“Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” A Milk Crate Update
I decided against the bamboo one, because dimensions were not correct, but I really liked the construction and simplicity of it. Then I went ahead and ordered the other two.
The collapsing laundry rack really seemed ideal because it folded up so small and stored in its own little bag - but when it arrived, it did not expand out wide enough. It was also fairly flimsy, and wouldn’t support very much hanging weight, even though I had ordered the “bigger, stronger” version. I could see it being handy for drying towels outside the van, but so is a clothesline and they are even smaller. Ultimately, this item was returned to Amazon.
The opposite extreme, the Red Camp Grill Swing, seemed like it could be multi purpose because we have started doing a little bit more cast iron cooking while camping. It got lost in transit, going from one coast to the other before finally arriving at our door in the heart of the MidWest. It was heavy duty which meant it would support plenty of weight, and it was heavy to carry, as well - about 20#s! But it did fold up into it’s own carry bag so it took up less space than I thought it would. The height was perfect, but unfortunately it also was not wide enough to stand up in the front of the pop-top. The legs needed to be 47” apart, and these were maybe 42” maxed out. This item is kinda fun, so we haven’t decided if we will keep it or return it, but it didn’t work inside the van, and I doubt we will want to haul it around with us.
In addition to the swing set contraption for hanging, I also ordered stuff to hang from it:
The first item is a classic. The 3 tier collapsing wire fruit basket. They pack up flat, and can hold a lot. I figured I could put cloth napkins in them so nothing would fall through. In theory, they were brilliant. In reality, since none of the swing structures worked, the only hanging options were the pop top handles and from there the baskets hung down too low, and were in the way, plus I couldn’t reach anything in the top basket, as it was too high up. Also, I felt like this item just really shouldn’t cost $16. It seemed like something you should be able to get at a Dollar General for about $5. Sadly, this item was returned.
The 11” wide hanging sweater boxes were way too big - and again, at this point I didn’t really have anything to hang them from! Another Amazon return, another coupon at Kohl’s. LOL.
The narrow hanging shoe organizer is the one item, so far, that I am keeping. I found that I could hang it from the “Mickey mouse ears” closing clamp on the inside of the pop top roof and it sat back far enough in the corner that it could be useful and still be out of the way. Mostly, it will be for paper products, so it shouldn’t add too much weight to the roof support struts or to the clamp. It will hold paper plates in the side pockets, a spare roll of TP, facial tissues, paper towels, plastic silverware, napkins, etc … I will try to come back and add a photo of it in use, once I get one.
My #2 complaint is that there is no handy place for all of the small things we actively use while camping. The Peace Vans kitchen box in the back end has our “kitchen stuff” and that’s about it. When the bed is down, which is 100% of the time for us during camping season, the drawer under the bed is basically inaccessible. So for the small stuff, I thought we might try some pockets hung from the bottom of the pop top bed, which is basically our ceiling, because it’s just the two of us, and we use the bench bed. I ordered these:
Neither one worked as I had hoped. The hooks over the top edge of the bed base didn’t work at all, and I used elastic pinned with safety pins at the bottom and top to hold them onto the pop top bed base, but they still pulled away in the middle. Also, they ended up being a lot more parallel to the floor than I thought they would be. Even with the roof “raised” stuff wouldn’t stay in the pockets. Both were returned. I hope Amazon doesn’t cancel my subscription!
This meant I was back to the drawing board re: the small items. If you recall from another post, we use milk crates under the ends of our bed for extra support, and that is where all of the little stuff was stored, but those milk crates need to be on their side, so the stuff never stayed put, and I had to get down on my knees and paw around under the bed (where it is dark) to find anything. To hold stuff in place, we have been using a cargo net, and the shelf we carry. It was okay, but not ideal. I decided this was actually the issue that had been bugging me the most, so I went on a mission to try to find “drawers” for the milk crates. The fabric folding boxes designed to go on shelving units were all either too big or too small. I considered using drawers from a plastic three drawer rolling storage unit, but they were all too deep. Then, in the kids closet organizing section at Walmart, I came across these::
And they were exactly what I needed! They fit inside the milk crates, and hold all the small stuff. I can slide them out like drawers when the crates are on their side. I can also see what is in them. When we put the bench back, I move the crates to the back of the van and I will be able to just slide out the drawers, rotate the crate upright, and drop the “liners” full of stuff back inside. No more dumping and repacking. They even have lids in case we need to set the “stuff” outside. They will keep bugs and water out. Better still, they were only $5 each including tax!
We will probably still use the cargo net while driving, to hold the stuff between the crates in place, and to hold our shelf, but when we are parked, I will remove the net and the small stuff should be much easier to access!
So basically, after all the fussing and fretting, the simplest solution is usually the best. And now we can hit the road again, only slightly more organized.
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