping bags. Maybe putting one in each would work, not sure though. I plan to shop locally and see what the sizes actually look like for comparison, especially before i order something online.

thanks hikermor, good looking storage container, nice size but a tad pricey for something that's not airtight

Relative to that, I mentioned storing the sleeping bags loosely in large garbage bags (i.e. a sort of additional barrier and makeshift waterproofing) before putting them into one of those larger, non-air tight containers. Not sure if this will work, might not provide enough protection from moisture due to humidity or sweating inside the containers. Might even make it worse as the garbage bag might end up acting more as a vapor barrier so any moisture that might find it's way into the garbage bag won't be able to get out. Short term it might be fine, just don't want to store the lightweight bags in november, and pull them back out in march or april a soggy (or worse moldy) mess. Likewise storing the winter weight bags, I'm not sure our area has enough humidity to cause that kind of damage, but not wanting to take chances with it either if i can help it.

With that in mind tho, I wonder if I could go for something that's not air tight for the in season bags, and something that is air tight to store the out of season bags longer term?

Totes are efficient in stacking, but they do not adapt to size, meaing you always have a little empty space left.

For large fluffy items (sleeping bags, downjackets, skipants) stored in house, i used IKEA bags. They are cheap, square, nice and big for you sleeping bags and if there is a odd shape in the closet, it's not really a issue. I keep the top uncovered so air can flow. Also much easier to handle if you want to put them in the top shelf on a closet.

I use the plastic five and seven gallon buckets like food comes in. I also use Gamma Seal lids.They are an adapter that snaps on the bucket and the lid unscrews from the" inside " of the adapter. They are available at Home Depot.They run around $7.00. If enough buckets, planks can be placed across and now you have extra storage shelves. A bucket and lid can easily hold most sleeping bags. Just make sure they are very dry before so. The Gamma Seals are air and water tight. I have a camoing set up like this in my truck. When un packed the bucket and lid are a stool in camp. It is also dry food storage to keep out racoons and opussums. The bucket is also handy for dish and personal wash up. Many canoeists use these also....


BOATMAN
John

I love Rubbermade stuff too. Four crates on my balcony serves as a storage and sitting benches (covered with outdoors furniture pillows) for the past 8 years and still like new.

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.

nomad, that's good to know, however, I'm not sure I want to seal the containers quite like that, I'd prefer to have the storage containers (and their contents) easy to access when needed

teacher, the best I've been able to negotiate for space in closets so far is the bottom area of the linen closet, i may be able to find some space in our bedroom closet, but unfortunately it's a mess right now, and DW doesn't seem to want to deal with it right now. There's just not much space available in the house anywhere right now, our home has become too cluttered with junk, we need to do a thorough cleaning and purging, and neither of us really has the time or energy to expend on it right now.

Eugene, I'm looking for places to put up some shelves, unfortunately, a meager budget and the need to purchase materials for shelving has prevented me from doing anything to move forward with that project right now. I'm hoping things will come together soon, budget-wise, energy and time wise, etc and we'll be able to get the garage cleaned up, storage totes purchased, and shelving materials too and get our home organized again.

Thanks for the info everyone, some great tips and ideas here.

I modified the closets here with the same wire shelving, it bought a lot of space, doubling the shelving in some and doubling the hangar space in others. Lots of wasted space in the old closets.

Clear the junk and life becomes much more simple and organised. Having too much stuff means, too much time spend on maintenance, looking for things and organizing. Have a look at 'minimalism' for inspiration.

If a full clean up takes too much time, take baby steps. Just tell yourself to bin/donate a X amount of things you have not used in X years every day/week.

One more tip from an avid junkie - document/catalogise your gear often! When I've stated to take images of the stuff I'm binning for future projects, along with placing some notes over the images (I have Note 3 smartphone with a pen - perfect for that) it became much more manageable not only to find the tucked away stuff real fast, but also to rotate the free space efficiently, quickly figuring what could go to the trash from the collection in order to find proper place for the new stuff.

The wire shelving is one of the most inexpensive types.

I disagree. It costs almost nothing (gas for driving?) to search for some leftover plywood or particle board in the trash near construction sites or at the curb in suburbs (it could be harvested from old dumped furniture as well). A bit of sawing and sanding and the shelf is ready. Instead of the wall mountings, one can just stack these makeshift shelves, using cardboard boxes from the gear (opening facing to the user) for sidewalls. Secure a proper sized piece of plywood inside the box to make it even sturdier.

In one of my closets I have a 1/2" particle board cut to the perimeter of the closet and freely sitting on top of the old computer desk at the center, which is just 1/3 of the closet's width and 3/4 of its depth - perfect shelf for $0. The additional bonus - you are not restricted with standard shelves sizes. I've easily made an opening on the side of that PB shelf for the vacuum cleaner handle, as it's higher than the table, but used to be stored in that closet before the "upgrade" (my DW insisted it'll stay there) - no problem.

By the way, in clothes closet it is often possible to simply sort long dresses/pants and short shirts/jackets by the length, you will be amazed how much space can be found below. One of the hanger tricks to save space in such a closet even more is to hang some of them over the lower bar of another hanger. I have hungers with the special eyelet exactly for that, as well as special vertical hangers accepting up to 6 regular hangers on top of each other - they work very well and I'm sure one can just jig saw one out of a piece of wood for free.

If one needs quick access to the contents of a duct taped trash can, simply slit the tape around the rim at the gap between the lid and the bottom. One quick swipe around and the lid can easily be removed. Probably takes a whole 3 seconds after you have done it once or twice. But until you cut the tape, the container is sealed so well that I have never had anything get in (or out) of the can.

Just walked by a display today. $19 for a very large trash can. Hard to beat that.

working on it slowly but surely tjin, just seems hard for us right now, both work full time, then come home, by the time we make dinner, get DS's homework situation lined out and then to bed we hardly have the energy left for anything else, we just have some bad habits we need to work on breaking, and i think getting things cleaned, purged, and organized will be a big help.

Hopefully I don't have that much stuff I'll need to do that just yet Alex, I was thinking maybe some simple labels outside the totes, sleeping bags, packs, etc

thanks eugene, I used the wire shelving in the laundry room a few years back, seems to work pretty well, we'll see what i end up using when the time comes

I guess I should have phrased that a little differently nomad, easy access AND easy to reseal. If i cut the tape to access something inside the can, I'd have to then retape it to reseal it. Granted, it's just putting new tape on and wouldn't really be that big a deal, but for me, I'd be in a hurry and not reseal it right away, then forget. Better for me to pop the lid off, get what I need, put the lid back on, no other steps required. You are right tho, 19 bucks for a large storage container is a good price point, depending on the size of the garbage can. I found 50 gal totes for 29.97 at big box store, I'm still in the window shopping stage so no big rush to decide just yet but will certainly keep the garbage can idea in mind. I'm considering all the options, and I'll also have to determine how much space i'll have in the garage once it gets cleaned up. I'm sure that will be a driving factor in the decision, as will budget.