There’s so much to love about owning a motorhome – the feeling of freedom, the sense of adventure, the ability to pack up and head off at the drop of a hat… In fact, there’s probably only one thing that’s not to love about it. Storage. Because when you’re living a life on the road, there just never seems to be enough space for everything you need. But fear not, Wrapper has put together some top tips for maximising the storage space in your motorhome…
- Storage pods
The name says what they’re designed to do, but even that doesn’t do justice to how much space (and time) these little nuggets of packing gold can save you. They come in a variety of sizes and styles, but they’re all designed to help you contain your stuff and make storing it easier. Fill them with clothes, toiletries, towels, whatever, then simply stack them in a cupboard or wardrobe. You could have one or two for each person’s belongings, so everyone knows where their things are. You could have one for the family’s nightwear, so you can do away with the nightly hunt for pyjama tops. Or you could have one filled with everyone’s swimming kit so that when the call of the lake on your doorstep becomes too strong to ignore, you can simply grab your swimming pod and go…
- Hanging storage
There’s nothing worse than driving along a gorgeous and beautifully winding road, only to have the tranquillity of the wilderness pierced by a clattering sound behind you as all the toothbrushes slide off the sink. Using a hanging organiser (or one of those nifty roll-up toiletry bags) will not only help you secure said toothbrushes, it will be a great way of saving some space, too. Attach it to the back of the bathroom door, or even a wall, and you’ll be able to keep all your bathroom bits and pieces organised and out of sight.
Of course, you needn’t limit this hack to the bathroom – you can attach them anywhere in the motorhome where smaller items seem to gather. Maybe have one by the front door that you can keep torches and sunglasses in. Or hang one in the living area to hold your remotes, chargers and playing cards
- Use containers for dry food
Space will always be at a premium in the kitchen of a motorhome, especially when you’re travelling with a family. One way you can fit more into your cupboards is to decant all your dried foods – cereals, rice, pasta, etc. – into storage jars or containers that are compact and stackable. It’s amazing how much ‘dead’ space there is in a box of cornflakes, so do away with the cardboard as soon as you buy them (recycling it responsibly, of course), empty them into a storage tub, and you’ll get loads more stuff into your kitchen cupboards.
- Put some shelves in
Another kitchen bugbear is when you’ve got tall cupboards and nothing you store in them reaches higher than halfway up. If this is the position you find yourself in, why not put a shelf in and double your useable storage space? That way, instead of having to play Jenga with the contents of your cupboard every time you want to heat some beans, your tins will be much more accessible. Again, you needn’t stop at the kitchen – you can add shelves to wardrobes, under-seat cupboards, bathroom cabinets… anywhere you’ve got an infuriatingly empty top-half. You can even set up some free-standing shelves on the tops of counters and tables to store things like condiments, herbs and spices – just be sure you’ve got a way of securing them when you’re on the move.
- Hammocks and nets
Fed up of tripping over the kids’ toys or the dog’s bowls when they’re not in use? You could achieve a double win and save yourself some valuable floor space (as well as yourself from serious injury) by hanging a net up and slinging all those annoyances in there. Hammocks and nets come in all shapes and sizes and will provide a home for everything from fruit and veg to coats and bedding. You can put them virtually anywhere they make sense – the backs of chairs, the backs of doors, inside cupboards and on walls. Decide what and where will do you the biggest favour, and get hanging.
- Hooks
Hooks are another fantastic space-saving device, helping to keep your limited wardrobe space free of the varying seasonal coats we need in order to weather a British summer – waterproofs, fleeces and thick coats can all be hung on a hook out of the way, ensuring you’ve got plenty of wardrobe space for actual outfits. If you’re not keen on the idea of drilling holes into the walls of your motorhome, there are plenty of Velcro and suction hooks that will hold a surprising amount of weight. Alternatively, over-the-door hooks are great for things like towels and dressing gowns.
- Think lightweight
Speaking of towels… We know you can’t beat the feeling of a freshly-laundered, luxuriously thick traditional bath sheet, but they really do eat up a lot of space. They’re heavy too, especially when wet. A great way around this is to invest in a set of microfiber towels, which are not only compact and lightweight, but dry incredibly quickly. When rolled, they’ll take up about a third of the space of a traditional towel – a massive draw for anyone with a motorhome.
- Get stuffed
In terms of coats, blankets, towels and other soft but bulky items, one hack many motorhomers swear by is to use them as cushions. Grab a few of your favourite cushions, remove the covers, and then stuff them with fleeces, blankets and other items that don’t need to be kept flat. Try and use covers with zip closures if you can, as this will make containment much easier, but really anything will do. They’ll provide the comfort and look you want in a living area, but will be functional to boot.
- Collapsibles
Buckets, tables, dog water bowls, in-awning shelves… so many motorhome necessities come in wonderful, space-saving collapsible form these days. You’d be mad not to, really. And don’t be fooled into thinking that collapsible means easily-breakable – while that might have been true at one time, technological advancements and material innovations means they are every bit as sturdy and long-lasting as their non-collapsible siblings. Fold-away tables and shelving units will mean you can really set up home in your awning when you’re parked up for a few nights, and the furnishings of that additional living space won’t impinge on the space in your motorhome once you hit the road again.
- Nesting items
Back to the kitchen for our final storage hack, which involves treating your pots, pans and crockery like Russian Matryoshka dolls. The chances are, you’ll be doing a fair bit of cooking in your motorhome, and unless your family enjoys the opportunity to have beans on toast every night for a week, you’re going to need more than one saucepan. So buying a set that stores one inside the other inside the other is going to be a Godsend not just for storing, but for your menu (and you palate) too. The same goes for any mixing bowls, measuring jugs or spoons, roasting tins and storage containers – anything that comes as a nested set will pack away nice and compactly, saving you tonnes of space when it’s not in use.
And there you have it: our top 10 hacks for motorhome storage. Looking for more tips and advice on owning and running a motorhome? Head over to the our Expert Advice pages for Motorhome owners.
