Storage of everything else

[rob_s]

After a recent move, and upon further reflection relative to same, I find myself wanting to get more organized with all the gun crap, as well as maintaining some amount of ease of movement if needed in the future.

Since this thread (http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=82635) went so well and offered a viable option I hadn't considered, I thought I'd try it again here. As with there, if your only contribution to the thread is to talk about the thread please feel free to move along.

I currently, post-move, have a whole bunch of these (Home Depot SKU # 108653 (http://www.homedepot.com/Storage-Organization-Storage-Totes-Baskets/h_d1/N-5yc1vZb9oj/R-202520515/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053)) which fit remarkably well, two to a shelf, on these shelves (Home Depot SKU # 625961 (http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100010588/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053)). However, the internals of the 12-gallon bins leaves a lot to be desired in terms of organization.

Previously I had used a bunch of these type of bins (Home Depot SKU # 384756 (http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202300295/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053)) on built-in wooden shelves along with items placed loosely about the shelves. While this was somewhat functional it also left a lot to be desired in terms of ease of moving (hence, everything now being tossed into the storage totes) as well as access (items had a tendency to either hide at the back of the deep shelves or there was wasted space behind items that were kept to the front).

I'm thinking of looking for smaller bins that will go in the 12 gallon totes in order to further sub-divide them both for ease of access in the current setup as well as for potential moves later on.

So how do you organize your stuff? Was it a thought-out planned system or like most of us was it just a haphazard happening over time?

[glockeyed]

i will be watching this thread. my stuff has become a F-in train wreck.

im normally a very organized person. my guns and ammo is tight, hell my ziploc storage containers in my kitchen is organized. but my gear, tools and cleaning stuff is scattered across tackle boxes, ammo cans, and tool bags.

i tried to create mini tool/cleaning kits to go with pistols, then rifles and one for home. i just spent an hour trying to track down a decent punch to tear 2 of my glocks down.

[SteyrAUG]

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/161/00000000245.jpg

Of course now it is jam packed on every shelf.

No matter how efficient your system, sooner or later you will fill it up and end up with boxes of shit in front of your organized storage system.

[rob_s]

SA, that's similar to what I had before but built into a bedroom closet so I could close it up and get it out of sight. For a variety of reasons I'm looking to become more modular and portable.

I'm thinking there's a way to do it with the shelves and bins that I have, I just need to find a way to categorize the bin contents and then sub-divide them within. I'm thinking I may get some thin plywood, maybe 1/4", and make up some dividers for the interior of the bins. Some bins don't need sub-dividing, such as the one that is entirely full of AR magazines that are stockpiled, or the bin(s) holding the nylon gear that I can always just dig through.

I'm also thinking there may be tacklebox style sub-bins that will fit inside the big bin which would allow for storage of small parts such as extra backup sights, etc.

[jwfuhrman]

I'm going to be moving into my own place in a year or so now(house was left to me by my grandparents, but has been occupied by my Great Aunt) and I was debating on in the basement, since its over 100 years old and not big enough to do anything else with, putting a bunch of Tupperware Totes down there. I've got all my "bug in" supplies(since I will NOT be bugging out) in cardboard boxes in various rooms and builds currently at my parents.

Using the totes to organize things and maybe some wall lockers as well, I will be able to get access to things very quickly if I need them.

I have about 120 MRE's of various flavor, plus about 200lbs of other canned foods(Canned Beef, Pork, Chicken, Vegetables) from off our family farm. Dad and I have been setting alot of stuff back in recent years as we're both convinced the writing is on the wall and its just a matter of time(put on tin foil hat).

Since we have the farm, we've got 2 large (350 gallon Diesel and 200 gallon Gasoline) underground fuel tanks for farm use.

Also have a shelf for Ammo Cans. That way everything is in 1 spot.

[SteyrAUG]

SA, that's similar to what I had before but built into a bedroom closet so I could close it up and get it out of sight. For a variety of reasons I'm looking to become more modular and portable.

I'm thinking there's a way to do it with the shelves and bins that I have, I just need to find a way to categorize the bin contents and then sub-divide them within. I'm thinking I may get some thin plywood, maybe 1/4", and make up some dividers for the interior of the bins. Some bins don't need sub-dividing, such as the one that is entirely full of AR magazines that are stockpiled, or the bin(s) holding the nylon gear that I can always just dig through.

I'm also thinking there may be tacklebox style sub-bins that will fit inside the big bin which would allow for storage of small parts such as extra backup sights, etc.

Ironically I began with what you are describing and abandoned it for the shelf room.

At first I had a combination of various bins, milk crates and stacked ammo crates. What happens is this.

You have bins for:

Magazines, stocks sets, slings, optics and other items by category.

Invariably you always end up with a few bins that are only 1/3 full but are different enough that you don't want to combine the contents to a single bin so you end up wasting space. And with magazine bins and boxes no matter how logically you attempt to organize them (by caliber or manufacturer) You will always end up with a dozen or so extra AR, FAL or G3 mags that won't fit in the categorized bins. They seem to be specifically designed to hold 85% of what you actually own and wish to put in them.

So I ended up with a combination of shelves and storage boxes. I found a USGI footlocker (3 boxes in 1) was great because the two smaller ones fit on the shelves and hold a lot of stuff.

So I basically boxed up the stuff I have many of, like the various AR and G3 mags where I have a few hundred examples. Especially if they are new and unused magazines. Then I keep a few dozen on the shelf for regular access and another dozen in my gear bag for training.

Of course "portable" is a completely different consideration.

[rob_s]

The good news is that ammo storage is now relegated elsewhere so that's something that's not of concern. I also have space if it turns out there is wasted air inside the bins.

Also, I am not saddled with needing to access items for multiple platforms. I have Glocks and I have ARs. I have one AK but as envision it now EVERYTHING AK related will go in one bin only to be dragged out as needed when the AK is needed.

The shelves I have now have room for 20 of these bins (two to a shelf, 5 shelves, two shelving systems) and that is a ton of space.

Remember, also, that the rapid portability and ease of movement is a requirement here for me, which negates my old system of just throwing things on a shelf.

As with most things, there is a give and take either way. In my situation portability is a requirement I can't ignore and so I need to find the best way for me to store items while still addressing that requirement.

[kaiservontexas]

I stack ammo cans on top of each other, and that is my ammo storage. All the other stuff, such as spare parts, mil surp load out stuff (back when I was just collecting cause it was cheap,) or magazines, are stored in Rubbermaid storage bins. The big storage bins, of which I also just stack. The firearms, minus the defensive arms, are in the safe. Granted I do not have as much as most people around the forum.

I even keep my reloading tools in Rubbermaid containers, but those are on a shelf. I lack powder at this time, but that would be kept, as always, alone and by itself in a cool dark place.

Cool thing about those containers is you can just grab them if need be . . .

[Beat Trash]

Those containers look useful, but how much weight do you think they could handle?

[rob_s]

The ones I have hold quite a lot. At least as much as I'd want to carry. I have a couple that are loaded up to the point of being unwieldy.

In other news, I started sorting through them last night. I see a good deal of potential with this system. Especially because there are so many things that I can't throw away, and can't really sell.

[Honu]

have you thought about roll away tool chests ? for some of the hard stuff magazines ammo and such ? parts etc...
easy to pull out see what you have
costco sometimes has good deals can lock it they can organize well if you ever move easy to move as a whole
some have deeper drawers not the thin 1 inch type but deep 12 inch and 6 inch style for the bottoms ? so maybe a few of those under a nice work bench or figure out a nice bench top secure it and have it roll-able :)

[montanadave]

Is this kind of what you are looking for?

http://www.uline.com/BL_8821/Divider-Boxes?keywords=storage%20bins

Or do you want separate smaller closable containers that will pack neatly into the larger tote bin?

[rob_s]

Is this kind of what you are looking for?

http://www.uline.com/BL_8821/Divider-Boxes?keywords=storage%20bins

Or do you want separate smaller closable containers that will pack neatly into the larger tote bin?

Both. But those bins look awesome. Thanks!

Exponentially more expensive than what I'm using now for bins, but perhaps a mix of the two systems. Anything that doesn't need sub-divided can go into the large current bins, and items that need more organization can go into these bins. I wish they made a bin that was half-height of the 20x18x12 as I bet two of them would stack up nicely in the same space.

[montanadave]

Both. But those bins look awesome. Thanks!

All hail our Google overlords! :smile:

[Abraxas]

Tagging for ideas, as I have little to offer on this.

[MIKE G]

I use gorilla shelves and a system of bins (shown here) (http://www.lowes.com/pd_336489-62860-7101HFT-10-111-44_4294936623_4294937087_?productId=3341158&Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl_Totes%2BBaskets_4294936623_4294937087_%3FNs%3Dp_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1%26page%3D3&facetInfo=) that come in a variety of sizes. This is just one of the sizes I use. The lids snap closed. When we had a flood from a busted water line last year all the gear that was in bins with the tops on stayed dry whereas the other stuff did not. I keep the lids on for that little bit of protection and extra organization.

For anything really heavy or much larger than what that bin can hold I use Rubbermaid Roughneck bins. I routinely use these to hold 50+ loaded mags when going to a class (cuts down on reloading between drills) and they hold up better than split top bins for stacking. When we moved (still in the process of unpacking) all I had to do was pull the bins off the shelves and dismantle the shelves. I label the bins with the contents (i.e. mag pouches, holsters, glock 19 mags, etc) with the thermal labels I use for shipping and it is pretty easy to keep organized.

[rob_s]

Mike, that is basically exactly the setup I'm looking at, and exactly what I think I'll be able to accomplish with my current bins and shelves.

For whatever reason I'm obsessed with keeping it all consistent and want to keep all the bins the same. part of that is because of how nicely they stack when they are off the shelves for a move, but other than that it's just OCD I suppose.

[HES]

SA do you have a link to the thread you started on the construction of your wooden shelving system? Im currently using gorilla shelves and am not all that happy. I need something with deeper shelving. I am in the process of renovating our house and garage storage is an important part of it.

[ucrt]

.

FWIW,
Rob, I use bins like you have but they are generally a pain because the sdes are heavily tapered leaving a big gap between the boxes. I have a bed in the spare bedroom that is elevated, so I can put these bins underneath. To fit more under the bed, I turn the lighter bins ( filled with clothes, etc.) upside down to get an overlap. This allows me get one more bin under there.

I take a sheet of paper and write what is in the bin and fit it between the side of the bin and what is the bin, so I can read it.

My favorite shelf storage bins are these plastic latching bins from Wal-Mart. I have pretty much standardized on them for shelf stored items. LINK (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-12.7-Quart-Modular-Latch-Box-Set-of-6/11014790) They are about as straight-sided as you can get, you can see what's inside, pretty tuff, stack great, inexpensive, lids latch, and they are available in a few colors (when Wally world has them in stock).

If you can ignore the messy-ness of my shop in the picture below, notice how these bins stack and are easily labeled. I like how they come in different heights nad the fronts overhang a 12" shelf by a little over an 1", so they look neat.
My labels for these boxes are sheets of heavy typing paper folded in half. The paper is unfolded into an "L" and the contents of the box sits on the bottom of the "L" holding the upright part, with the writing, up against the side of the box.


http://i55.tinypic.com/hx9e13.jpg


I'm currently drawing up plans to build a new shop and I will be building shelves around these bins. I like them better than anything else I have tried....and between work and home...I have actually tried dozens of different lidded bins.

But maybe it's just me...

.

[rob_s]

Good tip on those bins. Looks a lot like what I'm looking for.

I'm surprised there aren't more systems with that kind of modularity. Ideally I'd find some bins that has something like a 14x24 footprint that then comes in a variety of heights like 6, 10, 14" or something.

I like the bins I have because they fit on the shelves I have, but they also stack with each other when not on the shelves. I had them stacked something like 8 high in the storage unit. Honestly if they made a 1/2-height and 1/3-height version I'd probably be all set.

[MIKE G]

Look at the Rubbermaid Roughneck bins I mentioned in my previous post. Shown HERE (http://www.rubbermaid.com/Category/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?SubcatId=Roughneck&Prod_ID=RP091418)

I just roughly measured mine, I have three sizes. The opening (top opening) is roughly: 16x22"

And the three heights are: 8, 12, and 16".

They are pretty durable and if you shop around/keep an eye out you can find them pretty cheap as well as finding them in a variety of colors. I have light blue, black, gray, and dark blue. Not that mine are color coded but I probably could if I wanted to.

[Littlelebowski]

I'd like to see something like stackable, front loading GI footlockers with organization.