Where To Put Everyone's Personal Belongings?

Hi everyone,

We just returned from our longest trip in our 3023 -- 6 days to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.  I believe it was our 3rd trip, and all went well except the toilet smell (I've looked up the recipes some of you have used and will try them) and the difficulty in managing all the STUFF we brought!

First of all, there were 6 of us (myself, hubby, our 3 kids and a cousin).  My husband and I hung our clothes in the wardrobe and used the drawers, but I felt like I was constantly moving the kids' stuff around (suitcases and backpacks w/their books, dolls, can't live without stuff).  At night, when we needed the beds, everything ended up on the chairs and stovetop, and it was difficult to maneuver.  Especially since we were using the pull-out couch as a bed as well as the 2 end beds.  In addition, I felt like there was no place to put the dry food and towels.

So, I'd love your suggestions.  I've done a search of the site and have seen the hanging towel rack (am planning to get one of those).  I am also planning on adding some slide out basket/drawers so I can get to the lower cupboards, and will order the over-sink cabinet.  

I'm wondering if anyone has built a removable shelf to go over the entire width of the end of each bed (the side where there is no window).  I'm thinking that I could build a shelf about 18" deep that would sit approx. midway between the ceiling and the bed, and the ends of the shelf would be supported by a vertical board one each side (fastened at a 90 degree angle w/L-brackets) that would sit between the edge of the mattress and the bed frame.  Thus, you could load duffle bags and backpacks on them, and leave them up while you slept (your feet could be under them).  When you need to fold up the trailer, you could simply lift them off and put them upside down on the floor and load your gear on top of them.  Or, perhaps a wire-rack type thing???  A woman I met on the trip said when her kids were young they each got a big plastic box that they had to keep all their stuff in - this could work to w/this set up.

Does this make sense? It seems to me the only good option when traveling with this many people -- we will be going for a month-long trip this summer and I can't bear the thought of not having a better system of organizing each person's belongings.  

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

~Teresa

You raise a good point -- putting 6 inside our trailers is really tight.  We've tried really hard to limit our clothing in this way:  we put jackets and some long stuff like pants in the wardrobe, our son's shirts, shorts and pants in the top drawer under the wardrobe, our daughter's stuff in the bottom, and they share the middle for underwear, socks, pajamas, etc.  (Fortunately, our kids are only 5 and 8, which helps).  I use the top shelf of the storage area and Ellen uses the bottom.  Sound tight?  It is.  And I can't say that digging out a pair of shorts from the far reaches of the shelf is fun, but it hasn't been really bad.  

Since we have a unit with more cabinet storage, we put towels that aren't being used in the cabinet nearest the wardrobe, but hang the others outside the bathroom on a rack that hangs on the wall.  You may see that in a previous thread.  At the same time, we have our swim stuff in a large bag which is stored during the day on the rear bed, and some of the kid's stuff on the front bed (hidden behind the curtain).  It is rather disconcerting to see how much mess there is when you go to bed because you have to find space for all these various and sundry bags, but once we're up and moving around, I put everything back so it doesn’t look bad.  We've gone as long as 3 weeks in our trailer, and while we did begin to feel a little cramped after 2 weeks, it has worked out for us.  

[BobWilson]

You are trying to attack the problems of American Culture.  We live in a society where there is a growing desire for comfort, luxuries, and appearance of affluent large modern home.  The interior of the Trailmanor is built to look more like a new model house for sale than a practical multipurpose camping vehicle.  

They could have done a lot more to provide light weight storage options.  But it wouldn't look as good.  I even hesitated to get the over the sink cabinet because it was heavy to lift and put in place while leaning over the sink.  But I want something I can put there for storage and will find some lightweight hanging devices to put on other walls that won't interfere with the closure of the unit.

You have more variety of commercial products for storage and utility than ever before.  Just look around at the various stores and browse the internet.  You will be amazed at the creativity you can do.

But maybe you should consider the reasons that you take your TM out.  Learn to do with less and thank God you have a healthy body just to be outdoors and enjoy what is free.

Interesting point.  Having lived in a foreign country now for more than 10 years I am always amazed at the consumer habits of Americans.  We just moved to a 3326 and I guess we have an empty trailer.  There is more space than you can shake a stick at.  How much do you really need.  

As my brother once said about a motorhome, why not just hitch up the house.....

All kidding aside, you do have to limit what you take. There are only two of us and we each take one suitcase, pilot type, and do a load of wash every week we are out.  Pots and pans are limited even though we like to cook healthy meals.  No oil in this Trailmanor .  We pack two folding chairs, a small vacuum, no electrical appliances apart from the TV and radio.  Give me a fifth wheel with four slideouts and I could probably do a good job of filling it up, heheheheheehee.

I appreciate your comments -- and we do try to limit what we bring.  However, having 6 in the trailer is quite a bit different than 2 (try it sometime!) -- just the clothes and towels can be a problem.  If everyone brings only 2 outfits, I'm doing laundry every other day and that is not what I want to be doing while I'm camping (and there aren't always facilities).  Our kids really enjoy the outdoors and tend to get wet, muddy etc. so a few changes of clothes are important.

Our 3023 has the couch plus 2 chairs, so we lose the storage under the 2nd couch.

So...anyone out there have any other ideas about storage when you have several children along?  Just wondering if anyone has ever tried a shelf type thing at the foot of each bed.  

Thanks!
Teresa

Never tried shelves but we use plastic boxs via Wally World storied in the truck. Yea it's a problem running back and forth but you have the needed room in the camper and reduced worry about over loading the camper. We keep two sets of clothing, what we are wearing and what we will wear next - everything else is in the truck. Towels are a problem for us also. We do carry cord so that if we can put up a line outside we do. Sometimes you can't and sometimes the campground will not allow it. We also keep canned and boxed foods in the truck bagged by meal so we just grab a bag and that is what we eat.

I agree, camping with kids, I don't care how well behavied, is a lot harder that just adults but the other rewards makes it a price worth paying.

Windbreaker~

I like your idea about bagging  each meal separately -- a little planning goes a long way.  We usually keep most of our dry food in the car along w/a cooler.   The fridge just didn't accommodate a week's worth of food for 6 of us!  Also saw somewhere that people take along the fold-up clothes dryers that they use for towels when a line is not permitted - I'm sure it would fit under one of the ends of the trailer.  Wet towels do become a problem.

This past week I brought several over-the-door hooks and found them very useful both on the inside and outside of the bathroom walls - mostly for towels (on every wall!).  We also kept the dirty laundry in a bag in the tub.

I'm thinking of making a hanging toiletries bag that would roll up when not in use -- and could hang on one side of the bathroom mirror.  Everything would go in sideways pockets so it could roll for easy storage while in transit.   Saw something like it on QVC but it would be much too big -- I'll let you all know if it works out.

[Bill]

As you are discovering, the overdoor hooks are one of the most useful basic gadgets.  We use a couple outside the bathroom wall in the hallway to hang wet towels.  A couple more outside the bathroom wall above the kitchen sink to hang the dishdrainer, a paper towel roll holder, and a small rack for the dish brush and soap.  A couple inside the bathroom over the sink to hang a toiletries holder much as you describe.  Two hooks form the basis for my version of Hal's hands-free shower gizmo - thank you Hal, I love it love it love it!  And last week, someone here pointed out that the hooks will also hang over the edges of the outside walls in the living area - just peel back the velcro panels, hang 'em, and replace the velcro.  Keeps the wastebasket (waste bag, actually) off the floor and out of the dog's reach.  And a hunk of elastic cargo netting might hang from a couple strategically placed hooks, to get a few more soft things (clothes/towels/shoes) organized, at least while in camp.

The hooks, and their contents, are small enough that they store in the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, the bathtub, and a plastic tub on the couch while we travel.  Quick and easy to set up, they make us feel at home and organized almost immediately.

We also have a couple multi-hooks on velcro over the stove, for pot holders, butane lighter, can opener, and the all-important corkscrew/bottle opener.

E-photos of any of this available on request.

None of this addresses the bigger issues that you have - where to store clothing and shoes for 6 people - but it gets the small stuff out of the way for you, quick and easy.  And I bet your shelves-over-the-bed idea will be a great addition.  Seems to me that the shelves ought to disassemble into about 3 pieces (2 ends and a shelf) which would store flat right on the bed.  Let us know how it works out.

Bill

My big question after reading your post is . . .

what did you do on vacation before you purchased the TrailManor?

We had tent camped with our kids for years.  Of course, we had also been on vacations where we stayed in hotels -- whether for one week in a location, or moving on every day or so.  A week in a single hotel room still had us moving stuff on the beds, off the beds, on the small table, off the dresser top, etc.  It was even more fun lugging things in and out, up and down stairs or elevators, on those trips where we changed locations every day or so.

The easy answer is, of course, to take less.  Ha!  It can be done, however.  Subsequent trips will show you and your kids that a few select items will do just fine.  Go through the items you took on the last trip and eliminate some of the stuff that really didn't get used.

Utilize the trunk or other storage in your vehicle.  You are going to be in and out of the TM all day anyway -- nothing difficult about reaching in to the trunk or back end of your vehicle before heading in to change clothes.  When we were tent campers, we stored our cookware and clothes in rubbermaid-type storage boxes -- which could be left outside the tent and vehicle in most any weather.  You can tuck these under the ends of the TM and they are pretty much protected from the elements.  No reason games, etc. couldn't also go in these.  Of course, your food will need protection from critters so it MUST be inside the TM or tow vehicle.

If camping is all new to you, you will need to look carefully at clothing choices for this vacation life.  For campground days, a pair of khakis, jeans, or denim shorts can be worn more days than you would guess and still be acceptable.  Think of how little clothing a backpacker takes for a week long trip and they must be truly prepared for all types of weather and no real shelter.  Of course, if you are heading off-site you might want to clean up a bit!

In addition to storage, you might want to look at some of the items that are marketed to tent campers and backpackers.  Quick dry towels, and even the lighter-weight quick-drying underwear can cut down on the storage you need.  It may sound silly, but you can wash that underwear right as you shower and it will be dry and ready to go the next morning.  With six people, you could pack only two pair each and eliminate 5 pair each from a weeks packing.  That's probably an entire drawer.

Most importantly, relax and enjoy the great outdoors.  Be outside whenever possible, including meals, and look to your TM as shelter from the dark of night and bad weather.  Before you know it those kids will be off to college and it will be just the two of you with storage galore!

Thanks for all your replies.

In the past, when we tent camped, there always seemed to be some room at the end of the sleeping bag for suitcases, etc., which wouldn't be in the way when you sleep, and we tended to stay outside of the tent most of the time.  With the TM,  there is no additional room at the end of the beds, and of course, the only floor space available is needed to walk thru to get to the bathroom, etc.  In hotels, there is always room between the beds or on top of dressers, which don't always need to be moved.  Of course, in the TM, the counter spaces are used for preparing foods, washing dishes, etc. (not usually a concern in a hotel).

You've all offered some great suggestions -- since we will be traveling for a solid month this summer and will be moving often, I'd like to avoid lugging everything in and out of the TM every time we set up (which is why I'm trying to solve my problems by keeping things inside the TM).  It is my husband's sabbatical (much-needed time off from his job) and I'm hoping to have things running as smoothly as possible so it will feel like a vacation and not like we're having to "work" most of the time.  It seemed like when we took it last week for 6 nights we weren't as well-organized as we could have been and some quick-fixes would help a lot.

I'll let you all know how your ideas work for us.  Thanks again!

~Teresa