How Do You Safely Store Your Camping Gear At Home

When you return from the camping trip with fun memories, your camping gear comes back with you.

You may need some of it in your regular life. However, you may have to store most of it securely for your next trip. 

But the question is where to store them safely and in a way that does not occupy much space? 

To safely store your camping gear at home:

• Clear the unusable equipment
• Find the place – basement, garage, extra room, a closet, and unused shelves
• Store similar equipment together and label them
• Stay organized by using hooks, boxes, bins, and compartments

Let’s look at all of them in detail. 

Related Articles:

• 10 Ways you Can Save Money On Camping Gear
• What Are The Most Important Things To Bring For Camping?
• When Should You Buy Camping Gear?
• What Do You Need For Camping In A Tent
• What Are The 10 Essentials For Camping And Hiking

1. Clear The Unusable Equipment

Before setting your camping gear in an organized way, categorize the equipment as per its utility and accessibility. 

1.1 Clear Your Gear

Go through your camping gear, and sort the items not used in your last camping trips.

These items are the ones that are not as essential in your camping gear list. Store them separately. 

Additionally, separate the old and broken things you will not use again. Throw them away, sell them on a garage sale or e-bay, or donate them to someone. 

1.2 Select The Most Frequently Used Gear

Identify the items which you use frequently and make them accessible.

There are a few things that have more use during camping, such as; tents, sleeping bags, headlamps, etc. you can grab these items even when you are in a rush. 

2. Storage Space

2.1 Choose A Perfect Space

Choosing the right place to store your camping gear comes even before you head out for the camping trip.

If you do not have much space in your house, create some. 

2.2 Create Or Select A Storage Space

Be creative while selecting the storage space for your gear. Look around the house and search for a place you do not use much.

The area can be any place with shelves, cub boards, and blank canvases. You can buy or create some if you do not have them. 

These places may seem occupied but still have vacant space to store your gear.

2.3 Look For The Right Storage Space

There may be people who do not have enough space to store or do not know how to use space effectively. 

If you do not have a garage or an empty room, get creative and use sections you are unaware of. 

• Find out some unused sections of the cupboards or shelves. 
• Make use of the space in your bed box.
• You can even use your backpack. 
• Invest time in selling the things you do not need anymore and store your gear in that space. 
• Pile stuff on top of each other
• Wall mount cabinets, shelves, and compartments. That will save tons of space
• More tips are below.

2.4 Keep Your Storage Space Clean

While storing your camping gear, do not just through all the items in the damp, dank space.

Make sure to clean the stuff before you place them in storage, wipe all the dirt, clean the shelves and cupboards, etc. 

This way, you will increase the life of your gear. Additionally, you will be able to catch any moths, rust, and mold during this time. 

It will save you from repeatedly buying expensive items. 

3. Storing Tips

3.1 Stay Organized

 Being organized is the key to arranging your gear effectively and without occupying much space.

You can use different organizers such as bins, boxes, containers, racks, and shelves to organize the items effectively. 

3.2 Sorting Different Gear

Segregate items that belong to different activities or categories. It will make storing and using a particular thing very convenient. 

List different activity gear and store them in distinct storage spaces. 

There are some items used for more than one activity.

However, you can still make a separate section for cooking, entertainment, tent-related things, camping chairs, and sleeping gadgets, and create a separate compartment for multi-purpose items. 

3.3 Use Bins And Containers For Storage

It looks very messy and stressful to see items stored in unorganized piles. Instead, you can use the bins to keep them.

It will make the gear look more arranged and organized, especially the smaller items that scatter easily. 

Try to organize the items carefully so you can find them easily whenever you need them. 

• Storing bins come in different forms and sizes. 
• You can use big square bins to store your tarps, tents, kitchen gear, etc. 
• Use bins that have lids to keep water and dirt away. 
• Choose the size of the tubs smartly so that they fit in the space perfectly. 

3.4 Be Creative In Using The Empty Space

Setting hooks and hanging rods are your go-to methods while organizing the gear and saving space.

They create more storage space and also add organization to the storage. 

For sleeping bags, you can add different containment system hooks. Putting the hooks at the side of your closet adds more space and lets your gear hang safely.

But ensure to fix them with sufficient gap. Leaving some gaps between the hooks will help you grab items without disturbing the other things. 

You can also fill your backpack with the stuff and hang it to keep more places vacant on the floor. 

3.5 Use Gear To Store Gear

Use hollow places in your equipment to store other things. You can use your baskets, buckets, and canisters to store other stuff. 

You can also use your backpack to store other stuff in it.

3.6 Put Labels

Putting labels on bins and containers you use to store items is very important. You can use the sticky chits or color code labels. 

Label different gear according to your different categories. 

4. Some Miscellaneous Tips

• Stack the stuff by season
• Store your boots in a way that they can breath
• Protect your gear from moisture
• Make sure to take out the batteries from your electronics before storing them.
• Use dry bags or sacks to store the bulky gear
• Keep your long items, such as hiking poles, skis, etc. in your laundry basket.
• Stack up the items

Bottom Line

Safely storing the camping gear can be a chore, especially if you lack space. 

To safely store your camping gear at home:

• Clear the unusable equipment
• Find the place – basement, garage, extra room, a closet, and unused shelves
• Store similar equipment together and label them
• Stay organized by using hooks, boxes, bins, and compartments

Happy Camping!

References:

The Ultimate Room-by-Room Organization Guide

39 Best Tips for Organizing Your Home, According to Professional Organizers