Temporary closet storage while we decide

[marant]

We don't yet know if we will want shelves, baskets or drawers in the small closet of our new 21C. Until we do we have found a temporary solution that works quite well: We went to the store (actually Costco) and got several cardboard crates that are used to ship berries. They fit very well and offer a lot of flexibility. We use one for socks, one for the shirts, one for shorts, etc. Just lift the front of the appropriate level for access to the contents. The boxes nest together, are quite light, don't move around and are quite sturdy. Will do the job until we decide what we want to do.

[Rockhead]

We installed elfa shelving in our 21 from the Container Store

[Iowa Dave]

We have the regular closet with no shelves in our 21. I like to hang my dinner jacket, dress shirts and tux so there are no wrinkles when we go out for fine dining.
Iowa Dave

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

We have the regular closet with no shelves in our 21. I like to hang my dinner jacket, dress shirts and tux so there are no wrinkles when we go out for fine dining.
Iowa Dave

Me too. Plus we find the all the overhead bins are more than adequate to hold the small stuff.

Ron

[marant]

Will admit it looks kind of tacky, even as a temporary measure, but it works. May get some paint or contact paper. Or just keep the door closed!

[Mike G]

At this point I'm hanging a few things in my closet, but I put a reinforcing piece of plywood in the bottom and then built a wooden tray that I can slide in and out as desired; the contents of the tray are my canned goods and some other food items.

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by marant

We don't yet know if we will want shelves, baskets or drawers in the small closet of our new 21C. Until we do we have found a temporary solution that works quite well: We went to the store (actually Costco) and got several cardboard crates that are used to ship berries. They fit very well and offer a lot of flexibility. We use one for socks, one for the shirts, one for shorts, etc. Just lift the front of the appropriate level for access to the contents. The boxes nest together, are quite light, don't move around and are quite sturdy. Will do the job until we decide what we want to do.

love it!

[h2owmn]

Dave, you're a funny, funny man. I expect to see that getup at the Illinois rally.

I have elfa in my 17A closet, and it's the best mod ever.

Marant, that's very clever. If you want to hide it temporarily, you could always put a curtain on a tension rod at the top. Easy to sew one, or buy a small one from target. Flip or roll it to the top in camp, unroll for travel.

You may also want a strap or bungie or tension rod top to bottom to keep the boxes in place during travel.

[Jim Bennett]

We too very much prefer to leave our closet with hangers. Most of my shirts are collared and it is real nice to have them hanging. My wife has stuff that does better on hangers too. In the 5.0TA with the depth of the closet not 24" we use a narrower hanger sometimes called Princess Hangers.

Lots of room in the upper cabinets for all the other stuff.

[brroberts]

We use our 19 closet to hold shower sandals and a TV we hardly ever use. I’ve never even installed the TV mounts I bought, and we almost always shower in the trailer. We do hang some coats that get regular use. We have plenty of other storage for months long trips as is.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by h2owmn

Dave, you're a funny, funny man. I expect to see that getup at the Illinois rally.

I have elfa in my 17A closet, and it's the best mod ever.

Marant, that's very clever. If you want to hide it temporarily, you could always put a curtain on a tension rod at the top. Easy to sew one, or buy a small one from target. Flip or roll it to the top in camp, unroll for travel.

You may also want a strap or bungie or tension rod top to bottom to keep the boxes in place during travel.

We have and elfa setup in our closet at home and it’s worked real well. Also the Rev a shelf setups in the kitchen cupboards.
The Elfa stuff we have we picked out at the Container store in West Des Moines and they shipped it to us. That’s the closest source for us. It’s a little bit of a drive over there but the good news is that the Bass Pro Shop is on the way back. So we get a twofer when we go.
Looking forward to camping in September. Hope all is good with you.
Iowa Dave

[Bea]

Love your temporary solution! You're thinking outside the box! I might be temped to slap on some pretty contact paper on those boxes for fun. Thanks for sharing! -Bea

[Ian and Sue]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

We have the regular closet with no shelves in our 21. I like to hang my dinner jacket, dress shirts and tux so there are no wrinkles when we go out for fine dining.
Iowa Dave

They call me Dave.....Iowa....Dave...

All joking aside we actually removed the factory shelves the original owner specced and installed a hanger bar because we like to have a place for shirts, jackets, my wife's dresses...

[marant]

Thanks, all, for the comments.

Some things I forgot to mention: 1. They do not seem to move around at all while we travel, but a tension rod would be a good solution if they do. So far we have only used them for clothes, but if one was to use them for heavy items like caned goods it might be necessary. 2. They are so light they make it very easy to move stuff between the house and the trailer. Only have to pack once. 3. I have decided to go high class and go to Cosco to be sure I have matching boxes.

[brroberts]

Originally Posted by marant

Thanks, all, for the comments.
. 3. I have decided to go high class and go to Cosco to be sure I have matching boxes.

Nice!

[marant]

Well, we have come up with a final solution to our use of berry crates from the grocery store as storage in our 21C. Have a trip planned in a couple of weeks, but it looks like it may be a final solution.
The crates interlock, weigh less than a pound (total) and stay in place without need for any holes, fasteners or tape. One crate will hold 20 pairs of socks, and with 4 I will be able to pack all of the socks, underwear, and shirts I need for an extended trip. May only need to use some overhead storage for shorts and long pants.
Shown are the original crates (matching, classy, right?), after they were painted (only had black, did not like it) and after a trip to the fabric store. My DW seamed the edges to prevent raveling, and mitered the upper corners to hold the fabric in place. Just flip the cover back, lift the correct crate and get what you want.
You can be as wild and creative as you want, the fabric choices seem unending.

[SageRpod]

Originally Posted by marant

Well, we have come up with a final solution to our use of berry crates from the grocery store as storage in our 21C. Have a trip planned in a couple of weeks, but it looks like it may be a final solution.

We used this similar solution in our Rpod. A combination of cardboard boxes and produce crates from Costco until we could decide how we wanted to organize with a more permanent solution. 6 years later, when we sold the Rpod, we still had the cardboard solution in place because it worked so well. The buyer even liked it and so the cardboard storage went with the trailer. We now use some nicer baskets in the 5.0, but there is so much storage, we have empty drawers and cabinets.

[Ops]

I like the fact the boxes are "Limited Edition"...

[Civilguy]

1) Very nice. We use a lot of cardboard boxes. They are lightweight, modular, cheap, and provide padding for jars, etc. We have shallow boxes in various compartments with dish soap and associated supplies, coffee cups, dry goods, cookware, first aid items, etc., etc. A lot of the boxes are like open drawers that I can easily lift out of the cabinets to rummage through to find things.

2) We also hang our clothes. I just realized that the blessed closet rod in our 21 was installed such that the clothes are hanging about five or six inches away from the back/exterior wall, while the sleeves conflict with the cabinet door. So, I'll be evaluating the support inside the walls so I can relocate the closet rod soon.