Any flatbed owners care to share how you organize the galley cabinets?

[Herbie]

Hello all, we've recently picked up a used 4WC Flatbed Hawk. It's a big step up for us in terms of usable internal storage (and having a galley!). That said, we're a little bit flummoxed by the shape/accessibility of the kitchen cabinets, so rather than reinvent the wheel (or waste money by buying stuff that isn't useful), I thought I'd ask to see how others are organizing those spaces?

Do you just shove everything into the deep cabinets and reach in as you need it? Do you have pull-out bins to help organize stuff? (Which bins?)

We found that the "middle" cabinet was so deep but narrow that our best bet for utilizing the space was probably a drawer, so I whipped one up for that:

I think this will get used for coffee items, mugs, and other frequenty-grabbed things.

I'm still at a loss as to how best to use that wider forward space - TONS of room, but such a narrow door!

 

[Dirtroadsavant]

That’s an awesome drawer! We use small plastic bins that fit the space and hold their designated items. After 5 years, we can do a blind reach and come out with what we need with just a bit of feeling around. No knives or forks allowed. But, now, I see a drawer in my future! Nice work.

 

[Herbie]

Thanks. Started moving gear over from the old camper in earnest today - the proverbial "Yard Sale" with camping gear spread all over the driveway while I move stuff over. Drawer looks like it will do the job, but will at least need some bins for that larger cabinet!

 

[kmcintyre]

We've been going through that same "dilemma" as we moved from an Eagle to a flatbed Hawk too.... now there's too much space and hope we don't fill it up with stuff we never use.

I like your drawer idea and might have to see about doing one (albeit my woodworking skills aren't very good) once we get settled in.

 

[Herbie]

Similar question for the under-dinette spaces:

How does that NOT become a black hole of piled crap?

We're stowing bulky items like sleeping bags, etc. on one side, and that's fine, but the other side is slowly accumulating all the "camping gear" that's slightly too large to fit anywhere else but small enough to just sort of pile up in there. Guessing the thing I need will always be on the bottom.

 

[Dirtroadsavant]

Our dinette bins got much more usable when we switched to a small table on a lagune mechanism and ditched the big original cushions in favor of simple hinged tops. We organize stuff in various boxes and bags—it’s a bit of a jumble but it all works out. I’ve often thought about creating a “basement” with an ultrallight piece of rigid panel to separate long term storage (telescoping ladder) from short term storage (kettle fried potato chips).

 

[Herbie]

I think if I was going to change anything about the design of the Hawk Flatbed, it would be to steal a page from the Overland Explorer HBE and add a pass-through to the outside from the curbside dinette. (Maybe even divide it up into a lower "outside" basement and a shallower inside space, per @Dirtroadsvant)

It'd be great to be able to flip down a door (and use it as a table!) to drag out a camp stove, etc. from there without having to mess with the dinette seat, etc.

 

[wicked1]

The narrow galley cabinet, we just reach in to.. It has all of our plates/bowls/pans/pots. There's a lot of banging and rattling when we have to reach to the back for things, but it works. The larger cabinet and seating area bench, we use plastic bins to keep various groups of things separated. One of the seating areas is stuffed w/ bedding.. The other, is several small plastic bins holding things. Then a few larger loose items.. Portable solar panel. Camera tripod.
Then we also have larger plastic bins in the truck with the tent and other camping gear, tools, etc.
We store some of the truck bins in the camper while driving, because we have a child in the back seat. Then move them to the truck for storage, while we're camping.

 

[kmacafee]

My genius wife uses two of these to stack plates and other flat item in a cabinet.