Storing Kids' Gear in a Bunkhouse Trailer

[AreVeeNoobie]

Hi all, my wife and I are looking to purchase a bunkhouse travel trailer for our family soon. There are a handful of models we like, but one item that could sway us is the lack of dedicated storage for the bunks! We want our kids to have their own space, but it seems a lot of bunkhouses just don't provide that. We have found some trailers that have drawers built into the bottom bunk, and/or a closet separate from the pantry, but a lot of them look like the image below. For those who camp with kids in a trailer similar to this what do you do for the kids and their stuff? Are they just relegated to live out of a suitcase shoved in the cubby?

 

[Kirk]

If the kids are still fairly small you could use a plastic tub at the foot of each bed.

 

[DutchmenSport]

Not much different with your set up than with ours when our kids were little. The only difference is, we were in a pop-up. Daughter slept on the smaller pull out bed, son slept on the table turned into a bed. Neither had individual "space", and actually we, the parents, did not either. We had a mini-van that towed the pop-up and we kept our clothing and personal items in totes in the back of the mini-van. We also carried a pup tent with us and that became extra storage space for lawn chairs and such once the pop-up with raised.

The real bottom line is, there is NO privacy in a camper. Not knowing how old your kids are, the younger they are the more likely there will be less conflict and demand for their own space. If it's acceptable, have both kids sleep in one bunk and use the other bunk for storage. According to your photo, you have space under the bottom bunk for storage containers.

And one more thing, not only for you and your spouse, but your kids also have to accept the fact, in any RV, you simply cannot bring "everything". There is no space. This is one reason why everyone in the family unit must be in agreement and on-board with the RV "thing" from the very beginning, not after the purchase and then they are forced to comply... "Resistance is futile???"

If your kids are older, they simply have to understand this. If they are younger, they have to be taught to share the space.

 

[Derby6]

It’s family time. Live out of a suitcase or duffel. They don’t need their own space IMO.

 

[Ex-Calif]

I just bought a bunkhouse.

I am gonna be solo 90% of the time but if I had kids I would consider a couple things.

1. I am going to put a curtain rod across the cubby for hanging clothes.
2. For you I would consider cutting open the end of the dinette box and fitting in a plastic storage box that could be slid out. This would more convenient than opening from the top each time.

Another "craftsman" idea is to build a couple of 6 inch boxes with drawers to fit on the bunk between factory bunk and mattress. Kinda like a day bed design.

Maybe for simplicity it's just 4 legs and a plywood topper. Plastic bins can now go in the space.

 

[Oldgator73]

When our kids were little we lived in Japan and tent camped. Nobody had their own space. We packed enough clothes for ever how long we would be camping and kept them in the trunk of the car. The kids didn’t bring “stuff” with them; they spent their days exploring and meeting new friends (Japanese) at the campgrounds.

 

[Joezeppy]

We've had 3 bunkhouse trailers - one had a large wardrobe next to the bunks which was awesome! The other two had nothing. Duffel bags and suitcases were the way our girls lived - they learned to deal with extra stuff in the bed with them! With the bunks pictured, I would build a 6' long, slide-out tray or drawer of some kind for bins, suitcases, bags, etc. It could either hang from the bunk, be attached to the side of the bunk base, or just have wheels.

 

[nibroc]

my kids are grown and in their 50's

 

[AreVeeNoobie]

Thanks all for the tips. It sounds like they would indeed need to pack luggage and shove it un the cubby.

 

[Jeff in Ferndale Wa]

We are on our second bunkhouse and often have grandkids along. We keep things like toys in a plastic tote that rides on the floor and set outside when we set up camp. There are some things like board games that we keep in storage somewhere. Bikes and scooters ride in the truck bed.
Their clean clothes are usually in a bag of some sort and stays on the bed cause they are small. (they quit coming with us when they get bigger).
We keep all the dirty clothes in a laundry bag. Usually that is kept in the shower, and we take it out if we need to use the shower and put it back when we are done