Finding Storage in a Montana 3950BR

Wingrider214

New Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2018
Posts
6
Location
Box Elder, SD
We recently upgraded from a 2012 Montana 3400RL, to a 2017 Montana 3950BR. We have full-timed in the 3400RL since April of 2019. The biggest challenge we have been faced with is the 2017 has less cabinet space than the 2012. Mostly because of the midbunk floor plan, but still, very little pantry space in the kitchen area. So far, we have added extra shelves in cabinets beside the cooktop, as well as above the reclining sofa. For those of you out there that full-time, or maybe just part-time in the 3950BR, what have you done? The next hurdle will be finding space for spices.
 
We are about as close to full timers and we can get without actually selling the house. With that said, we are on the road (or somewhere) about 10 months of the year and we do all 4 season camping.

What that means is, we have to plan what we bring with us and what we leave behind. We do some rotation of clothing, and because I am a camp host in Louisiana, but do much more than camp hosting there, I need to drag along my carpentry tools. Before leaving home, I check with the park manager and figure out what project I'll be working on for the next 3 to 5 months. Based on that, I'll adjust my tools.

If you are truly "full timing" then you will not have the option to "rotate" your belongings unless you have a storage unit somewhere. What that means then is, you may have to get creative on where you put items.

You said you have a mid bunk house / office. What is this room currently being used for and is there any storage space there. It really is quite OK to store pots and pans in a different location than in the actual kitchen. The same goes for other food items that do not require refrigeration. Maybe under the bed has space. Can you put those extra bags of Egg Noodles or those extra cans of vegetables under there?

If you look around your camper, is there spaces not being utilized, for example, remove a panel and turn it into a storage space. You may have to move some wires around, or protect them, but those empty unused spaces can be a life saver. There's nothing wrong with making these types of modifications.

Depending on your set-up, if you have a hitch on the end of your trailer, you might be able to get a cargo carrier and attach a trunk or cage there. This will free up more space inside the limited storage.

Another thing, especially kitchen items, dishes can nest inside each other. So can pots and pans. This can be annoying, but it's the only way to save up space.

Another thing, re-examine your small appliances. They take up a LOT of space. Do you really need them all. Can some of those small appliances do multiple tasks where as, some others are dedicated for only 1 purpose. Discard the single purpose appliances and switch to one appliance than can do it and more. This saves up space big time!

I don't know how you do it, but we have 2 electric griddles and an electric skillet. Unbelievable, almost anything can be cooked on the griddle and skillet... including cookies, cakes, and pastries. But, we also have an oven, so we do have some baking dishes, that double up for storage containers in the refrigerator and .... if you really want to get creative ... an aluminum pie pan "can" be used as a dinner plate.

We also carry a Coleman Camp Stove, which any of our pots and pans work OK with. But, we also have one pot (we keep under the bed) for cooking over a campfire. The stove top pots and pans have plastic handles that would melt over an open fire. Still, we use the pot with no plastic for other cooking needs also. It's also the biggest pot, which comes in handy sometimes.

I think the secret is to re-evaluate exactly what you are actually using and eliminate those things that are not. Then, the actual items you are using, nest as much as you can, utilize items that have multiple uses, and always-always-always put things away immediately after using them to avoid clutter and becoming claustrophobic.

And yes, sometimes you just have to go through every single item in the camper and purge things out. The bed room in our house and my wood shop at home is packed full of mementos we've collected over the years. About ever 3 years I go through all of that stuff and end up giving it away to other folks (usually tent camping people) to help them out and to get rid of stuff we've accumulated.

These are my suggestions and it's how we do it.
 
All good ideas and information, Dutchmen! We've been packing camping trailers for over 40 years, so we know a lot about nesting things and storage in odd places. Our midbunk room has the long desk installed plus a pull out sofa bed. The desk will be used by my wife for her work of supporting city clerks in small communities in Kansas, and we a want to keep the pull out bed for family or friends that might visit. She will be utilizing most of the storage space in there for her office set up. I'm hoping to get some other tips from folks that have our actual year and model. Thanks for the input!
 

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