As summer has begun, so has the season for road trips and vacations. Over the last several years since the COVID-19 lockdowns, many have found a love of road trips and a phenomenon called “Van Life.” This is where a person (or two) specifically lives and travels on the road in their campervan. This is often done full-time, but it can also be an easy way to explore the country part-time.
Van life, even as a part-time commitment, can come with a few obstacles. Luckily, we at Utah Storage Center have researched and found some of those common issues and storage solutions, as well as how you can solve them so you don’t have to. Here are some resourceful campervan storage ideas to help you.
Limited Space for Personal Items
As one can imagine, living part-time or full-time in a Van has significant storage challenges for your personal items due to the small space. The first challenge is to downsize your personal items to your bare-bones necessities. We suggest limiting your wardrobe to 1-3 items of each type.
For example:
- 3 Pairs of long pants
- 3 t-shirts
- 3 long sleeve shirts/sweatshirts
- 1-2 Jackets
- 3 pairs of socks
- 3 pairs of underwear
- 2-3 pairs of shoes
As for other personal possessions, find what means the most to you and keep a limited amount of those items in the Van with you. I, for one, would have a difficult time narrowing down what books to take from my home into the van living with me. But 20-30 books are unrealistic to store in a van, so having 1-2 at a time or even transferring your physical book collection onto an electronic source can allow for entertainment without sacrificing the square footage that is so valuable.
Cooking Essentials & Food
Selecting versatile cookware and kitchen storage is essential for van living. Gone are the days of having a pot and pan of every size to choose from when cooking. Instead, we suggest opting for one pot and one pan to use. We also suggest having one plate and bowl per person living in the van, along with the cutlery. One silver lining of this limited assortment of kitchen items is that there is less mess to clean up once your meal is done!
Food and Water are the most essential parts you will need to worry about. Whether you have a refrigerator run on power or a simple ice chest, it is vital to keep an appropriate amount of food and water in your van at all times. You never know when the elements or vehicle issues could have you stranded in an area longer than you may have anticipated. Having your space organized to allow for these most vital items is key!
Organizing Your Van
Once you have condensed your items to the essentials for daily life, you can begin to implement our van life storage ideas to organize your Van. Now, there are many variables to this equation. Obviously, the size and layout of your Van will change for each person. We have found A few organizational items to help you utilize each square inch you have.
- Shoe Organizer for your rear doors
- Folding Tables
- Storage Bins
- Plastic Drawers
- Transitional Plastic Shelves
- Mesh Pouches
- Ceiling Cargo Net
- Packing cubes
- Mason jars
- Roof racks
Use the space-saving tools that best fit your living space and aesthetic!
Part-Time Van Life: What To Do in the Off-Season
Not everyone needs their Van full-time. A great option to keep your Van in good condition while not using it is to store it Indoors, similar to a garage. Not all of us are fortunate enough to have a garage or personal space to keep such a large vehicle. A great alternative for us non-garage folk is to rent a large storage unit to put the Van into.
A Storage Unit is a great way to ensure that your van stays away from the elements and have security measures in place to keep your prized possession as secure as any vehicle can be. Combine this with our organization ideas for optimal storage.
Pro Tip: Be sure to Measure your Van from nose to tail AND ground to the top of the van to get the exact measurements of your vehicle. Then, take those measurements and a measuring tape to your local storage expert to ensure your vehicle will fit perfectly into the desired unit size.
Keep your life simple by living simply with those few items, keep yourself fueled with water and nutrition, and really organize your van and additional storage space to keep life easy as you explore and travel! If you decide to rent a storage unit with us at Utah Storage Center, know that our trusted employees will find you the best solutions for your items and Van needs. Now that you know of a few of the bigger issues surrounding van life, you are definitely more prepared to take on the exciting new adventure!
Seasonal Gear and Van Equipment
It can be unrealistic to keep all of your personal items, equipment, seasonal items, and spare parts in the van itself. If you are living the Van life full time, it is a great idea to have a “home base” where you can keep those specific items and much more.
Here at Utah Storage Center, we have storage units that are perfect for keeping additional storage bins with seasonal gear, extra tires and spare parts, and family keepsakes that you can not part with.
Depending on your needs, you can have a small storage unit, about the size of a closet, to keep those few extra items. You can also get a large storage unit where you can keep the items for your home or apartment so that while you are living in your van, you always have your items to go back to once it is time to settle back down and leave the adventure for another time. We have sizes to fit your exact needs; find the perfect location and storage unit size for you!
Storage Space needs are definitely for your personal items but they can also be used for your Van itself!
