Storage ideas

I have just bought a new Symbol after having a coach built van with huge wardrobe and big garage, therefore any suggestions for storage solutions which work well would be most welcome.
Thanks David

How about a brief introduction ....

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There aren’t too many options in a symbol but here goes. I’ve sectioned off the space under the seat between the heater and the battery with plywood so we can avoid stuff spilling around the heater. It’s now a rectangular box which can be filled to the top. You need to be handy with a jigsaw to fit the curved side of the van lining and  make arches for the heater pipes to pass through and make an access hole to the boiler frost dump valve. You can get lots of bits and pieces around the battery. Try not block the vents though.  There’s space around the heater for things that you don’t mind getting warm. We fasten two lafuma chairs to the back of the passenger seat with bungees. I’ve divided one of the overhead lockers with a shelf using similar coloured melamine and shelf pegs. Autosleepers will sell you a new shelf for a ridiculous price.  The TV travels under the drivers seat. I’ve taken the tray out. (Beware the hinged access doors under the seats are fragile.) The bedding and bed cushions travel on the big shelf at the back of the rear folding seat.  I’ve put a coat rail above the rear of the bathroom partition next to the back doors, hooked over the top of the panel where it meets the head lining not screwed to it. It’s strong enough to take a few coats.    A rubbish bag gets fastened to a hook over the rear curtain rail. Maybe you can fasten it to the blind cassette they fit now. There are lots of nooks and crannies. There’s a box on top of the dashboard in front of the passenger seat which we didn’t notice for ages. Thought it was the airbag !! The trick is to remember where you put things.!!   Another option is to buy a driveaway awning. Ours sits on the shelf behind the rear seat with the bedding squashed on top. Tim

Thanks Tim , some excellent suggestions
David H

Photos attached. I hope... Can’t empty the storage box as we are away at the moment .  Tim

Sorry but I’m struggling with posting photos as you can no doubt tell

David H wrote:Thanks Tim , some excellent suggestions
David H

David

Put all you THINK you need for 1 or 2 weeks, then take half of them out, you will not even notice the lost half!!!

IanH

TJB where did you get the white hanger from looks andy.

Thanks Ian
Have been telling my wife this for the past 49 years to no avail!!!.
Best tip so far has been to pack the 2 duvets we use( 1x4.5, 1x9.0) into pillow cases and use them as armrests on the long seat
David H

It’s an over door type from B&M bargains. I cut the over the door bits down a bit and re bent them to just catch on the other side of the panel. Put some foam pads on to stop it rattling. Tim

ThanksTJB

TJB wrote:Sorry but I’m struggling with posting photos as you can no doubt tell

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This might help.

Hi David
My first ever post, so I hope it is acceptable 
The solution I've employed is expensive but worth considering.
Bought my symbol new last October and had a tow bar fitted by the dealer.
I purchased a tow bar mounted bike carrier and box:
 
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The quality of this item is not the best, but it has done the job for me. Thule do a bigger box version that mounts on a bike rack, which I would expect to be better quality.
 
I use it to store my outdoor stuff, boots, tools, bar-b-q, fuel etc.
The bottom of the box is the right shape to take two of the Fiamma small yellow wedge shaped levellers, on top of which I put two pieces of non slip plastic industrial grid flooring. These can be used under the wedges for extra height, or as sand ladders if stuck in the mud.
 
I have done away with the knob screws that fix the box from the inside because of having to get everything out of the box before taking it off. Instead I have put chains and padlocks on the outside.
When on site I always take the box off and then use the low level bike rack (for park and bike ride) instead of my high level Fiamma bike rack which takes my bike only for getting to site.
If touring requires shorter vehicle length the Menabo bike rack can easily be removed and left on site, or put inside the van.
 
Enjoy your Symbol
All the best
Richard - baggiecamper

Baggiecamper- how about a brief introduction...

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We use Really Useful Boxes in our Symbol. It makes packing and unpacking easy and quick, and if it's raining nothing gets wet. We've labelled them so everything is in the same place each time. One fits under the long seat by the heater with brackets on the floor to stop it moving. The rail in the wardrobe came out and we have 2 shelves 1 low down so the electric cable and hose goes under, then Useful Boxes on the other shelves with either food or clothes, depending on the length of our adventure. The bedding goes in Useful Boxes under the wardrobe in the day, with another containing clothes. We use the 2 single beds so don't take the extra cushions, and the boxes go into the gap under the passenger side bed at night. There are small Useful Boxes in most of the overhead cupboards with maps, charging cables, dvds etc. They do such a good range of sizes that there's almost no wasted space. We took the bottle rack from under the third seat and our levelling ramps, reserved sign and that sort of thing fits in there. The coats hang on S shaped hooks which hang on the metal bits near the top of the back doors and we've got stick on hooks for lighter things on the bathroom wall and in the bathroom. All the shelves are lined with anti slip mats so the boxes don't move about and we've removed the big table to make room for 2 folding chairs in its place because we never use it. Using the boxes whilst packing in the house also means that if it won't fit in the allocated box it will be staying at home! I hope that gives some more ideas. I will be looking in B & M for those over the door hooks, they look handy! Always lots of good ideas on the forum. 

Thanks Baggiecamper and StanRVan. Some great suggestions
David H

StanRVan wrote:We use Really Useful Boxes....

Yes they are really useful 

Whilst on the road I have one  that put on the rear passenger seat.
I have found that the seat belt can be guided under the lid in front of the large plastic clips, thereby preventing the box moving under braking or cornering.
Because I travel alone it might stay there all trip or get promoted to the front passenger seat.
I have thought of having two half height boxes instead, which could be slid under the van when on site. 
It would not take much to add security, maybe bike lock cables.

If you take the cover off the leisure battery you will discover space there because the battery does not fill the box.
Ideal for a few small emergency tools, spare bulbs, or small stuff you need to take, but are unlikely to use.

Although I have not done it yet, the tool box parts under the passenger seat could be put into a much smaller bag under the rear seat, thereby giving quite a large easily accessible storage space.

If the driver seat is slid forward, there is a bit of storage in the seat base accessible from the rear.

I went the Thule roofbox route for mine:

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Not Symbol-specific but they work....

Use roll-up vacuum bags to store spare bedclothes, warm or cold weather clothing if you are going away across seasons and so on. It’s amazing how much you can get in one and how little space when flat it takes at the bottom of a locker. 

Blankets, pillows and other things can be used to stuff cushion covers and replace cushions on the seats.

A thin memory foam mattress ( egg box profile type) plus a duvet can be rolled lengthways into a throw and the resulting sausage makes a comfortable back rest on bench seats or an additional back cushion on the same seat.

Hammam ( peshtemel) towels take up considerably less space and dry very much more quickly than conventional towels.

We do not have a storage problem, the Worcester has lots of storage, but, really like the look of hammam towels so thanks Quilter.

To save space we had two memory foam toppers custom made to fit the bench seats ( cheaper than you would think) and they are kept in place and covered with a throw, look great and comfortable to sit on in the daytime. Two duvets 4.5 and 7.5 rolled tightly into a pillow case then lay on whichever is appropriate to the temperature.

For day use we leave the armrests in place but if on a long trip leave them at home and use cushions instead.

All of our crockery (correlle) is stacked in a box in a ground level cupboard, takes up much less space.

Now off to look for some plain hammam towels...