Are you completely hooked on camping and collecting a vast amount of camping gear? Tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, cooking equipment, the list goes on, and the expense adds up. You need to work out how to store camping gear, so it is accessible and does not get damaged.
So where is the best place? Well, here at My Green Tent, we have put together a few tips on how to store your camping gear and where to store it. After all, outdoor equipment is a significant investment, and you want to store your camping gear the right way the first time.
Where Should I Store My Camping Gear?
When choosing the best place to store your camping gear, there are a few things to consider, key factors which will not be kind to your camping equipment.
- UV light
- Damp
- Rodents and bugs
- Temperature swings
- Ventilation
- Mud and dirt
Ideally, you want a clean, cool, dry, well-ventilated place away from direct sunlight.
A spare room or a garage are excellent places to store your camping gear, along with a basement and a loft, providing you take into account the above criteria.
If you store your camping gear in the ideal environment, your equipment will remain in perfect condition. You can store your gear for the winter and not use it again until the following summer, knowing your equipment will be in the same condition as when you left it.
How Do You Store Camping Gear At Home?
You might be returning from a fun trip away camping, perhaps tired from all that fresh air, and not relishing the idea of stowing away your camping gear. However, if you do it right, you will appreciate it the next time you get your equipment ready for a trip, and it is clean, dry and undamaged.
So, how to store camping gear at home?
Keep it Clean
Maintaining your camping gear by cleaning, drying, and repairing any rips or holes will keep the wear and tear of your equipment to a minimum and prolong its life.
Check the labels before cleaning for washing instructions. Some items can go in the washing machine. For other things, you can buy special fabric cleaners. These can refresh the waterproof items that seem less water-resistant than at the start of the season. You want to wash away any mud, dirt, spills, bug spray, body oils, and anything else that might cause damage to the fabric. Cleaning food is essential. Attracting vermin would be disastrous for your camping gear.
Wash your cooking equipment before storing it. A dishwasher is fantastic, or hot soapy water for those items that are not dishwasher safe. You might do a good job washing your cooking items when camping, but nothing beats a good proper clean before storing away.
Make Sure it is Dry
Everything needs to be dry before being packed away. Leave it hanging or spreading out if you have space to ensure the item is not damp. Moisture can cause mould and create a bad smell, which is not a pleasant experience for sleeping in your tent on the next trip out. Check all edges, insides, and pockets are dry.
Repair
Time to check for any holes in tents, sleeping bags or sleeping mats which might need patching. Broken tent poles and fiddly zips with missing teeth might need repairing. If you catch the repairs early, they might be easy to fix by yourself, or you can take them to an outdoor gear shop.
Organise
It does help if you have a system when you store your camping gear. Taking an inventory can help. You might break it down into cooking utensils, stoves, and hiking gear. Taking an audit might highlight how many stoves or backpacks you have. You could decide to sell one or two, making a bit of money and space.
Once you have established how much gear you have, you can decide how much space you need to store everything.
Storage
Storage boxes and bins are a great way to store many items, especially if you want some things accessible. A grab-and-go box saves a lot of time if you are a weekend warrior and dashing out after work on a Friday evening.
Some equipment needs a bit more thought when working out how to store camping gear.
- Tents, the best way to store a tent is to drape it from a few hooks on a wall or in a closet. If space is an issue and you need to pack away, the often hotly debated question is, ‘Do you stuff or roll your tent into the storage bag?’ However, Big Agnes says to do either. Check out Big Agnes Seasonal Tent Maintenance for further tips on keeping your tent in tip-top condition.
- Sleeping Bags can be a significant investment, so to keep them in as good as new condition, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on washing and drying your sleeping bag. Then, if you are storing it at home, the best way is to keep it in a large, breathable bag. The principle is that the insulation in your sleeping bag must fluff up. Insulation is good at fluffing up after being stored away for a short while. However, it will lose its ability to spring back into its plump state after extended periods. Those small gaps in between the insulation loft trap your body heat to keep you warm, and if the ability to loft up is compromised, so is the insulation quality of the sleeping bag. Click here for further tips on sleeping bag care.
- Hazardous Items, this category can include sharp knives, bug repellent, propane, and matches or lighters. It is best to store these items up high, particularly if you have children or pets.
- Camping Chairs usually fold up relatively small, so they do not take up much room. It is worth covering them with a dust sheet or tarp if they are too big to store in a box.
- Backpacks, check they are clean. Over the season, you are likely to have carried a lot of food in your bag, and it is not a good idea to have crumbs in your backpack, as this could attract some unwanted visitors.
- Hiking Shoes / Boots are other essential items of outdoor gear. They can cost a lot of money, and you might have grown attached to your comfortable pair of hiking boots. It is vital to keep your boots clean and dry and store them in a well-ventilated area at room temperature. You can find out more about how long will hiking boots last.
- Electrical Gadgets, these items need to be kept safe, where they cannot be knocked over and broken. It is advisable to take out batteries and store them separately. Batteries left inside the electrical item can cause damage. It is worth getting a small box for batteries, so you do not need to search the junk drawer where you think you saw them last.
Where Do You Store Camping Gear Without A Garage?
A garage often becomes a customary storage space for equipment. However, you might not be fortunate to have a garage. So, how to store camping gear without a garage?
The house is generally a perfect environment for storing camping gear, and closets or spare rooms are excellent places. Keeping it in places you walk past regularly can be an advantage. It is more accessible, and you see it regularly, reminding you to get out there and use it.
Utilising overhead areas is a good use of unused space, and cargo nets are a fantastic way to hold smaller and lighter objects out of the way, and they look the part too.
Over-the-door storage is another good way to store shoes and small items.
Pegboards can be ideal for storing hiking poles and oddly-shaped items. You can make a feature out of this type of storage solution. Add photos of trips. They help to relive the happy memories, and you will look forward to the next season.
Under the bed provides good storage space, especially for larger items. Depending on the area under your bed, storage boxes make camping gear more accessible.
Can Camping Gear Be Stored Outside?
How to store camping gear? You do not have a garage, and you do not have room inside your tiny home. What can you do?
How about a shed? It might not seem the most obvious choice. If you are not careful, sheds can get dirty, damp and full of spiders and mice. None of these will do your tent any good.
However, a shed can work if you keep the shed dry, rodent-proof and clean.
Over the years, camping equipment has come a long way. Some tents are all-weather tents designed for year-round use and can cope with fluctuations in extreme temperatures. Four-season tents can cope with extreme weather conditions and are durable and versatile. Meaning outside storage in a shed is a possibility.
The main concern is moisture. Your shed needs to be strong and sturdy so that when the rain comes, your shed is water-tight. Water will damage your tent. Once dampness is introduced, mould and mildew take hold, and spread quickly, reducing your tent’s longevity. The next time you take out your tent after getting wet in storage, it can have a foul odour and black marks of mould, making it look unsightly and creating issues with its waterproofing.
Tents can withstand high temperatures. However, direct sunlight can cause damage, so keep away from the shed’s windows. In continuous sunlight, the UV rays can diminish the strength of the tent’s fabric. If the colour of your tent has faded, it indicates the material has suffered damage from UV rays.
If there are any signs of rodents or bugs, it is a bad idea to store your tent in the shed. They can create a whole heap of damage if they decide to use your tent as a nest.
Plastic sheds, bins with clip-fastening lids and plastic storage containers can be suitable for storing some items of camping equipment. However, keeping any fabric items outside in boxes is not advisable if vermin or dampness is suspected.
Can You Store Camping Gear In An Attic?
Yes, sometimes, you can use the attic for storage, but how to store camping gear in the attic. Ask yourself the same questions about the attic’s environment as other potential storage areas.
- Is it dry?
- Are there vermin or other critters?
- Does it get humid in the attic?
Attics can suffer from humidity, mainly if the attic is not well insulated. If this is the case, storing your tent and other fabric camping gear in the attic is not advisable. Attics can suffer from vermin infestations.
Can You Store Camping Gear In A Storage Unit?
Storage units can be a good place to store camping gear. However, it does depend on the quality of the storage units. The units must be in a humidity-controlled environment. Otherwise, your equipment will suffer humidity-related damage.
Finding a suitable storage unit can provide a great place if you do not have adequate space at home. However, it is worth considering the proximity to your home and the opening times of the storage centre. If your camping gear is not easily accessible, you might use it less frequently.
Conclusion
How to store camping gear is an essential question to ask. Camping equipment is a significant investment whether you are an experienced camper or a newbie starting your adventures.
Finding a way to store your camping gear in a way that suits you can take time and some organising. However, it will be worth it, as the next time you go out on an adventure, your gear will be quick and easy to access. Your camping gear will be in tip-top condition, damp and mould-free, undamaged by the sun or vermin.
Your investment will last years, meaning loads of escapades into the wilderness.