Shoes! What to do with them?

Space is limited in the travel trailer.  Thankfully, our Zinger 28bh has tons of storage.  I am constantly taking things out that we don't use and making the most of our space.  However, shoe storage is an issue.  I started with a small wicker basket to hold our shoes.  This worked fine when we were towing the Zinger on weekend excursions.  Now that we are seasonal, the basket just isn't working for us.

The problem is that we have several types of shoes per person.  We don't like to haul shoes back and forth from home, so we keep extra pairs in the camper. I guess I am the main shoe culprit.  I have my Crocs that I typically wear around the campsite.  Then I have a pair of tennis shoes for hiking excursions.  I have my slip on, water proof clogs for those nasty rainy or cool days.  Finally, I have my sandals that I wear up to the campground and when we go out.  The kiddos have a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of flip-flops.  That is four more pairs of adult size shoes.  (The boy is in a man's size 10!  He is only eleven!)  The Hubs has two pairs of shoes.  Our water sandals stay outside on a rack under the trailer, so I won't count those.

So, I've been searching and browsing the internet and local stores to find a solution for us.  Shoe racks are always to big for the space.  I don't want to put them under the master bed.  It is too inconvenient.  A larger basket didn't feel right.  So, I searched and searched.  Something had to be out there to solve my problem!

Finally, I stumbled upon a collapsible storage ottoman at a local big box store.  Hmmm....  I toyed with the idea.  This could solve a couple of issues besides shoe storage.  I liked the fact that it would definitely hold our shoes.  It would be a place to kick up the feet while relaxing on the sofa.  It could double as extra seating when necessary. (The ottomans can hold 220 lbs for seating.)

I decided to buy two!  I had measured and knew that we could accommodate two in the space without an issue.  I purchased the faux leather brown ottomans.  They blended in with the decor.

I placed my three pairs of shoes into one of the ottomans and I have room to place four or five more pairs in just that one!  These are going to work great.

We have sat on them and put our feet up.  I love them!  I did tell the kids not to sit and scoot them around.  They need to move them then sit on them.  I think they will hold up just fine.



For other mods and storage ideas for the travel trailer:  Stove Covers, Kitchen Organization, Frugal Way to Stock the Trailer, RV Mods Part 2, Making the Zinger 28bh Our Own