Storage Solutions

100acrehuphalump · Jan 9, 2015

So what do you fellow travelers do for packing in that extra bit of gear, where do you put it and how does it all fit. Do you tow a trailer for all that extra gear, or do you just make do? What are things you just can't go without. Do the things you bring have multiple uses? Do you take the minimalist approach? We all have stuff we like to bring with us on our adventures. So what is it, and where do you put it?

Pardon the humorist approach....just couldn't help it...

RC Pilot Jim · Jan 9, 2015

Very little storage. More in theshell than regular camper because it's all open. Still, whatever your doing now, won't work. Took us 2 years to finally work out the puzzle.

longhorn1 · Jan 9, 2015

F-250 club cab. Chairs and tables on rear floor, large storage container with Webber Q Grill and accessories and cooler on back seat. Minimal items on floor of camper. Pack light. And let me repeat that pack light. jd

billharr · Jan 9, 2015

Good friend who travels and has 1,000,000 miles on United gave me some great advice. Lay out the minimum you think you need and leave 1/2 of it at home.

I have so much more storage in my 2013 Hawk custom build than the 2002 Hawk that we have still not filled all the spaces. I have taken the back seat out of my 2005 Tundra AC, this gives you a lot more room. We have two large plastic tubs we use only on long trips over a week for seasonal clothes and extras. I like to keep the camper open enough that we can use it as soon as we pop the top for a quick lunch etc. Only items we have not stowed away are the pillows that are put on the bed as soon as the top is up.

ski3pin · Jan 9, 2015

billharr said:
Good friend who travels and has 1,000,000 miles on United gave me some great advice. Lay out the minimum you think you need and leave 1/2 of it at home.

<snip>................................ I like to keep the camper open enough that we can use it as soon as we pop the top for a quick lunch etc. Only items we have not stowed away are the pillows that are put on the bed as soon as the top is up.

Great advise Bill! The mantra of old time backpackers is "Watch the ounces and the pounds take care of themselves." Learning to get by with less is a wonderful lesson in freedom. We move our two daypacks and two duffles, pop the top, and we are set up.

Bill D · Jan 9, 2015

I don't have my Hawk yet, but I plan to bring along our older 7X7 tent. This will be used to store the lawn chairs, firewood and other items that we want to keep dry, out of the way and out of site, once we set up camp. We keep the food in the truck when we leave camp, so the animals don't get into it. I either lock things together or to the motorcycle trailer when we leave camp.

Normally we pre-make our lunch when we travel and have tailgate parties. We often set up the Coleman stove on the tailgate and make coffee wherever we are at. Most people just look, smile and wish they were as cool as us

We always try to bring multifunction items.
ie.
We bring one pot for making soups, oatmeal and as a bus pan for cutlery
Aluminum foil takes very little space and allows us to cook fish, potatoes and the preserve our food.
We each have a thermal cup for soups, coffee, water

We've been camping so many times we know exactly what to bring. Each time we go, we try to bring less, not more.
What we do bring goes into two Action Packers. This really helps limit what we can bring. If it doesn't fit in the bins it doesn't come with us. Another thing that I find helps is we keep our camping gear stored in one area. It's all together on one shelf. Nothing else get stored on the shelf. This makes it convenient for quick getaways. We bring exactly what we need and we don't forget anything.

Improvising is fun. As long as we are warm, dry and fed, we are happy campers.

100acrehuphalump · Jan 9, 2015

I've had something of a preparedness mindset and every time I head out west. I always come back with lots of the same goods I never ate. Hoping to save money on food when on the road and camping, I probably pay for it in fuel loss. Part of me wants to drag my M416 behind me for extra storage space. Like my mining gear, rocks I find, extra fuel and water, folding table, bicycle, kayak/canoe etc., hiking pack + 72 hr stuff, ....crap....lots of freeze dried meals, rifle. I've always felt that if the it all falls apart, I'll have enough to be ok for a couple of months wherever I find myself. I realize installing a hawk will certainly lower the amount of extra stuff I can carry in my truck even with suspension upgrades, so somewhere I need to figure out which half of the half is what I need to bring and where to put it all. Not having the Hawk yet, limits me on figuring it all out. Removing the back seats is a good start for room and weight though....

iowahiker · Jan 10, 2015

Our solution to storage is knowing what we want and being very comfortable with making trade-offs (giving something up to gain storage). Our rig has the most storage for a non-shell camper possible and we take everything we want (but gave something up earlier).

We have a regular cab but the choice was between a Tundra and F-150 because they have 17-20 cubic space behind the cab seats. We gave up crew/extended cab to shorten our rig (hiking trailheads can be tight spaces) but got the long bed for Granby living space. The F-150 was then an easy choice with a 36 gallon fuel tank instead of 26 (no side trips to gas stations) and 2800 pounds of payload instead of 2000 and over 1 mpg better fuel economy with a smaller V-8.

We deleted the water system and have a food locker instead of a water tank. We store 30+days of food/beer routinely. We routinely stay over 2 weeks in the mountains in one place hiking and then move to another trail basin without looking for a food store. We have a different definition of "self-contained" than FWC. Water storage/heating is much easier than tent camping given our camper stove and our collection of 2 1/2 gallon tanks on the cab floor, enough for 8 nights with sink baths for two every other day. We carry two pots (cooking and heating water) but in over 250 camper nights never used the second pot. No hot water heater creates a lot of space in the cabinet row and no water system saves the trouble of winterizing the camper (-10 deg F last night). We label our water tanks and reserve the best tasting water for drinking. No NF campground in Colorado/Wyoming on our summer trip had a hose fitting to fill a water tank and we do not carry a hose. Do we miss the water tank? No.

We deleted the icebox/refrigerator and have a wardrobe instead and have traveled 66 consecutive nights without doing laundry. No bags for clothing, just open the door and get the clothing. The camper floor travels completely empty. Visiting a laundry kills one+ hiking day out of the mountains. We never carried a cooler while tent camping for decades so adding a cooler in front of the cabinet row in our Granby is a luxury but sometimes we skip stopping in town for ice/food because we like our non-refrigerated diet. Our battery pair lasts over 6 nights without a solar panel or starting our truck while using the furnace and lights everyday. We pick a camping site based on privacy and quiet not level (three-way refrig) or sunny (solar panel). 10 pounds of propane last 40-60 camping nights and so we never purchase propane while traveling (more hiking time). We do not suffer for lack of refrigeration, we give thanks. We do not carry an electric cord or generator.

A gray water tank is under the sink and so no gray water hose (and slop) and less setup time. Leveling blocks store under the couch in the toilet spot.

We removed the FWC over-the-cab mattress and extender pillows and put in a 32 inch wide air/foam mattress and have additional clothing storage over-the-cab in front. I sleep on the couch which has the most storage under it (mostly beer, 30+ days). Having two beds is a huge advantage since I toss and turn while sleeping on trips. Converting the couch to a bed is a one handed roll instead of relocating a dinette table top every night/morning. We have no window view but we have room for two people to move around and lots of hiking days.

Folding chairs store in the cab. Folding table is next to the cooler at the end of the cabinet row of the Granby. Hiking boots and coats are in the cab with the water. Sleeping pillows store above the cooler. Saw, shovel, jack, and winch for bad roads would go in the cab but so far we have stayed on good roads. Two sleeping bags are over-the-cab on the 32" mattress since we do not have the two extender pillows. Everything has a place and everything in its place.

We decided on what was important (long camping stays and lots of hiking) and configured our rig 100% correctly before purchase to that purpose after reading 100's of WTW posts (thanks to all the contributors). Traveling for many years tent camping made the trade-offs easy to understand.

Cayuse · Jan 10, 2015

Usually two people in a double cab Tundra. Clothes go in the camper under the side couch. camp chairs go on the floor of the camper as does firewood. Food is either in the fridge, in the cabinets or under the front couch. Propane grill, spare propane and certain adult beverages are also under the front couch. Table for outside use is in the small cupboard by the door. Plates, pots and pans are under the sink Climbing gear, ropes and packs go in the back seat where they are easily accessible.

Yes, I have had to move things around a bit when there have been 3-4 of us going but that is the exception rather than the rule.

RC Pilot Jim · Jan 10, 2015

IowaHiker,

Would you post some pictures of the inside of your camper. I would be interested at looking at your gray water holding tank under the sink.

Since you deleted the on board water tank system, Is your Grandby the shell model or regular that FWC "stripped-down" for you? Thanks.

Bill D · Jan 10, 2015

RC Pilot Jim said:
IowaHiker,

Would you post some pictures of the inside of your camper. I would be interested at looking at your gray water holding tank under the sink.

Since you deleted the on board water tank system, Is your Grandby the shell model or regular that FWC "stripped-down" for you? Thanks.

I'd love to see some pics as well. Excellent post, thanks for putting so much time an thought into it.

I'm in the middle of selecting my options to order and these are the exact questions we all ask ourselves when picking our options.

BTW, 30+ days worth of beer... you could hibernate in there and come out in the spring

100acrehuphalump · Jan 10, 2015

iowahiker said:
Our solution to storage is knowing what we want and being very comfortable with making trade-offs (giving something up to gain storage). Our rig has the most storage for a non-shell camper possible and we take everything we want (but gave something up earlier).

We have a regular cab but the choice was between a Tundra and F-150 because they have 17-20 cubic space behind the cab seats. We gave up crew/extended cab to shorten our rig (hiking trailheads can be tight spaces) but got the long bed for Granby living space. The F-150 was then an easy choice with a 36 gallon fuel tank instead of 26 (no side trips to gas stations) and 2800 pounds of payload instead of 2000 and over 1 mpg better fuel economy with a smaller V-8.

We deleted the water system and have a food locker instead of a water tank. We store 30+days of food/beer routinely. We routinely stay over 2 weeks in the mountains in one place hiking and then move to another trail basin without looking for a food store. We have a different definition of "self-contained" than FWC. Water storage/heating is much easier than tent camping given our camper stove and our collection of 2 1/2 gallon tanks on the cab floor, enough for 8 nights with sink baths for two every other day. We carry two pots (cooking and heating water) but in over 250 camper nights never used the second pot. No hot water heater creates a lot of space in the cabinet row and no water system saves the trouble of winterizing the camper (-10 deg F last night). We label our water tanks and reserve the best tasting water for drinking. No NF campground in Colorado/Wyoming on our summer trip had a hose fitting to fill a water tank and we do not carry a hose. Do we miss the water tank? No.

We deleted the icebox/refrigerator and have a wardrobe instead and have traveled 66 consecutive nights without doing laundry. No bags for clothing, just open the door and get the clothing. The camper floor travels completely empty. Visiting a laundry kills one+ hiking day out of the mountains. We never carried a cooler while tent camping for decades so adding a cooler in front of the cabinet row in our Granby is a luxury but sometimes we skip stopping in town for ice/food because we like our non-refrigerated diet. Our battery pair lasts over 6 nights without a solar panel or starting our truck while using the furnace and lights everyday. We pick a camping site based on privacy and quiet not level (three-way refrig) or sunny (solar panel). 10 pounds of propane last 40-60 camping nights and so we never purchase propane while traveling (more hiking time). We do not suffer for lack of refrigeration, we give thanks. We do not carry an electric cord or generator.

A gray water tank is under the sink and so no gray water hose (and slop) and less setup time. Leveling blocks store under the couch in the toilet spot.

We removed the FWC over-the-cab mattress and extender pillows and put in a 32 inch wide air/foam mattress and have additional clothing storage over-the-cab in front. I sleep on the couch which has the most storage under it (mostly beer, 30+ days). Having two beds is a huge advantage since I toss and turn while sleeping on trips. Converting the couch to a bed is a one handed roll instead of relocating a dinette table top every night/morning. We have no window view but we have room for two people to move around and lots of hiking days.

Folding chairs store in the cab. Folding table is next to the cooler at the end of the cabinet row of the Granby. Hiking boots and coats are in the cab with the water. Sleeping pillows store above the cooler. Saw, shovel, jack, and winch for bad roads would go in the cab but so far we have stayed on good roads. Two sleeping bags are over-the-cab on the 32" mattress since we do not have the two extender pillows. Everything has a place and everything in its place.

We decided on what was important (long camping stays and lots of hiking) and configured our rig 100% correctly before purchase to that purpose after reading 100's of WTW posts (thanks to all the contributors). Traveling for many years tent camping made the trade-offs easy to understand.

Wow great write up, I'd love to see some pictures. I'll have to store root beer in mine...

norcalhusky · Jan 10, 2015

At first you seem to bring way too much stuff. When I first bought the camper I had a huge ice chest on the floor full of beer and food. Chairs, firewood, extra water jugs, lantern, etc all scattered around. As you begin to "trust" the camper more, you leave more and more at home. My goal is to travel without anything on the camper floor. At this point I believe I am pretty close. I still need to bring a small ice chest because the 3 way fridge won't stay lit while traveling and the camper is not connected to the trucks battery. I plan on fixing that with a compressor fridge. The on board water tank easily lasts 4 days, even though its the old one that only holds around 10 gallons. I can extend that by cooking simpler meals and doing less dishes so I no longer bring extra water jugs for any standard trip. I try to gather or buy firewood wherever I stay. Clothes, bedding and food all store neatly in the various built in storage cabinets in the camper.

I took out the back seat of the extended cab in my truck and converted it to a dog platform with a ton of storage. The misc stuff goes in this storage like my hiking gear, backpacks, rain gear, my girlfriend's hammock, etc. The chairs neatly strap to the back of the platform. My tools go in the the hatch accessible from the rear of the camper since mine does not have a heater.

Sadly the square aluminum type rack does not work well to carry my kayaks, I've tried a few times and never liked how it felt enough to even leave the driveway. I bought a inflatable SUP that folds down into the size of a large backpack that I will be bringing with me instead for stays at lakes this summer.

Freebird · Jan 11, 2015

Iowahiker: That is the beauty of being able to customize all our rigs to fit our individual needs/wants/pocketbooks/pursuits/etc.
I do like your style, and I enjoyed your post (thank you), but if I went with your program.....
I would have a ton more room, since I would be only packing for, and traveling all by myself. :-(
Unfortunately, my spouse's concept of ideal "camping" involves class A Winnebagoesqe accommodations.

Not really complaining, just explaining...

iowahiker · Jan 12, 2015

Thank you. I will work on interior pictures but it is COLD out there. Class B (camping van) would be the middle ground.

Our camper is a standard Granby and not a Shell. We did two deletes, water system and icebox, our dealer said about 10% of customers do this. FWC did the deletes for no cost or credit. Wardrobe has two shelves (three spaces) and a large cabinet door. Water tank was replaced with a hinged lid and a large empty space below.

Our camper is LOADED (with storage

) and stripped of headaches

.

100acrehuphalump · Jan 14, 2015

Thanks for those pix Iowahiker!

RC Pilot Jim · Jan 17, 2015

Like your wardrobe and Front Locker Iowa, which would be perfect for a top loader Engle compressor fridge...Still leaving you some storage in that area.

In the area to the left (drivers side) above the Front Locker pic, is that open? and what do you store in it (behind the green towel)

iowahiker · Jan 18, 2015

The driver side space in front of the cabinet row (next to the locker) is only on a Granby (?). The green fabric is our "cooler sock". My better half sewed a heavy fleece "sock" for our 30 quart cooler which sits in the space to improve insulation. We cut a foam kitchen floor mat to fit and protect the "wood" under the cooler and another to protect the walls of the space. Our folding table, towels, and sleeping pillows+sheets fit in the space with the cooler and hold/insulate the cooler. The 30 quart cooler can handle 20 pounds of ice, two beers, 3 dinners, and a gallon of milk with the ice lasting 4-6 days. The coolers with thick wall insulation do not fit as well in the space. Actually, carrying milk is the primary reason for having the cooler since we drank warm beer for decades. A top loading compressor refrig would be a nice fit in this space instead of in the food locker with better ventilation than the locker.

We camped six late September nights in a lake front site at Juniper Lake, Lassen NP: without starting the truck, with more snow than sun on the roof, used the furnace and lights everyday while charging our camera battery, and still had lots of battery left. The ice lasted all six days and we did not miss the refrig. It was the best NP campsite in the country.

100acrehuphalump · Jan 26, 2015

RC Pilot Jim said:
Like your wardrobe and Front Locker Iowa, which would be perfect for a top loader Engle compressor fridge..

When I placed my order for my Hawk, I requested that they do something similar to that. I opted out of the FWC 'Icebox' and at no extra cost.They're making the cabinet and leaving a space for me to slide my Engel 45 into. They're including the cabinet door but, not installing any screw holes. The space above the Engel will have the hinged counter and a storage space beneath. I'm hoping will have enough room to eventually install a lockable fridge slide.

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