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If you’ve got an unlimited number of closets and drawers, it’s easy to be cavalier about your storage — but in an RV, you have to be a lot more deliberate about what you own and where you keep it. That’s why I suggest that full-timers and weekend warriors alike consider setting up their traveling wardrobes according to the following principles:

Think Outside The Box

Hangers may be the norm in a brick-and-mortar house — but they’re often space-wasters in an RV closet. Side-to-side horizontal room is important — but maximizing storage is about making the most of your VERTICAL space, as well. When you think three-dimensionally, hung clothing only utilizes half (if not less) of the available top-to-bottom acreage. And so many of the “adjustments” you have to make to keep hangers in place while traveling (like ribbed closet rods that prevent clothes from sliding back and forth while in transit) can even further cramp your storage style.

I’ve found that hanging canvas sweater/shoe shelves which strap to your closet rod allows me to spread out vertically — creating a series of small soft-sided cubbies. You get even more bang for your organizing buck when you roll your clothing rather than folding it (a military-packing-a-duffel-bag trick my father taught me years ago).

Contain And Conquer

It’s easy to drop your shoes by the door and toss your jacket on the back of a chair (because you’re just going to need them again tomorrow) — but keeping clothing items “out” for convenience sake is one of the quickest ways for an RV to become cluttered and chaotic. When you live and travel in such a small space, having a set home where things can actually be put away goes a long way toward keeping the piles and stacks at bay.

Don’t have room for a dresser or armoire in your rig? You don’t need one! Hanging shoe pockets are great for belts, scarves, or socks. Earrings and necklaces can be stored in divided craft organizing boxes. Small open baskets or bins work like a dream for hats/gloves and other random accessories. And don’t forget the multitude of options you have for camouflaged containerizing using RV furniture (like keeping shoes in an enclosed storage ottoman, or storing extra jackets in the arm of your gaucho).

Store In Layers

When working with my stationary organizing clients, I generally recommend NOT putting things behind or under other things, because they’ll get lost. However, in a radically small space like an RV, you really have no choice. Open any of my cabinets, closets, or drawers, and you’ll find two rows of belongings — in front are the things I use all the time, and in back are the things I still need but get at less often (that means special-occasion clothing behind the more casual stuff, and whatever the off-season’s accessories are tucked behind those things that are currently being used).