How do you store your gear?

[Lawn Sale]

I thought I'd share...from Mark's Coffee House and Gear Emporium, open all night.

I got tired of always having my hiking and camping stuff in multiple places, so I took one of the spare rooms in the farmhouse and converted it. I keep the shoes in the mudroom, so those in the pics don't include my hiking ones, just the shoes I don't use often. I also didn't put any of the 11 sleeping bags in the room, for obvious reasons - they wouldn't fit without being a nuisance. I left them in the bedroom hanging from the cathedral ceiling, where they're out of the way. The hiking/camping books are in the den with the other books, but they do have their own bookcase.

I frequently loan out gear to friends and family, which is why I have more than I need. It's always good to have spares as well, you never know when they'll come in handy.

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I'm glad I got it done, it's so much easier to work with.

This exercise made me curious, how do other people store their gear when they're not using it? Do you clean it every time or only when it needs it? Do you use it for more than just to hike and camp? Is it ever loaned out?

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[WinterWarlock]

I thought I'd share...from Mark's Coffee House and Gear Emporium, open all night.

I got tired of always having my hiking and camping stuff in multiple places, so I took one of the spare rooms in the farmhouse and converted it. I keep the shoes in the mudroom, so those in the pics don't include my hiking ones, just the shoes I don't use often. I also didn't put any of the 11 sleeping bags in the room, for obvious reasons - they wouldn't fit without being a nuisance. I left them in the bedroom hanging from the cathedral ceiling, where they're out of the way. The hiking/camping books are in the den with the other books, but they do have their own bookcase.

I frequently loan out gear to friends and family, which is why I have more than I need. It's always good to have spares as well, you never know when they'll come in handy.

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4

I'm glad I got it done, it's so much easier to work with.

This exercise made me curious, how do other people store their gear when they're not using it? Do you clean it every time or only when it needs it? Do you use it for more than just to hike and camp? Is it ever loaned out?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Nice set up - I'd love to be able to do something like that. As it is, I get a small closet in the garage.

As I went thru all the pics, I also noticed Pic 5 in your album - now that 's awesome!

 

[Paradox]

This exercise made me curious, how do other people store their gear when they're not using it?

On the floor, in a spare room.

Do you clean it every time

Rarely

Do you use it for more than just to hike and camp?

I've got hiking, camping, skiing, sailing, and cycling stuff all pretty much in chronological order (Most recently used on top of the pile) My wife has been urging me to organize it for years.

 

[Motabobo]

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That's what I'm talking about ! Unfortunately, I do not have a spare room for this

 

[Jay H]

Hiking, Mtning, backpacking,cycling, kayaking gear live in my gear room which is a spare bedroom upstairs in my house.

Cycling/Hiking/Kayaking clothes are in a closet upstairs in the hallway between the 2 upstairs bedrooms.

I've got 3 bikes in the basement (full, unfinished), 1 bike in my living room (why not?) and 1 bike (my commuter) in the basement foyer that opens up to the outside (My garage! ). My 2 kayaks are outside underneath my deck in a custom made sling/harness. And miscellaneous hiking stuff live in my Subaru (those that can stand the heat/cold and use on weekends).. But basically, I have all the gear that I can carry up the stairs in the gear room upstairs and bigger items either in the basement or outside under my deck.

Jay

 

[Lawn Sale]

On the floor, in a spare room.

Rarely

I've got hiking, camping, skiing, sailing, and cycling stuff all pretty much in chronological order (Most recently used on top of the pile) My wife has been urging me to organize it for years.

Too funny! Mine used to be like this, but half the time I couldn't find anything.
The (now ex) GF never saw the room, but I know she would have complained, which is why I always kept the door closed.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

... My wife has been urging me to organize it for years.

Urging, huh? That isn't what we call it at my house. What a civilized way you have with words ...

Nice job, Lawnsale. I built a large bureau which is stored in the garage to hold most of my stuff.

 

[WinterWarlock]

Urging, huh? That isn't what we call it at my house.

Most of my commonly used stuff sits on the floor in my home office, and I get the same urging. I'm afraid to leave town because I'm not sure if my pile of gear will still be there when I get back!

 

[slevasse]

I rotate my gear from closet to couch in my living room according to time of year. The climbing gear generally moves from spare bedroom to living room floor depending on how much room I need to walk and how many times I have stubbed my toes or stepped on something pointy. Right now the camping and hiking gear are still splayed across my couch but I will be rotating it soon to include winter hiking and ice gear. I finally put away the motorcycle helmet, jacket and rain gear the other day after having not used it for over a month. Needed more room for other stuff!

 

[dentonfabrics]

I store my gear Oscar Madison style, in piles located thoughout the house.

 

[leaf]

I simply don't have enough gear to be considering where and how to store it.

 

[marty]

I store my gear Oscar Madison style, in piles located thoughout the house.

Ditto on that. My backpacking stuff lies in a closet in a spare bedroom, competing with my wife's supplies for craft making. My day hiking gear, including winter stuff, is strewn across the basement. My clothes lie in both those spots, plus in my main closet. Maps and reference books sit in the office.

My wife thinks it is total chaos and without logic, but I actually know where to find everything (until she tidies everything up)

Marty

 

[daxs]

Third bedroom is the gear room and stores all the hiking, camping, biking, running and kayaking gear except the actual kayaks. They are stored outside in a cradle built just for holding kayaks.

 

[ADKdremn]

I'm with leaf, but the stuff I do have is stored on a big metal shelfing system in my basement. My good winter sleeping bag is stored unrolled on a shelf in my bedroom closet and my jackets/coats just stay in the regular coat closet. My kayak stands up on end on my backporch.

Very cool set up you have, looks like a store. It would be fun to have a room set up like that. Also liked the map on the wall, Add a few more maps and some pics here and there, and I'd be content sitting in that room staring at all that stuff planning my next trip!

 

[Paradox]

My wife thinks it is total chaos and without logic, but I actually know where to find everything (until she tidies everything up)

Ohhh yaah!

 

[Paradox]

I just noticed the date (11/8/08) on those photos. I want to see some candid photos taken this coming February.

 

[mtnbound]

I'm lucky enough to have a gear room where most of the gear lives, except for what's on the couch and living room floor waiting for the weekend. Bigger items like the mountain bike and kayak are stored at the folks house. No room for the boat at the condo. Small price to pay for not having any yard work to do on the weekend!

 

[Toe Cozy]

Inspiration room

Add a few more maps and some pics here and there, and I'd be content sitting in that room staring at all that stuff planning my next trip!

Yes! That's a good idea. Call it the Inspiration Room instead of the Gear Room, makes it sound more like a place to go to stir up ideas for the next adventure and less like an accumulation of too much "stuff" which then necessitates buying more stuff in order to organize and store it all. I really like that idea. Can we come to your house, Lawnsale for Inspiration????

Our hiking gear fits easily in a medium sized closet upstairs. Every once in a while I go through and delete unnecessary or old items to keep the accumulation of stuff from getting out of control. I use old cardboard boxes to sort and store things. One for stuff sacks, one for "kitchen"/eating stuff, one for winter mitts, hats, goggles. Boxes are free and recyclable when they wear out. Old T (our Old Town Canoe) gets a bay of the garage along with Chip's white water Kayak in the summer and in the winter Old T sits outside, up on blocks, hillbilly style.

Chip never complains about the mess I make with the gear. Even post backpacking trip when I leave it strewn about the house for days. He is forever modifying his guitar amplifier and there are resistors, capacitors, tubes, wires, soldering iron, voltmeter and schematics all over the living room floor. Not to mention three guitars and one drum set. So, can't really complain about messes. We run a very grown-up and sophisticated house!

 

[Hobbitling]

I don't have a whole room, but I was able to negotiate a decent sized closet. This past weekend was my winter cleanup, so I repaired and inspected all my busted gear, added winter stuff to my essentials bag, put the summer gear away, and got rid of some broken or useless stuff.

I use one of those portable plastic file boxes for my "gadgets": flashlights, compasses, hand warmers, bug spray, hand sanitizer etc... basically anything small and easy to lose.

Although the gadgets I use regularly (ie my essentials/emergency kit) are in a blaze orange zipper bag that hangs on the back of the closet door. this goes on every single hike.

big canvas tote bags I stole from my art teacher wife hold baselayers, middle layers (fleeces and such), cold weather accessories (hats and mittens), food and cooking supplies. etc... all sorted into their own bags. neatly lined up on the floor.

lots of hooks on the walls, and a shelf overhead for packs, outerwear, snowshoes, tents (in stuff sacks). now if only I can get the board games off the shelf...

Any "off season" or spare stuff goes under the bed. I have several spare packs, sleeping bags, and such for friends who need them; enough to outfit several unequipped campers with the basics. most were picked up at garage sales, and are perfectly useable but heavier than I prefer.

big mesh laundry bags hold sleeping bags (uncompressed) on the floor.

I often fantasize about what my perfect gear room would look like
it would have a wall sized floor to ceiling topo map of the adirondacks (or whatever hiking area I live near at the time) mounted on corkboard with a dryerase marker coating, built in storage system, and its own door to the outside with a mud closet. And a work/sewing machine area and table for gear repair and for use as a staging area while packing.
maybe someday when we move out of our apartment.
lucky you.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

...My wife thinks it is total chaos and without logic, but I actually know where to find everything (until she tidies everything up)

Marty

Makes me think of the old George Carlin routine, which says "My stuff is Stuff; your stuff is Junk".