Storage Racks

Our initial plan was to maximize storage potential inside the van by basically covering one of the van walls with storage cabinets. It didn’t take us long to realize that this would crowd the interior space too much. We preferred to have a more spacious interior, so we scratched those plans and instead decided to only have a few small wooden racks for some commonly used items.

Here are our beloved homemade racks

Each rack is made from wood scraps we found at our local construction material salvage Re-Store (man, how we love such places – awesome resource for DIY projects!). The racks were made just by screwing or gluing the wooden strips together. Each rack was then screwed directly to the wall paneling.

Before building such racks, it helps to know exactly what will be going in them. This way, you can size them accordingly, and the snug fit of each item will help avoid the rattles.

For the spice rack, we created little felt-covered plywood dividers to prevent the items from rattling while on the road. The lids of the spice jars are screwed in place, and the jars remain secure, but pop right off with a quick twist.

A place for everything, and everything in its place.

These racks may be small, but they hold a lot of frequently used items. It is so nice to have things easily accessible – for instance, we love not having to fish around for the salt and pepper in the kitchen storage boxes for every meal. And our toothbrushes are always right by the sink, leaving us no excuses for not brushing after that post-dinner Oreo binge.