Alternatives to lack of storage space

[photobug]

Getting ready to embark on an extended road trip shortly. Being both a class c and not an overly large one, I've been having concerns of storing all the stuff I anticipate needing. Biggest issue is the spare tire. I've seen some that say they don't need one. I'd rather not do a several thousand mile trip without, but the normal place where they stored it was in the under the bed storage place and that takes up a lot of room that could be used for other stuff. Other things taking up room are 2 inflatable kayaks, portable clothes washer, eu2000 + gas, external canopy and chairs, roller blades, wife's shoes. You get the idea. My 3 ideas would be roof mount, which is 10' up and difficult to access with heavy items, a rear bumper cargo mount, which would displace the bike rack, or getting a small enclosed trailer to haul all that stuff. I'm kind of liking the idea of a small trailer except for the part about actually towing something. Parking and backing up would be more limited. Does anyone use a small trailer like the wells cargo service wagon? What would I look for, and how do they handle being pulled down the freeway? I'd need one big enough to put all the above mentioned stuff plus a couple of bicycles since I'd be using the tow hitch for towing instead of holding the bike rack.

[Desert_Captain]

pnichols wrote:
We're not full-timers, but have taken a couple of real long trips in our 24 foot Class C - a 9000 mile trip and a 10000 mile trip. We like to be ready for anything anytime so we carry everything all the time ... including a portable generator and it's spare gas (this is in addition to the built-in generator) and a portable propane fire pit, it's long fuel hose, and it's propane tank.

Here's how we carry stuff:

- We use the shower stall for clothing beyond that in our two closets and just temporarily dump the clothing on the bed whenever we shower.

- Both dinnette seats have the entire volume underneath them for storage, so we load it up ... this offers a whole lot of great storage space.

- The spare tire is mounted in the rear right up between the frame members, just like on a pickup truck. Otherwise, I highly recommend carrying it on a front carrier.

- We use the dead space within the coach's interior cabinet and furniture construction to carry spare parts and things like extra water filters, etc..

- Our Class C is a basement model so it's outside storage bins are tall ones. Two of these outside storage bins have two more long storage bins with their access concealed that go laterally across and under the coach's floor for long items such as fishing poles, kayak oars, beach umbrellas, etc..

- Our cabover bed has storage on both of it's ends. We use this for two lawn chairs and a foldup outside table.

- The enclosed outside access cabinet for sewage and electrical hookup items is large enough to carry spare sewage hoses, two of our three fresh water hoses, a heavy duty extension cord in addition to the stock 30 amp one for hookups, and other spare parts.

- We have the underseat areas for the driver and cab passenger loaded up with all sorts of stuff.

- We have the area under the lounge chair's swivel pedestal loaded up.

- We have the area behind the lounge chair and the wall loaded up.

- We have the overhead cabinet intended for the old style non-flat TV loaded up with stuff (the RV didn't come with a TV).

- We have a bunch of interior cabinets, all loaded to the hilt ... plus extension rods across their openings so stuff doesn't fall out when we open them .... plus double latches or bungy cords on some of them so their doors don't fly open when going over curbs, roadway dips, or when traveling off-highway on dirt/gravel roads.

- The two large coach batteries are mounted right under the coach step ... accessible from the inside or outside and thus not taking up any valuable outside storage volume.

We carry no camping gear or equipment strapped on the outside ... including nothing on the roof, or exterior roof access ladder. We like a clean looking machine from the outside, and even on the inside (other than the shower stall!) we try to maintain an open, non-cluttered look.

All the above being given .... I have no idea where I would put inflatable or non-inflatable kayaks!

Wow Phil... no wonder you needed an E-450 :S

LMAO and you've got to know I'm just kidding. We toss stuff {backpack, small cooler, extra clothes etc.}, into our shower stall as well. Like you said it is easy enough to just move it to the bed since we both shower every other day, usually one right after the other. The under dinette storage isn't half full and we still have lots of cabinets that are less than half full so I don't see us running out of space anytime soon.

I do carry a lot of tools {two full tool bags, jack, jack stand, tire wrench, compressor/jump starter, splitter & 5# maul, hatchet, portable fire pit with a 20# lp cylinder, BBQ etc., and toys but everything seems to fit with lots of room to spare. We load to about 11,000# {mas y memos}, on a GVWR of 11,500 so all is well.

:C

[F1bNorm]

Ramps vs doors
Ramps are nicer if you have rolling equipment. Doors are good if you have limited space behind the trailer. Double doors are easier to open and close.

[photobug]

Every place else underneath is packed full of stuff. you'd think the factory would have designed a better solution.

[carringb]

photobug wrote:
Thanks for the replies.
Spare tire, I've looked into mounting it underneath, but for some reason, the diameter of the tire is bigger than the frame width.

EDIT: Ooops nevermind. I should have read through all the comments

[STBRetired]

Ramps are easier for getting things in and out of the trailer. IMHO

[photobug]

Turns out the space underneath I was thinking of mounting the spare tire is actually too short, not to narrow. The distance between the back bumper and the gray water tank is only about 26" need at least 29" to fit the tire in. Overlapping the bumper would have the tire 4" below the skid bars. Probably not a good idea. Looked up speed limits for towing trailers, most if any, limit with travel trailers, not really mentioning small utility trailers. California is 55 same as trucks, and several states designate all vehicles over 8000lbs as trucks/55mph. North Dakota limit at 75mph.
Undecided weather ramp or doors are better.

[F1bNorm]

I went with the Wells Cargo Service Wagon. It seems to be well made and it uses 15” wheels, a big plus.

It carries an ATV plus other stuff I use for special events. What I like about the trailer is all the equipment is lockable, out of the weather and out of sight. At home, everything stays in the trailer and saves time unloading and space in the garage. Towing is easy and you really don't feel the added weight. It's in the shadow of the motorhome so you don't feel the air drag. Having gas powered equipment, you don't have to live with the smell. That goes for a big rubber tire, too!

The down side:
States have trailer towing laws that restrict speed and lane choice, 55 max in Calif. Backing up is a challenge, but doable. (long overhang on MH vs short coupled trailer). You need a place to store the trailer.

Norm's 2 cents

[DrewE]

As I recall, my spare tire is also wider than the rails (I'd be rather surprised if it's any different than yours) and sits up against them when cranked up. So long as it's not too close to the rear of the motorhome, it won't cut down on your ground clearance or departure angle any. Basically, if it's somewhat above an imaginary line between the bottom of the back wheels and the low point on the bumper, it shouldn't be the first thing to hit the ground when going over bumps or pavement transitions.

Do check what your tongue weight limit is on the trailer hitch; sometimes on class C's they're relatively less than the hitch limit would suggest. Also keep in mind the way the tongue weight (or indeed any weight on the trailer hitch) affects the balance of the RV, shifting weight from the front to the rear axle. The RV is basically acting as a lever. It may be surprisingly easy to overload the rear axle if you aren't careful.

[pnichols]

We're not full-timers, but have taken a couple of real long trips in our 24 foot Class C - a 9000 mile trip and a 10000 mile trip. We like to be ready for anything anytime so we carry everything all the time ... including a portable generator and it's spare gas (this is in addition to the built-in generator) and a portable propane fire pit, it's long fuel hose, and it's propane tank.

Here's how we carry stuff:

- We use the shower stall for clothing beyond that in our two closets and just temporarily dump the clothing on the bed whenever we shower.

- Both dinnette seats have the entire volume underneath them for storage, so we load it up ... this offers a whole lot of great storage space.

- The spare tire is mounted in the rear right up between the frame members, just like on a pickup truck. Otherwise, I highly recommend carrying it on a front carrier.

- We use the dead space within the coach's interior cabinet and furniture construction to carry spare parts and things like extra water filters, etc..

- Our Class C is a basement model so it's outside storage bins are tall ones. Two of these outside storage bins have two more long storage bins with their access concealed that go laterally across and under the coach's floor for long items such as fishing poles, kayak oars, beach umbrellas, etc..

- Our cabover bed has storage on both of it's ends. We use this for two lawn chairs and a foldup outside table.

- The enclosed outside access cabinet for sewage and electrical hookup items is large enough to carry spare sewage hoses, two of our three fresh water hoses, a heavy duty extension cord in addition to the stock 30 amp one for hookups, and other spare parts.

- We have the underseat areas for the driver and cab passenger loaded up with all sorts of stuff.

- We have the area under the lounge chair's swivel pedestal loaded up.

- We have the area behind the lounge chair and the wall loaded up.

- We have the overhead cabinet intended for the old style non-flat TV loaded up with stuff (the RV didn't come with a TV).

- We have a bunch of interior cabinets, all loaded to the hilt ... plus extension rods across their openings so stuff doesn't fall out when we open them .... plus double latches or bungy cords on some of them so their doors don't fly open when going over curbs, roadway dips, or when traveling off-highway on dirt/gravel roads.

- The two large coach batteries are mounted right under the coach step ... accessible from the inside or outside and thus not taking up any valuable outside storage volume.

We carry no camping gear or equipment strapped on the outside ... including nothing on the roof, or exterior roof access ladder. We like a clean looking machine from the outside, and even on the inside (other than the shower stall!) we try to maintain an open, non-cluttered look.

All the above being given .... I have no idea where I would put inflatable or non-inflatable kayaks!

[dcason]

Portable clothes washer???? sink, laundromat...downsize your "stuff" much nicer to ride without the stuff.
Ours is a 25 foot class c...some trips we just started towing a jeep (so that could hold stuff if you need stuff). Some trips we choose not to tow anything (newfoundland)...we don't bring bikes there nor need to set up bases from which to travel.
Donna
Ah, just read you are moving...never mind.

[photobug]

Thanks for the replies.
Spare tire, I've looked into mounting it underneath, but for some reason, the diameter of the tire is bigger than the frame width. I've got the lift mechanism, E-trailer one someone mentioned. Still working on how to get everything to fit under there. My E350 van has that.

As far as leaving stuff behind, that probably would be the best way, but for this trip, there is no behind, we're selling the house and moving across the country, so not only do we need the stuff, but will be stuck with what we can carry for several months until I can find a new place and get the household stuff delivered. I use the generator for my photography stuff, generator in rig is too noisy when there are a lot of people around. Plus there's a severe lack of electrical outlets on the outside.

I've been looking at a small 5x8 single axle. Tow hitch is supposedly rated at 3500lbs, trailers are maxed out at about 2900 or so so that should be ok. Backup camera is hooked to the stereo in the cab which gives you the option to turn on when ever including while driving down the road. Speed limits aren't too much of a concern (assuming it's not 45mph that u-haul recommends) I don't tend to like to drive more than about 65 or 70 depending on the road. **** thing uses too much gas if I drive faster than that.

[coolmom42]

I would lighten the load...a LOT.

[Sam_Spade]

DiskDoctr wrote:
Front bumper mounted spare tire carrier.

I prefer REAR bumper mount.

But if the OEM location is under the rear carriage, that doesn't really take up any usable storage space. You just have to test the "release mechanism" a couple of times a year to be sure the nuts/bolts etc. haven't rusted shut.

As for the original question:

This is CAMPING, right ?? Not for a lot of people apparently.

The best way to solve the storage problem is: take a LOT less "stuff". The first thing that caught my eye was the "portable clothes washer". That is what laundromats are for.

And really, unless you are running a marathon or cleaning fish, you really don't have to put on a whole clean outfit every day (extra underwear is nice though).

As for other stuff that you MIGHT need......if WalMart sells it, you don't NEED to take it with you.

Get the idea ?? If some part of your family just can't bear to "rough it" then maybe the "camper" wasn't such a good idea.

[carringb]

X2 on an undercarriage mounted spare mount. They are easy to find in junkyards, however removal is often not easy. E-trailer also has a universal undercarriage mount.

A hitch rack with some weather-resistant totes is another option for gear you don't use daily. Finally, whenever I've rented C's, the overhead bunk is where we stored all the ski totes during travel. It's a space not normally used while driving, and helps keep the weight distribution forward.

That all said... pulling a trailer isn't hard, and you'll figure out backing soon enough (although, small trailers are harder to back the big trailers), and can provide an enclosed outdoor spare to use as a work or gear setup area.

[D_E_Bishop]

This is on the first reading of your post and assuming you really need all that equipment a real puzzlement to quote from the King and I.

You asked for our input regarding three choices and it seems you aren't really in favor of any of them. I will assume that this extended road trip is not the type of camping you bought your rig for and normally do, that said, I think the simplest solutions are, either to leave a lot of stuff behind or rent a larger rig for the trip and leave your rig home.