Storage for camping

[upnover]

Well, I have the hauler now, and finally found me a pop up to camp in, now the chore at hand is figuring out how to store all we need and want to go camping.
Two different types of camping
Primitive, nothing provided type camping
and having hook ups, like at Mnt City or Harlan

The pop up provides very little in the way of storage for much at all
at minimum we will have cooking stuff, pot's pans, silverware and so on
food both in a cooler and dry foods
cloths, towels and so on

The hauler has some extra deck space, so I am going to be looking into some decent boxes that can keep out the wet stuff while going down the road.

Strapping stuff on the hauler is also going to mean getting some weld on tie downs to secure it.
I am gonna get a generator too, I am thinking of putting a hitch hauler on the back of the camper to carry the generator. I already have the hitch hauler I made many years ago. So it will be as simple as welding on a receiver hitch to the back.

any ideas appreciated

 

[JThomas]

It's easier to keep thinks dry than clean. I would keep dust as the most important problem.

 

[snappy]

Extend the tongue on the camper and mount a truck box on there. Then its water tight and doesn't have to be unpacked and repacked

 

[upnover]

Extend the tongue on the camper and mount a truck box on there. Then its water tight and doesn't have to be unpacked and repacked

That is a good idea, may have to entertain that one for sure

 

[josh$$]

theres a tool box at the house for ya

 

[Dylan W.]

action packers and a Chip made rack that allows for multi layer stacking.

 

[Yay!Gurrr]

Extend tongue and use water proof stack-able bins/totes. I've always had good luck with the Rubbermaid tote bins, they come in various sizes and stack well and collapse inside each other nicely. I have some for cooking supplies, others for clothes. As long as the lid stays on they are pretty water tight.

The truck box is nice (i have on on my trailer) but I keep perminent stuff there. And it also gets dirty inside.

The bins are much easier to bring inside and out to transfer food/clothes etc.. And I (wife) usually use em for laundry when not otherwise being used

And some other uses for bins while camping:
Mini- pool for sitting in lawn chair and soaking feet
Wash bin for dishes
Drain pan for fluids (demoted to parts bins afterwords)
Flip upside down for mini table
- add plywood for bigger table
keep firewood dry
pile tents in after they get wet
temp/extra cooler
trash bin
containment area for small children
etc...

 

[Granny]

Mike, you might want to look at the black storage chests that Walmart sells. These are pretty rugged, stay closed, and will stand up to more than one trip in the back of a truck. Guess how I know that?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Contico-Storage-Locker/2476189

 

[shawn]

Action packers are not water proof. In fact, they will collect a surprising amount of water through the little holes at the latches.

 

[BUCKEYE PERFORMANCE INC.]

extending the frame is the best idea but keep in mind that you may want to have access to it when the camper is set up.
this is a box that i fabbed up for another member and the floor is expanded metal its going to be used for coolers and firewood.

 

[lockedup5]

extending the frame is the best idea but keep in mind that you may want to have access to it when the camper is set up.
this is a box that i fabbed up for another member and the floor is expanded metal its going to be used for coolers and firewood.

This may work for some popups but for mine it was a nightmare. I could put 150lbs on my rack and the camper wanted to sway from white line to white line. Needless to say I took it off. Chip I'd give it to you but I let it go w/ the camper when I sold it.

Plus it wanted to drag all the time.

 

[BUCKEYE PERFORMANCE INC.]

in chips case a much smaller one mounted on front of his frame is needed. if it were on the rear the axle placment would be to far forward. this box is fine on this camper cause it also has a extended deck on front with 3 alum boxes.

 

[upnover]

All good ideas, and concerns. I will most likely put this, if this is what I decide to do, on the front, since I am planning on putting the generator on the rear.

I am also considering a roof top storage container, strapped to back of hauler.
Maybe making some lightweight wooden boxes, coated with some water proof coating, also strapped to the back of the hauler.
I have a black box now, not quiet as big as the one Don showed, maybe a few more of those. They are water tight, at least on the back of my Jeep. Not sure how they would handle water spray from wheels.
Another thought is to add more side boxes on the hauler in the voids.
bottom line I will have to decide what to take and what not to take, of course, some trips require more. Neither Leslie or myself is very good at packing light!

 

[GubNi]

How about adding boxes to the trailer? I have a gooseneck with boxes under the front.

 

[Granny]

Not sure how they would handle water spray from wheels.

Chip, my personal experience says not to put anything (including a zip-lock baggie) behind the wheels where water spray can hit it... it WILL leak regardless!

 

[lockedup5]

I up graded from a popup to a 30' w/ a slide out and was packing it today for this weekend and I still don't have enough room for everything seems like. But w/ the popup all we usually had was an extra tote or two and always had every thing we needed.

 

[gmcjimmy88]

I hav seen everal withsimple luggage racks added to the roof. Just make sure the roof can support the weight. Downside is you will have to unload te roof prior to setting it p.