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My husband and I have been full-time RVers since 2016. Last year we downsized from a 34-foot fifth wheel to a 23-foot travel trailer, which really tested our organizational skills. After a year of living in a tiny RV, I think I’ve found some genius solutions to maximize space. Here are my top 6 RV storage hacks.
This post is sponsored by etrailer.com. They’re my go-to for everything RV-related, from campsite gear to hitches and replacement parts. I’ve been ordering from them for years and always get great customer service. I especially love their detailed product descriptions and video tutorials. They make it easy to get the right gear the first time.
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Cargo Slide Tray
My favorite RV storage hack is our MORryde cargo slide tray. The storage bays underneath travel trailers and motorhomes are generally where the majority of an RV’s storage space is located.
However, it is challenging to fully utilize this space, as accessing the center of a pass-thru storage bay requires campers to empty one side of the bay, and then lean or crawl inside to reach the item they need.
A cargo slide tray is exactly what it sounds like: a sliding tray that is installed in the RV basement storage area. The tray slides out, so items in the center of the storage area can be easily accessed.
etrailer sells cargo slide trays in a huge range of lengths and widths to fit every RV. The trays come preassembled, so they are super easy to install. Just clean the storage area, position the tray, screw the rails in place, and slide the tray in. It only took us about 30 minutes to install our tray.
Truck Bed Storage
Campers traveling in a travel trailer or fifth wheel can also use their truck bed as additional storage space. Living in a travel trailer, we keep outdoor gear, camping chairs, and RV accessories, such as leveling blocks in the bed of our truck.
In order to keep our stuff secure and safe from the elements, we installed a hard cover over the bed. Adding this cover to the truck bed makes us feel comfortable storing all our gear in this space and practically doubles our total amount of storage.
etrailer sells a variety of custom-fitted covers in different styles (roll-up, retractable, and folding), so you can easily find the perfect fit for your tow truck.
Catch-All Entryway Storage
To keep dirt out of our RV, we always take our shoes off when we enter the camper. However, this meant that there was usually a pile of shoes and dog accessories by our front door.
To keep the clutter out of the way, we place a lidded basket right beside our front door. This catch-all holds our sandals, Ted’s leash and harness, and other clutter. Now our floors are always free of clutter, so we actually have space to move around.
The Kelty Window Seat Car Organizer is a great entryway catch-all storage solution. This organizer box zips closed to hide your clutter and has an adjustable interior divider so you can keep dirty items like shoes on one side.
If your RV doesn’t have enough floor space for a box or basket, install a storage net near the front door to keep items contained.
Sewer Hose Accessory Storage
Many RVs come equipped with a storage tube or a hollow bumper to store your sewer hose. However, these typical sewer hose storage solutions are not wide enough to fit the fittings and connections that RVers need to actually use their sewer hose!
The Valterra Bumper Mounted Carrier for EZ Coupler Sewer Hose Fittings and Adapters is designed to solve this issue. The shorter but wider storage container mounts to your bumper and can hold elbow fittings and sewer hose adapters.
Add Shelves to Large Cabinets
Our RV has three closets for hanging clothes, one large one in the bathroom and a small ones on each side of our Murphy bed. While we had plenty of space for hanging clothes, we didn’t have nearly enough storage space for our t-shirts and athletic wear.
Adding a few shelves to each of our bedside closets made room for 4 to 5 times the amount of clothes we could hang in the same space. You can also add shelves to kitchen and bathroom cabinets to create more usable storage space.
To add shelves measure the cabinet and ask your local hardware store to cut some plywood to size. Then, use shelf brackets to support the shelves and screw them in place.
Custom Broom Storage
After downsizing to our smaller RV, we didn’t have any full-height closets, which means we didn’t have anywhere inside the RV to keep a broom out of sight. Anyone who has camped knows sweeping is frequently required, so a broom is an essential camping accessory.
With nowhere to hide the broom away, I quickly got annoyed with it always being in my line of sight. So, I came up with a solution. I installed a broom gripper on the surface underneath our booth dinette.
Then, I bought a broom with an adjustable handle. The handle slides down so the broom fits under the dinette, and then it can be extended when I am actively sweeping.
When living or camping in a small RV, you need a little creativity and the right products to stay organized. If you are looking for more RV storage ideas, check out our favorite RV kitchen organization ideas.
Happy Camping!
Christina Pate is a seasoned full-time RVer who, along with her husband Justin, has journeyed across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Drawing from her extensive travels, RV repairs and RV renovations, she founded Travels with Ted to guide and inspire fellow RV enthusiasts. Christina is also the co-author of The Owner’s Guide to RV Maintenance and the creator of My RV Log Book.
