How To Organize Your Gear Room
My gear organization didn’t always look this way.
I had spent years dreaming of someday having a well-organized gear room. During that time, I had grown accustomed to sifting through giant plastic totes, rummaging under the bed, or searching in random backpacks attempting to find that one piece of gear that I needed for my backpacking adventure.
When I moved into a new place last year, I had a unique nook right off the living room that I was unsure of how I was going to decorate or use the space. It wasn't long before I realized that this was the perfect spot for my dream gear room!
The research immediately began as I scoured the internet for inspiration and materials to use. After visiting REI multiple times and a few other local gear shops to observe how they organized their gear, I settled on a Gridwall design. I wanted to create my own mini REI shop! I purchased all the materials needed and waited in anticipation as they were delivered to my house over the following week. Once they arrived, the hard work began as I plotted out a functional layout of the grid walls and mounting brackets. A stud finder was incredibly helpful as I wanted to ensure that the integrity of the wall remained and could support the weight from the Gridwall Panels and gear.
It was quite the project and I was fortunate that my handyman boyfriend was able to help me in setting everything up. I would recommend having a second person to assist in setting up Gridwall Panels as it can be difficult to align the mounting brackets while ensuring the Gridwall Panel is straight.
After a few hours, everything was in place and secure, the long-awaited and most exciting part started - organizing my gear! I decided to organize by theme and arrange my gear into sections: Camping, Backpacking, Survival/First Aid Kits, Dehydrated Meals, Maps/ Books, Rock Climbing, Winter Gear, Backpacks, etc. The Gridwall Baskets helped in organizing the smaller items and allowed me to grab any piece of gear with ease.
I had purchased both 4" and 6" Gridwall Hooks and used two 6" hooks equally spaced to hold my tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad. The 4" hooks were useful for hanging sunglasses, water bottles, flashlights/headlamps, and other small knickknacks.
What I love about the Gridwall Design is that everything is not only visually appealing but incredibly functional. The days of searching through giant plastic totes are long gone and now when packing for an adventure I can grab and go with efficiency.
