Storage

by Weymouth John Fri May 28, 2021 11:16 am

Hi All
Just back from a couple of weeks away in our Symbol (2019 long wheel base with the kitchen across the back) and on one campsite noticed a chap with a VW campervan who produced a couple of folding chairs which had been stowed inside his lifting tailgate. It looked a really neat solution and it set me wondering whether it might be possible to create some storage space inside the rear doors. I'm thinking of storage for the wedges, a hose and the mains cable which otherwise go under the single seat which is crammed full at the moment. I haven't yet tried to remove the rear door lining to see what sort of space might be available but that's got to be the next step.
Has anyone tried this sort of thing and found a neat way of doing it?
Any reason why it might not work?
What do you think?
Cheers
John

by FreelanderUK Fri May 28, 2021 11:46 am

I had seen on a website that was producing back panels with storage compartments all ready in the back panels so I see no reason why yours couldn’t be adapted as various photos of the rear doors with the panels removed show a good amount of space

by Kemerton-bath Fri May 28, 2021 4:56 pm

I removed the rear door linings in order to put more insulation into the spaces and found there isn’t as much space below the windows as you might imagine, due to steel framing and door latch mechanisms. The picture below shows the internal arrangements.

You might find room for a hose and a cable but not much else I think. You’d also face quite a challenge in creating a bespoke lining to accommodate the storage pockets, while maintaining access to door locks, latches, cables etc.

Depending on how much clearance you have between the inside face of the doors and the rear face of the kitchen cabinetry I would think it’s easier to engineer some storage arrangements that rely either on fixing to the cabinetry or to the rear door faces.

The former option runs the risk of fixings being pulled out of what’s likely to be only 12mm thick MDF or chipboard, but the steelwork of the inside face of the rear doors offers a far stronger fixing option. This is the approach I took for storing folding chairs, attached to one of the rear doors with webbing straps and bridges (also known as footmans loops).

Tim

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by Kemerton-bath Fri May 28, 2021 5:08 pm

I hasten to add that the Boxer in the picture above is not our Kemerton!

Tim

by Weymouth John Fri May 28, 2021 5:33 pm

Tim that's really useful. First of all you've found a phot of the door without it's lining which saves me from a lot of unscrewing while I ponder. Secondly you've come up with a couple of good points about what may be the best way to proceed. Sadly there isn't room for wedges between the door lining and the fixed cupboard/cooker backs that go across the van. There might be room for the cable and hose though, and your suggestion of fixing to the door rather than the cupboard backs is good.
Thanks
John

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