Our RV is a black hole. It can suck all manner of things into its clutches, only to laugh at us when we beg for the return of our stuff. Even a modestly sized RV can swallow your gear, making things really hard to find. There are just so many little nooks and crannies.
RVs with basement storage can be even worse, with that many more places to store, and therefore lose, just about anything. Add to that the fact that our rig is pretty big…. and we’re full-timers… and DIYers… (and anal retentive!)… and we have that many more places, and that much more stuff, to stash… and therefore to lose.
Back in 2012, we made a video about how we organize our RV’s basement to make it easier to find things hidden away in its deepest recesses. But something was still lacking.
Our new technique may seem like a minor update, but the difference it’s made has been nothing short of amazing. We can now step outside, walk directly to the correct basement compartment, and put our hands on just about any part, supply or piece of gear in moments.
Check out the video to see how such a simple trick can make you the master of your RV’s basement, and show that black hole who’s boss!
If you’ve got an organizational or storage tip that works great for you, be sure to share in the comments!
If you’re looking for a template document for organizing your own basement bins, here’s ours (to download, right-click on either link below and choose the right option from the contextual menu that pops up):
- Microsoft Word Version (may have layout issues if the fonts on your computer are different than ours… sorry!)
- PDF Version (will look great, but it’s not editable… get the Word version above)
Panama Canal Transit Videos On Deck!
Many of you know that we flew down to join our friends Jason & Nikki Wynn in Central America a couple of months ago. We were there to help sail their catamaran Curiosity through the Panama Canal.
We’ve been getting lots of questions about if and when we’d have a video about that. We can now announce that not only will we have one, but it will be released next Sunday, at the same time as Nikki & Jason’s.
In the meantime, the Wynn’s “prequel” video, released today, is the first episode of the canal transit. They introduce their three line handlers (that would be us, and Jason’s Mom, Mary), and show the preparation required to get them, the boat, and all of us ready.
Check out their awesome video here. If you want to see us on Curiosity, we’re featured in today’s video right up through the credits, so be sure to watch all the way to the end. Leave a comment and tell Jason & Nikki we said “Hi!” :)
Recent & Related Videos:
- How To Organize an RV Basement
- 10 Quick RV Tips & Tricks
- Annual Maintenance & Spring Cleaning
- RV Overpass Crash Avoidance
- LIVE CHAT – RV Height Follow-up
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- Winter Secret Weapon Planning
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Ralph Pohl
Sunday 30th of September 2018
I use my RV basement for product storage. How is a good way to climate control your RV basement? I can not let metal products rust or dry goods or paper draw moisture.
TheRVgeeks
Sunday 30th of September 2018
Hi Ralph! That's a tough one. In our RV the only type of heating or ventilation in the basement is what's typically called "Basement heat" which is nothing more than an air outlet, which blows warm air down there when the furnace is running to prevent water lines from freezing in the winter. That's probably pretty typical of large motorhomes, and we're not aware that anything more involved that that exists. That said, our basement is clean and dry and quite well sealed, but the idea that we could depend on it to protect sensitive materials is doubtful. We're really not sure how confident you could be in any RV basement to be stable enough to assure that nothing happens to metal or paper down there, especially if it's a moisture or humidity concern. You might be able to install a dehumidifier, but other than that, we're not sure you'd be assured of maintaining low enough humidity... unless you spend all your time in the Desert SW.
Pete MacLachlan
Sunday 25th of February 2018
Thanks for the speedy reply!! I did post the question on the MCD site (shamelessly referring to your site I might add), so hopefully they might get enough interest to consider manufacturing them again. Pity - I would’ve thought it was a good complimentary product to the awnings...
TheRVgeeks
Sunday 25th of February 2018
Maybe if enough people do the same, MCD will bring them back?! Sure would be great... we get asked about them ALL the time!
Pete MacLachlan
Sunday 25th of February 2018
Hi Peter & John,
Some time back when you were being asked asked about your wheel covers, that were discontinued from MCD, you alluded to a new wheel cover that you found interesting and would possibly post about later. From this video it looks like you’re still using the MCD’s? Is there anything else out there that is comparable?
Many thanks - Pete Mac
TheRVgeeks
Sunday 25th of February 2018
Hi Pete! The new wheel covers we mentioned still aren't ready... they're being perfected and we're hoping it will be out sometime this year. But we can't be sure. And, unfortunately, we've never seen ANYTHING quite like the (discontinued) MCDs we have now... so we're babying them to be sure they don't fall apart on us! LOL!
The only thing we've heard about that is similar to the MCDs (but haven't seen ourselves) was from friends of ours who were in Quartzsite last year. They said they saw a vendor at the show who was selling something almost exactly like ours... just not 100% the same quality. Unfortunately, we don't have the name of that vendor, and since we haven't seen what they were selling, we can't be sure it's actually a direct replacement.
Sorry we don't have better news to report! We're actually hoping that now that Airxcell purchased MCD, MAYBE there's a chance they'll resurrect the wheel covers. But we're not holding our breath. ?
John
Friday 23rd of February 2018
What is the mat material you have your bins sitting on? Looks like bamboo. I was thinking of hallway runner material. The very thin, cheap stuff that has very small spikes to protect the basement lining material. Thanks
TheRVgeeks
Friday 23rd of February 2018
Hi John! Those are indeed bamboo mats. They're great for so many uses, and we've featured them in many of our videos, mostly for lying on the ground under the RV or car! In the basement, they protect the carpeting, and make it easy to slide the bins around, as shown in the video. Ours are now 15 years old, and we have no idea where we got them. Unfortunately, they're getting pretty long in the tooth, so we ordered replacements several years ago. Sadly, those were such poor quality, we ended up sending them back. We really do need to find a good quality replacement at some point, and of course we'll post about if we do. Your idea of runners is a viable one, and if we can't find replacement bamboo makes of any quality, we may end up going that route.
Ian Schneiderman
Wednesday 21st of February 2018
Hi Peter and John -
As always I learn a great deal from your videos. We are getting our RV in April and going full time! Haven't owned one and drove one around the lot for 1/2 an hour. That's the extent of our RVing experience!! What scares me most about this video is not the effort to organize, but all the STUFF and accessories etc. that you have in them bins!!! You guys should do a video called "What's in our bins and why!!" I'm guessing it would a few hour video, but I would love to know what all that stuff is for and what it all does!!!
Ian
TheRVgeeks
Wednesday 21st of February 2018
Hi Ian! Congratulations on your upcoming RV! We'll add your idea to our list of potential videos. Might be a good one for a live Q&A. Figuring out what you need to keep on board happens over time, and of course everyone is different. A year from now, you'll be an old hand, looking back at how green you felt in the beginning (that's what we still do)! LOL Safe Travels - Peter & John