👕 15 Caravan Clothes Storage Ideas & Tips

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A good set of caravan clothes storage ideas for the wardrobe and drawers is something many caravanners seek out when trying to maximise their internal storage space.

Every inch of storage space in a caravan is prime real estate! If you’re here, it’s because you want to be smart about how you pack, while still covering all of your clothing needs while travelling.

Things like storage boxes, hanging space, shelving and compartments are all perfect storage solutions for the caravan wardrobe.

One of my biggest concerns when moving from a house with a full-sized built-in wardrobe in every bedroom, to a 23 foot caravan was, “how the heck am I going to fit all of our clothes in?!” I can tell you that I didn’t nail it first go, in fact it was more of a process of trial, error and elimination.

Here are a range of caravan cupboard and drawer storage ideas, so that you can get your own space organised in no time.

For more storage tips, check out these 52 caravan hacks!

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Caravan Clothes Storage Ideas

Eliminate Unnecessary Items

The first step of the process is to eliminate as much clothing as you can, so that you’re only left with those items that you love and will serve you well on the road.

I’m not suggesting you go and ditch most of your clothing and be left with only three outfits, but it’s time to start thinking about which items you actually wear all the time and which ones are just taking up that precious space.

Life on the road is very casual, so one or two dressy outfits for a fancy night out or going to dinner is usually enough with the majority of your clothing being for travel days, walking through towns, hiking in the bush or swimming at the beach or in a creek.

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Caravan Packing List

Add or Remove Hanging Space

Decide on whether or not you actually want hanging clothes storage space in your caravan wardrobe.

I prefer to have my tops hanging, so that I can easily see what I’ve got, plus it stops them from getting wrinkled. However, many people prefer to convert their caravan cupboard hanging space to shelves, as it does allow for much more storage space.

If you are needing the absolute maximum amount of wardrobe space possible, I’d recommend opting for shelves.

On the other hand, if you’re a visual person and need to see what you’ve got in order to actually use it, having some hanging space is probably a better option for you.

Change the Caravan Cupboard Hanging Rail

If you do decide to keep or add hanging space to your caravan wardrobe, consider changing out the hanging rack for a proper hanging rail.

The standard caravan clothes hanging rack that comes in most modern caravans has little slots for your coat hangers. These are great for hanging a small amount of clothing because that eyelet style rail will stop your hangers from falling off while in transit.

However, if you want to be able to hang more than just what those eyelets will allow, I highly recommend removing the hanging rack and adding in a proper hanging rail.

With this simple modification, you will be able to hang at least double the amount of clothes in your cupboard!

An adjustable closet rail can easily be extended out to the width of your caravan wardrobe and secured in place once the original hanging rack has been removed.

Add in Permanent Shelving

If you want to maximise the available clothing storage space in your caravan cupboards, adding in a few extra shelves is definitely the way to go.

Being able to group each item by category is a great way to keep the clothing organised. Guys tend to opt for shelves over hanging space, as their style of wardrobe is perfect for this.

You can easily allocate one shelf for shirts, one for shorts and another shelf for jumpers.

If you can’t see it – you won’t wear it!

The only problem with storing clothing on shelves in cabinets that are deeper than they are wide, is that not everything can be seen at first glance.

One way to solve this problem is to rotate the clothes. So, when fresh clothing comes in from the laundry, put it to the back of the shelf so that the front items get worn and so on.

Another trick is to either fold or roll the clothing so that it’s long and skinny, that way you’ll be able to see every item that is on the shelf.

Temporary Shelving Ideas

If you don’t want to or aren’t able to add permanent shelves to the caravan wardrobe, there are other options available.

Consider some hanging shelves, which easily attach to the hanging rail and offer multiple sections to organise your clothing.

Another option is to add one or two extendable closet shelves, which don’t require screwing and can be removed at any time.

You could also look at finding a small set of plastic drawers, which would sit inside the cupboard. However, they would take up a lot of the precious space, so they’re not the most practical option.

Overhead Shelves & Cabinets

Just like with the deep shelves, to make full use of your overhead cabinets, you need to either roll or fold your clothing in a long and skinny fashion.

My overhead cabinet houses all of my bottoms (shorts, jeans, leggings, pants and skirts). I’ve categorised all items into one of four piles, then folded each item as long and skinny as I can to fit neatly into the pile.

With one end of each item poking out, I can quickly and easily see every single item that is in there.

I use my overhead shelf to store my dresses and tunic-style tops. The easiest way to categorise them is to roll one style (dresses), then fold and stack the other style (tunic tops). This way, I can quickly and easily see what’s there without feeling overwhelmed.

The second overhead cabinet is for the blokes warmer clothing (jumpers, track pants, jeans and long-sleeved tops), while all of the hats line the overhead shelf.

Drawer Organisation

The kids certainly don’t have as much clothing storage in the caravan as the adults do. Indii has two drawers, while Dom has one drawer, plus another hidden shelf under the bottom bunk.

The best way to utilise drawer space is to fold each item into a square or rectangular shape.

When items are folded into squares or rectangles, they can easily slot down into the drawer, yet always remain visible. You can fit so much more into your space this way. My only problem is getting the kids to put their clothes back in like this!

Check out the KonMari Fold below to see how it’s done.

Use Drawer Dividers

If you want extra help with organising and separating items in your clothing drawers, get a couple of drawer dividers.

Be aware that drawer divers will take up a small amount of that precious storage space, so opt for something as slimline as you can, like the ones below.

If you go for a customisable set, then you’ll be able to adjust them based on your drawer size and what needs to fit in there. Some of these plastic ones can be cut down to size as well.

The Underwear Drawer

If you’re lucky enough to have a socks and undies drawer in your caravan, you’ll know that while they are super handy, they’re not especially big.

Although it’s tempting to just open the drawer, jam everything in there and then close it before it all spills out… there is another way. It’s quite revolutionary actually, it’s called ‘folding.’

Folding & organising will increase your storage space.

As you can see in the bottom row (pictured above), all of my underwear is folded into a square shape. For underwear, fold the bottom up, then fold the two sides in. Simply slot them into the drawer in a row.

Behind that are all of my bras folded and lined up in a neat row.

The next two rows are socks. To fold, open the socks out flat, place one on top of the other and fold the pair into thirds. Next, slot the pair into the drawer standing upright.

I even have enough room for my togs and sarong at the back of the drawer because, well, being organised actually increases storage space.

Drawer Organisers & Boxes

The problem with caravans is that not everyone has their own underwear drawer, so sometimes you need to create one yourself. The kids each have a box inside one of their drawers, which serves that purpose.

I use the same folding method as I did with the clothing, so that the socks are folded together along one side of the box and undies are folded in a line along the other side of the box.

You can use boxes in any drawers or cupboards to create more organised categories and spaces for your family’s clothing. This also works really well with tiny baby and toddler clothing that needs to be contained and kept together.

Hooks Inside the Cupboard Doors

Add sticky hooks to the inside of your wardrobe doors. This tiny little addition will give you somewhere to store your belts and accessories out of the way, yet still remain easily visible and accessible.

Hat Hangers

One of the most convenient ways to store your hats in the caravan is with Hat Hangers. Not only are they super practical, but they also add a touch of style and warmth to your space by having some textiles on the wall.

Two really nice hat hanger ideas include the Macrame Hat Hangers (above) and the Klipsta Hat Clips (below), which can be hung off a curtain rail.

Shoe Pockets

Over cupboard shoe pockets are so handy. In addition to storing shoes in them, you can also use them for sunnies, scarves, beanies, socks, belts, accessories and more.

Shoe pockets can go over the wardrobe door, if you can find the right size, or you can cut them down and store them around the edge of the bed.

Store the Opposite Season’s Clothing

If you’re travelling through the Top End, chances are you’re not going to need your winter clothing on display. All of those jumpers would be taking up precious clothing real estate!

The same goes for when you’re travelling down south during the cooler months – you don’t need all of your swimsuits and summer gear getting in the way.

Store your clothing for the opposite season out of the way by stashing it under the bed or couch.

Stashing away off-season clothing will dramatically free up your everyday clothing storage space!

We have an old plastic zippered bag that originally came with a blanket in it, which stores the kids clothes. It’s the perfect shape and size to store clothing (rolled up) that doesn’t need to be currently accessible.

We also have a lightweight, zippered fabric bag to store our spare clothing in, which goes under the bed. The beauty of fabric bags is that if they’re not full, they can be squished down and pushed out of the way.

Boxes can work as well, but if a box isn’t full, it still takes up just as much space.

Another great solution for storing your clothes away is with Packing Cubes. They come as a set with various shapes and sizes, which are perfect for categorising clothing and slotting them into the empty spaces under the bed until you need them.

Slimline Laundry Bag

Get yourself a slimline fabric laundry bag that can be slotted out of the way into a corner somewhere.

I like to store mine beside the toilet in the ensuite, because that way it doesn’t need to be moved for any reason. There’s nothing more annoying that having to take the laundry basket in and out of the shower or keep shifting it off the dinette seating.

Extra Considerations when Packing Clothes for Travel

There are so many things to think about when it comes to packing your clothing, whether it be for a little trip, or even long-term travel. Here are some final caravan clothes storage ideas to consider.

BONUS – Have a look around your van and see if you can make your caravan feel bigger inside by decluttering and minimising. Here’s a FREE capsule wardrobe planner (printable) to help organise your clothing needs.

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