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8 DIY RV Storage Ideas To Maximize Space

RV kitchen with DIY RV storage ideas

8 DIY RV Storage Ideas To Maximize Space

Traveling in an RV is a great way to take your cozy living space on the road. You can enjoy the comforts of home and the great outdoors on the same trip! But, a constant struggle that travelers face is finding the space for all their cargo. To help out, we’ve compiled a list of 10 DIY RV storage ideas that can be implemented into your next trip.

Some of these tips are just simple and cheap products to use, while others include reorganizing the layout of some of your storage spaces. There is more room than you might think in your RV, so let’s look at some ways to maximize every inch of space!

1. Create a hanging trash can

One thing that is constantly in the way for me is my trash can. It either sits out in the open, blocking the flow of the floor plan, or else it occupies a large portion of a lower cabinet.

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To combat this, you can create an easy DIY trash can that clips onto the top edge of a cabinet or other door. All you need is a long, shallow wire basket (similar to the size you might use to store towels). You can buy a model like the one below on Amazon and have a pre-set-up basket. Then all you need to do is add a trash can liner and hang it on the front or back of a cabinet (depending on what is best for your floor plan).

You can even use multiple of these and place them in the bathroom, kitchen, and bedrooms.

hanging wire basket stock photo

2. Use nesting items

One of my favorite DIY RV storage ideas isn’t a specific product, but it’s a packing practice. If you love a good game of Tetris or just like to keep things neat, you might even enjoy the challenge of organizing your RV storage.

One of the greatest techniques at your disposal is nesting items. There are some nesting things you can buy, such as bowls, cooking sets, and measuring cups. But if you’ve got a knack for it, you can also nest things that weren’t specifically designed for this purpose.

Personally, I like to do things like keep all the lids of my pots and pans inside the biggest pot so that everything else can stack easily. You can also do things like keep mismatched cup sets so the smaller ones can fit easily inside the larger ones.

3. Popsicle mold in the front console

One area of my car that is constantly cluttered is the front driver’s console. If you want to improve your storage space and organization, you can use a simple popsicle mold to keep everything tidy.

You can buy plastic popsicle molds at the dollar store, so this is one of the cheapest DIY RV storage ideas. Once you have it, simply nestle it into the front console and use it to store electronics, coins, snacks, and any other loose items that may have been taking up space in the front.

Keeping the driver’s area tidy is especially important if you drive a camper van or a motorhome.

4. Use vacuum bags

Vacuum seal bags are more than just an infomercial product! They can be a major lifesaver when you’re trying to fit everything into your limited RV space.

Many things can be compressed during long road trips and it will save space. You can vacuum seal your bags of clothes, and this is especially handy for dirty laundry. Once clothes are dirty, you don’t want to deal with them until it’s time to wash them. If you don’t have a washer and dryer in your RV, it can be nice to fill up a vacuum bag with dirty clothes, seal it up, and toss it in storage to deal with whenever you’re ready.

Some food items can be vacuum sealed as well, such as dry ingredients like flour, oats, rice, etc. It’s easier to stack and store these items once they’re been compressed, plus you won’t need to worry about them spilling out.

5. Mounted storage on cabinet doors

We’ve already talked about how to create a hanging trash can, but you can use the backside of cabinets in so many ways. This is unused space that can be used to store kitchen utensils, plastic bags, measuring cups, spices, and tons of other small items.

The sky is the limit when you’re coming up with DIY RV storage ideas to use on the back of cabinets. You can use a corkboard with pins, PVC pipes, stiff file folders, Command Hooks, plastic shoe holders, and anything else that can keep items in place.

Pantry doors are a major source of untapped potential. When you’re dealing with full-sized doors, you have even more options.

6. Utilize wall space

In a similar vein, you should look around at your wall and ceiling space. There are a lot of blank areas when you look around and you can use this to improve your storage.

Baskets, bags, and other containers can be mounted on walls, windowsills, and other blank walls. These are great for storing food that doesn’t need to be refrigerated, such as fresh fruit.

7. Install extra shelves in cabinets

Some of my favorite DIY RV storage ideas include customizing your cabinets and giving them extra depth and stacking possibilities. If you have tall cabinets, you may find out there there is a lot of unused space at the top. In this case, you can add plastic or metal racks to create more makeshift shelves. Stacking cooling racks like this one are fantastic for this purpose.

cooling rack for DIY storage in the cabinet

On the other hand, you can create extra vertical shelving if you need to store flat objects like cutting boards, platters, and baking sheets. In this case, you can install tension rods vertically in one of your cabinets. This will save space while simultaneously creating space to store unwieldy objects.

8. Use hose wheels for cord storage

Finally, let’s talk about cords and hoses. These things can take up a ton of room in your storage compartments, especially if they aren’t stored properly. It can be very annoying to spend 15 minutes untangling a hose or cord, especially if you’re trying to hook up the RV and get to relaxing.

Using a hose wheel is a great solution to this problem. Just coil up your hoses, electric cords, and extension cords on a hose wheel and you can easily wind and unwind it as needed. This will keep everything compact and make the whole process much easier.


Hopefully, these DIY RV storage ideas gave you some inspiration to try out on your next trip! For more storage tips, check out this video from Fate Unbound:

RVers looking for valuable how-to information have learned to go to the experts. Forums such as iRV2.com and blog sites like RV LIFE, Do It Yourself RV, and Camper Report provide all the information you need to enjoy your RV. You’ll also find brand-specific information on additional forums like Air Forums, Forest River Forums, and Jayco Owners Forum.

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