Maximising space in your caravan or motorhome
As we know, space can be a precious commodity when it comes to our caravans and motorhomes. So, let's share some ideas on how to make the most out of our limited spaces.
How do you efficiently organise and store your belongings?
Are there any must-have space-saving gadgets or storage solutions you swear by?
What are some creative ways you've found to maximise living areas, such as the kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom?
Have you come across any clever DIY hacks or modifications to optimise your caravan or motorhome's layout?
I'll get things started with a couple of my own suggestions:
Over-the-door organisers: These handy organisers can be hung on cabinet doors or walls, creating extra storage space for small items like toiletries, kitchen utensils, or stationery.
Vacuum-seal storage bags: These were a game changer for our trailer tent and maximising wardrobe space. Simply pack away bulky clothing and bedding, then use a vacuum or roll to remove excess air, leaving you with more room for other essentials.
What are your ideas, favourite products, and personal experiences in making the most out of your caravan or motorhome space? Let's help each other create functional and comfortable living spaces for our travels!
Comments
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Must haves include storage baskets to stop smaller things rolling around and to make it easier to lift front things out to reach stuff at the back. Non-slip rubberised matting is essential in a MH to hold things steady and stop those infernal rattles.
Roof lockers in caravans and motorhomes can benefit from the fitting of shelves which helps get more things in and stops a tall pile toppling out when the door is opened! Likewise, curtain wire across the front prevents things falling out when opening doors.
We have changed fixed end panels on rear bunks/seats in PVCs to removable panels so the storage can be accessed through the rear doors instead of scrabbling around inside to reach under the bunks. It’s ideal for storing ramps, hoses and the like.
Finally, do you have a table that’s a pain to use and store? We did so took to storing it in the loft at home and used a much smaller version in the van. 👍🏻
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Manufacturers never seem to fit enough shelves in cupboards, and buying extra ones is expensive, but they are easily made from lightweight plywood and wooden edging.
Invest in drawer organisers if none have been supplied. And wirework plate and mug racks.
If you have a fixed bed, work out the best way to fit things in, and maybe make some dividers to stop things sliding around.
Boxes.......lots of lightweight see through ones for organising smaller items in drawers, in cupboards, under bunks, even in the car.
We use "take-away" boxes in drawers for small items, and larger Ikea ones under the bunks for bigger items. And a large lidless crate for lightweight food items under the fixed bed. Open boxes are useful in the bathroom cupboards to stop shampoo etc falling all over the place.Organise them with similar items together. I have a couple for caravan spares, plus one for spare bulbs, and one for some essential tools, my heavy tools travel in my tool bag in the car.
Ikea Dimpa bags are great for storing bedding and dirty washing too.
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Some excellent ideas from TW and K which I do as well.
I've found that a six berth caravan when used for 4, or even better 2, has just the right amount of storage space, so for a caravan perhaps the best storage will be given by a number of real people +2, that is a four berth caravan is perfect for 2.
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I suppose ours is officially a 4 berth, we can manage stuff for 4 easily, but for many vans the limiting factor will be the weight.
Fortunately, as it is an older van, we have a very good weight allowance, but on many newer vans the payload allowed is totally inadequate.
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For years we had the microwave taken out and used the space as an extra cupboard. We've left it in the current one as the caravan has enough space already.
We also take the table out. Waste of payload as they're usually quite heavy. Use the storage space for fold down clothes drier and general cleaning products.
We have actually reached Nirvana in space in our unit. Biggest one we've ever had but still only medium size. I think having had smaller ones has honed our skill at maximising space.
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The mesh bags that supermarkets sell for fruit & veg at about 30p each make great bags for underwear, rolled up t-shirts etc. and pack easily into cupboards.
We have a lift up lid with slats under the foot of one bed. We use one of the blue Ikea bags underneath that for dirty washing - just push it through the slats.
Pans that nest inside one another with the cardboard they came with in between to stop rattles.
Various plastic boxes - for meds, for charging leads etc.
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I've lined both side lockers with those foam carpet tiles meant for awning carpet - stops things sliding about and prevents damage to the wooden flooring. Bought a load cheap from Halfords and didn't like them for their intended use and found they were ideal for their new purpose.
Two large 'under-bed' plastic storage boxes - one for awning pegs and the other for shoes/ crocs etc. - fit perfectly in front side locker and the shoe box comes out and lives in the awning to keep things tidy.
Smaller plastic storage box in front gas locker for general 'junk' such as waste pipe connector, silicone spray, hammers / mallet, tap-splitter etc etc.
One little 'hack' that I'm quite pleased with. We have Kampa Sabre lighting for the awning but there was nowhere to hang it in the new Veduta awning. Since we never use awning curtains, I threaded some thin strips of velcro through some curtain hangers and the lights are now fixed quickly and easily - just like the 'Sabre-ready' awnings.
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I use a number of >suction products< which attach to convenint points to either hang things up or retain items like washing up liquid and CIF next to the sink. There is a vast array to choose from to suit every need. It keeps things handy with no need to drill any holes. Occasionally they do come unstuck with changes in temperature/weather but stay put when the van is being used. They work better on some surfaces than others.
I also use car seat organisers fitted to the rear of the driver and passenger seats for storing items like TV cable, assorted connecters, cleaning cloths etc. Again there is a large choice of types.
>These< cargo nets are very handy for retaining magazines and paper work.
peedee
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Go on a diet, then you take up less space.
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We declared war on ‘stuff’ and massively increased the amount of useful things we can pack in.
We were rather shocked about some of the stuff we’ve carried for literally years untouched.
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Both our outfits, caravan and MH have good storage, despite being small. We have utilised a lot of the ideas mentioned by others, but use our iPads to replace TV, radio, books, a lot of reference material. We only tour with a weeks worth of clothes, plus a couple of warm tops, multipurpose coats (warm and waterproof), shoes dependent upon season. We carry extra stuff if cycling, but it’s left at home if not. If bikes aren’t on the back, then we have a Fiamma that takes our folding chairs, dog chariot, few other things.
We’ve always travelled light. Makes set up/pack up so much easier. I take my hobbies with me (knitting, jewellery making) but I have travel packs for these.
We don’t stuff our outfits with food either. Initially enough for two three days, staple items like oil, condiments, herbs and spices, tea and coffee. I like cooking when away, local bought produce, so we are happy buying local. If we were having a month away in van, then OH would put up awning while I did a shop at local supermarket. We stored van in Cornwall, so would just zip down in car.
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I think that's the best tip of all, the bigger your unit the more stuff you tend to lug around. Asking oneself, do I really need that? or that much? or that big? is a good ethos. With so many innovative & tempting products on offer to campers it's easy to get carried away with things you don't really need.
Hope you enjoy your new van. Is there possibly an overseas Westfalia forum with a larger content of relevant owners that could assist with your queries ?
See you around
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Be careful where you place suction items. We used a suction hook on the front of the fridge, one of the black shiny doors, for tea towel. It has left a ring on the door that is impossible to remove. It is as though it has burned in. We now use a fancy bulldog clip on the edge of one of the pockets on the sliding door.
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Not so much a space saver so much as a weight saver. In our four berth caravan I have removed the top bunk as I know there will only be two of us using the caravan, The bunk weighed 15kg plus the weight of the side boards and the metal access ladder. It was easy to take out and will be easy to refit when I come to sell the caravan.
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As we don't take bikes with us anymore, knees and hips won't allow, so we fitted a Fiamma Ultra Box onto the Fiamma Bike Rack. It's certainly not a cheap option but it takes our outdoor chairs and various other bits an pieces which would either be difficult to store in the motorhome or just get in the way. You have to be careful of the weight you load into it which off the top of my head it has a capacity of about 35 kilos. Rowena mentioned vacuum bags, we have used these to compress clothing for longer trips. Unfortunately they are only useful until you open them as we have no means to reseal them!
David
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The best way to make space is to carry less. Here are some of the ways we do that :-
1. Folding Water Bucket.
2.Eagle Creek clean/dirty storage cubes for socks, underwear, small jumpers and the like.
3. Camping towels (ours are 15 years old and like new). and yes we do wash/shower.
4 Rationalise crockery cutlery and glasses to minimum actually needed.
5. Use plastic stacking/nesting boxes for tools and spares, also shoes and the like.
6.Carry additional tools in "toolkit" of SEVEL
7 Carry First Aid Kit etc etc under drivers seat in SEVEL.
8. Water and Waste 5Ltr for Drinking Water + 10 litre "rectangular" for water + 19 Ltrs for grey water. We rarely queue at service points or fill up with hose but we have an offcut hose in a small box if we do.
9.Duvalays for Bedding On cabs seats in site. On floor at rear or in washroom if travelling.
10. "Baby" pillows (quite big enough).
11. Dont pack for more than a 14 day trip. Beyond that you can "recycle" what you have.
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Surely if you are having problems fitting things in and have to come up with creative solutions has the time come to realise you have too much. I'd also hazzard a guess you, or at least your van, is overweight.
Colin
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Yes, bike racks can be utilised with or without a box. We got two MG fibreglass wings into ours one time, took MH across to Cheshire with box on. We got our Fiamma off Ebay, it was like brand new, but a lot less than a new one.
If you have a MH towball, you can get Thule load carriers, but you would have to be careful what and how you loaded it, depending your weight allowance, much like carrying bikes.
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Our last two vans have had proper bike sized garages. All our stuff (that doesn't fit in one of the other decent sized lockers) lives there.... mainly bikes, chairs, table, levellers, tools, spare tyre etc....it was a 'non negotiable' in the layout.
We've had bike racks, rear storage boxes etc in the past on two uk vans but they add length to the van, for parking, for ferries (costs) and are nowhere near as secure.
I started wondering what's the point in having a 6m van and then bolting a metre and half worth of bike rack and bikes or a metre of storage box?
our 6.4M van has the bikes inside rather than being (in effect) an 8m van due to the rear rack and two bikes.
our pals have a 7.70m van with no garage, for their bikes they have a tow ball mounted bike rack making the van about 9.2m with them on🤷🏻♂️
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Just shows how we all have different choices😁 We wanted something very compact, and as I say we travel very light. Our little 5.5 metre job works well for us, it’s mainly bikes on rear, which only adds another 0.75m. Same if we use box. Makes life in UK very easy as well.
We wanted something we could use daily to move about and park up very easy, bikes and box usually overhang in a car park, and we aren’t dependent upon bikes, walking or public transport, which was a must for us. Our little outfit will go most places with care and a bit of research. We didn’t need a fixed bed of any type either, so we are not towing beds around. Ours takes a couple of minutes to sort out, put away, and it’s not an issue for us. Our original plan was to get something small to tour the whole of the UK coastline, stopping off, occasional B& B if we fancied it, pop home every now and then just to check on house. We started life with a micro camper van, so what we have now is brilliant😁 We still have caravan if we want long holidays in one or two places.We have looked at other MH’s. Nothing large though, 6.5m would be our max, and for that we would want a garage. We did like a small Hymer we saw at Lowdhams in Huddersfield (?). Can’t recall model. It was well made, a good layout that suited us, at the time, possibly around £65k and on a Merc chassis🤔 Probably a lot more now. We decided that £65k would buy us a lot of holidays, so stuck with our little AS for now. Storage in that looked ok as far as I can remember. But possibly a compromise on parking and exploring like we do now. 🙂
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I just clicked onto Hymer, see if I could find that model. Came across this
https://www.hymer.com/gb/en/models/hymer-venture-s
like the idea, total adventure. Not sure about the compromise on the French shape bed, we are both tall. I showed it OH, he liked it, then I scrolled down to price🤣🤣🤣 (Unprintable expletive🤣) Plenty of storage though👍
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I perfectly see the attraction of motorhomes with a garage under the sleeping accommodation where all those things you don't want in the van can be safely stored but with relatively easy access. Unfortunately they are not so good for people who are less agile as they often require steps to get up into the bed. Trying to get up in the middle of the night when you are half awake and having to negotiate down a series of steps or even a ladder might well be Ok for the younger retired but once you reach a more venerable age not such a bright idea. We changed our first motorhome as we thought a slightly smaller motorhome would be more practical. From a manoeuvrability point of view it does have its advantages. However we sometimes mull over the question of whether we should have stayed with a longer motorhome (7.5 metres) and gone for a model with two single beds plus a front lounge as not only would that have given us extra space and comfort but much more internal storage. Can't see us changing now but we do sometimes think about what would be our ideal layout. Can't ride bikes anymore so that wouldn't be an issue.
David
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Having had two single settees to make into beds each night, with difficulty raising one mattered to get underneath because of a hinged shelf, and insufficient room under the other for all the bedding because of battery we wanted two fixed single beds and a garage. Which we have in our pvc. The garage is used for our folding mobility scooters now we not so mobile. Yes there are a couple of steps to the beds but we don’t find them an issue even in the middle of the night.
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Firstly, most would struggle to find the £200k+ to buy the van linked to!!💶
I'm 70 in a a few weeks and have no issue getting into bed using the step up to bed. Most twin singles or island beds over large garages have the softest easiest steps up to the beds, and are usually illuminated.
my OH doesn't need to move overnight so no climbing over required.
If you can climb two stairs at home you can get into bed in one of these vans.
most continental MH have a double floor and the raising of the van floor and the lowering of the garage floor means the height to 'climb up' is nowhere near as far as it might be in a UK van with a single floor. It's these two 'changes in height' that's the 'secret' to having a bed over a garage without the perceived difficulty.
some continental vans (Hymer, Carthago etc) even have a full garage under a rear lounge van, whereas in a single floored UK van you'd be lucky to get a 'cupboard' under....its double floors and lowered garages that Europe has mastered.
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We don’t have problems hopping over each other, it’s the blinking hound that’s the issue for us. He insists on sleeping in front of bathroom door😁 Smaller hound required😉 But we’ll hang onto the old lad for as long as we can.
Which brings me to storage space required for an elderly mutt and all his requirements………bedding, toys, fold up chariot, soft mats for ageing bones…………it’s a good job we travel light😁 Five and a half stone of Labrador, draped wherever it fancies. However we managed with two is a mystery, but we did❤️
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Over the years, we have saved 'trial size' or 'travel size' containers as they now call them, for things like toiletries, washing up liquids and cleaning products, toilet fluids and refill them for each trip. I don't see the sense in carrying a full Fairy Liquid bottle around the country only to take most of it back home again. My 'trial size' Fairy Liquid bottle was bought in the 1970s and is still going strong.
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