You’ve strategized, you’ve planned, you’ve shopped – your dream van build is closer than it’s ever been to becoming reality. Before you make anything final, let’s talk about storage. This is where most van builds fall apart. Why? Because most people make storage decisions around two ideas:
- Aesthetics. The storage solutions look good.
- Maximalization. The storage solutions use every inch of space.
While there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with these goals, they miss the mark.
Good storage – effective storage – means everything has one clear home, and you can grab what you need most often without moving other stuff.
Here are ten rules to help you design a van storage system you will love to use.
Rule 1: Daily-Use Items Live at Hand Level
If stuff is inconvenient to get, you’ll never put it away.
- Coffee supplies that are buried in a cabinet result in the grinder being left on the counter.
- Phone chargers stuffed in a drawer equals cords draped over your dashboard.
- Headlamps stored overhead equals using your phone flashlight (and draining your battery).
- Jackets hung in the back equals jackets on your passenger seat for weeks.
- Cooking utensils in a bin under the bed equals eating sandwiches instead of cooked meals.
Your most used items deserve prime real estate. This is a significant organizational truth that bears repeating, and it’s often the reason most organizational plans fail. It’s the stuff that doesn’t get put away that creates clutter.
Rule 2: Dirty and Clean Never Mix
Your hiking boots don’t belong near your bedding. Camp chairs live away from clothing. Create separate zones for items that get muddy, greasy, smelly, or wet. Your van is tight; keeping it clean will be easier if storage isn’t part of the problem.
Rule 3: Heavy Goes Low and Rear
You can’t escape physics. Sprinter storage boxes mounted on the roof look cool, but weight mounted high makes your van tippy and kills handling. Conversely, weight over the rear axle improves traction. Your water tanks, tools, batteries, and other heavy gear should live as low and as far back as your layout allows.
Rule 4: Room for Chaos
You need a junk drawer. Seriously, it’s okay. Give yourself one spot where random stuff can land temporarily without wrecking your whole system. Otherwise, you’ll watch your storage slowly fall apart as homeless odds and ends pile up. It’s okay to have a little controlled mess, as long as it has a home.
Rule 5: Transparent Containers Are Overrated
Clear bins sound like a good idea until you realize your van now looks like a messy storage unit. Opaque containers help keep things looking calm, uniform, and tidy. Labels will help you keep track of what’s inside. And here’s another tip: store those bins side by side rather than stacked. Nothing’s worse than having to get stuff out of or put stuff back into the bottom bin.
Rule 6: Flexibility
Build storage so components can move and adapt. For example, a drawer system for storing camping gear that can slide out completely when you’re hauling plywood.
Rule 7: Secure Everything for the Hardest Stop You’ll Make
At some point, you’re going to slam hard on the brakes, which will turn your water jug, toolbox, or cast-iron skillet into a life-threatening missile if not secured. Everything needs to be strapped down, bungeed, or tucked behind a sturdy lip; nothing should be loose in your van when you’re on the move.
Rule 8: Build Storage Around Actual Gear
Measure your actual gear before you start building storage. That means your real cooler, your specific camp stove, the sleeping bag you already have, know exactly how much space they take up. If you just build a generic storage space, you’ll find it’s always a little off for the things you need to put away.
Rule 9: Outside Storage Needs Drainage and Ventilation
Outside storage boxes will get wet inside from condensation, even if they’re technically waterproof. Drill some drain holes and make sure there’s ventilation. Otherwise, everything will get moldy.
Rule 10: Leave Empty Space
Your van needs room to breathe. Pack it to 70% capacity, not 100%. That extra space handles the gear you accumulate mid-trip, the groceries you buy, and the wet clothes that need to air out. A van stuffed to the gills feels claustrophobic, doesn’t offer the flexibility you need when you’re out adventuring, and simply stops being fun to live in.
At the end of the day, the most basic rule for storage came from grandma: a place for everything and everything in its place. Your van is a small space that needs to carry a wide range of gear. To keep yourself sane, you need a smart, useful storage system. Follow these ten rules, and you’ll be heading in the right direction.
