Camping Gear Storage Solutions: 5 Tips on How to Store Your Gear

You’re off on your first camping trip of the year, and the whole family is super excited. You arrive at your campsite and unload the car…. and that’s when your problems start.

Your sleeping bags smell moldy. Is that a hole in the groundsheet? and you can’t find the hose for the propane canister.

This is no way to start a vacation.

But all of this could have been avoided if you had taken more care when you were storing your camping gear. Make sure your camping trip gets off to a great start by following our short guide to camping gear storage solutions.

1. Make Sure Everything is Clean and Dry

Let’s face it, everyone’s gear gets dirty – it’s part of the fun of camping in the great outdoors. But you really don’t need to store that dirt until next year!

Moisture, mud, grass and even insects can get trapped in your camping gear, and if they are left there for weeks or months they can start to produce mold and fungus. This is not what you want to be confronted with when you get your camping gear out again on your next trip.

It is often the last thing you want to do when you return home from a camping trip, but making sure you clean and dry all your gear before you store it is really important.

Unroll your awnings, groundsheets, sleeping bags and tent. Brush off all the dirt, or use a sponge if necessary. Then make sure everything is completely dry before you fold it up again.

You can drape large items over a fence in the sun, use your dryer for sleeping bags, and make sure all smaller items have been wiped down.

And don’t forget to clean all your cooking equipment. It’s not always easy to clean things when you’re outside, so when you get home run all pots and plates through the dishwasher.

2. Take an Inventory

Now everything is nice and clean and dry, how do you organize your camping gear?

The first step is to make a list.

It’s so easy to forget things when you go camping, and you do not want to cause a load of hassle by not remembering to bring something vital. So create an inventory of all your gear.

When you making your inventory you can also make notes about the condition of your equipment, or if anything is running low. It’s not that helpful to pack a nearly empty bottle of bug spray!

This is also a good time to check if any of your camping gear needs maintenance or repairs. Packing away a broken table is not only a waste of storage space, but will also be super annoying when you unpack it next year.

Once you have a comprehensive list of all the gear you need, you can use it when packing for all future camping trips. It will also make it easy to identify if anything needs replacing or renewing in the future.

3. Pack Away in Labelled Containers

You may not need all of your camping gear for each trip, so rather than having to rummage through all your gear, pack it away in separate containers which are clearly labelled.

Packing away similar items, such as cooking equipment, in the same container will make it less likely you lose smaller items.

And when it comes to storing camping gear, labeling is your friend. Clearly label each box or container with its contents. This can save you so much time in the future.

It’s also worth thinking about when you need to next transport your camping gear.

A top camping storage tip is to pack your gear in containers with handles and that can easily stack on top of each other. Boxes with wheels can also be super useful. And last but not least, make sure they fit easily in your car.

4. Safety First

Camping might not seem like a dangerous activity, especially to seasoned fans of the great outdoors. But there are plenty of items you use when you are camping that, if they are not stored correctly, can be a hazard.

Equipment such as propane, electrical items like pumps and flashlights, matches and flammable fabrics are all potentially dangerous.

Make sure you have switched off all electrical items, remove the batteries and store separately.

Unused propane is best returned to the supplier, and it is advisable not to store matches along with your camping gear.

Storing camping gear requires the same common sense as storing any type of possessions. Packing safely and sensibly is always time well spent.

5. Choose the Right Unit for Your Camping Gear Storage Solutions

Even after you have made sure your gear is clean and dry, humid or damp conditions can mean mildew and mold can still be a problem. This rules out using most garages, attics and basements for camping equipment storage.

To prevent any problems with temperature, humidity, bugs, or pests it is really important to choose a climate-controlled self-storage unit. This will give you peace of mind that your camping gear will be kept safe and dry and not deteriorate when you are not using.

Storing Camping Gear with Hollywood Self Storage

At Hollywood Self Storage, we can provide a temperature controlled storage unit for your camping gear that doesn’t have to cost the earth.

If you look after your camping equipment and follow this guide to camping gear storage solutions, it should last you for many camping trips.

Taking the time to pack your equipment carefully at the end of the camping season will save you twice as much time (and stress) at the beginning of the next season.

Badly stored camping gear could also end up costing you far more as you’ll constantly be needing to repair and replace it. Not to mention the inconvenience and hassle of finding moldy, mildewed equipment when you’re on vacation.

If you want to find out more about our self storage units for your camping gear, or any other storage solutions, don’t hesitate to contact us today.