Best Loading, Storing Experiences

[glsponchos]

My wife and I have recently purchased a 2010 Allegro Bus 43QGP. 

We're looking for advice as to how folks have loaded the kitchen, and other areas, including basement, to maximize space and for ease of use. 

Appreciate any advice given.

Thanks,

George

[kaypsmith]

We use a nested stainless steel pot and pan set in the kitchen, saves quite a bit of room. Wish someone would invent nested folding chairs.

[jleamont]

Kay, the Magma set shipped yesterday.

We like totes or milk crates for the basement. Kitchen drawers have dividers and we use the plastic divider trays to organize, you can purchase at any kitchen store.  Between the stacked pots and pans we use something like this between each pan so they don't scratch.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/the-original-cookware-guards-set-of-2/1018914140?skuId=18914140&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_cookware_&adpos=1o1&creative=43742634349&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&product_id=18914140&gclid=CJ6j557E3M4CFVBbhgodFbENaA

Spices, I have these inside of the door's on one cabinet http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/262237941462?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true

They are just peel and stick. Remember keep the heavy stuff low.

 

 

[hermanmullins]

Expandable curtain rod for the refrigerator. Baskets and trays or bottles and such.

A tool box for things to make repairs on the road. 

Kneeling pads in the water or power bays. 

As said before stackable milk crates for storage bays. Plus a long hook if you don't have sliding trays. 

After all that said, you will rearrange things several times before you get what you like. 

And as the Knight said to Indiana Jones, "Choose Wisely My Son".

Herman 

[five]

We use clear plastic storage bins in the basement.  They come in all sizes and you can see through them.

Wally World:  https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=plastic%20storage%20bins&typeahead=plas

[tbutler]

Each coach has it's unique storage opportunities and challenges.  In general, for fixed basement storage spaces store materials that are used regularly just inside the door and those that less often used at the back of the compartment or in a pass through compartment, in the center of the coach.  Time will help you sort those you use most often.  Storing frequently used items in a container of some kind will allow you to pull them out quickly when you need something behind them.  If all your items are stored in easily moved containers, you can empty a whole compartment very quickly without having to rearrange lots of individual parts to put everything back in place.

If you have a slide tray in your basement storage, store your most used items on that tray, it is far easier to access items on that tray without having to move everything in front.  I stack things on the sliding tray and use very long bungees to strap them in place so they won't slide off and block movement of the tray.  I have all my cleaning materials in a basket (like a laundry basket with open sides) so they are all together.  Open sides allow better air circulation so damp items will dry faster.  My freshwater hoses are in a basket, washing hoses are in another basket.  I have 50A and 30A extension cords in another basket.  I found the baskets at Walmart last year.  They are black with handles and are convenient size to move, can stack inside the basement and I don't have to fiddle with lids. 

I use containers with lids for all the small parts (replacement and repair parts, miscellaneous hardware and a few other items in that category).  Those containers are about 5 inches deep and fit inside the slide tray.  Four of them form the bottom layer on that tray with lawn chairs and other tool boxes stored on top of them.  I broke down and got a multi-drawer tool box last year, best thing I ever bought.  I eliminated several smaller tool boxes and everything is much easier to find than digging through bunches of different toll boxes.  One drawer for wrenches, socket and open ended.  Another drawer for various pliers and cutters.  A drawer for screw drivers and bits and drill bits.  The last box gets all the miscellaneous tools.  The top compartment under the lid gets the big tools, a drill, a power screw driver, jig saw and chargers for all.The box fits the width of the slide tray and can be accessed without pulling out the tray if desired.  It will slide under center so I can pull the tray out both sides of the coach.  Below the slide tray is space for thin tools like my long reach tree trimmer, some scrap boards for spur of the moment fixes.  Along side the tray I store other useful thin items, my step ladder folds 1.5 inches thich and a bungee holds it against the side so it won't interfere with the tray.  I keep a small folding two wheel dolly also stored along the side with a bungee to hold it in place.  What?  You don't have a slide tray.  There are lots of people who make them, custom for your coach, well worth the money for the convenience. 

There are spaces on the roof of our basement storage that are above the center rib and can't be used for sliding trays, those are dead areas that are good for light items like the pool noodles that I use to prevent concussions from walking into storage doors and slide-outs, I store pipe insulation for those few times when we are in really cold weather and I need to insulate the water hose.  I use screw eyes and bungees to hold those items in place.  All my water connection parts are stored in trays that I added to the water/sewer compartment on our coach.  Dogbone electric adapters are stored on hooks in the compartment with the electric cable. 

Our pantry had a dead space above the top shelf.  I built wine glass holders in that space.  Bungees strung across the space keep the glasses from sliding off the rack.  Glasses are wrapped with non-slip shelf liner cut to fit and held in place by rubber bands.  The bottom of the pantry also has a similar space well above the doors and out of sight.  I got loop wine storage racks at IKEA.  I used half of each rack for the bottom of the bottle and the neck of the bottle rests on the part of the cabinet above the doors.  Six more bottles of wine than we could store otherwise. 

I have added a shelf to our coat closet at the top of the closet behind the coat hangers.  There is just enough space for our cold weather hats and gloves.  In our bedroom there were two large cabinets under the TV.  We could stack clothes in there but stacked clothes soon become a jumble.  I added a shelf to each cabinet to divide them into more useful spaces. 

I don't expect you will find all these things in your coach but these ideas may help you look at unused spaces for storing materials.

[glsponchos]

Thanks for the advice

[kimmi]

We purchased some stacking Nesting storage containers, collapsable collander and dish rack. Packed paper and plastic dishes and silverware for boon docking. Purchased plastic cups and stemware. Try not to lug too much around. Pack less clothes, especially if your at a full hook up where you can use washer and dryer. If near shopping center, bring recipes and buy fresh, less weight in RV. They also say go with empty tanks and do not fill up the water tank if going to full hook up. Leave a little in there if you need to use toilet. 

Bring less than more is rule. You'll learn. I added a small crock pot for long trips so dinner would cook while we drive and a blender.

 

[11rkelley]

We have an Alfa, the ceilings are high.  Cabinet bins are above the kitchen cabinets.  Sometimes I have to use a step stool to get to the bins.

We have clear storage bins above the kitchen cabinets, so I labeled them.  It makes it easier to find things, I get teased for the labels, but I can find things easier.