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How do you store your outdoor gear?

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I'm sure many others have this issue. My gear is just constantly bloody everywhere and it's a mess...

I've basically got a bunch of boxes in a cupboard that I use to store all my kit in. It's more like organised chaos than actually organised. The issue is, in order to get stuff in and out I end up ripping apart all my organising in order to get at that one grigri I need for the wall...

I'm starting to think some soft of shelving system may be better instead of just having things piled up. Ideally I'd have one of those nice wall mounted boards with the things that stick out that you can just hang stuff on but I'm clever enough not propose this idea to my girlfriend! The other thing is I've also got stuff like tents, sleeping bags, and all that crap to account for.

Anyone got any really good storage solutions they'd like to divulge? Got to be easy to get at stuff, reasonably easy to maintain, have room for big stuff like tents, boots and all that crap. Maybe I need a garage...

Post edited at 15:55
 Ridge 12 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

It all really depends on space. We bought a place with a bit of a home office so I put up racks to fit the outdoor gear along one wall then built a frame, a bit like a stud wall, across the front to hang doors on and used tounge and groove cladding to finish it off.

 Lornajkelly 12 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

Similar problem.  I climb, camp, summer hike, winter hike, cycle, outdoor-swim, do triathlons, stand-up paddleboard and snowboard.  That's a lot of stuff.  We're fortunate enough to have a garage though, despite living in a flat, so we have two ikea shelving units with plastic storage boxes on.  I have a separate one for summer outdoor gear, winter outdoor gear, triathlon and associated and camping; the bigger tent doesn't go in a box but everything else fits fine. 

Specifically I have these but anything similar would work just as well.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/storage-furniture/shelving-units-system... 

https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-modular-storage-box-lid-75l/p/0449325 and various different sizes. 

Means I can find what I need and put it away easily when we get back from a trip somewhere.  The garage isn't prone to damp but the clip-seal box is an additional safety measure for, for instance, metalwork.

It's worth pointing out that the storage boxes are currently on sale.  They're pretty sturdy and the clip mechanism is fairly substantial - I do recommend them.

 More-On 12 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

> Maybe I need a garage...

This...

...and a loft!

 Glyno 12 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

Really Useful© boxes on a shelf in the kitchen for gadgets and small equipment

Footwear is divided between 'under the stairs' and the boot of my car

Clothing (too much), in wardrobe

 Timmd 12 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

My childhood home had a walk in cupboard with hooks and shelves in, which worked a treat, it was a random thing at the top of the house.

In my own home I put my gear in the space behind my bed in the attic room, one of those where you open a hatch and put things in, it's in bags and plastic boxes, and I need to remember where things are, and put the least used things further back to make life easier. 

One day I aspire to having a 'climbing cupboard' again like in my childhood home.

 Fiona Reid 12 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

Climbing rack (summer) and ice axes on a pegboard on the back of a large cupboard door. I built it and am quite chuffed with my creation. 

Harnesses and rock shoes in underbed boxes with regular shoes as they are easily accessible and used pretty much every week. Walking boots in various bags under same bed - we have a side of the bed each! the wee ikea blue bags are great for chucking boots in and lot more durable than a 10p plastic bag.

Rucksacks, holdalls, camping mats etc under spare bed in underbed storage boxes. Our hill sacks plus down sleeping bags live on a shelf unit in that room.

Skis, ski gear, avvy kit, snoe shoes in cupboard with pegboard. This is the fiddliest to get at as sods law you'll need to empty the whole cupboard but as skiing in Scotland can be a bit fickle some winters that kit doesn't see the light of day.

Spare ropes, tat, spare metalwork (old carabiners), winter climbing gear (battered nuts, hexes, screws etc) in 2 large ikea crates with lids that stack in another cupboard. On top of these crates is an ikea blue bag with the two ropes of choice for the season (50m for summer, swapped to 60m for winter) with helmets, slings etc so the stuff can be quickly packed / grabbed for weekends.

We always put stuff away after the weekend or cragging evening (once dry!) so we can find it for the next trip.

Perhaps I'm a bit odd but I kinda like order and being able to find stuff!

Post edited at 18:22
 Timmd 12 Dec 2018
In reply to Fiona Reid:

> Perhaps I'm a bit odd but I kinda like order and being able to find stuff!

The older I get the more I'm like that. 

Post edited at 18:31
 D.Russell 12 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

Why don't you store your rack in your car again?

 tspoon1981 12 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

I have a walk in cupboard for all my climbing kit, bags, clothing etc and a lean to shed for bike stuff, paddle boards or anything too cumbersome to be stored inside.

The best thing I've found is peg board, we have 4 on the wall and most of my climbing kit can be stored. It is a massive help when packing gear, putting gear away and finding that one grigri that you need for the wall. If you have a cupboard you might be able to put them up in there, rather than having them somewhere in view.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/small-storage-organisers/wall-storage/s...

I have a collection of clear plastic boxes that store bags, old coats, old gear that maybe useful one day. 

Just get peg boards.

 

 Neil Williams 12 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

> constantly bloody everywhere and it's a mess...

Yep, that one

 

 PaulJepson 12 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

I rack all my climbing gear on an old daisy chain that hangs up. I think the rest of the kit (ropes, tents, etc.) are big enough just just go in the cupboard. Sleeping pads and sleeping bags are laid out open under the sofa. That's better for them anyway. Outdoor clothing goes in the spare wardrobe. 

It will always be a mess though. The minute it's all perfectly organised is the minute you realise you need to buy more shiny things. 

 afx22 12 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

I have lots of Ikea Algot units, like these https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/storage-furniture/storage-systems/algot...

In reply to D.Russell:

Good idea! That ended well last time from what I remember. (bastard) haha

In reply to Lornajkelly:

Yeah, dampness was a concern of mine. I've got a shed in the garden. Truthfully I think it's pretty well ventelated but I've always been worried about mould especially on ropes or other fabrics I don't use often. In a box though out there might work. I've got a 120m static that I may chuck out there. It's kit like that rope that are rearly used and end up just taking up so much room!

Thanks for the replies so far folks. 

 AndyE9 12 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

What we do ...  

I’m a little paranoid and won’t leave our kit in the garage .. 

we rack all out metal gear , cams , nuts , quickdraws ...  and so on , on small loops of cord which are then stored in a plastic tub with a lid ( bought from B&M ) 

we store our ropes in their own tubs all 9 of them ???? .. 

as we do with our tents , cooking kit , winter gear , hual bags .. etc , we do the same for our sailing gear .. 

We then stack these tubs in the cupboard , I was going to put them in the garage but didn’t want them to get damp ..  

 

 jethro kiernan 13 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

3 kit bags of winter kit, sleeping bags tents etc under the eaves, boxes on ikea shelves for climbing gear, wetsuits (triathlon and surfing) road biking clothes in a linen chest in the living room winter bag and summer bag. mountain biking box on the shelves big builders tub with all the mountain biking helmets and kids mountain biking clothes.

more storage needed!!

Being able to throw things in a box with all the other relevant stuff makes getting out easier, otherwise a family mountain biking trip descends into iratetable chaos

Post edited at 07:43
 LastBoyScout 13 Dec 2018
In reply to Lornajkelly:

Similar multisports problems, so:

Sleeping bags and mats in kid's wardrobe, snowboard in bag under kid's bed, smaller odds and ends in kitbag in top of my wardrobe, clothing generally in wardrobes, some other stuff in loft.

Climbing gear in rucksacks, was in the loft but moved to under the bed when it got really hot in the summer. Rest of the big stuff is all in the garage - I've got 2 wardrobes in there, one with camping and cycling gear, the other with watersports gear.

We're probably going to end up moving house this year - I really want somewhere with a double garage!

 girlymonkey 13 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

We have a room for it! Our house had previously had a garage and the previous occupants converted it into a spare room with an en-suite. So we lifted the carpet, put hooks on the wall for rucksacks etc, a couple of old wardrobes for climbing kit, camping kit etc and we have drying racks and a dehumidifier. Oh, and boot racks and a boot drier too.

I think your only solution is to move house

 trish1968 13 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

We've just knocked down 2 wooden sheds and built a concrete shed double skinned insulated so hopefully our gear will be nice and snug in there.

 Siward 13 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

Well, outdoors. Isn't that the idea? It doesn't seem to last long though... 

 tehmarks 13 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

Currently spread across every inch of my bedroom floor (shared house) in a system vaguely resembling the one Andy Kirkpatrick describes of Ian Parnell in one of his book.

It's not very effective if you can't immediately see the thing you're looking for...

 yodadave 13 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

I've had a coat closet by the front door of my last three houses and I use a system of bags so:

sport climbing bag

trad bag

bouldering bag , that then stuffs in my crash pad

paddling gear in a big dry bag

It means i have three pairs of climbing shoes on the go at any one time and sometimes i end up somewhere with the wrong ones but it also means that I can run in the house at 5 on a summers evening, kiss the kids good night and run out with the appropriate bag. Kit is all dried after use and reracked etc on an evening when the wife is out playing. The peg board solutions have always baffled me as who has time to pack their bags for every single trip out??  My other disclaimer is that I have enough rucksacks to make this work but it means compromising on which one I use for what. For big days out occasionally i'll pick from the different bags to get all the best bits together but in general it works well for me and gets me out more days than any other method ive tried and if it does that then it's a win.

Post edited at 15:07
 Chmusar 16 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

I bought a few office filing cabinets , old ones as they are more heavy duty quite cheap and very robust

 Trangia 17 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

I have a log cabin in the garden with timber hanging hooks along the walls on which I hang all my neatly coiled ropes sorted by size, length and colour. The slings and QDs are again hung on similar timber hooks again neatly sorted by colour, size and lengths. All my krabs are neatly sorted by size and weight again on purpose built open ended hanging racks, and the screw gates are separated from the others. My ice axes and ice tools have their own hanging hooks , alongside my various crampons, and are close to my shoe racks storing my climbing boots and shoes. Rucksacks and day sacks are hung in order of size along another wall. There is a built in cupboard with a pull out clothes hanging rack on which all my various winter and summer climbing clothes are hung, with a pull out drawer for socks and gaiters.

My various tents, bivies and stoves are stored in a shelved corner recess.

In the middle of the room there is a work bench complete with two vices and tools hanging neatly on the side for sharpening ski edges, crampons and ice tools.

There is a pot bellied wood burner at one end, a variety of cuckoo clocks spread along the walls and piped yodeling  playing softly in the background, interspersed with songs from the Sound of Music.

1
 Jim Hamilton 17 Dec 2018
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

Didn't UKC do a couple of articles/pictures about gear storage? might be some ideas there - perhaps resurrect starting with Trangia's cabin!


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