Forum Discussion

evanrem's avatar
evanrem
Explorer II
Nov 07, 2016

Outside storage access on bigger TT's

We are looking at upgrading our TT and mainly focused around +34 bunkhouse travel trailers and find that the majority of them only have the front pass though for outside storage. My 2010 Puma has 3 outside storage doors in addition to the front pass through which when I bought It i didn't even think about it but now realize how nice it is. For those who have the single pass through as your only outside storage is it a mess? Do you wish you had more storage from the outside? My top picks only have single pass through and I'm thinking it might be a deal breaker now.
  • Every time you want/need something it's in the middle of the compartment

    Slide out trays are an option BUT they take up storage space
  • Outside storage is what sold me on our camper. We bought a Heritage Glen 29BH. It has the front pass through, and 2 huge compartments under the bunks that are accessed from outside. An outdoor kitchen is an option on it, but without the kitchen, it is storage. I found a great folding tailgate table at Sam's Club that I use as my outdoor kitchen. They even ran the propane back there from the factory, so it was easy to tap into for the grill.

    We are able to put 4 bag chairs, and 4 antigravity type chairs, and the tailgate table in one of the compartments.

    It doesn't have a slide in the bunkroom, so it is a small area, but we upgraded from a popup, so it seems roomy to us, and my teenagers don't have to share a bed!
  • Seems every camper we've purchased has less and less outside storage. But more inside storage. Our Outback 35 feet has only the one pass-through. We adjusted by getting rid of all the "stuff" we did not use when we switched to this camper! And it was massive!

    The only challenge we had was where to carry the outside lawn chairs, and we found a comfortable spot inside the camper that works very well for that spot.

    I did add a carrier to the bumper and carry a couple plastic boxes there to carry my sewer hoses. This way, they are outside the camper and not taking up bed space in the truck.

    The bed space in the truck, and my construction style shell on the bed of the truck with full length shelves on both sides is were the bigger bulkier stuff is carried, like our blue sewer tote, my air compressor, tools, blocks, wood for under the tires, spare tire for the camper, ladder and water tank, and sometimes much more.









    As the primary purpose for my truck is to tow the travel trailer, I usually keep everything in the truck bed or shell shelves all the time, unless I need the bed for something else. Then I'll remove everything from the bed, use the truck, and put it back.

    Do I miss all those outside storage accesses like my last 2 previous campers had? No! Not at all. The more "space" you have, the more "junk" you haul around, stuff you don't need and never use. Limited storage space forces you to figure out just what you really do need, what you really do use, and forces you to eliminate everything else. It also teaches you to pack a bit smarter, and use the existing space wisely. In this case ... less really is better!

    Edit:
    I use the trailer bumper to carry poles and such: A long pole for a brush to brush off the leaves from the tops of the slide outs, a pair of fireplace tongs, hot dog sticks, my cane fishing pole I use for a flag pole (or in my case, a wind sock), a section of pipe. These are the long metal objects you really do NOT want in the pass through because they would probably punch holes in the floor or walls putting them in or out. Since I don't use this space for sewer hoses anyway, it's a great spot for those long metal objects. (Thus the reason for the bungie cords on the end of the sewer bumper in the photo above. Those metal objects can slide around popping the end caps off real easy! And then you loose them.

  • If it does not fit or we did not use it, we leave it home.

    If you really really have to have it, find a Wal-Mart.
  • I have 1 pass through and no problems and it has tons of space. I attached loops of plastic plumbing hangers in the top of it so I could put things like shovels, rakes, pie cookers, marshmallow stiks, hiking sticks, etc. up above out of the way. I have hooks attached to the sides for electric cords, hoses, cables, rope etc. Everything big like rugs, grill, tables, etc sits on the floor with all the camp chairs on top of them. Plenty of room, everything is easily accessible. So in terms of cubic feet, is the space comparable to what you are use to? Maybe you just need to figure out how to use it more efficiently.
  • we also have one pass through on our 2017 Forest River Surveyor 243RBS, when I got a plan of what I use every time and what I just like to have along, I put it all in old wooden boxes with the front cut down low so I can see in, It works out well, the inside has more storage than we could ever fill unless we were full timming in it, so hiking poles, step stool, broom, extra chairs, hot dog sticks, extra extension cord, extra hose, card table, stuff like that goes inside one of the closets.

    We still havent taken a multi week trip in it so some redoing may be needed for that.

    Dar & Barb
  • I couldn't imagine having only one pass through. I have 2 and the rear one is huge! It is about 30" deep and the width of the trailer, plus it goes forward about 5 feet on the street side. We have L shaped bunks and the storage mimicked its footprint. I only wish I had a street side access door. We do have a lot of inside storage that also gets used. I use quite a bit of the stuff in my storage space. So it would kill me not to have it. And yes it all adds weight. About 2klbs worth!