No matter what outdoor activities your family enjoys, you can make sure all your gear is organized perfectly with a custom-designed garage storage system.

Virginia’s landscapes offer us a wealth of outdoor activities and some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. Whether it’s a long bike ride along the Potomac on a warm summer evening, a weekend trip to Kinloch Golf Club, deep sea fishing off the coast, or camping in the mountains of Shenandoah National Park, there’s never a shortage of ways to get out there and enjoy our environment. My own family loves spending summers sleeping in tents in lush forests (and sometimes our backyard), biking along the Cross Country Trail, and kayaking the Occoquan.

But all of these activities can mean piles of outdoor gear and toys spilling out from your garage. From bikes to golf clubs, fishing equipment to camping gear, finding a place to store everything (and easily access it when you need it) can be a challenge. Where did that one sleeping bag wander off to? And why is it that the only place the tackle box fits is right beside the biking gear? Unfortunately, it’s often not until you’re standing in the woods realizing you forgot your tent poles or realizing that accessing your children’s ice skates requires moving the canoe that you get serious about organization.

Finding Solutions for Garage Organization

Custom garage organization systems allow you to create tailored storage solutions that fit your equipment and your lifestyle. Each family’s needs are different, and organization should suit not only what you have, but also how you use it, to make prepping for outdoor activities easy and quick. Here are some ideas for how to create a place for everything:

• Biking/Cycling: Bikes and bike accessories can be some of the most frustrating equipment to deal with in an unorganized garage. Not only do the bikes themselves take up a serious amount of garage real estate, but you also have to find places for your lock, water bottle, and helmet that allow you to easily access (and keep track of) them. Wall-mounted horizontal bike racks with integrated baskets and hooks or vertical racks with baskets underneath are both ideal solutions to keep your bikes secure, free up valuable floor space, and keep all of your accessories together in one spot. This is also a great way to ensure that each member of your family has a dedicated space for their own equipment, to avoid mix-ups.

• Golfing: Your golf bag does a pretty good job of making sure you’ve got everything you need, but where did you end up storing that extra sleeve of balls? Did you leave your golf shoes in the car or your bedroom? Golf racks with integrated baskets allow you to store all of your golf equipment in one spot; one rack can store two bags, two pairs of shoes, dozens of golf balls, gloves, spare clubs, and any other items you might need on the green.

• Fishing: Fishing poles may not be space hogs, but they can be a nuisance to store and access without the poles falling over, rolling off shelves, or getting tangled lines. Specially designed, wall-mounted fishing rod storage allows you to keep your fishing rods secure and easily access them without running the risk of damage to your gear. Installing heavy-duty shelving, hooks, and wall-mounted baskets beside your fishing rod storage system let you to easily organize your tackle boxes, life jackets, rubber boots, and everything else fish-related in one dedicated location for easy access.

• Camping: For a seemingly simple, back-to-nature activity, camping requires a lot of equipment. Finding places for tents, tarps, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, coolers, and backpacks can be a headache, and you often end up with a mishmash of items tucked away wherever you find the space. By installing an overhead rack that can accommodate heavy, oversized items, you can store all of your camping equipment in one place, getting it off the ground and making everything accessible when you need it.

• Gardening/Lawn work: Enjoying the great outdoors doesn’t have to mean traveling far afield; it can begin in your own backyard. There’s something wonderful and relaxing about spending time tending to your garden and creating a beautiful outdoor retreat for your home. What’s usually not wonderful and relaxing is keeping track of all of your equipment. Installing a garden rack with a removable basket gives you a dedicated storage station for all of your gardening and lawn care tools, and the portable basket means that it’s easy to carry everything you need at once. Put some custom cabinets or shelves right alongside that rack, and you’ve got the perfect place for mulch, extra planters, and watering cans.

• Off-Season Items: Garage organization systems should give you access to the equipment you need when you need it, and allow you to keep it out of the way when you don’t. Ceiling-mounted overhead storage with sliding bins allows you to store off-season equipment and decorations, opening up the rest of your space to have in-season gear within easy reach.

Personalized Garage Organization Design

Many garages already have at least some storage solutions currently in place, but a hodge-podge assortment of organizational systems isn’t an efficient use of space, and ad hoc storage elements tend to work against each other. After all, premade shelves aren’t sized to accommodate your storage bins perfectly and don’t take advantage of all your garage’s available space. Your current gardening storage doesn’t seem to understand that you’re a serious green thumb, and the off-the-rack wall cabinets that came with the house don’t quite fit both your camping gear and your water toys. At Closet America, we understand the unique challenges posed by garage spaces, and create custom organization systems that perfectly fit both your stuff and your lifestyle.

Our personalized design process begins with an in-home consultation that allows our design professionals to get to know your family, your space, and your needs. We create functional, beautiful, and durable organization systems built specifically for your garage using innovative, high-quality components that maximize storage space and provide a perfect place for all of your outdoor equipment. Because we take into account not just what you need to store, but how (and how often) you use it, all of our systems are designed to give you easy access to all of your outdoor toys in a way that makes sense for you.

When the great outdoors are calling, the frustration of prepping shouldn’t detract from the fun. A well-organized garage makes getting ready to go easy, simple, and enjoyable, ultimately allowing you to spend more time on the activities you love.

Closet America is the D.C. area’s leading creator of custom-made closet, office, garage, and pantry storage solutions. Our experienced team of designers and engineers create unique solutions with your space in mind, storing everything in its place, perfectly. Contact us for more information about our services or to schedule a free design consultation.