12 Van Storage Ideas For Small Spaces on a Budget
Are you looking for van storage ideas for your full or part time camping set up? You have come to the right blog because I am a fanatical organizer who lives full time in a 19.5′ van with my husband and our two bikes. That’s right, the bikes live inside the van and so does everything else we need to live on the road full time.
That’s 72 square feet of living space which requires maximum organization on a minimum budget. Let me show you how to do it and save you from a few growing pains.
Space Maximizing Van Storage Ideas on a Budget
1. Back of Seat Organizers
This may seem like a simple solution, but we didn’t realize how helpful this storage area would be until we were well past our first week of van life. I kept moving the laptop around from the bulk head to sitting on the bed, to in between the seats and I was always nervous it would fall down. We now keep the laptop, National Geographic books/maps, bug spray, spare sunglasses and other small items we don’t want getting lost in the cracks in these handy organizers that are under $25 and can be found on amazon.
2. Wire Shelves and Up-Cycled Boxes
Most van’s or campers have cabinet storage which could greatly benefit from some separators. The container store can really start to add up fast, but who says you can’t just use the box from the thing you bought already? We opted for a couple small free standing wire shelves from Dollar Tree (two of these for under $4) and the boxes from our most frequently purchased food items like protein bars. It is not the most beautiful option, BUT these are not open shelves for all to see, function over form is the move on this one. By having flexible boxes instead of hard plastic bins you can cheat a little too and combine snacks of the same shape, bending the box to accommodate it all.
3. Hanging Wall Baskets-Food Storage
Our wall baskets were a last minute find before heading out on the road full time and they are the perfect solution for easy to grab snacks, pantry veggie storage like potatoes garlic and onions and we even use one for our commode items like TP, carbon filters for the dry toilet and air freshener spray. Three baskets with hooks and hardware to hang them for under $25 is a steal in my opinion and they add a cute boho vibe to the space.
4. Cloth Storage Bins
When downsizing from a 1700SF house on 20 acres we had a lot of things that we couldn’t take with us and a few that we could and that would make organizing the van easier. One such item was the soft storage divider cubes I had in various areas of the house. I found that they were perfect to organize a multitude of things in the van. These organizer cubes come in a 6 pack with a variety of sizes all for under $20. I used every single one of these in the van, one for “medicine cabinet”, junk drawer divider, craft box, tank top organizer etc.
5. Dollar Store Plastic Baskets
Again, we do not need to break the bank with whatever expensive fancy pants organizer store bins that are trending this week. The Dollar Tree has plastic baskets in a variety of shapes and sizes, often in two or three packs that are perfect for organizing small items such as charging cords, silverware, pens/pencils and even “office supplies” for any full timers.
We store our most used charging cords here next to the table and the outlet for easy access. These white baskets came in a two pack at Dollar Tree so literally less than $1 per basket. I use the other one to hold our silverware. What can you get for under a dollar these days?
*Bonus question, anyone recognize what fast food chain our dining table came from?
6. Reusable Freezer/Food Storage Bags
We used these bags even before we went full time. It’s a great way to cut down on packaging waste and they can be used for so many things, not just food. Since the bags are BPA free silicone they hold their shape and stack nicely in the freezer. These reusable bags come in a variety pack with gallon, quart and snack sizes and are only $10.
*Pro-tip full timers: we found best practice is to transfer anything you can into reusable bags/boxes. For example: a tray of chicken breast is transferred to reusable zip top bag in appropriate portions, then put in the freezer. This allows you to dispose of the meat tray in a grocery store trash can, usually located next to the cart return in the parking lot*
Yes we have an ice cream addiction, and yes that went into our decision on how big of a fridge and freezer to get. Zero regrets on selecting this ICECO that meets our ice cream and meat-asaurus needs as well as serving my ice water addiction.
7. Wool Clothing = Cut Down Wardrobe
This van storage idea is a little outside the box. It isn’t so much a storage solution as a suggestion to minimize your wardrobe so you have less to store. Yes I’m talking about wool, from socks and t-shirts, to bra’s and undies, we have it all in wool. A lot of van lifers use packing cubes to store their clothing but I personally think that’s too many steps to go through. I don’t want to have to open the cabinet, find the right cube, unzip the cube, dig through the pile for what I want then put it all back away. With our clothing minimized, we can easily see all of our options at once and grab whatever we need quickly.
*Not every piece of clothing we have is wool, we do still have some cotton t-shirts and I wear stretchy pants almost exclusively but by having the layer closest to the skin in wool, it saves us on trips to the laundromat as well as from wasting lots of precious space with clothes. Also, I’ve found that if you can’t see it, it gets forgotten so make your clothes viewable and only keep your absolute favorites!
8. Mesh Cargo Net
When downsizing so significantly we had to use every nook and cranny for storage ideas. We had a small area under the bed platform, up in between the framing members where we could fit…something.
So we got a cargo net and used it to house our winter gear that we (hope) to use infrequently. This is great for hats, gloves, and even our rain coats and Eric’s cold weather biking gear. A smaller version of a net like this could also be used on any open wall or ceiling space as long as you won’t bonk your head on it.
9. Store Large Items in Plain Sight
Another van storage idea that sounds a little bizarre is to use camouflage and multi-functional items. For example: our main blanket on our bed is actually both of our down camping quilts snapped together.
Down needs to be stored loosely so the feathers aren’t compacted, if stored squished in its bag, it loses all of its insulating properties.
We use a sheet set under it and a lightweight handmade summer quilt on top to protect it from getting dirty since down is hard to wash. By “storing” this big item in plain sight it does double duty by acting as our blanket in bed and our overnight bike pack or backpacking quilts.
10. Slide-out Garage Trays With Plastic Organizer Drawers
If you have a set up that allows for garage space, I cannot recommend slide out trays coupled with a plastic drawer system enough. In all of our research before we built out our van ourselves, this continually came up as a major pain point for a lot of people who stacked totes under the bed or who didn’t have any way to get at everything without emptying it all out.
We have two fully extendable trays in the back, our bikes are on one modeled after Farout Rides plans. They built theirs in a Ford Transit, and we are in a Ram Promaster, but their detailed plans/schematics etc. are incredible. I highly recommend taking a look at their site if you are doing your own build or looking for ideas on layout.
We store all of our tools, bike packing bags, backpacking gear etc in these clear plastic drawers. We also store larger outdoor items like our yoga mats, leveling blocks, outdoor table and canopy on this tray.
On the bike tray, our babies are safe inside from theft, weather, and impact (heaven forbid). We also added a little compartment in the door to store our bike stand and the shelf is perfect for holding a cup of coffee and tools when working on the bikes!
11. Zippered Top Trashcan + Magnetic Hook
One pain point of a small living space is trash. What do you do with it, where do you dump it, where do you store it when you don’t want to have to run to town every day to dump a small bag? We do a lot of boon-docking, camping in areas where there are no amenities and so while being able to stay in one place for 5-7 days is ideal, nobody wants to sleep next to a stinky trash can, right?
Keeping in mind the threat of wildlife getting into said trash and the fact that there is nowhere to keep a giant trash can in a van, what do we do?
The best solution I came up with is a collapsible trash can with zippered lid and a strong magnetic hook to keep it outside and up off the ground. With the magnetic hook it can be moved around to be in the shade or even put up high if there is any threat from tall critters. It collapses flat for storage (we put it on the tray in the garage) and easily plops inside when leaving a campsite for somewhere we can empty it. The zippered lid keeps odors under control too, it’s a win-win…win!
12. Sliding Pantry Shelf
As previously mentioned, using all available space to maximize function is absolutely key in small spaces. We managed to find this sliding pantry shelving unit that fit perfectly in the space we had left between the end of the bike tray and the main living space.
We wanted to keep heavier canned goods down lower to the ground as opposed to the overhead cabinets to avoid any undue stress on those uppers when bumping down a back road. This pantry slides out to access the items on the back of the shelves and we use a small bungee to secure it for travel.
Next to the pantry we also have hanging clothes storage for larger items such as sweatshirts and jackets so as not to take up all the overhead space with bulky items. We even have a spot here for our step stool, our only way into bed, stored with a broom clip on the leg and a regular hook for the handle. Storage ideas in a van really make for an interesting challenge sometimes!
Van Storage Ideas-The Wrap Up
It is essential to van or camper living to maximize your space, use every available nook and cranny and to ensure everything has its place. Small spaces get messy FAST so establish a routine to put things back immediately after using them and find a designated place that works for each item according to its function and frequency of use. Clutter is chaos, and whether you are full time or just enjoy the occasional camping trip, an unorganized space does not facilitate the peace you are seeking by going camping in the first place.
It’s ok to reorganize or find another solution as time goes on and you see what works best. Organizing your camper or your home is an ongoing project and is a fun puzzle to solve. By utilizing these simple principles and some of the storage ideas outlined here, you will be a pro in no time!