We have long recognized that closet organization is a good way to obtain more storage, find things easily, and rid life of cluttered stuff. Our Roadtrek closet is 15-1/2″ wide x 22″ deep, and like most Class B closets, space is scarce!
From time to time we have added useful improvements. Notice the two cargo nets for winter hats and gloves, and a holder for plastic grocery bags from Amazon. We added a bungee cord to keep hanging clothes from getting caught in the latch when shutting the closet door. Early in our RV life we learned the trick of inserting the clothes hangers backwards so they go in and come out with the greatest of ease.
But the floor of our closet had become a kind of collecting site for certain items. We had rigged Velcro hook and loop fasteners to hold the awning crank, two golf umbrellas, and the front table's chrome leg. Now Roger took chaos in hand, cleaned out the bottom of the closet, and measured everything that was not discarded. He made several plans.
He then cut a piece of Masonite 15 1/2″ x 22″ with a notch in the left rear corner to fit around a vertical wall support. He then placed the objects on the board according to his plan. Some spaces were too large, some too small. Originally he thought wood dividers would make low partitions, but thick wood dividers would cut into desirable space. So he found some leftover aluminum stair nose extrusions. Using this L-shaped profile he marked where to fasten the dividers. He used a hacksaw to cut the dividers into various lengths, drilled holes to hold 3/8″ rivets, and used a hand rivet tool to mount the dividers on the base board. He used yellow electrical tape to finish the edges.
When planning this jig to hold things in position we had thought high partitions between items would be necessary. Not so. The closet is so compact the items placed in the bottom are surrounded on all sides so they do not encroach on each other. The stair step nose is 1-1/4″ above the base and stuff stays put over bumpy roads and interstates. Our closet stuff includes two bottles of spare drinking water, a dust pan and whisk broom, electric heater, Bissel Pet Hair Eraser hand vacuum, a 4″ 3-ring binder with manuals, and an Endless Breeze 12 VDC fan.
Don't despair if you string out your mods and improvements as you gain experience. We are always on the lookout for ways to make things better, easier, and more enjoyable. And we tear out and start over when we find a better way.
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