Ideas for roof storage bins?

don't forget height clearance for underpass.

wrybread wrote:
And sorry I should have mentioned, the rv is a 24' 1989 Jamee.

And that presumably is what ... a travel trailer? :h

That's what DutchmenSport meant when he said - "You did not specify what type of RV you have or are getting."

Thats a good idea . Get yourself a couple of old kayaks , take the guts out , put your stuff in there . To crooks it would appear as old kayaks and not worth stealin.

> it sounds simple but it's really not

Putting a man on the moon is complicated. Storing some light gear on the roof of a vehicle in a diy version of a ubiquitous commercial product, not so much.

And thanks, using a metal roof storage rack as the base is an excellent idea. As is an aluminum storage box but I worry about its weight. Hmm.

And sorry I should have mentioned, the rv is a 24' 1989 Jamee. The roof is reinforced in the rear area where I plan to put these. And nothing I plan to store is particularly heavy (wetsuits, scuba gear, kite gear, surf gear, life jackets, NorCal fishing clothes), just bulky. Far too bulky for any space I have inside.

My main concern is finding a box made of reasonably resilient plastic. In my experience polyethylene does well, which is why they make kayaks out of it. Not sure if they make any bins out of PE but that would certainly do it.

I wouldn't use those containers on the roof. Maybe a roof box like this:

but I'd have to consider how it was mounted to the roof.

Could you just use this on the rear:

or a truck bed box?

Look for hidden areas in the RV. For example in ours I found a large space (1foot X 2 feet) off to the side of one of the storage compartments. It was used to run the heating duct, some electrical and plumbing but there was still room for stuff I don't use often. Another spot I found was under the step leading up to the bed. I pried the tread off and there is a compartment perfect for my flashlights, flares and other breakdown supplies. I put a hinge on the tread so I could raise it up to access the compartment.

Under the RV is lots of available space. Have some custom steel boxes built or use some of the pre-made boxes used on utility and semi trucks.

You did not specify what type of RV you have or are getting. Roof storage sounds like a viable plan, but you really need to know if your RV roof can even support the extra weight. It might hold the weight, but what happens when you go bouncing down the road and those "G" forces bouncing up and down on your roof. Most RV roofs are not made to support any extra load.

I'm not saying it's impossible, you just need to check out your RV first before doing this. One thing is certain, however you attach your supports, it needs to be spread out over as large an area as possible so the weight you add is distributed over a larger surface.

Another thing you REALLY need to consider. RV's are pretty tall. How are you going to get "up there"? Then, how are you going to hoist your items "up there" once you are "up there".

Before advancing further, I think it makes more sense to utilize the space UNDER the camper. Attach metal storage containers to the trailer frame, just make sure they don't hang down too low. It's much safer than crawling around on a roof, and the weight is lower.

Another thing about adding weight to the roof, this will throw the camper's center of gravity off. It won't take much weight on the roof to do this either. This will cause your camper to wabble side to side causing sway. Anytime you add weight higher up, the center of gravity raises causing a potential imbalance in the stability of the vehicle in motion.

Sorry, to bust your bubble, but you REALLY need to think these things through. It sound simple, but it's really not. There much more involved that simply installing a simple carrier on the roof. Much to think about.

I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just suggesting you do your homework well before making this modification.

Make, hire out, or buy an aluminum rack with expanded metal bottom tray that attaches to your roof. Put your bins in the rack but get the ones that are less in height (under-bed storage bins come to mind).

Some plastics tolerate UV well but most will get brittle with age. Since we are talking about a small portion of the total expense, I'd budget them in as a replaceable item. If you have expensive items that need security, buy an aluminum storage box and bolt it to the aluminum rack. This box would be lockable.