how do you store clothing? seeems to take up so much space.

[jeff613]

When you think about it, our music, pictures, mail and books all fit into essentially zero space these days. But our clothing does not. So it comes to pass that the only ligistical problem i can really see concerning van life is that of finding enough space to keep about a week's worth of clean clothing on hand. Clothing, with a jacket thrown in, takes up a fair amount of space. I have a lot of clothing mainly because that way i can save money by not having to go to the laundromat once a week. And let's face it, doing the laundry can be pricey, like $4 bucks a load pricey. The nly real thoughts i have about solving this involve removing the front passenger seat (do you really need it? How often do you have passengers? And imagine the amount of space that opens up.) and putting it in a plastic storage container. Plus you can put the dirty clothing in another container with a sealed lid, because dirty clothing in a confined space may not smell so hot.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

We don't carry as many clothes as some do, but there's a few things that make storage easier. We try to fold and stack things in sizes that fit the storage the best. The few things like jackets get stored in plastic bags all smushed flat with no air out of season. When our nylon laundry bag gets plump our clean clothes are almost gone and its time to run a few loads which would include the bed sheets...couple times a month. Granted, we stay in areas that are suited to our flip flop, tee shirt wardrobe.
We get something new, we look for something that's worn out and can go away...if possible. There's always a thrift around if you need extra clothes.
We have a modest amount of cookware, dishes and stuff...without being too skimpy.
Been in this moho 1 1/2 yrs and still finding ways to save space, what to get rid of and learn about things we could actually make good use out of.
One thing that's hard for me is my lower storage compartments..."But hunny, I need all that junk...errr, I mean those useful items".

 

[Willy]

Man.. $4 to do a load of laundry is CHEAP !! I've got tons of clothes, mostly socks, underwear, and t-shirts, but a fair amount of bed linen and towels. Having a dog and doing my own repairs/maintenance means lotsa dirty clothes 'n stuff, and that means plenty of clothing if I wanna do laundry every 2 months. 'Course, done right, that clothing oft-times up 'n walks away by itself.. saving me beaucoup bux and hassle. ..Willy.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Willy, most places we found traveling this summer were $1.25 wash and about a buck to dry. Lots of laundries have wifi too.

 

[Zil]

during a very bad time. i would buy new underwear, t shirts, and socks. put off doing laundry. i found having too many meant yellow necked t shirts. but when i did laundry it was well worth the time. one full load of socks, one full load of, aaa you get the story.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

folding, then rolling your clothes, saves space..

 

[Roadworthy]

I saw a vandweller video where the guy used those cheapo "cloth" grocery bags you can get at the store for a dollar. He got different colors, from different stores, then kept his jeans in one color bag, his sweatshirts in another, etc, then stuffed them in the overhead compartments he had. Cool idea.

Right now I'm being all ninja-like with my clothes storage, having to keep stuff for so many people in one place, but I don't know that my methods would apply to life for a single vandweller. But I've got a week's worth of clothing for a large family squeezed into an rv wardrobe, which is around 48" wide, 52" high, and 21" deep. And that includes fall coats. And shoes. And there's space leftover.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Yeah i dont have a lot but they take up a lot of room in plastic shelving

Im thinking of adding a shelf/cabinet up high, at least freeing up floor space.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I once had one of those tail gate nets (a Gator) I install above my van bunk. It held a lot of folded clothes, towels, etc and was well out of the way. We had small (3' long) hammock-like things on our sailboat that worked well too.

 

[ice_maiden]

We had mobile food concessions for years.... I can pack two weeks worth of clothes in a large duffel easily. We are talking T-shirts, Jeans, Socks and underwear. Nothing fancier like button down shirts.

The first thing you need to learn is how to army roll your T-shirts like this.....



You can then figure out how to roll the rest .... ta ta ... a lot more space.

 

[TheMadTitan]

My girlfriend got some space bags a little while ago as a gift, and we barely used them before transitioning into the van. Now we can fit practically all our clothes into a couple plastic totes. I'm now considering how much more we could get into them if we did the fold and roll, and then the space bag. It does make everything a lot easier to stack, and if you have stuff that you barely ever have to use (more formal stuff, or seasonal stuff) it could certainly help some people out I would think. I don't see any reason that you couldn't just use a coin operated vac with them, but I'll try and check it out when we do laundry again.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Even the huge freezer zip bags will work. Used them backpacking. Just squish the roll/fold stuff flat as you can and then zip the last 1/2'. I used a heavy black trash for our winter jackets and blanket, then used my small shop vac to suck it down with a couple quick twists and fold of the extra plastic you have instant "squish". Stored in the protection of a box it works as well as a space bag.

That reminds me...need to get our jackets out soon and air them in the sun. Clean when put away and they stay fresh, but Grandmother always liked hanging things in the sun

 

[jeanontheroad]

Doesn't anyone hand wash in a bucket or a shower (if you have one available) anymore?

 

[WheelEstate USA]

We have used the bucket when boondocking, but rarely need to. Would rather conserve water we haul in and do laundry when we go to town.

 

[Roadworthy]

jeanontheroad: Actually, we do, when boondocking. I even wrote a few paragraphs about it when I posted above, but I erased it before actually posting because it looked long and boring. ;-) Short version: we do it the old fashioned way, and the clothes come out smelling absolutely amazing! I've never smelled anything like it. Super fresh and clean. I've never had clothes come out that clean, even with double-washing them in an expensive front loader we used to have. And it's faster too--only it requires a lot of elbow grease, which I'm sure would be deterrent for most. I'm happy to give anyone a demonstration...I may even let you help.

---

As a side note, this occurred to me today: If you wanted to avoid the hassle of extra water hauling (and didn't mind looking tacky), you could drive your car or rig over to the water fill area at La Posa South, then fill your buckets, do the laundry, and dump the water in the dump area. I wouldn't try it during January when I hear it's crazy busy, but you could do it now, while it's not. We probably will just do it in buckets in our shower stall.

 

[cyndi]

There are a couple of previous threads with regard to this subject:

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Fold-Shirts-Military-Style-for-Efficient-Packing?highlight=clothes

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Clothing-plan?highlight=clothes

 

[Lifemagician]

Does anyone use those space bags for storing out of season clothing. I find them extremely handy. They safe a lot of space. And if you purchase the ones for travelling, you don't need a vacuum cleaner to suck out the air.

Lifey

 

[Willy]

I like those nylon(?) mesh bags that can be found at outdoors shops. Strong, can see what's in them, and the top closes: great for sox 'n underwear. ..Willy.

 

[Roadworthy]

space bags would make me nervous for one reason--the moisture issues that a vandweller/rver deals with through the winter, especially if you use propane heat. Propane gives off a TON of water vapor, and a human breathing gives off even more. Condensation is a huge problem, especially if you live in a vehicle not designed for living. (i.e., van, car, bus, truck, etc.) Even RVs have a hard time with it.

So putting clothing in a non-breathable bag and sticking it in a cabinet or under a bed, where you have the very worst moisture issues, would concern me. Might get mold infiltrating the bag, might not. The bags could be a boon, or could ruin your stuff. Hard to say.

But if you're in a low-moisture environment, it might not be as much of a problem. We've had very little condensation inside since we crossed into drier climates. Can't say if that will continue. Maybe the desert dwellers can weigh in on that.

So I'd say keep an eye on your space bags and check them throughout the winter.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

We store in sealed plastic, as I posted above. Haven't had a problem even after traveling up the coast our winter gear is just fine.