The Best Ways to Store Camping Gear in a Shed

Camping gear storage can be tricky, but here’s how you can do it without much trouble.

Should you tuck your camping items under the bed? Maybe pile it all up on top of the wardrobe. Perhaps you can hide it in the basement. But what if you don’t have a basement?

Storing camping gear may seem tricky, but you can do it without too much trouble. The best part is that if you do it right, your equipment will stay in good shape so that you can get the most use out of it for a longer time. You’ll also avoid the repulsive smell that sometimes gets into camping gear that’s stored in the wrong places.

General Storage Tips for Camping Items

Fitting your camping gear into the right places is only part of the story. It’s just as important to follow a few general camping gear storage best practices. These will help ensure that all your items will remain in good shape — and clean — for the next time you go camping.

• Store all your items in a cool, dry place.
• Keep the items away from the sun as UV exposure can damage tents, electronic GPS equipment, and any plastic camping items.
• Dry your tent before storing it. The last thing you want is a moldy or rotten tent next time you pack. (PS: It won’t smell nice either.)
• Clean and air clothes and sleeping bags.
• Clean cookware and keep it in resealable bags.

Ways to Store Camping Gear

Now let’s look at some of the best ways to store camping gear. Whether you have just a tent and a few backpacks loaded with hiking gear or lots of items, these tips and tricks will help you maximize your storage space. At the same time, they will make packing for your next trip a lot easier.

Store All Your Camping Gear in One Place

If you’re dealing with limited storage space, consider installing a curtain rod, hangers, or corner shelves. Every bit of extra space you create can make a difference. This may not always be possible, but when it is, you’ll be saving yourself a lot of trouble packing your gear.

Get the Right Storage Bags and Containers

Having the right storage bags helps you get the most out of every inch you have available. Get a camping tent bag, compression sacks, roll-up storage bags, storage containers, and a mesh bag for smaller items. There’s a whole paradise of camping storage bags available.

Unlike traditional storage containers, these are optimized for camping items, making them easier to handle and arrange. Label the bigger bags and containers, then arrange them according to usage. The ones you use most should be closer to hand.

Keep Your Gear in Your Backpacks

Use backpacks to hold those smaller items that are easily lost or misplaced, including bottles, accessories, and camping utensils. What’s more, backpacks are pretty easy to pack. If you use a certain backpack only for certain activities, leave the gear for that activity in it – that way you won’t have to worry about taking it out or misplacing items.

Get a Tall Laundry Basket

Camping items like trekking poles or oars are awkward to store even if you have some free storage space around the house. The last thing you want is to end up with them on top of your wardrobe. Or worse, hide them behind some closet door or where they may threaten to fall on you whenever you open the doors. A simple solution to an awkward problem for most campers is a tall laundry basket. Choose one that fits into a corner.

Install a Multi-Shelf Rack

A multi-shelf rack can store all your gear in one place so you can find items and pack them with ease. You can adapt it to the space you have available. A rack comparable in size to a wardrobe can hold significantly more items than the latter. And if you’ve followed the earlier step and got some storage boxes as well, you won’t have to worry about dust.

Build a DIY Pegboard

Got a raft, a mountain bike, or a surfboard? Do you also happen to have a wall to spare in your basement, garage, or shed? Consider creating a pegboard.

A pegboard helps you safely store all those small and medium-sized items that can’t easily fit into bags and containers, like helmets or climbing accessories. Make your pegboard more convenient to use by adding to it a simple back frame that lets you add hooks through it more easily.

Create a Custom Shed

If you have a lot of camping gear and not much storage space, maybe it’s time to create a dedicated space. A custom shed, specifically for storing camping and other hobby gear, is an easy way to keep things neatly organized, clean, and protected in between uses.

You can design a custom Dakota Storage Buildings shed to fit perfectly into your backyard. You can customize the roofline, siding options, windows, and shutters, among other details. What’s more, you can add on a vertical storage system that helps you maximize the storage space available inside. If a custom shed isn’t what you want, check out these pre-built shed options.

Store Safely, Pack Easily

Storing camping gear requires a bit of ingenuity, but if you’re organized you can manage with no problems. The effort you put into storing your gear is worth it: next time you go camping, you’ll be able to pack everything in no time. Just to be sure you won’t miss anything, Outdoor Union has a handy camping checklist that will make your life easier.