Car Camping Storage Hacks & Organization Tips

Car camping is all about living the biggest life in the tiniest home. And I know what it’s like. In 2025, my girlfriend and I discovered the Rockies for a month in our Jeep Cherokee. I can assure you that it got tiny, especially for me that’s a taller guy.

With that comes a planned out car camping setup. When living so small, organizing our belongings was the key to keeping our minds clear and headaches away.

In this article, I will show you how we succeeded organizing our car camping storage.

Why is organization so important when car camping?

There are multiple important reasons as to why you should organize your car camping setup.

If everything has a spot, you never have to clean.

This one is probably my best practice, and if you follow it, cleanliness will be so much easier. If everything’s got a spot, then nothing will ever get messy. Simply put your stuff where it belongs once you’re done with it.

Thinking like this is very simple, yet super effective.

Clean space, clean mind

Cliché, I know. But it’s even more true when you sleep in a car. One hoodie lying where it isn’t supposed to will make your setup look messy.

Car camping is all about making it easy for yourself, so having a cluttered space will only contribute to stress and keep you from relaxing after a long day’s adventuring.

Safety concerns

Safety 101: Don’t leave stuff out when driving, especially hard objects. Coming to a sudden stop, even at lower speeds, can cause serious harm. Especially if a loose laptop comes flying from the backseat.

Also, evacuating or driving away should never be hindered by your own stuff. Avoid putting objects in the driver’s seat and don’t block the closest doors.

Let’s categorize your mess.

This is how I categorize my stuff to keep them apart.

• Clothes – everyday clothing
• Outdoors stuff – jackets, chairs, table, gas canisters, shoes, backpacks
• Kitchenware – Utensils, pots, pans, mugs
• Tools – Drills, tape, jumper cables, survival knife, etc.
• Electronics – Chargers, laptops, batteries
• Toiletry – Toothbrush, shampoo, toilet paper, soap, baby wipes
• Food – All your food

How to organize, tips and hacks.

1. Elevate your bed

Elevating your bed is probably the most effective way to gain more room, allow you to organize more and give you less cluttered space. You can install drawers that can be made into tabletops when fully drawn.

It’s super easy to elevate your bed, and it gives you virtually double the space to store stuff in.

2. Use duffle bags for clothes

I use a Carhartt duffle bag to store my clothes in. It’s neat, durable, and flexible. I can grab the whole bag when going for a shower, squeeze it in tight places and grab stuff on the go quickly. It’s super smart and inexpensive.

3. Bins, lots of bins

Your best friend when organizing: Bins!

They come in all sizes, wide and short, tall and thin. Fitting them in your limited space in the car makes organizing super easy. I usually divide them into the different categories: Kitchenware, tools, food and so on.

You can also keep bins inside of bins, making organization even more in depth.

4. Roof box for bulky stuff

So what about your tent, camping chairs, shoes, jacket, gas canister and other stuff you don’t want in your bedroom? Well…

Roof box!

Easy to install, use and quite cheap. It’s incredibly worth it considering what possibilities it gives you. Perfect for your bulky stuff and outdoors gear.

5. Label everything

Label everything, especially if you’re using bins. It’s not going to destroy the looks of your things, considering that the bins aren’t that aesthetically pleasant to begin with. But it sure makes organizing easier.

I’ve even heard about people making smaller labels on their bins with exactly what gear belongs in that bin. You can go above and beyond if you want to!

6. Zip lock bags

Organize further with zip lock bags. Perfect for smaller things like food, hygiene stuff and more!

7. Stay minimalistic

The best hack to keep your place clean is to be minimalistic. Be reasonable when packing so you don’t bring too much. I’ve realized that this is something that you learn from experience. So don’t expect to have it figured out from the start.

8. Hanging toiletry

Cheap, easy to use, and an organizer’s dream. A hanging toiletry is what it sounds like: A toiletry you can hang up, wherever you want to. I usually keep it on one of my side doors, so it’s easy to access my toothbrush, baby wipes and more from my bed.

9. Storage nets

Another smart trick is to use nets. You can put them onto your doors, in the roof or on the back of the front-seats.

They can be limiting based on the size of the car. For example, if you have a low roof, then a roof-net is probably not viable. So they are dependent on your situation, but if you have the possibility then I really recommend them!

Practice makes perfect