Caravan Storage Ideas

In caravanning, is there a better feeling than the night before a getaway, everything packed and ready for whatever tomorrow’s adventure holds? It’s hard to say. Whether you’ve got everything planned to a T or you’re a ‘see where we end up’ caravanner – you will have probably had to think about storage. Thankfully, when it comes to caravan storage, we are mainly limited by our own imagination (and slightly by the size of our caravan!). Below, we will explore many of the creative and effective ideas to help maximise your storage and make the most of your caravan adventure.

Packing for your Caravan Trip

When it comes to packing for your trip, some items are essential no matter where you are going, and others become more essential as you get further away from civilization. At a minimum you want some sort of first-aid kit, plenty of water, food and a way to contact the outside world. The best tip to avoid forgetting anything important is to plan beforehand and make a physical list with everything you need itemised out. We really like this starter guide from Big4 caravans.

Storage Tips

So, you’ve got your list and worked out exactly what you need – how are you going to fit it all in? Easy! There are tens, if not hundreds of clever caravan storage ideas for every part of your caravan – from your kitchen, bathroom, living area, and bedroom to above and even under the caravan! Without keeping you waiting any longer, below we will dive into some key storage ideas for each area of your caravan.

Kitchen & Cupboard Storage

Organising your kitchen can be difficult, especially in a small space like a caravan. But with these helpful tools, you can reduce the clutter and make your kitchen more functional. For your kitchen, you’ll want to look for the following:

1. Drawer dividers and drawer liners: Save space and your sanity (from rattling cutlery) with drawer dividers.
   
2. Stackable storage containers: These can help maximise your storage by minimising wasted space.
   
3. Plastic bins inside the fridge: Work to organise a small fridge, keeping products separate and easy to handle.
   
4. Stackable pans: These are the holy grail of kitchen efficiency – a must have if you enjoy cooking and a well organised kitchen.
   
5. Use dead space for storage: a microwave, oven or attachment below tables and desks can all work- just don’t forget where you put it!
6. Collapsible crates and baskets: If you’re going to be moving things around at camp, these are great so when you’re done they don’t take up excess space.
   
7. Nesting bowls and spoons: Second only to stackable pans, these are the perfect solution to feeding a large family without needing heaps of space for cutlery.
   
8. Adhesive Hooks: Definitely underrated, you can never have too many hooks!
   
9. Under and above shelf storage: Again, maximising any dead space is key.
10. Newspaper rack for miscellaneous items: This is a good one because you don’t need to use an item for its intended purpose to help maximise storage – newspaper racks work well to store a whole range of essentials.
    
11. Use vertical space for shelves: Dead space on walls can be filled with shelving. We recommend adhesive shelves.
    
12. Have a quick drop zone for essentials like keys, phones etc: Pegboards are a practical way of utilising space on walls (using adhesive hooks) and can be customised to your preferences by using clips, hooks, shelves and much more.
    
13. Dish drying rack: This is a creative one because you can benefit by doubling up on use – your dishes dry and are stored here.
    
14. Multi-use spice racks: These can be used for other purposes such as holding cans, condiments and a whole host of items.
    
15. Organise meals and food storage with vacuum sealers: Save room and prolong the life of your food by sealing up your food, win-win!
16. Pull out pantry: Utilise every nook and cranny in your kitchen with a custom pull out pantry.

Laundry & Bathroom Storage

With heaps of beauty and hygiene products to account for, stuff can add up quickly in the bathroom. For solo-travellers, couples and families – just about anyone, the importance of a clean and organised bathroom can’t be overlooked. Setting up your bathroom area properly will make all the difference when you’re far from home. To best set up your bathroom, you’ll want to look for the following:

1. Collapsible, pop-up laundry hampers: Laundry can take up a lot of space. There’s no need for your laundry baskets to take up even more!
   
2. Hanging shoe racks for storing laundry products: Another example of using items creatively – shoe racks work perfectly to store laundry products.
   
3. Extendable closet rail for temporary hanging clothes: Extendable products are great space saving hack – only use what you need.
   
4. Stackable tubs for sponges, tea towels, etc: These are pretty much useful everywhere!
5. Mesh shower hanger on the back of a door or shower screen: another good option to make the most of empty door space, extra bonus because they can easily be packed away when not in use.
   
6. Vacuum storage bags: Limit the space taken up by clothes, pillows, quilts and more by sealing them up. A great way to ensure you won’t forget blankets and quilts while travelling when seasons change and storing them when its warmer!
   

Bedroom Storage

Sleep comfortably, knowing you’ve got everything organised and ready to go. For your bedroom, you’ll want to look for:

1. Use peg boards for jewellery: You can never have enough peg board space!
2. Macrame hanger for hats: Stylish and functional, what’s not to like?
   
3. Under-bed storage for things like spare sheets, blankets, doonas and towels, etc: This is a classic – you’ll be surprised how much you can fit under here.
4. Use flocked coat hangers: Hanging clothes saves much more space than folding them – make sure you have plenty of hangers.
   
5. Collapsible shoe rack: These are great – for keeping muddy boots outside or getting a bit of extra storage inside.
   

Outside Storage

Don’t forget outside your caravan too. There’s much more space outside than inside, although you probably won’t be able to use the entire outside. You can certainly use a bit of it though! Here are some good uses of all that outdoor space:

1. Slide out sink: These are a great hack to save interior space – do everything outdoors, even the dishes!
   
2. Tunnel boot: A very versatile area that can be extended with tunnel boot sliders, adding practicality to the outside of your caravan. This area can be used for BBQs, toolboxes and much more.
   
3. Use a big canvas bag for outside equipment storage: You can’t go wrong with a canvas bag – durable and really practical.
   
4. Awning organiser: A grown up shower-hanger – what’s not to like? A great filler for an area that wouldn’t otherwise be useful.
   
5. Outdoor countertop organiser: You can get creative with these – anything that’s durable and can hold items in place will work here.

With these tips, we hope you will be able to maximise what’s inside your caravan so you can get the most out of the great outdoors – without needing to sacrifice any home comforts. With all that space you’ve now saved through planning and creative storage ideas, we’d love to know what that first extra item on your list is going to be – an extra esky? Wine? A toaster? Maybe all three! Again, when it comes to caravan storage you are mainly limited by your imagination. Of course, if you do feel limited by your current set-up, or if you just want to learn more about custom storage solutions for your caravan, we’d love for you to get in touch today, so we can help you out.