Storage is one of the biggest practical challenges of motorhome and campervan life. Whether you’re planning short weekend trips or longer adventures, making the most of the space you have makes everything easier — from cooking and sleeping to finding your keys in the morning. Here are the most effective storage ideas across every area of your vehicle.
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Vertical space — shelves, hooks and pegboards
When floor space is limited, the walls and vertical surfaces become your best asset. Wall-mounted shelves work well for books, toiletries, and smaller items that would otherwise pile up on surfaces. Hooks on doors and walls are simple, cheap, and immediately useful — coats, bags, keys, and kitchen utensils all work well on hooks. Magnetic strips are a particularly good solution for metallic items like knives and tools, keeping them secure while on the move. A pegboard in the cab or kitchen area can be customised as your needs change.
Over-door organisers make use of space that would otherwise be completely wasted — the back of a bathroom door or wardrobe door can hold surprising amounts of kit.
Under-bed and garage storage
The space beneath the bed and in the rear garage area of larger motorhomes is some of the most valuable storage real estate in the vehicle. A hinged lift-up bed base gives access to a generous compartment underneath that suits bulky items like spare bedding, tools, or seasonal kit. Slide-out drawers make access easier and avoid the need to remove everything to get to what you actually need.
Vacuum-sealed storage bags are worth considering for anything compressible — spare bedding, winter clothes, or towels can be compressed to a fraction of their usual size.
If you have a rear garage area, sliding trays and modular shelving make it significantly easier to access items at the back without unloading everything in front. Heavy-duty storage bins keep large items contained and protected from dust and damp.
Multi-purpose furniture
Every piece of furniture in a motorhome or campervan should ideally do more than one thing. Benches with built-in storage compartments underneath are a practical alternative to standalone seating. Bed frames that incorporate drawers or lift-up compartments. Tables that fold away flat when not in use, freeing up floor space for moving around.
Collapsible stools, folding chairs, and flexible furniture arrangements all help manage the transition between a travel setup and a living setup — particularly useful in smaller campervans where the same space has to serve as bedroom, kitchen, and living area.
Kitchen storage
A well-organised kitchen makes a real difference to how enjoyable cooking on the road actually is. Magnetic spice racks and knife holders keep essentials accessible without taking up counter space. Overhead cupboards are the workhorses of campervan kitchens — making sure they’re well-organised rather than just crammed full pays dividends when you’re trying to cook in a small space.
Slide-out pantry drawers make use of narrow gaps that would otherwise be dead space. Hanging nets for fruit and vegetables keep fresh produce accessible and visible so nothing gets forgotten and wasted. Silicone collapsible kitchenware — bowls, colanders, measuring cups — takes up a fraction of the space of their rigid equivalents and is a straightforward upgrade for any van kitchen. Nesting cookware is similarly worth the investment. Good Housekeeping’s guide to stackable cookware sets is worth a look if you’re in the market for new pots and pans.
Clothing and soft items
Keeping clothes manageable in a small space is mostly about using the right containers and accepting you’ll pack less than you would for a hotel trip. Overhead lockers are well-suited to seasonal or less-used clothing. Packing cubes are highly effective for keeping drawers and cupboards organised — they compress clothing, group items logically, and make it easy to find things quickly. Soft storage bins and collapsible wardrobes with hanging sections work well for items that need to stay relatively crease-free.
Mesh bags attached to furniture or bed frames are useful for smaller soft items — hats, scarves, swim kit — that tend to float around and create clutter. Lightweight hammock-style nets fitted above head level are a good option for bulkier soft items like sleeping bags and spare blankets that don’t need frequent access.
Collapsible and stackable equipment
A consistent principle throughout campervan storage is that anything collapsible or stackable is preferable to its solid equivalent, all other things being equal. This applies to kitchenware, storage containers, furniture, and outdoor gear. Stackable food containers keep dry goods organised and visible. Collapsible washing-up bowls and buckets eliminate the bulk of rigid versions. Even foldable chopping boards and silicone measuring jugs contribute meaningfully to available space over time.
Shoes are one of the less glamorous storage challenges but a genuine source of clutter if not handled properly. A door-mounted shoe organiser or a dedicated compartment under seating keeps them contained without eating into living space.
Roof and external storage
For bulkier items — bikes, surfboards, kayaks, roof boxes full of extra kit — external storage is often the only practical solution. A roof rack expands your carrying capacity significantly and keeps large, awkward items out of the interior entirely. Rear-mounted storage boxes and swing-out racks are useful for tools, outdoor gear, and items you need to access frequently without going through the living area.
Worth noting: if you’re storing expensive equipment inside or outside your motorhome or campervan — solar panels, generators, bikes, high-value tech — it’s worth making sure your insurance policy accurately reflects the total value of what you’re carrying. Significant kit can affect the declared value of the vehicle and its contents. Get a motorhome insurance quote from insurd and make sure your cover reflects the full picture.
Keeping on top of it
The best storage setup in the world works less well if it isn’t maintained. A few habits make a real difference. Decluttering regularly — particularly at the end of each trip — stops things accumulating that don’t actually need to be on board. Labelling storage areas means everything goes back where it came from, which saves time when you’re looking for something specific. Choosing multi-functional, lightweight items where possible reduces the total volume of kit you need to carry in the first place.
Making the most of the space
Good storage makes motorhome and campervan life noticeably more comfortable. The ideas above range from quick, cheap fixes to more involved built-in solutions — most owners find that a combination of several approaches works better than any single method. Start with the areas that cause the most friction in daily use and work outwards from there.
Get a motorhome insurance quote or get a campervan insurance quote from insurd today and make sure your vehicle and everything in it is properly covered.
