Caravan owners share 'great ideas' for using popular $10 Kmart item: 'Save space'

The caravan community never ceases to amaze us with their ability to find - and share - clever and affordable hacks for making travel easier. Whether it's clever ways to stay cool on 40-degree days, how to safely store glassware or how to keep pets comfy on the road, these guys have all the answers.

So, it was only a matter of time before these savvy adventurers found a way to utilise an item that has been going viral lately - the collapsible crates available at Big W and Kmart. The crates make for awesome space-saving solutions, which, as any caravan owner can tell you, are a must when you are living in a home on wheels.

One caravanner shared how they are utilising the crates, sharing a snap of the item that she had picked up from Big W for just $3.

"Picked this up today to keep our shoes tidy by the front door," she wrote. "So light, and folds easily down. I know it’s not huge, but there's only my husband and I, so it’s plenty big enough for 2 people, even with my husband's size 12 feet."

Caravanners rave about handy storage item

"Yeah, I bought one too, but might get another for shoes, great idea," someone replied to the post.

"Yep, we have one for our shoes too," someone else said.

"I’m using mine for a tray to hold all the things you need when cooking and eating outside," another added. "I’ve got a motor home, so restricted for room. These are great."

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"I used these when we went camping," another traveller added. "We camp in a tent, so I had a table set up with these. Used for toiletries, hair stuff, deodorants, medicines, etc. Fold flat to save space!"

"I don’t have these exact ones, but we have some we take camping," was another comment. "I use them to put the recycling in (cans, cartons etc). Plus, 1 to put sand toys and sand slippers in too. You can wash them off in the crate, and then they just drain and dry."

"We have small ones of these in our overhead cupboards so we can just slide them out," another person wrote, later clarifying that the ones in the bathroom are used for hair products and soaps, while another crate by the door holds anything that might be used frequently outside.

Other uses for Kmart's collapsible crates

While you might not think that a collapsible crate is something many people would get excited about, you'd be surprised! The handy storage options have been getting rave reviews from people who have found plenty of different ways to use them.

For example, there were smart shoppers who used it for their grocery hauls.

"Not sure if anyone has thought to do this yet, but I grabbed 2 of the new Kmart crates (large) and used it for my Aldi shop today," one person shared recently. "They fold up flat so are easy to store in the car and just click it together. It made getting everything out of the car so much easier, especially with a tired and cranky 8-month-old and 3-year-old."

"I grabbed a Kmart crate a few weeks ago, literally because I figured it would be handy to have," someone replied to the post. "I put it in the trolley at Aldi & then I don't need to take the trolley to the car; just grab the crate. Definitely grabbing more of them next trip to Kmart!"

"I have these folded flat in my car because I ALWAYS forget bags," someone else added.

Collapsible crates perfect for parents and teachers

Plenty of parents have also found ways to make the crates work in their busy households.

"I love these crates," one mum wrote. "I use them in the kids' cupboard as the shelves don't have drawers. To place singlets, undies, socks, beanies/gloves, etc in. So handy."

"I use them for daycare clothes... each kid has a crate, as their clothes come off the line I put them in there," another parent wrote. "Then, when it comes time in the week to pack their daycare bags, I just find it all in the crates. So much easier than putting it away in the cupboard; I know it’s going to be used each week! Then, fold them down when they are empty, ready to be used again."

Quite a few teachers have also sung the praises of the crates, such as one Aussie primary school educator who shared on TikTok that she had purchased them in every size for her classroom.

Kmart and Big W shoppers buying multiple crates

Other shoppers shared comments like, "I'm obsessed. Right now, I have them for bath toys, grocery shopping and soon I'll have the kids' activities sorted in these and my arts and crafts. I love that they are stackable. So I can go ahead and label them."

"We have them in our pantry to divide foods we have in there, it's really made a lot more room."

Another popular use for the crates was for separating recycling and also taking cans and glass bottles to collection points, while a few other people said they used theirs to sort their family's laundry or to keep darks, whites, and colours separate before washing.

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The Kmart versions of the collapsible crates come in three sizes, for $10, $6 & $4 respectively, and, according to many excited shoppers, the ones at Big W are just $3 right now instead of $6. So whether you are planning to hit the road for a camping adventure or in need of an easier way to organise your home, it sounds like these bad boys are the way to go!

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