Planning storage in a van build

I started out using milk crates and totes as a base for a bed platform. If what I had didn’t fit I didn’t take it. If I didn’t use something in a month I got rid of it which gave me room to get and try something I might.

I drive an E150 also and a Stow Away cargo carrier frame helps a lot for adding storage space. They are a bit pricey but to me it's worth the cost to be able to open the rear doors.

I keep a small generator and an 11lb. LP tank in it plus misc. tools, oil & other fluids,etc. It's also a handy place to set a tiltable solar panel.

I've just removed the passenger seat and will relocate my fridge and fresh tank there and that will open up space at the rear for some added shelving.

Kent_the_Nomad said:

Trying to decide how much storage space I need in my build. My particulars: E150 van, will be living full time, no back up house or storage unit to store things. Just me and my dog and the basics of life. I know I will need to let go of "things", but do want to be comfortable.

What have you found to be just right? Not too little or too much storage. What has been a good balance for you? Do you wish you had built more storage space, or wish you had given you more space for living?

Click to expand...

Well, I can tell you what I have. But that may or may not have anything to do with what you should have.

Are you a camper now? You need to go camping right now in the vehicle you have with the stuff you have.

Buy yourself some plastic totes, and organize your stuff in them. When you find out what that sweet spot is FOR YOU, then you can worry about building something more permanent - if you want.

I don't have a shower, sink, or permanently mounted stove in my van, as I prefer storage space. I carry a Clam canopy for my camp kitchen and sitting space. But there are people here who would never forgo their inside shower. So - no one can tell you which way is best. YOU have to make that decision for yourself. And the best way to do that is to get your own experience.

As for being comfortable, I'm pretty sure everyone here would ALL agree that, first and foremost, you must have a comfortable way to sleep. So make that your first priority.

I agree with jacqueg that it’s all very personal, so that it’s hard even to describe what works for me and know that you’ll be able to picture it or translate it into your own experience. But some questions you might ask yourself are, How high is your tolerance for moving things in and out of bins, for getting things out from under the bed to get to other things, and for setting up and breaking camp? How narrow a space at foot, knee, elbow, and head height are you comfortable moving around in?

In my experience, those aspects of living in a small space make a much bigger difference to enjoyment than the actual “stuff.”

No one can answer that question for you. It is something you must discover for yourself. But we can offer suggestions based on our personal experience. Here's mine.

Sketch out a layout that you think will work for you. Spend a couple of hundred bucks in materials and no more than a couple of days time building out the infrastructure. Make everything as basic as possible. The bed could be a sheet of plywood on legs made out of a 2 x 4, with the mattress from your current bed. Storage could be milk crates or tote boxes. Running water could be a usb bottle dispenser faucet. A toilet could be a Luggable Loo. The fridge could be a styrofoam cooler.

When you're finished with the simple build, put your stuff in it, and hit the road. Even if hitting the road means living out of it in your driveway. The experience injects reality into the fantasy. What you dreamed was your ideal setup may have an unbearably inconvenient aspect. What you seemed essential may be not missed when eliminated. Something you thought was unimportant may turn out to be a necessity.

You'll discover what's important to you. Spend additional time and money making refinements to address those things. I started with a camping cot and quickly learned that was too uncomfortable.

The process will continue to evolve as time goes on and the miles accumulate. When I started, I didn't have a parking heater, now I think it's essential.

The ideal build isn't a one time event, its an iterative process. Just get started and do things in the simplest way that achieves the desired result with the resources (financial, skill, time) at your disposal.

bullfrog said:

I started out using milk crates and totes as a base for a bed platform. If what I had didn’t fit I didn’t take it. If I didn’t use something in a month I got rid of it which gave me room to get and try something I might.

Click to expand...

I built a bed with storage under it and raise it up so I can still get totes under it and it’s working out really good I put all my colths in it

You could put a clam shell on your roof for seasonal items. Heavy coat, extra blankets, heater. If using totes or milk crates for storage you can always add or subtract as you go. If you live somewhere travelers congregate ask to see their build. Most are willing to show what they have managed. If you can manage a trip to Quartsite, AZ in October it would be a good trial run and you could see pretty much every possible build. Last but definitely not least check out every video you can find on YouTube and also read the comments on them. Lots of great ideas and a few bad ones also.
Additional possibilities are to also carry a small tent. If you find you have too much stuff it can be stored in the tent on long stops. Not an ideal situation but doable. Awnings and things like SUV tents can extend your protected living space but expect to spend a lot of time outdoors.

dreamrunnerjt said:

If you can manage a trip to Quartzsite, AZ in October

Click to expand...

OCTOBER you'll melt

abnorm said:

OCTOBER you'll melt

Click to expand...

Thanks Abnorm. I wasn’t sure how to spell it and auto correct wasn’t helping.

Lol!!! The end of November at the earliest unless you have air conditioning you can run during the day. It is September and temps are hitting well over 100 degrees here at Bullfrog Utah at 4,000 feet elevation. Quartzsite is even warmer I bet.

I put in as much storage space as I had room for. It keeps the clutter behind closed doors.
More storage space can make it faster to get on the road when moving to a new camp. Not enough space makes securing things difficult. It also makes it harder to find things if other stuff gets pushed in front of it because you have no place to put it for easy access.

So basically put in what you can for storage but do not fall into hoarder territory where you feel compelled to cram every cabinet full to the max. Organization is vastly easier if you have more drawers and cabinets to choose from for sorting by category. Organization and not having to hunt for something you need is vastly better than wasting time looking for an object.

One of the biggest challenges for me wasn't the total amount of available storage space, but over-organizing with tiny spaces (mine's a minivan, so the amount of big spaces available is limited). I did a very organized proto-build with little drawers, bags and so on using every available nook, the quintessential cutesy-perfect van, breaking down everything I owned into very specific categories ... and it drove me nuts. Here is the space for the shoes I'm wearing ... except it really isn't big enough for hiking boots. Here is the special space for my fry pan ... which means I have to cook on something the size of a coffee saucer, because a real pan doesn't fit. I also got so detailed that I couldn't remember - was my needle and thread in one of the "tool" micro-drawers or did I put it in with the eyeglass repair kit?

I found that when possible, a larger container that held a seemingly random collection of my "real stuff" that I used every day (almost like you'd pack a suitcase), with a cheat sheet for those odds and ends that were packed away, was much much easier.

One other thing that worked for me, YMMV. I like a neater look, but I also used to love a big fluffy bed full of pillows and feathers. However, finding space (and motivation) to straighten or put away all that every day, cramped in a small space, was a royal pain. It paid off to take my time and test how "low" I could go and still be comfortable. (one example, I thought I could stuff pillows into a "day cover" and then lean on that like the arm of a couch. Extra work every day, and after fifteen minutes it left me slumped over like a deflated balloon. So I got a firm foam end cushion, and discovered it made a fine pillow.) This is all personal and I agree with everyone else, there's nothing more important than a comfortable night's sleep, but if you have the ability, experiment.

thebarefootbadger said:

cheat sheet for those odds and ends that were packed away

Click to expand...

Doubling down on this. I can't emphasise it enough. I'm in the packing phase right now, and the first time I forgot where something was I started a list. It's on my phone, called "Where did I put ... ?", and it gets as detailed as "Vacuum cleaner tools - bottom sink drawer". Highly recommend.

Kent_the_Nomad said:

What have you found to be just right? Not too little or too much storage. What has been a good balance for you? Do you wish you had built more storage space, or wish you had given you more space for living?

Click to expand...

Thanks all

I put a double bathroom cabinet in my van with a plywood top, and one side houses the sink, water storage and drain, and the other has all car stuff, like air pump, jumper cables, charger, straps, tools, etc. In between them, the fridge.
Clothes go in plastic drawer units, and pillow cases that zip up
Kitchen-y stuff and food, in plastic drawers and the fridge.
Under the bed camp equipment, folding seats and table, duffel bags with misc stuff, and tub with extra bedding and lines.
Plastic bins and drawer units are light and easy to strap securely either with bungee cords, or screw the bottom on the floor or a secure base.
I have pictures posted here somewhere

Kent_the_Nomad said:

...storage space I need in my...E150 van...comfortable.

What [is] just right...more space for living?

Click to expand...

.
a)
We live outside.
.
b)
We built our ExpeditionVehicle with zero cabinets above waist-level.
We (to use your word) need the sense of visual and visceral openness, a sense of 'quiet' in our sanctuary.
Blank walls provide this.
.
c)
After a half-century of make-do camping in lesser rigs, we built our ExpeditionVehicle with zero permanent storage... everything is modular:
* we keep our T-shirts and such in opaque flip-top crates.
* jeans in another opaque flip-top crate
* cool-weather stuff in another opaque flip-top crate
* swim-suits... we wear them year-round.
.
I carry a twelve-drawer tool-chest bolted to the wall and floor.
We boondock exclusively, so we carry our spare parts in steel bins.
We carry dog-chow in a five-gallon bucket with a Gamma screw-off lid... enough for a month.
.
As I describe in our introduction, we carry water in another modular system.
.
d)
2003, we converted our rig from a commercial truck.
Nearly two decades full-time live-aboard.
The rig is constantly evolving, we are constantly evolving.
On skoolie and other home-built forums, we suggest:
* avoid believing 'this rig is my forever rig'.
You grow and change, your vehicle needs evolve.
.
.
https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/expeditionvehicle-build.44908/#post-576110

Kent, what year and what engine is in your van? Around 2007, Ford beefed up the E150 to a higher maximum weight rating.

https://www.google.com/search?q=yea...7j33i160l2.28937j1j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
My 1994 is limited to about 7000 lbs. Outfitting as lightly as possible, but sometimes carrying as much as 21 gallons of water, a 35 gallon fuel tank, solar panels, house batteries and stuff, I'm nearing that. On the original suspension, that made quick moves a little scary. New rear leaf springs, front springs, and new front and rear sway bars helped. After 2007 would make a big difference. 16" wheels also provides more tire choices.

Sleeping sideways is possible if you're no taller than about 5'8", if you have interior walls. A footwell in the side wall helps.

Having enough room to place a comfortable folding chair inside is a plus. Not being able to stand up (in mine I can) is a definite minus. I couldn't even part-time without being able to stand up.