Ideas for roof storage bins?
I'm setting up a new-to-me rv and want to store a bunch of stuff on the roof. I was thinking about going the rooftop cargo carrier route but it seems to me that they're not a very efficient use of spa...
Forum Discussion
Ha love the idea of a kayak for storage! If I needed to worry about security more I'd seriously consider that. And yes it's a class c.
Has a reinforced rear section under the cargo rack, I don't think weight will be an issue, assuming I'm storing mostly light things. The ac unit that I'm about to remove for example is plenty heavy, and about as tall, so I'm not adding any height to my camper either.
Criteria for my boxes (mostly just thinking aloud here but if anyone has any tips, very invited):
- reasonably uv resistant. I don't mind if they only last two years but I'd love for them to last that long
- reasonably weather proof
- strong enough so I can sit on them occasionally
- small enough so I can load them in the camper door if I ever need to stash them. But ideally large enough so 4 or 5 of them spans my whole cargo area.
- stackable would be nice for when they're stored away from my camper.
- lockable would be nice
I'll be starting on the project next week or the week after and will try to post the results in case it's useful for anyone.
And looking over the traditional rooftop cargo boxes I don't think they're the best choice for RVs for a bunch of reasons, but especially:
- they expect you to be opening them at eye level from the side of a car, so they don't open all the way. On the roof of an RV you'd be bending over to load and unload them.
- for the same reason their side walls are very shallow, so you can't pack much in them. If they had taller side walls and you were loading from the side of a car you couldn't see over them, but that's not an issue when you're standing on the roof its mounted on.
- its a big single compartment, which makes it more likely to become a big mess. With multiple bins you get an automatic organization system.
- from reading reviews, the cheap ones are very flimsy. The good ones are a notch up but are very pricey.
The only downside I can see to bins on the roof is that it looks a bit janky. But my camper isn't exactly going for the clean look, it already has a surfski (long thin racing kayak), a whitewater kayak and 3 stand up paddleboards up there already. And besides I think in America there's too much emphasis on aesthetics in RVs. In Europe and the rest of the world people tend to get much more creative with maximizing every inch of their campers for utility, in my observations at least. I'm not advocating the Beverly Hillbillies or chickens on the roof approach, but a few storage bins safely secured shouldn't raise too many eyebrows.
But who knows, maybe I'll be discovering the downside to the bin approach shortly...
Has a reinforced rear section under the cargo rack, I don't think weight will be an issue, assuming I'm storing mostly light things. The ac unit that I'm about to remove for example is plenty heavy, and about as tall, so I'm not adding any height to my camper either.
Criteria for my boxes (mostly just thinking aloud here but if anyone has any tips, very invited):
- reasonably uv resistant. I don't mind if they only last two years but I'd love for them to last that long
- reasonably weather proof
- strong enough so I can sit on them occasionally
- small enough so I can load them in the camper door if I ever need to stash them. But ideally large enough so 4 or 5 of them spans my whole cargo area.
- stackable would be nice for when they're stored away from my camper.
- lockable would be nice
I'll be starting on the project next week or the week after and will try to post the results in case it's useful for anyone.
And looking over the traditional rooftop cargo boxes I don't think they're the best choice for RVs for a bunch of reasons, but especially:
- they expect you to be opening them at eye level from the side of a car, so they don't open all the way. On the roof of an RV you'd be bending over to load and unload them.
- for the same reason their side walls are very shallow, so you can't pack much in them. If they had taller side walls and you were loading from the side of a car you couldn't see over them, but that's not an issue when you're standing on the roof its mounted on.
- its a big single compartment, which makes it more likely to become a big mess. With multiple bins you get an automatic organization system.
- from reading reviews, the cheap ones are very flimsy. The good ones are a notch up but are very pricey.
The only downside I can see to bins on the roof is that it looks a bit janky. But my camper isn't exactly going for the clean look, it already has a surfski (long thin racing kayak), a whitewater kayak and 3 stand up paddleboards up there already. And besides I think in America there's too much emphasis on aesthetics in RVs. In Europe and the rest of the world people tend to get much more creative with maximizing every inch of their campers for utility, in my observations at least. I'm not advocating the Beverly Hillbillies or chickens on the roof approach, but a few storage bins safely secured shouldn't raise too many eyebrows.
But who knows, maybe I'll be discovering the downside to the bin approach shortly...
