How to Pack and Store Your Summer Vacation Gear

Summer is almost over, so it’s time to start thinking about where to pack all of your summer gear until 2021. Albuquerque Self Storage has you covered. 

Storing Your Camping Gear

Camping is a perfect summer and fall activity, though not that great in the winter. It requires a lot of gear, so chances are you’ll need a good place to store it all. Camp gear ranges from small accessories to bigger items like tents, so organization is important. Keep an inventory to take with you to remember what you’ve got and what you’ll need for next year. Think like a laminated checklist that is posted right near the door of where you’re storing your gear. 

Before you store anything, make sure you clean out your bags, pockets, tent, and everything else you have. Remove all perishables and dry everything off. 

We recommend buying sturdy storage bins to help keep things organized and labelled, as well as to keep moisture away from your gear. This is especially important for your tent and bags — anything that can grow mold or mildew on it. 

How to Store Bicycles

Bicycles don’t normally require special storage, but they do take up a lot of space. Like with most items before you store them, it’s important to clean them to help prevent rust, mold, and mildew. 

Make sure your bike is clean, the chain is lubricated, and the tires are inflated to the recommended pressure. Keep your helmet cool and dry in its own box.

There are a ton of bike storage rack options to help save space. Here are a few of them. 

Kickstands are one of the most basic storage options and they normally come with the bike! Just kick it down and lean your bike on it to keep it standing. Serious road cyclists typically forgo the kickstand to save weight. However, bike tourers may find them useful for parking a fully loaded bike. 

Floor stands are basically a long metal bar with vertical slats, only configured to hold one bike, not a bunch. They are ideal if you have the floor space because they’re so simple. They are great for garages or even front hallways. You just pop in your front or back wheel and you’re done.

Freestanding racks are like coat racks for bikes and are ideal for garages or places where you can’t mount a rack on the walls. These are often designed to hold two bikes, sometimes more, and are easy to relocate for cleaning, rearranging your garage or changing apartments or houses.

When you’re storing your bike, make sure you keep it in a place that doesn’t have extreme temperature changes. It can cause cables to snap, crack, or break on your bike, and deflate your tires. 

How to Store Your Kayak 

Kayaks are harder to store because they are so prone to the hull cracking. So many people store it incorrectly, which causes damage. The worst thing you could do with a kayak is to drag it to the side of the garage and leave it on the ground. You should never leave a kayak on a flat surface for more than a couple of days.

Do not store a kayak right side up because the bottom could get smooshed overtime from the excess weight. Remember, kayaks are not meant to sit directly on their hull for an extended period. They also shouldn’t be stored on their side without proper support because their plastic exterior could get dented. 

The best way to store a kayak is on a rack that is mounted on the ceiling or the wall. 

Before you store it on a kayak rack, be sure to move the kayak to a shady location and thoroughly clean it. You’re going to want to remove any fabric sections like seat cushions or storage compartments and wash these separately. Be sure they’re fully dry before storing them. 

No Room? No Problem. 

Kayaks and the equipment that comes with it take up a lot of space. 

Self storage is affordable in both the short and long term. Albuquerque Self Storage offers month-to-month contracts, so you can use it when you need it and move out of it when you’re ready to go. To keep it easy, many of them only require a 10 day notice before you leave your unit. And we don’t require a deposit!

That means we’re the perfect storage solution for all your seasonal activities, including kayaking, camping, and more! 

You don’t have to worry about security either — our storage units are safe. Albuquerque Self Storage, has a well lit and gated facility for you to store your items and every unit is protected by a padlock. 

If you’re interested in using us for your self storage needs, contact us today.