Unexpected $11 Kmart item to solve common caravan problem: 'Easy to use'

Packing light’ is one of the greatest struggles and joys of camping and caravaning. While thousands of Aussies are opting for adventure on the open road and taking in the stunning sights of the country, a universal complaint among the caravanning community is figuring out the right amount of "stuff" you need for a trip.

Realising that the kids don’t need a house full of toys, gadgets and games to keep themselves entertained in the great outdoors is a beautifully freeing thing. However, trying to plan for all the eventualities and ‘what ifs’ while you’re away inevitably seems to lead to you bringing four pairs of shoes for every person when you actually only end up using one - maybe two at most.

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That’s why, when you’re on the road, a good storage solution is worth its weight in gold.

Simple storage hack with $11 Kmart item

One genius hack for creating more space quickly and cheaply popped up in the comment section of a popular Facebook group, and it involves cleverly repurposing a cycling accessory to create hanging storage bins.

“I have three at the end of the bed for all our shoes,” regular caravaner Andrea tells Yahoo Lifestyle, referring to the $11 wire bike baskets from Kmart.

“They are bike baskets so they just hook over the bed base, I put a cloth under so they don't damage the bed. I can mostly access them without lifting the bed, but it’s no big deal if I have to lift it.”

The baskets are fitted with two hooks at the back that would normally slide over the bike’s handlebars, but they also perfectly fit over the end of the bed base frame in many caravans. They slot in between the mattress and the floor, floating on the end of the bed and offering an extra place to stash things like shoes, hats, jumpers and Oodies.

Do the bike baskets work for all caravans?

How easily you’re able to access the baskets depends on how far the mattress overhangs the bed base in your van. The more it overhangs, the more hidden the storage space becomes but also the harder to get anything bulky out without lifting the mattress first.

“Mine fit perfectly without having to lift the bed,” a van owner who has two installed at the end of his bed writes on Facebook.

“I find them easy to use, they are off the floor and not hard to reach,” says another, while a third person writes, "We don’t have much room at the end of our bed so I have the bike baskets hung on the side right up towards the head of the bed. Works well.”

To stop the baskets from marking the end of the bed base, one person swears by placing a little bit of foam under the brackets. Another person, whose bed base was not thin enough to slide the hooks over the top, simply drilled two holes into the base to thread the brackets through.

While this hack is a very popular and widely used one, it isn’t universally liked. As the baskets are wire and not completely enclosed, dirty shoes may sprinkle dirt onto the floor once placed inside. Then there’s the inconvenience of having to lift the bed up if you can’t access the baskets without it because of the bed overhang, which leads to many people thinking the baskets are more trouble than they’re worth.

Alternatives to Kmart bike basket hack

If the aesthetics are more of a drawback, van mum Kirra Stamp, who documents her life on the road with her three kids via the Instagram page @thetravellingstamps_, recently shared her take on the hack where she replaced the black bike baskets that “didn’t quite go with our style” with white rope baskets that are also from Kmart.

These were a little more expensive and didn’t have brackets attached, so she needed to secure them with a screw-in hook instead. “I am super happy with how this has turned out!” she writes, “I am in love!”

While the exact ones that Kirra used are no longer available, there are similar ones in Kmart such as the Square Paper Rope Basket with Liner ($16) and Rectangle Braid Rope Basket ($14) which are in the same sort of style.

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Another popular below-bed storage solution is the Trones shoe boxes from IKEA, which are $39 for a two-pack. These are white so are well hidden if the bed base is also white, and they pull forward to open up.

The disadvantage is that you need to permanently fasten them to the bed base - and they do not come with a fastening device. They are also narrower than the bike baskets so you can’t fit bulky jumpers or boots in them, although they can be used to store thinner items like books and paperwork.

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