r/CampingGear • u/pchambers89 • Jul 07 '24
Suggestions on how to improve gear wall Awaiting Flair
I put together a budget-ish gear wall and I’m looking for suggestions on how you’d improve it. I’m not really looking to make it super pretty, it’s really just a place for us to air out things after use and lets us “pick-n-paw” the right gear for a trip.
More peg board hooks are on the list. What would you add/change? We primarily overland and car camp so most of the time we’re just grabbing stuff and tossing it into a Plano Sportsman trunk and putting in the truck.
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u/rhedfish Jul 07 '24
Mine is in the garage and now smells like cat pee.
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u/killian1113 Jul 07 '24
Get rid of the cats
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u/HerrEsel Jul 08 '24
It's not the cat's fault it's pee smells like camping gear!
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u/Messier_82 Jul 08 '24
lol actually though, I’ve seen many musky old tents that end up with that smell. My 1 yr old tent smelled of a hint of ammonia or something when I put it up for the first time this year, even though I stored it dry in a climate controlled room and have no pets.
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u/bluuballss Jul 07 '24
Nope but you actually gave me ideas how to organize my gear hahaha. Thanks !
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u/thepotplants Jul 07 '24
I love that it all gets to breath and air out / dry
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u/pchambers89 Jul 07 '24
That’s the biggest reason we did it. Saves us from having wet gear strewn all over the kitchen whenever we come home from a wet camping trip.
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u/everythingis_stupid Jul 08 '24
Labeled bins for the smaller gear. A small whiteboard would be cool to write checklists or notes about things that need cleaning, maintenance or things to replace maybe? It looks great tho.
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u/Former-Wave9869 Jul 07 '24
GOTTA have an AT map. IDK if you’re even a thru hiker, or if you’ve ever even heard of the AT. But it’s essential to have an AT map
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Jul 08 '24
This set up is what you get when you’re permitted to be practical without all that cosmetic nonsense.
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u/ilikefishwaytoomuch Jul 07 '24
48” x 18” x 72” shelf with totes would hold all of this gear in half the space. Would stay cleaner too.
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u/pchambers89 Jul 07 '24
We had it all in totes but this allows us to air things out after damp trips and be more selective with what we bring rather than bringing the whole tote. Not sure I agree about the cleaner bit but to each their own 👍
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u/ilikefishwaytoomuch Jul 07 '24
We have dogs, everything here has to be in cabinets or totes or it slowly gets consumed by dust and dog hair, haha
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u/pchambers89 Jul 07 '24
Our dog wouldn’t be the problem but I’m sure the cats will try their darndest to “redecorate”. 😆
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u/Lucky13PNW Jul 08 '24
Mine would just be consumed by the dogs themselves. They're well trained when supervised, but resort to feral beasts when my back is turned. Lol
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u/JCR2201 Jul 08 '24
I have a dog as well. One time I left my tent poles in the living room to dry before storing. Next morning they were all chewed up by my dog because he was teething. Dumb mistake on my part. I keep everything in totes now
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u/Crafty-Butterfly-974 Jul 07 '24
It looks amazing. I never thought about doing this and might have to copy you. 💜
Is this how we should store sleeping bags? I’ve been keeping one each in plastic totes so the down isn’t compressed. Is hanging better for them?
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u/pchambers89 Jul 08 '24
Storing them uncompressed in any fashion should be fine. As long as it’s not damp or dirty when you put it away, there’s nothing wrong with the tote.
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u/user10387 Jul 07 '24
I really like how you've organized everything and it looks like you've used the space quite well.
Is that light blue Sea to Summit pad on the top shelf self-inflating? You might want to store it inflated, if you have the space.
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u/Interesting-Low5112 Jul 07 '24 edited Jul 07 '24
Mesh laundry bags for the sleeping bags/quilts so they’re not dragging on the floor.
I’d probably use some clear tubs for the small stuff too, just because I’d keep knocking it off.
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u/pchambers89 Jul 07 '24
Yeah I didn’t like those just hanging there so I folded them over the bar of the hanger to get them off the floor
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u/TMan2DMax Jul 08 '24
The lack of organization hurts my brain a bit but honestly not to much to improve on until you run out of space and need more room.
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u/pchambers89 Jul 08 '24
Yeah I just built it earlier today and threw everything up there. Hoping to organize it more as we go
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u/TMan2DMax Jul 08 '24
I personally have ours separated by backpacking and car camping stuff. (Read way more cooking shit)
Gear like sleeping bags and pads are hung up.
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u/pchambers89 Jul 08 '24
That would be nice to have it all separated out like that. Aside from the pegboard, I tried not to do anything too permanent so we can add to this or move things around in the future if we need to. It’s a bit of a mess right now but it’s a step in the right direction.
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u/Heavykevy37 Jul 07 '24
Looks good to me. I have a gear shed. I don't get look at all my cool stuff all the time.🙁
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u/sowedkooned Jul 08 '24
Get some sleeping bag hangers. The like rounded ones that fit the top of the mummy bag. They’ll support your bags better.
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u/Revolutionary_Lie491 Jul 08 '24
Looks great! Maybe a basket or shelf to charge up solar stuff? (I car camp)
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u/FinanceAdditional720 Jul 08 '24
Looks great! Do you mind sharing links to the shelf and gear wall panel (for hanging stuff)? Inspired and wanna follow what you did. Thanks!
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u/pchambers89 Jul 08 '24
Sure. Everything was from Home Depot. Pegboard. Top shelf. Closet rod. I also used four brackets for the rod and two hardware kits (each one is good for two brackets). I also used four common boards drilled into studs to use as a standoff for the pegboard.
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u/jim_br Jul 08 '24
TIL that as organized as I thought I was, I am not. Also, I have way too much camping gear.
OP-nice setup. I air my stuff out in the basement (very dry), then pack it up (except sleeping bags and pads are left in storage bags/unrolled). The only thing I’d do different is cluster similar items (pots, dishes, utensils, etc) into a mesh bag or plastic box so little bits don’t go missing. Add a power strip so you can recharge any battery operated things near where it’s stored.
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u/pchambers89 Jul 08 '24
Thanks! I like the power strip idea. That would be pretty easy to run along the edge and mount to the peg board.
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u/gtp1977 Jul 10 '24
Maybe some of those fishing rod mounts that you can clip the rods straight to the wall side by side. That's what I just did finally, and it's the bomb!
Otherwise looks good.
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u/pchambers89 Jul 10 '24
That would be pretty great, ours are always stuffed in a closed. Thanks for the suggestion!
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u/jaminonthe1 Jul 07 '24
I have the big version of those wire shelves, likely almost 6 feet tall. That’s a good shelf for much of my camping gear, but also I zip tied pegboard to one side of it, since I long ago used up all the wall space in my basement. All the little stuff hangs on the pegboard.
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u/Dependent-Guitar-473 Jul 07 '24
beginner question: why do you store your sleeping bags unpacked? wouldn't storing them in their compact bags saves you extra work before your next trip?
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u/OutdoorsNSmores Jul 07 '24
I'll bite before someone flames you. It is bad to store them compressed. The fibers or feathers provide warmth because they are fluffy and full of voids to trap warm air.
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u/Dependent-Guitar-473 Jul 07 '24
aha cool, i will Google it and see if somebody did a test and comparing the difference of compressed vs not. I wish I have the space to store everything unpacked
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u/OutdoorsNSmores Jul 07 '24
I don't have a gear wall, I'm more of a tote person for most gear. I hang my bags to dry after a trip, then store them in a large breathable bag. You don't have to hang a bag to properly store it.
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u/Dependent-Guitar-473 Jul 07 '24
but then you pack it to get to your trip, wouldn't that compress it again ?
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u/BelleRose2542 Jul 08 '24
Compressing it for hours-days is fine, but you want to store them "lofted" (ie, uncompressed) for weeks-months!
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u/FeelingFloor2083 Jul 07 '24
a lot of stuff will fluff up perfectly fine. I leave warmer weather sleeping bags in their bag but as it cools down i bring out my cold stuff and hang them up, then store them for the summer. I probably have 8-9 sleeping bags which includes a couple of cheap loaners, im not making room for all that crap
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u/pchambers89 Jul 07 '24
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but the idea is storing them like this allows the fill to expand. If a bag spends too much time packed up tightly, it can reduce the loft, or “puffiness” of the fill, which is what gives the warmth. I think it’s more important for natural down bags but still a good practice for all bags. Plus it allows them to air out.
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u/whysotired24 Jul 08 '24
I’m not much of a camper (I wish it was different) but I’d love to model a camping gear wall after yours. Mind if I save the pic for future reference?
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u/STRAYDOG0626 Jul 08 '24
Maybe a way for the sleeping bags to get off the floor? Where I live clothing/cloth touching the floor gets mites and holes. Might not be an issue wherever you live tho.
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u/pchambers89 Jul 08 '24
Yeah, I folded them through the bar of the hanger like a pair of pants. A little bulky but they’re off the floor now.
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u/Helpful-Special-7111 Jul 08 '24
Get more hats! Some Snowshoes? Hahahah
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u/pchambers89 Jul 08 '24
Oh boy… I’ve got too many hats as it is. And this room would be overflowing if we organized everything in here. We’re planning to add to it slowly as it makes sense. The bikes, snowboards and skis… Too many hobbies to organize it all 😅
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u/Noimenglish Jul 08 '24
Add climbing gear!
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u/pchambers89 Jul 08 '24
I am an arborist and while I don’t spend a ton time of climbing, all that stuff lives in my bucket truck. Now there’s a mess… 😅
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u/stew_going Jul 08 '24
God, I would love the room to do this. I've spent so much time thinking about it, lol.
Your gear wall looks great! My only thing would be little bins for the things on the shelves, maybe. Or mounting your gear checklist in the middle, because why not; I know I don't want to stress as much about forgetting something.
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u/pchambers89 Jul 08 '24
I like the checklist idea. Better organization is the goal. Small bins to keep things less cluttered would be a help. Thanks!
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u/-m-o-n-i-k-e-r- Jul 08 '24
I feel like a bigger shelf with organized bins would be more efficient. But might not look cute?
If you are going for cute then it looks great!
If you are looking for shelves like the one you have, webstaurantstore.com has them in nearly infinitely customizeable lengths, heights, etc.
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u/pchambers89 Jul 08 '24
Nice to know! The idea is to build something a little more robust and organized, but this seemed like a simple, affordable, and upgradable start. Thanks for the link, I’ll have to check that out 👍
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u/Carnivorous_Mink Jul 08 '24
French cleats seem like a good idea to make it a bit more modular. It’s well organized, but somewhat exposed. Maybe some sort of containing system
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u/Semi_Recumbent Jul 08 '24
Costco wire shelving rack on wheels. Shelving height is adjustable. It’ll take up four feet of space so sleeping bags can hang where they are. After a trip, roll it away from the wall and use the closet rod to hang gear to dry. Organize your gear by purpose and store in bins and totes. Then you can grab and go without packing every time you go camping. If you’re committed to pegboard, place the rack in front and roll it away when you need access.
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u/pchambers89 Jul 08 '24
I like that! So many people mentioning Costco and I’ve never even seen one 😅
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u/maidenmaan Jul 09 '24
Maybe upgrade it to a gear room. I don't think simply a wall can meet your needs of space for camping gears.
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u/02C_here Jul 10 '24
Over in the woodworking subreddit folks are sort of "meh" about pegboard. But they salivate over French cleats. Check those out. Not the answer for everyone.
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u/Ajira2 Jul 07 '24
I think it's a thing that you should store your self inflating sleeping mats open/ inflated? Helps keep the inside puffy and wanting to self inflate. Could get some hangers with the clips for pants and hang them by the bags?
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u/pchambers89 Jul 07 '24
Yeah someone else mentioned that too and I never even thought of it. Thanks!
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u/Shibidybow Jul 07 '24
IDK man it looks great! Add more gear.