As a full-time RVer with kids, clothes sometimes seem like the bane of my existence. They’re everywhere and I can never quite keep up with the constant laundry and putting things away. Of course, a lack of RV clothes storage doesn’t help much, something that led me to look for better RV clothes storage options.
The good news? There are options! Below are some of the best solutions I’ve found to keep the clothing clutter at bay, even while living full-time in a teeny tiny RV.
Downsize, Downsize, Downsize
First of all, I highly recommend downsizing your RV wardrobe as much as you possibly can. Creating a capsule wardrobe for when you’re on the road can help a lot, as it cuts back on the number of clothes you have but still leaves you with plenty of versatility.
You want to make sure you hold on to what you really need, of course, but what you actually need might be a lot less than you assume, so be sure to take this step very seriously and cut back on your clothing collection ruthlessly.
Try Rolling Your Clothes Together
We’ve found that rolling our clothes rather than folding them actually saves space. I guess this is because we are able to roll them up tightly, getting rid of any air and making it possible to really pack things into a drawer or box.
Personally, I like to roll up entire outfits together instead of just rolling individual items. This makes it a lot easier to find items that match without digging everything out and making a mess I have to clean up.
Vacuum Up Out-of-Season Items
If you RV full-time, you have to be prepared for all kinds of weather. Unfortunately, this is really space-consuming. For this reason, we highly recommend putting any out-of-season clothes into vacuum storage bags, vacuuming the air out of them, and putting them away in a storage bay.
Vacuum bags remove the air from the clothes—making them more compact—and putting them in a storage bay gives you your drawers and closet back.
Use Tools to Put Vertical Space to Use
A large number of rigs (especially trailers) have tall, skinny bedside cabinets instead of an actual closet. You can hang things in these cabinets, sure, but I’ve found this is not a good use of space.
Instead, I recommend finding plastic storage tubs that fit the space just right and using these for clothes storage. You can organize the boxes however you see fit and then label them so you know exactly which one to pull out when you’re looking for something to wear.
If boxes aren’t your thing, you might be able to find a set of plastic drawers that serve the same purpose. Unfortunately, because these cabinets tend to be so narrow and because the bottoms of the cabinets are often deeper than the tops, drawers may not take full advantage of the space.
Think Outside the Box
If your RV just doesn’t give you enough clothes storage options, you can always think outside the box to add some of your own.
We’ve seen people turn the under-the-bed storage area into clothes storage by adding drawers or cabinet doors. We’ve also seen people build hollow steps that allow them to get up onto the tall bed easily while also offering some clothes storage space. Storage ottomans in the living area are also a good bet.
These are just a few of our favorite RV clothes storage solutions we’ve discovered in our time living in an RV. Have you found different solutions? We’d love to hear about them!
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About the author: Chelsea Gonzales
Chelsea has the amazing opportunity to take part in full-time RV living and traveling with her tiny tribe. She homeschools her five-year-old son as they travel, and takes full advantage of their unique situation by using the entire world as her son’s classroom. A group of total Disney fanatics, Chelsea and her family often find themselves in the Orlando area in order to visit the Disney parks, but they have also visited over 25 of the 50 states with plans to see many more along the way. No matter where her travels take her, Chelsea enjoys riding bikes, gazing at beautiful sunsets, finding new coffee shops, Irish dancing, and sitting around a campfire with her family.
You can join her adventures through her blog, Wonder Wherever We Wander.
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