Disclaimer - I promise you this post is not meant to be obnoxious with ads. I really do own these things, and I really did purchase them from Amazon. The items below have helped to keep our RV interior soooooo much more organized and efficient. I really do think each of the items below is worth what we paid and then some. I wish I could integrate the Amazon links to be more "pretty" - but alas, you get what you get with html - at least if you're me and don't know html well enough to modify it to look prettier! Anyway, if you are looking for ways to save space and better organize the space you have in your RV, read on!
When we downsized our RV a few years ago (from a 32' gas class C Jayco Greyhawk to a 25' diesel class C Forest River Solera), one of the things we knew we'd have to address quickly is storage and space saving. We absolutely LOVED the amount of exterior/basement storage in the Solera, in fact, that's the reason we went with it instead of the more modern-styled Winnebago View or Itasca Navion. Both of those have really puny exterior storage capacities. But for interior storage, the Solera is average at-best. Some of the areas where the Solera (and many RVs) struggle is kitchen storage, and drawer storage for clothing.
When we travel with our children, we give them each a drawer under the dinette seats for their clothes. We also give them one of the three overhead cabinets for their activities, cards, games, books, etc. - which leaves very little left over for dishes, food, utensils, pots and pans, and so on. Basically, we have the cabinet below the sink for the waste basket, cleaning supplies, trash bags, and (gasp!) pots and pans. We actually keep lesser used pots and pans in a tote in the basement with our portable propane grill. The cabinet above the sink is the pantry with dry foods, and one of the 3 overhead cabinets above the dinette is for everyday dishes - all of them. Plates, cups, bowls - everything. Oh, and the biggest kicker is that there are only two drawers in the kitchen and they are both located at floor level UNDER the stove and sink cabinet - one is for utensils like spatulas and serving spoons; and the other is for towels, pot holders, and dishcloths. "Wait," you say. "Where do you put the silverware?" Well, we've had to get creative and put some plates, napkins, and silverware into a caddy that fits into the overhead "dishes" cabinet above the dinette.
Essentially, the interior storage configuration from the factory of this RV sucks. We've had to do a ton of modifications and additions to make it even half as efficient as it could be. We've added wire shelves, interior door compartments, and other types of interior cabinet organizers. Here's a few we've installed and like:
I'm also thinking about getting this one because it looks like just what we need, but I'll need to measure the height of my overhead cabinets first, because those are the short ones over the dinette and this might be a little too tall to fit in there . . .
The other thing I did to save space was to invest in a set of nesting pots and pans. They have removable handles so that they nest completely inside one-another like bowls (well, actually they can serve as mixing bowls too - so BONUS! double duty!)
Ok, so the last area of concern with storage was the lack of drawers for clothes, towels, etc. What's weird is that with our Solera, the manufacturer included what I think is a TON of hanging storage. for an RV. that people take camping. (you see where I'm going with this?) Who really needs that much hanging storage when you're camping? I mean - I fold my jeans, shorts, t-shirts, sweat shirts, etc. The only thing we have hanging up is our raincoats - and it seemed silly to take up all that space with raincoats, so they just got moved to behind-the-door hooks instead. So what did I do with my way-to-much hanging storage and not enough folding storage? May I present, hanging closet organizers!!!! We installed 3 of these: 2 longer ones side by side in the main wide wardrobe, and one shorter/narrower one in the smaller wardrobe. We also hung an over-the-door shoe rack on the bunk ladder (which we never use) that is strapped to the wall just inside the main door. We only use the shoe rack to keep shoes organized when we're camping for more than a few days, or if we have an extra person with us. It's been great to not have a pile of shoes just inside the door! If you can find them in the right sizes - these work PERFECTLY! Here's a few images showing the closet organizers and shoe rack - sorry about the glare from the interior lights in the wardrobe cabinets. . . also notice the organizers on the back of the driver and passenger seats. Those are great for organizing DVDs, cards, books, binoculars, remote controls, and small games. They are within reach of the kids as they sit at the dinette while we travel.
