5 Hardware Store Finds Every RVer Should Know About

There are a million different products that claim they can help with storage in your RV ecosystem. Some of them are great and some are a waste of time and money. And some of the best products are not specifically designed for RVs and can be found at your favorite discount or hardware store.

Here are five items you can use to increase your usable storage space without adding a single square inch to your RV’s footprint.

1. Hold remotes in place with Velcro hook and loop tape.

Velcro is a great closure for clothes and bags, but for small, lightweight items there is no better way to keep things still inside your moving home.

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Adhesive Velcro comes in a variety of sizes and will adhere to most smooth surfaces. Here are a few things that can be held in place with a piece of Velcro:

• Pens and pencils
• Device remotes
• Cases for sunglasses

2. Use suction cup hooks for utensil storage.

Screw-in hooks are great for extra storage inside, underneath cabinets, or anywhere else that has a surface thick enough to support the screw. Command adhesive hooks from 3M is a cool product too.

There are a variety of hooks for different uses and some of them will hold up to 50 pounds and can be attached and removed from nearly any smooth surface. Suction cup hooks can be used on any glass or smooth metal surface for lightweight items as well.

Command adhesive hooks work well inside cabinet doors.

3. Use magnetized knife holders and spice containers for safe travel.

You probably have a collection of magnets on your fridge from various places. We all played with them as kids, and it turns out they are very useful when it comes to storing things.

You can lock metal items such as knives and other utensils securely in place using magnetic strips with adhesive backing. Or use two-part adhesive magnets for small items that need to stay in one place, such as spice storage containers.

4. Bedside cloth caddies keep often-used items nearby.

You might not think of these in relationship to your RV, but why not? Many companies make mountable cloth pocket organizers, such as shoe caddies for the back of closet doors, that can be used to hold a variety of items.

There are three great versions for your RV, including seat-back organizers for your front car seats, bedside caddies that hang from a flap that sticks under the mattress, and flat-hanging caddies on the insides of doors, or even hung against the wall using a pair of Command strip hooks. The possibilities are endless!

Clear mesh caddy provides visible storage.

5. Flashlights stored on broom holders.

Screw and adhesive mounted brackets and hardware exist to hold a variety of everyday items. You can mount your brooms and shovels, flashlights, keys, utensils, First Aid or toolkits, and other items that need to stay locked down so you can find them.

Some of the holders work on a spring action so that tools snap in place, while others have snap or Velcro fasteners and other mechanisms.

Cruising the aisles of your favorite hardware store can yield a plethora of other options for storing those odd items you need, but can rarely find until after you need them. A visit to the store can change all of that and morph you into an RVing legend who always has what’s needed on hand and in easy reach, right where you left it!