How much space do you allot for clothing?

[gypsychic]

I will be full timing in the same area for at least a year or two. With that comes the easy answer of renting a storage unit when I question how am I ever going to fit my life into a van. Since I'm doing this with a sense of adventure in my heart but the reality of needing to do this because of monetary reasons in my head, the idea of spending money to store stuff isn't a great one. So I'm prioritizing my things, or trying to.

I've never been accused of being a slave to fashion. Since I'm no longer working my wardrobe style has moved from business casual to as long as I don't look like I'm wearing my bed clothes in public I'm OK. That all depends on what you wear to bed, also. [emoji6] The idea of being rousted in the middle of the night, half asleep is bad enough. Being questioned while wearing normal sleep attire is not on my bucket list. All such things, no matter how pretty or how great they feel against my skin are now banished from my wardrobe. *sigh*

I've taken a decorative throw pillow I like and relieved it of it's stuffing. Instead I've stuffed it with socks, tights and unmentionables. What doesn't fit needs to be given away. That was easy.

Now its on to the other things. Males in my life have always been amazed at my internal thermostat. Amazed isn't quite the right word. They would describe it as wackadoo. I can be cold when its 80 & sunny and yet not wear a coat when it's snowing. So I have learned to layer. A great concept except when it comes to volume in a small space.

I was taught when traveling to pack three of everything and make sure they mix and match. One to wear, one that's clean & one that could be dirty. That philosophy has served me well on trips but I can't get past the thought that I'm not traveling, I'm just living. I don't think I could be such a minimalist that I only own three of everything(but I never say never. If I have to choose between herbs & spices to make yummy food or a few extra tops & pants, I'll go for yummy food every time.)

How much space do you devote to clothing? What do you do with your off seasonal wear? How many shirts, pants, shoes do you travel with? Any tips to help ease the transition or good questions to ask myself as I'm preparing to cull the wardrobe yet again?

 

[Iggy]

I have a normal cargo van. There is a 24 inch long closet rod behind the driver's seat. I have a light jacket, a heavy jacket, 4 hoodies, 3 short sleeved shirts, and 10 long and short sleeved t-shirts. I have a small chest of drawers where I keep 10 pair of undies, 10 pairs of socks, and one pair of sweats. On top of a cabinet, I have 10 pair of shorts and two pairs of jeans.
I do have some spare clothes, especially work clothes, in storage that I can use when in my home town, too. There's always thrift stores around if clothes wear out or I get bored with them. Or, God forbid, I outgrow my clothes! Lol
I don't need quite as much as I cart but have the space, so why not.

 

[karl]

First off- thanks for the clothing in a pillow idea.
Second- I had like two of each clothing item as a kid, and struggle a bit with letting go of worn or stuff I just don't like...so, I carry way too much.
Mix and match is easy since tee shirts, sweat shirts and jeans are my daily wardrobe.
Off season clothing goes in totes under my bed.
Jackets and coveralls hang on hooks behind the drivers seat.
A couple hooks near my bed are for shirt/jackets/hats and to hang my jeans on at night...mainly so they can dry, and so they are handy if I get rousted.
I have a cabinet with three shelves that measures about 2x3' and 18" deep for jeans, tee shirts, skivvies and sweats. Plan is to reduce that clothing by half, especially since some never gets worn.
A pair of dressier pants, folded dressier( with sleeves and buttons!) shirts ride in a tote along with shorts and a sweater.
Dirty clothes go in a mesh bag in the "workshop" in the back with the tools.
Sheets, blankets, towels, washcloths go in another tote under the bed.

 

[SoulRaven]

I literally store all of my clothes under my mattress. Keeps them clean and neatly pressed.

I tend to do the 3's thing too, but I rotate each day, but wear each item on 3 or 4 different days between laundering them if they aren't visibly soiled.

 

[Wabbit]

And don't forget to turn your shirts inside out to get a few more days out of them. Just because they are dirty on one side, doesn't mean they are dirty on the otherside. This works for underwear too!

 

[Almost There]

I'm not sure which is going to take up more space, all my kitchen stuff or my clothing.

Seriously though, most of my warmer weather clothing is synthetic, fast dry that I've accumulated for canoe/backpacking trips so it doesn't take up much space.

I'll be packing in as much as I can though because my least favorite chore is laundry.

Off season clothing and my backpack, dry bags, PFD, paddles etc. will take up much more space than my daily clothing will.

Almost all my business clothes will be either gotten rid of at yard sales or given to charity. I'll only be keeping a couple of outfits that will be saved for 'finer dining' occasions.

I'm really fortunate because of how the PO installed the high top. Instead of doing it the normal way where only the roof over the driving compartment is left intact, he left the rear of the van roof so I have an upper storage area there that's the width of the van by 30" deep x 24" high...huge. Right now I have to stand on a 2 step stepstool to reach the back of the compartment so I'll be using plastic totes back there so I can retrieve things.

 

[mconlonx]

Currently, I'm living out of one suitcase, size of which meets airline carry-on dimensions. 7: pair socks, underwear, t-shirts (mixed with some long underwear tops in winter). 3: pairs of pants, wool shirts. Also one medium size, flat plastic bin which currently holds shorts and other summer attire, but which will become home to winter gear as things warm up. Also have one suit which lives in there, along with a dress shirt.

I've got a cutaway van with a utility body which includes outside locking storage compartments. I will be organizing seasonal clothing into one of them, either with bins or compression stuff sacks.

When moving out of our house last year, I drastically downsized my wardrobe, but I need to do a final purge -- anything I didn't wear through the winter and don't anticipate wearing during the summer will go.

 

[mockturtle]

I find that the easiest clothes to manage are hiking/outdoor clothes made of light, moisture-wicking materials and ripstop nylon. Sturdy, easy to hand wash, dry very quickly and don't wrinkle. While I do have a couple of men's cotton flannel shirts that I got at Walmart and a few pairs of jeans, I find they take up more space and are harder to wash and dry. Good hiking clothes are a bit pricy but will outlast almost everything else in your wardrobe. Campmor and Sierra Trading Post are economical sources.

 

[Hereandthere]

In our class C motorhome, I have a closet that's just over 2 feet wide and that's where my jackets (3), sweatshirts (4), long-sleeved tshirts (3), shirts (3), short sleeved tshirts (5), jeans (3), and other slacks and shorts (3) hang. On its sidewalls I have shoebags attached for undies and socks, also on the inside of the door.

This is luxury. Last year in a Toyota Dolphin, I had about half the space.

 

[Canine]

Me and Vic downsized from a 30 ft to a 16 ft camper last fall.We had to do some serious culling of everything.We have pretty much got it all sorted out now and find it's no hardship at all.I would not go back to a larger camper.This one pulls and parks so much easier.Plus it's so old( 1971) we don't have to pay taxes on it,

 

[gypsychic]

Thanks for the virtual look into your closets. I think I, too, struggle with letting go of clothes that I no longer fit in or use because of fear of scarcity or needing something down the road. Case in point, I recently have lost weight so that I'm down 3 pant sizes. I have very few clothes that actually fit my current size, yet I'm struggling with getting rid of them, especially my pretty dresses and skirts. I can count on one hand the number of times I've worn a skirt in the last year. Shouldn't be this hard to let go.

Good point Iggy about resale shops being around if I find I have a need.

A friend mentioned wool base layer tops to me. When I backpacked I had outfits just for that. Now I'm looking at the clothes again in a new light. I've been familiar with STP for a long while. The other name you mentioned, mockturtle, I'm not familiar with. I'll have to check them out. Also as the outdoor season gets underway the resale shops might have more outdoor wear available.

No problem with regards to the clothes inside of pillows. I stole that idea from a tiny house build. There are also blankets that fold into pillows when not in use. I'm going to try to make the blankets and pillows I have meld together. I'm also taking an idea from Willy about putting wool blankets inside a duvet cover. Mine won't be denim but it'll be an easy way to roll my blankets up to make my bed. Rather that then $100+ for a sleeping bag, at least at this moment. That money can go to other needed things, like a house battery.

Cheers

 

[Almost There]

Definitely give away or otherwise get rid of the stuff that's too big now....

It will make you work twice as hard not to gain the weight back.

That is of course, if you needed to lose the weight in the first place. If you're now skinny as a rail and need to gain weight, disregard it all...lol.

I'm actually planning on keeping some of the clothes that don't fit me right now because I've gained so much weight sitting around in our long, cold, snowy, beastly winter. I finally gave up trying to convince myself that I liked going out in that shit and hibernated all winter...but to my detriment. I have too much arthritis to be able to snow shoe and ski. I know that once I can get back to walking a couple of hours every day and going paddling regularly that the pounds will come back off again! It will take me months to undo the damage..sigh!

I have a quillow if you need the measurements and assembly instructions..just let me know.

Hey, if you've got a bunch of jeans that are too big, you could always machine quilt them together to make a duvet cover!

 

[Canine]

I have 4 drawers (18" X 24") that hold all of my shirts (12 t shirts), pants (5 ripstop), shorts, longjohns, towels, socks, undies, and a small bit of junk. 3 drawers (even less) would work if I went minimalist. I have an 18" closet that easily holds all of my coats and rain gear. Boots and shoes sit in the bottom of the closet.

 

[Suanne]

I use duffle bags for my clothing. I have enough clothes for 13-20 days, depending on how dirty I get, or if I do some hand washing or not. Because I live out of a hatchback, drawers don't work very well. Duffle bags, on the other hand, get smaller as my dirty-clothes bag gets larger; thus, taking up no more room. I use a 2' long duffle bag for pants, t-shirts, and buttoned shirts; a 1.5' duffle bag for underwear, socks and wash cloths (used daily for bathing); and a 1' duffle for extras like scarves, gloves, hats, sandals, jacket, etc. I also have a very heavy coat that I just keep draped at the foot of my bed for extra warmth at night.

 

[Wabbit]

And don't forget to turn your shirts inside out to get a few more days out of them. Just because they are dirty on one side, doesn't mean they are dirty on the otherside. This works for underwear too!

Nobody said EWWWWW! I take that to mean most are to polite to mention how disgusting this might be, or it was just so silly a comment it was ignored...lol neither of these is a bad thing. However, I don't want the rep of the guy who turns his underwear inside out and rewears...so...I was being silly with that comment. Now I have that, joke didn't go over dum feeling!

 

[Almost There]

Nobody said EWWWWW! I take that to mean most are to polite to mention how disgusting this might be, or it was just so silly a comment it was ignored...lol neither of these is a bad thing. However, I don't want the rep of the guy who turns his underwear inside out and rewears...so...I was being silly with that comment. Now I have that, joke didn't go over dum feeling!

I just put you on the list of those I don't want to get too close too!!...

Good to know but still concerned that you even thought about it...

 

[Oberneldon]

I live in and out of my Prius and I have spaces that don't have square corners, so I have to have bags to fit odd spaces. There is a duffle bag for dirty clothing and use waterproof pillow cases from Walmart to put folded clothing in. They are large but you can put in folded clothing by grouping and fold over the extra pillow case cover, zipper all but an inch. Fold over the extra pillow case material and push on it to get the air out. Hold it and zipper it to close it with the least amount of air. This way seasonal items stay in one bag and stay dry and clean. The items that stuff like underwear that you use all seasons go in a bag sized for the items.

This method allows for having different size bags and you can fill many voids that a square space leaves voids, as well as keep clothing you use all the time accessible and those you don't use that often in the back or under other things. I carry a 15 inch cloth tool bag with two days of underwear and tee shirts to have them readily accessible when I need to change up. I found that preparing your clothing this way the night before make it much easier when you just want to get going in the morning.

Although not directly related, I wash up/shave with hot/warm water every morning by heating water a 24 to 36 hours before and putting it in the large Thermos brand thermos. I can get hot water to last 24 hours and real warm water to last 36 hours. So, when freshening up at night or the next am and you are in a place that doesn't allow for heating water you are prepared. I washed my hair, my body, and shaved on 36 hour hot water. I had to add cold water to it to temper it.

Having your bag of next day clothing ready and having your water ready to clean up makes for a smooth exit in the am. I heat the water for the Thermos with a 12 volt water heater.

Brent

 

[gypsychic]

Bryan - it made me chuckle when I read it but I don't often just respond to say LOL. Just me, don't feel like it didn't go over. Actually, your response to back track made me laugh even more.

Brent - could you give me more details on your 12v water heater. I've been looking at the reviews on Amazon and none are stellar. Thanks for the idea about the waterproof pillowcases. I didn't even think of those. I was thinking of doing what you described since I'll have nooks and crannies that are odd shaped also. As you said its a great way to store off season items.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

We've built shelves and added a tall (plastic) drawer unit for clothes.
(In a maxi-van with full size bed and galley). Its plenty of space for the 2 of us to store our clothes, as we go where the weather suits what we like to wear.

We both have 2 pairs of khaki pants (take less room than jeans) and a few pairs of nylon shorts. Several Tee shirts, most of which we can both use and 2 each nicer shirts folded away. Scrubs or light shorts work for summer sleepwear (in case you're rousted)...sweats in winter. Plenty of skivvies and a few sox (wear flip flops mostly). One each medium weight jacket stored below the bed, just in case.

We've found we don't have to carry many clothes since there are laundromats everywhere as we travel. Usually, we find laundries with wifi so its a good way to take a break and catch up online.

No turning shirts and skivvies inside out for us.

 

[Janis Vanis]

View attachment 2954View attachment 2954View attachment 2954We have a conversion 1980 Ford Econoline (just finished building the bed frame!) and got an awesome memory foam mattress just the right size. Anyway...for the clothes, the reason I mention the bed is because we designed it so on either side there will be about 1.5 ft deep (basically the height of the bed) and about 2 metre long areas. . . to store clothes in! Almost like drawers, but not slide out. Instead we will have a table top all along the sides with hinges to access the clothes underneath. (I am an x-small style loving gypsy girl and always will be, haha.) Naturally I will want my favourite 70s clothes to match our van interior    BUT in all seriousness. . . I think it's possible to be "minimalistic" and still not have to sacrifice everything. I'd say my "vandrobe" consists of at least 10 of everything except for jackets and sweaters and other layer-y things, maybe 5 pants, a few skirts, 3 pairs of shoes. But shirts and underwear I'd say are the easiest to roll up and store, especially being xs, so you could have more of those and get away with it. I'm already good at mix and matching what I have to create different looks. Depending on your size you may have more in store than you think.