Hi Sheila,
I am so glad that you brought this up. I have had the same issue with storage and climbing on the bed to get to things. So I let Jerry (6'4') use the over bed storage for his clothing and things.
I am always on the search for just the right sized plastic bins to fit as best as possible in the overhead compartments to organize things. I have two of these:
Basic Smart Solutions Dishpans
They are dishpans, but are rather tall and thin, so they do work in my front storage for my clothing. They are too big for the overbed stoage, however.
I thought about making shelves, but I like the ability to take the bins down without using a folding step. I can remove the bins to get to the contents and replace them without using the folding step. I keep things I need often in the front bins and use the under bed storage for less often used items.
We have the 19' Bambi, so these ideas might not apply so much to your 16'.
Caryl