Clothing Organization in Overhead Bins

[sillyRVmom]

We are getting ready for our next adventures. We have two small trips and then a large (for us) 10 day trip. I am looking for ideas, thoughts, solutions, miracles, etc. for the clothing hot mess we create when we pack up and head out.

We store all clothes in the overhead bins. We have no cabinet, closet, or armoire of any sort in our AI. How or what can we do to better organize our clothes so that they stay somewhat organized through our travels?

So far, we have tried gallon baggies. The thought was at least it would stay organized. FAIL. Those things shifted and moved. It was awful.

We tried those soft sided canvas cubes that are roughly 11x11x11 inches. That worked better than the baggies. We found that more often than not we would pull them down to find what we were looking for. The bins got beat up, squashed, and misshapen. The kids couldn't even get theirs to fit at the end of the trip. FAIL.

I am open to any and all suggestions. I, of course, don't want to spend tons of money on this, but I would consider it if it would truly make a difference. I have spent hours and hours looking on the web. I couldn't find any Interstate owners who shared what they do for the over head bins. And most people have a different space than we do in the Interstate (i.e. closet, under bench, etc.) Thanks for any ideas, thoughts, or suggestions. This mom's sanity appreciates it!

[Lily&Me]

I think your best bet is to go with the packing cubes, as they have the necessary "squish" factor.
Your kids can learn how to use them.

I don't know what the layout is of your rig, but my husband put some stainless steel hooks up behind the driver's seat, which is where jackets hang, so look to vertical space.

You might also consider adding a hitch hauler, which we found an absolute necessity when traveling with grandkids....we took 4 of them in ours to South Carolina, and lived to tell the tale.

Ours has a sturdy, waterproof, zipped and expandable back that latches onto it, which is where the kids duffels with their clothes went, and they each had a backpack with day things inside.

It can be done.


Maggie

[ToRoark]

Haven't tried it yet but I am considering backpacks in light or bright colors. No more black or dark colored bags because it is too hard to see thinks in the bag.

[Ron_CA]

Do you hang any clothes on the rear hangers?

[OTRA15]

Sterilite bins, similar to what AS supples for under-bed storage in the trailers, are great if the sizes work for your needs. Not sure what your available space is, or its shape, but we have tons of small bins all over our FC20. The ones with hinged lids that stay attached.

http://m.sterilite.com/mobile.html?section=1

The Large Flip Top is 13" x 7" x 4" more or less, and we can get 6 in some of our overhead cabinets, and they are sold as a box of 6 on sale sometimes.

http://m.sterilite.com/mobile.html?i...=249&section=1

They are fairly rectangular so not too much space is wasted when you stack multiples in one cabinet. A compromise in terms of capacity but other sizes might work?

Search here for Sterilite and his will find other threads.

Good luck and please let us know what you find.

Peter

PS search results here for Sterilite:

https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=011403...ite&gsc.page=1

[InterBlog]

I'm on my phone and I can't seem to find how to post a link, but here's a pic of my system FWIW. The Interstate Blog and the instructions are in the post about maximizing triangular Airstream cabinetry.

[Lily&Me]

Our overhead bins are sloped at the rear, which makes things like plastic storage bins difficult to use in those spaces.


Maggie

[InterBlog]

There was another Air Forums user who was going to try my idea only with PVC square fence posts, for even greater space efficiency. I never heard back from her on how she fared.

[InterBlog]

Sloped or not sloped, same idea as sewer pipe or fence post pieces could apply. It would work even better in the less sloped versions.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Our overhead bins are sloped at the rear, which makes things like plastic storage bins difficult to use in those spaces.

Maggie

The side view shot at the top right in InterBlog's Post #6 suggests to these eyes that one layer of the small Sterilite bins linked in Post #5 might work, depending on dimensions of course. Maybe not, but worth more careful consideration IMO.

Interblog's site link: http://interstateblog.blogspot.com/

You can see the round plastic pipe ends in the overhead cabinet above the light being mounted in the 9/5 post.

Upper cab. storage near the bottom of this post:

http://interstateblog.blogspot.com/2...m-cabinet.html

These threads are about creating a sewer hose storage tube under the trailer, using the square white plastic fence post covers/tubing:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f243...ri-104472.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f295...-128029-2.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f118...ge-127978.html

Seems as if there is a 5" square plastic fence post/cover which could be cut to all the lengths needed to fill the upper cabinet with square "cubbies" whose front ends were cut on an angle as needed? For instance:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Veranda-5...0700/202084745

Good luck!

Peter

[Lily&Me]

IB's system is very clever, and seems to work quite well for them.

In my experience, hard sided boxes are not the answer for our limited Interstate cabinet space.

Just saying what I think, and believe to be true.


Maggie

[73shark]

We used duffle bags and other soft-side luggage that would conform to the shape of the overhead lockers.

[Len n Jeanne]

Ditto on packing cubes. We got some nylon (not canvas) cubes at REI especially designed for lightweight, long-haul travel. But Walmart also sells them in their luggage section. They are good for organizing and also help to compress clothes beyond loose packing in the bins. The good ones have some mesh sides for aeration and zippers that allow some compression.

You might colour-code these for multiple family members.

I've tried large-size plastic food storage bags. While they do have the advantages of being able to see through them, they tend to slide and slip around and not pack flat.

For a clothes closet, you can also get hangers capable of holding multiple shirts or pants.

But the main thing is to engage in modular dressing so that you can cut down on the number of clothes you need to take. The rule is that every item you pack goes with every other item. We've gone to dark underwear so that one large laundry load at an RV park is capable of washing everything at once. Then on a longer trip arrange for one laundry load to be done.

If you can't fit everything in the bins, try for a very discrete black gym bag or duffle bag that can sit on the foot of the bed while you travel.

[sunahara]

We went on a 16 day trip with our two kids and we each had a set of Shakle Packs from Amazon. They hold everything from pants, shorts, t-shirts to socks and underwear. They held everything well and kept from moving around and kept it organized

[OTRA15]

Thanks Maggie, you would know best as an Interstate owner. Would it help to add a horizontal shelf about 1/2 way up, if I understand the shape of that overhead cabinet right? The slope of the cabinet back/top would permit different kinds of storage below and above the new shelf. It could be fairly thin plywood sitting on two small cleats made from aluminum angle stock, all screwed into place, with perhaps one vertical support in the center +/-. Hard to conceptualize and put into words without seeing the space in person.

OT -- Blustery cold and windy here today -- time for pot roast in the Dutch Oven! [with Marmite . . . ]

Cheers,

Peter

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

IB's system is very clever, and seems to work quite well for them.

In my experience, hard sided boxes are not the answer for our limited Interstate cabinet space.

Just saying what I think, and believe to be true.


Maggie

[OTRA15]

PS so as not to take this thread further off-topic, the DO thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f484...ml#post1862419

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by Len n Jeanne

Ditto on packing cubes. We got some nylon (not canvas) cubes at REI especially designed for lightweight, long-haul travel. But Walmart also sells them in their luggage section. They are good for organizing and also help to compress clothes beyond loose packing in the bins. The good ones have some mesh sides for aeration and zippers that allow some compression.

You might colour-code these for multiple family members.

I've tried large-size plastic food storage bags. While they do have the advantages of being able to see through them, they tend to slide and slip around and not pack flat.

For a clothes closet, you can also get hangers capable of holding multiple shirts or pants.

But the main thing is to engage in modular dressing so that you can cut down on the number of clothes you need to take. The rule is that every item you pack goes with every other item. We've gone to dark underwear so that one large laundry load at an RV park is capable of washing everything at once. Then on a longer trip arrange for one laundry load to be done.

If you can't fit everything in the bins, try for a very discrete black gym bag or duffle bag that can sit on the foot of the bed while you travel.

Great ideas here, with which I agree.

My packing cubes are also nylon, and I have them in 3 different sizes.

It's about not having dead space, and anything with rigid and/or thick sides create dead space....we just can't afford dead space in our cabinets.

When all the laundry is done up on a long trip, and the packing bags are full, they do sometimes fall out of the overhead cabinet when the door is opened....but they fall out in an organzized fashion, everything still fully contained.

I also have some black canvas bags, that sit behind the driver's seat, and blend in discreetly.

It's a learning curve, learning how to pack and organize the interiors, so be patient with it and you will find what works for you.


Maggie

[InterBlog]

My system works like a charm for me, and I would not have it any other way. My husband initially did not want his overhead bin built out like that, but after our Canada trip, he was having second thoughts. I might try the PVC fence post idea for his side because as a larger person, his clothes pieces are bulkier. So, capturing more space with square rather than cylindrical tube would be the way to go.

Also, those suspended shelves I recently put in (suspended under the overhead bins) are proving to be a godsend. Hats, gloves, Smartwool sweater, scarves, etc. can be tucked into those, removing the need to dig within bins for smaller items. And they are very low profile so they don't look messy when filled with miscellaneous stuff. I have a blog post about those also.

[Len n Jeanne]

One other thing to mention, is how to pack clothes inside your (lightweight nylon compressible) packing cubes. Roll your clothes tightly ahead of packing, instead of folding or trying to pack them flat. You can even secure the rolled clothes with large rubber bands. I've tried all different packing methods, and this one is best. Obviously none of your clothes should need ironing, and you don't have much space for an iron, anyway.

The Internet is a good source of info from long-haul air and train travelers who pack light: just think of your overhead bins like a suitcase.

I spent 10 days this past summer on a trip to Spain with only one carry-on and a shoulder bag. I did laundry part way through.

If you don't have any drying capacity in your Interstate, it's best to ensure that all your clothes can go through the drier.

We have more capacity than you do, but we had to economize on space in a 16' Bambi, for sure.

[2Dreamin]

We are new owners of 2016 AIGT ext as of Sept 1 2016.
I came up with a solution for drying our towels while driving down the road (or parked) and in the process solved a couple of things that I had not thought about. While we don't have kids or grandkids to worry about, space is space. I purchased 2 different auto expandable clothes hangers, one from target made by rubbermaid which contained hooks for hanging additional items and such, we found that the hooks were more in the way both when hanging and when lying in the back on the floor when not in use, although a great design, just did not work for us so we returned this one to Target. Then one from Bed,Bath&Beyond which is more beefier, solid metal hooks on both ends, with my 20% coupon it was $1.00 more than the one from Target and better quality. We hang it on the back built in clothes hangers during the day to dry towels with clothes hanging behind the hooks of the rod, clothes do not get wet nor damp and then at night we move it up to the cab area and put it on the hooks on both sides, move the clothes up to the cab so they are not hanging over our faces at night when sleeping. This has worked very well for us. Here is the link to BB&B:
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/sto...FUEfhgodwB0IpQ

Here is the link to the Rubbermaid Cargo Hanger at Target: Made of nylon, but way better quality than other brands.
http://www.target.com/p/car-clothes-...d/-/A-15023629

I have also been looking at items at Target that attach to the head rest of the cab area and the bench seat in the back post of the seats, some have hooks for items while others have pockets:
http://www.target.com/p/-/A-50381249
http://www.target.com/p/rubbermaid-h...r/-/A-16601010
http://www.target.com/p/high-road-ca...k/-/A-10495947
http://www.target.com/p/-/A-10495876

I try to think outside of the box for different uses other than advertised.....

We keep our clean clothes hanging in covers from the dry cleaners.

For all my hair stuff, yup I have a lot of hair products and they have one dedicated bin all by itself, LOL!!! I use 2 containers that fit really nice in the driver side overhead bin that is the smaller one right over the bench seat, I pulled one from my craft room and the other I got at the dollar store and works great, I fill in the extra overhead bin space with squishy things that mash well and conform to the space. I have found that the containers need to be short in height due to curvature of the overhead bins. My bin is well protected if anything should spill over.

We are still working on organizing storage space for kitchen stuff and I think it will eventually find a permanent home since I have moved stuff around each time we have gone out.

Since we are new owners, I am sure storage will be an ongoing process of trial, error and success..........

Hope this helps (HTH)