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quoteStorage is a major challenge in any leisure vehicle – campervan, motorhome or caravan. That’s because space will always be limited (not forgetting payload, too).
But, it’s a challenge we’re well up for – and there are plenty of ideas out there for products that can help with your packing as well as being particularly efficient at not taking up too much space.
Everything from key items of gear that collapse or fold particularly efficiently for storage, all manner of hooks, lines, bags and more.
How to conquer space in a campervan, motorhome or caravan
Read on for some ideas on how to make the most of the space you have inside your caravan, campervan or motorhome…
Top tips on maximising space in a leisure vehicle
- Don’t spend your money until you’ve decided exactly what you need and whether it will solve a problem rather than create another one
- Just like at home, be wary of drilling holes, especially in surfaces that might not be designed to take any extra stress
- This goes for anything you add to your leisure vehicle – do consider the implications when it comes to trade-in time and optimising your caravan or motorhome’s resale value. Too much DIY and dealers could well be looking to knock you down on price
- Plenty of products that are designed for camping use tend to be that bit smaller than their domestic equivalents. Remember, every bit of storage space is sacred
- Think about products which have multiple uses. How about taking a multi-tool rather than a whole toolkit? Add some shelving or space-saving solutions to existing lockers? Stuff any cushions with clothing/towels? Take a clothes line and pegs with you (the latter always come in handy for a multitude of other uses, e.g. fastening opened bags of food)?
- Saving space often goes hand in hand with keeping your caravan or motorhome weight down, which is always good for your leisure vehicle.
Here are 13 space-saving accessories for caravans, campervans or motorhomes:
Star Player #1
Outwell Collaps – Kettle, bucket, bowl & colander set
Just three items from the extensive gathering of products under the Collaps name from Outwell – and, as the title suggests, the key to their practicality is their collapsible nature, which makes them ultimately suitable for saving on storage space.
Outwell’s Collaps kettles come in two sizes – 1.5-litre and 2.5-litre and can be used on gas hobs (but not induction).
The Bowl & Colander Set includes a bowl (3.5-litre capacity) and a colander. It also comes with a lid that can be used as a chopping board, complete with a juice groove.
The Collaps Bucket also comes with a loose lid, plus a carry handle. It has an 11-litre capacity
Look out for a choice of Collaps colours, too – typically, Shadow Green, Navy Night, Midnight Black or Classic Blue.
Key features BPA-free plastic, silicone (Bucket is TPE) and stainless steel construction, break-resistant, dishwasher safe,
Expect to pay £39.99/£49.99 (1.5-/2.5-litre Kettle)/£25.99 (Bowl & Colander Set)/£23.99 (Bucket)
WIN: We have an Outwell Collaps kettle, bucket, plus a bowl and colander set up for grabs in our latest giveaway. Click here to enter.
Star Player #2
Coleman Pack-Away table and bench set
One of a number of new camping furniture pieces from Coleman announced for the 2024 season.
One of the key features of this fold-away design is the anti-bacterial treatment for the tabletop, which helps to alleviate long-term damage from mould and mildew. You also get two bench seats.
It’s an ideal design if you have small children in your caravanning or motorhoming entourage, and the clever design means it packs away to just 61cm x 102cm x 3cm. Open dimensions are 61cm x 102cm x 70cm and it seats up to four.
Key features Steel frame, anti-bacterial treated polypropylene tabletop, UV-treated tabletop and benches, carry handle, carry bag, 10kg total weight
Expect to pay £119.99
Star Player #3
Lifestyle Appliances Navarra clothes dryer
A typical camping clothes airer that splits in half for storage and comes with ground pegs for great stability when it’s up.
It’s the folding design that makes it a great bet for efficient storing. It’s also particularly easy to put up and pack away after use.
This comes from Lifestyle Appliances’ Navarra range of outdoor furniture that also includes tables and chairs, loungers and more.
Key features Lightweight aluminium frame, 25kg load capacity, carry bag included
Expect to pay £41.99
Star Player #4
Helinox Café chair and table
You won’t get better packability than this in an outdoor table and chair set. They can be bought separately, both featuring collapsible, inter-connecting leg poles that snap into position in a resin hub.
The Café Table is designed for two to sit at, with its 60cm x 60cm top (in Black or Coyote Tan) that sits some 68cm from the ground. It can take weights of up to 50kg, yet itself weighs just 3.85kg, packing down to an easily manageable 60cm x 61cm x 9cm.
The Café Chair has the same signature blue alloy poles design and weighs only 1.4kg, but is strong enough for folk up to 145kg. There are three fabric colour choices – Black, Coyote Tan or Charcoal. Pack size is just 58cm x 16.5cm diameter.
Key features Table top is heat-resistant to 180degC and wipe-clean laminate, DAC aluminium alloy poles with silicone shock cord, rotary resin hub, 600D recycled polyester seat fabric, five-year warranty
Expect to pay £160 (Café Chair)/£220 (Café Table)
Star Player #5
Lakeland Madesmart 2-tier organiser with dividers
There’s a good chance the existing shelving in your leisure vehicle’s lockers doesn’t quite suit your needs – and this is where items like this can really prove themselves.
It has two removable baskets with a divider that can be placed in various positions and is safe enough for use with food or, suggests Lakeland, in the washroom.
Dimensions are 23cm x 36.5cm x 27cm high. Plus, when not storing things, it can be folded down to approximately half its height.
Key features BPA-free, plastic drawers with metal frames, three-year warranty
Expect to pay £29.99
Star Player #6
Soto Thermostack Cook Set Combo
Aimed at solo campers who also want to save weight, a stackable pan set can really save you space in your caravan, campervan or motorhome. This set includes one aluminium 750ml pot, a 400ml titanium mug that also doubles as a pot, titanium mug, a stainless steel 350ml mug, plus two lids (one for the pan, one for either of the mugs), a single handle and insulated cover.
You can also put the two mugs together for the best possible insulation properties.
Between them all, they total some 310g in weight. But they also pack right down to a diameter of 8.6cm and a maximum height of 11cm.
Key features Hard anodised aluminium, titanium,
Expect to pay £71.95
Star Player #7
OlPro Foldable Dustbin
At 30-litres, this foldable dustbin doesn’t lack for capacity. Yet it folds down from 32cm x 37.5cm x 27cm high to just 31cm x 37.5cm x 6.5cm. And it weights only 1.65kg. It will take up to 80kg of rubbish, though.
Its calcium carbonate/polypropylene construction is both tough and heat-resistant, as well as highly sustainable.
Key features Made from PP+calcium carbonate, handles for transportation, lid, one-year warranty
Expect to pay £10
Star Player #8
Craghoppers Locke packaway shoes
Look closer and almost everything you take away with you on a camping trip can be stored away that little bit more. Like these shoes, from Craghoppers, with their interlocking tread pattern for packing them together tightly.
These are part-made from polyester that, in turn, is made from recycled plastic bottles. The uppers have Craghoppers’ Nosilife anti-insect treatment, to keep biting bugs at bay, that’s designed to last for the life of the whole shoe. The midsole is made with 15% ground coffee beans and the outsole uses 15% recycled rubber.
Men’s sizes are 6-13, (including some halves), with Grey or Brown Tan colouring. Women’s sizes are 3-8, in Grey or Blue Navy.
Key features Mesh breathable uppers, Arneflex Eco insole from recycled foam, EVA midsole, Ramie organic natural fibre overlays and tongue
Expect to pay £59.50
Star Player #9
Nite Ize Radiant® Starlit™ string lights
Adding extra caravan and motorhome lighting is a popular theme these days. They don’t get much neater than these, though. The Starlit™ from Nite Ize is a retractable string of LED lights with built-in microprocessors that extends out to some 7m. Or it can be used as a single lantern.
You can programme for four colours and four flashing “disco” modes and it’s rechargeable, supplied with a USB-C cable. Typical charging time is 2.5 hours, while it can last up to 6.5 hours when used as a string or three hours when used as a lantern and string.
Key features 200 lumens total, 70 lights, crank handle winding operation, waterproof casing, hanging hook,
Expect to pay £39
Available soon at www.niteize.co.uk
Star Player #10
Lakeland 10 Stack a Boxes Food Storage Containers
A set of 10 750ml square containers with lids in four different colours (for easier identification) that can be stacked together when full and/or nest together when empty to save valuable locker space.
Storage possibilities are almost endless – pre-cooked meals, individual ingredients etc – for anything you want to keep fresh, either in a locker or your ‘van’s fridge/freezer. Other sizes and configurations are available.
Key features BPA-free, dishwasher-, microwave- and freezer-safe, three-year guarantee
Expect to pay £11.99
Star Player #11
Pop-out Coat Hook
A stylish addition to any leisure vehicle, if you don’t mind drilling a hole to fit it. It’s a simple enough push-button operation to pop the hook out for hanging coats, other clothes, towels etc. When in the locked position it sits flush with its own rosette.
Key features Requires 26mm drill hole, push-button operation, locking facility, coat hanger decal
Expect to pay £15.90
Star Player #12
Reimo Aluminium Profile Strip
Visit any specialist kit supplier for leisure vehicles – like Reimo, here – and you’ll be greeted with a massive choice of proven space saving accessories.
This strip, for example, can be used with a variety of hooks and more – including holders for drinks glasses, spice racks etc.
Key features Aluminium, easy to fit, 2m total length, weighs less than 0.5kg
Expect to pay £14
Star Player #13
Camper Happy Stainless Steel Coat Hook
From an online retailer that again can offer a wide range of storage solutions and space saving accessories. This twin coat hook is in stainless steel, so it won’t rust. The hooks are different sizes, and rotate through 180 degrees
The base plate is 53mm x 38mm x 4mm and weight is 0.13kg.
Key features Space saving rotating hook design, cast 316 marine grade stainless steel, four x 4mm countersunk fixing holes
Expect to pay £15
Over to you…
Got any advice on saving space accessories or storage solution that you’d like to pass on to fellow caravanners, motorhomers or campervanners? Please feel free to add a comment below.
*Price and information correct at the time of publication (June 2024)
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Good article, lot of sound ideas. I’ve used 3M’s Command hooks with their removable adhesive strips for hanging allsorts, with the advantage of no damage to surfaces, and in our Bessacarr’s washroom, added an additional towel rail, by using an extendable type where one twists the opposite ends to lock it; only needed to cut the inner tube to fit. Have also tried to use square, or oblong stackable containers for space saving.
Thanks for sharing David