Gear storage

I'm also in need of finding a better way to store and organize gear. I'd like to see more pictures if you guys have any great ideas. For kicks, I did a google image search on gear storage ideas. I see some interesting things. Something that stand out to me are a) smart floor to ceiling shelving , b) high storage (above cars) for the garage (although access looks to be a pain), and c) the ability to hang stuff

Here's a few pics of things that I liked:

7aa28f12.jpg garage-shelving-oc-hanging-on-ceiling.jpeg GearStorage-8.jpg IceFishingStorage006.jpg overhead-garage-storage.jpg Rainer_Rd_Trigg 007.jpg
 
Dang. That's got to be one of the cleanest and most organized garages I have ever seen.
 
Do you guys use all that regularly? or is most collecting dust. Stuff I have I use, even if its 10 years old, I don't get new unless it is worn out....
 
I generally don't get rid of gear unless it is destroyed, so there is a good chunk that I just keep around as loaners and backups. But most of it is in a somewhat normal rotation. I rarely use the piece of gear across all activities I participate in and that adds up. Hell, even like this weekend when I'm backpacking 2 nights and car camping 1, I'll still bring a car camp pad and car camp sleeping bag in addition to my backpacking gear. If there's room, why not have a more luxurious car camp and not have to deal with packing that stuff down all small again in the morning? I don't even have to unpack my backpack at all other than to get out my beanie, headlamp, etc. Very convenient.
 
I thought about hanging the kayaks from the ceiling above the car but I really think that I'd never use them if they were harder to get at. Aside from 1 or 2 kayaking camping trips a year, I usually use them when I want to get out for a bit but don't really have the time to go for a hike. Like if I happen to get home early from work, or on a weekend day where I have to be home by noon or something. It just looks like a pain to get them up and down from those hoists.
 
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I've seen some over-the-car garage storage systems for kayaks or similar to the fishing one in Mike K's pics that use pulley systems. Pretty sweet, easy to get to stuff and to load stuff. Just takes a little ingenuity and some parts from the hardware store. There might be a little inconvenience with having ropes in your garage, but I'm sure if you can figure out how to build it, then you can figure out a good way to keep the ropes out of the way.
 
nite-ize has some fantastic gear storage items. I saw these at the OR show and I've been tempted to get some:

http://www.niteize.com/product/Gear-Tie-Dockable-Twist-Tie-12.asp

Currently I have more bedrooms than people in my house, so I just dedicate a bedroom closet to gear storage for me, and another closet for my wife. Aside from boats and bikes, which are stored in the garage, that's it. I hang my bags in a closet. I learned that you lose something like 3-5* of warmth each year that you leave a sleeping bag crammed in it's stuff sack (the small one).

We're moving to a smaller house this year, so it should be interesting to see what I come up with. We've been trying to live a more minimalist life lately. If a piece of gear isn't used for a year, I'll sell it (except for spares for friends). We've still got more outdoor gear than is healthy, but we use it.

I'll post a pic later.
 
Here are some shelves I built in my garage. I still haven't filled them halfway. They've been a fantastic addition. I can store firewood, all my boats, 4x4 recovery gear, tools, etc. I'll definitely be adding these in my next house.

before:
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during:
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after:
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For more garage ideas, check out garagjournal.com. Beware, that site is like crack cocaine.
 
steve said:
Currently I have more bedrooms than people in my house, so I just dedicate a bedroom closet to gear storage for me, and another closet for my wife. Aside from boats and bikes, which are stored in the garage, that's it. I hang my bags in a closet. I learned that you lose something like 3-5* of warmth each year that you leave a sleeping bag crammed in it's stuff sack (the small one).
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I don't have nearly as much gear as some of you in this thread! I can easily store it all in a bedroom closet.

I've stored my sleeping bag in its stuff sack for 10 years, contrary to manufacturer recommendations. I guarantee I haven't lost 30* of warmth in that time, though I wouldn't be surprised if I have lost 3-5* overall.
 
Nice. I made a big dent in my gear storage/office reorganization project over the last couple weeks. A couple more to-do's and then I'll post some pics.
 
Vegan.Hiker said:
Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I searched before starting a new thread and found this one...

Now that Spring is on the horizon, my wife is all over me to organize the garage as my first Spring-time project. I don't have a dedicated room for all of my gear, only a one car garage which we also park a car in. I'm thinking of ripping out all of my shelving units and installing something more practical but don't really have a plan. I am also thinking it would save room to store our 2 kayaks on the same wall one above the other. Right now they are on opposite sides and our car door bangs into them when we open them.

@Nick posted a picture in this thread and I find it really helpful to see how other people have their gear storage set up.

Any ideas, tips, and especially pictures would be much appreciated.
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Mission accomplished. It doesn't look impressive or anything but we can finally pull into the garage and actually open the car door to get out now.

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There's something so calming about seeing a well organized space like that. Does that mean I have some sort of mental illness? I'm jealous. More and more gear keeps coming and the space is not growing. I need to build another garage/boat house I think.
 
Nick said:
Spent a little time getting my gear wall organized today. This is just my most commonly used stuff that I keep on hand all the time. The rest gets stuffed in the basement. Up until today I haven't had a bit of extra room on these shelves so I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. :).

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What kind of shelving is this? I have been looking into different options but this seems to work great for heavy loads.
 
Monique said:
What kind of shelving is this? I have been looking into different options but this seems to work great for heavy loads.
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It comes in a few name brands. It's available at Home Depot. It's grey plastic that breaks down flat. It's not the most heavy duty thing, but it works well for medium loads.
 
Wow, great (old) thread. Let's see... the sleeping bags are hanging in the boiler room, which is also where the duffel bags and stuff sacks are, as well as my wife's and kids' sleeping pads and backpacks. In the shop, I built some shelving which houses the tents, my sleeping pads, camping chairs, portable wood stove, folding tables, cataraft gear, PFDs, and repair gear. The cataraft tubes are adjacent to this on their own shelf. The coolers are stacked up to the left of the shelving, with the tarps on them. The oars and paddles are standing to the right of the shelving.

The cataraft frame is on the trailer in the back yard. I used to have the canoe and kayaks here but my wife moved the kayaks to a corner of the yard, near the wood shed. The canoe is currently over by the snowmachine and is awaiting new gunwales.

Also in the shop and over by the gun safe are the backpacking stoves, fuel bottles, bear spray, Tupperware for food storage, compasses, GPS, SPOT, whistles, signal mirrors, binoculars, spotting scope, and fire starting options. On the other side of the safe hang my backpacks and day packs. In the garage are a stack of Action Packers with camp gear in them (Coleman stove, BRFCs, water purifiers, kitchen gear, 1-pound propane bottles, cutting boards, hot dog skewers, and several other small items, mostly for car camping). Extra food is stored in the garage in a metal box. Maps are in my bedroom.

Yeah, I know this probably sounds like a storage nightmare, but it works for me (well, there are times...), and mostly works for my wife. I know where everything is that I have. I do plan to re-organize the shop this summer so hopefully I'll be able to consolidate some storage areas. Labeling the storage bins will be a big step to assist my wife.
 
Tyler said:
So, how do you all store your gear? I'm limited on space in some ways (although I'm sure it's better than others) with a single car garage. I have a nice sized shed in the back yard, but I like to keep all my gear in the garage for loading/unloading ease.

First, how many of you store your down bags as recommended (opened and hanging)? Also, for any of you that have the Big Agnes air core sleeping pads, it recommends storing fully opened, do any of you follow that? I'm running out of room for stuff like this.

I have shelves along each side of my garage and I sort my stuff into bins: Car camping gear (bigger stuff), Backpacking gear (lighter stuff), a bin for canyoneering related stuff, a bin for just my biking stuff, and a bin for misc. camping stuff (gas canisters, odds and ends, etc.). I also have a lot of hooks for helmets, rope bags, etc.

I also have sections on my shelves for all my sleeping pads, my tents, my backpacks, and my regular sleeping bags (in stuff sacks).

I think what I want to know most about is the down sleeping bag storage and other peoples opinions.
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I thought I would add this in case anyone was looking for a storage bag.

Wal-Mart has laundry bags that work really well for long term storage. I get the $2 version that is stronger than the $1 version and just as good as the originals that come with the bags.
 
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