How To Rack Out A Van DIY

If you are working from your van or living in your van, then you might want to consider the overall interior design to make sure that you are doing so as efficiently as possible.

Van racking is one of the best ways to do this as you can utilize all of the space that you have available to you to create better storage solutions.

It can be difficult to come up with ideas for ways in which you can do this, especially if DIY design is something that you are not used to. However, it is something that is really important because when it is done right, it is going to make a really big difference.

If you are struggling to figure out how to rack out a van, you don’t need to worry anymore. We are going to provide you with some of the best van racking ideas to help get you started.

So, if you want to learn more about how to utilize the space in your van for the better, then just keep reading.

What is Van Racking?

Van racking is also sometimes referred to as van shelving, and it is basically an excellent storage solution that can help give you extra places to store your things in a van.

These storage systems can be put in place around your van for a variety of different purposes and they are great for helping you to store your things while saving as much space as possible.

Types of Shelves

When it comes to the shelving aspect of van racking, you have two options; buy a professionally made shelving unit, or build one yourself. Most of the time, these shelving units will be made from either aluminum or wood.

Aluminum shelves are perfect for the job due to the fact that they are lightweight so they won’t be too heavy for the inside of your van. However, aluminum is one of the more expensive options. They can be made to be adjustable which can come in handy, or they could simply be welded into place.

Steel racking is a cheaper alternative while still being highly durable. However, it is much heavier. Steel racking is known to be more flexible than aluminum or wood and it can hold a lot of weight.

Wood racking can be completely customized with ease as it is really straightforward to cut it to size. This is the perfect material for a made-to-measure van build, but again, it can be quite heavy.

Don’t forget that the more weight you add, the higher your fuel consumption can become. You should also keep in mind that your van will only be able to handle a certain amount of weight and overloading it can become dangerous. Always check beforehand to find out how much weight your van can hold.

Create a False Floor With Rear and Side Access

One of the best things that you can do when racking out a van is to create a false floor. This will provide you with more room under the flooring to store what you need to.

Make sure that this under-floor storage is accessible from the rear and side doors for easier access. To do this, you can use plywood. This will provide you with much more space for storage. However, don’t forget that this will limit your standing height in the van itself.

Slide-Out Workbench or Table

If you are careful during the planning stages of this project, then you will definitely be able to leave room for a slide-out workbench or table.

You can put this at the back of the van so you can pull it out for easy access. You can use a thick sheet of plywood with foldable legs to create this table, and this will mean that you can extend your space to the outside of the van.

However, if it does start to rain, you will be left out in it, so this might only be a good idea for dry days. You also wouldn’t be able to use this part as storage when it is inside the van, as you would otherwise need to remove everything when you want to use it.

So, this might not be a good idea for those that want the extra storage room.

Hanging Space

If you want to be as efficient as possible, then you should try to leave some room for hanging space inside the van.

The more that you can hang up on the wall, the less storage that you will need. This could be perfect for hanging up things like coats, tools, or anything else that you might need.

A great place to put hanging storage is on the back of the doors. This won’t take up much space inside the van, and it also allows you easy access to your things.

Wall-to-Wall Shelving Unit

If you build a cabinet that spans from wall to wall of the van, then you can store all of your essential items here. You can do this along the side of the van that does not have a door to utilize all of the available space without taking up too much room inside the van.

You can create the shelving unit so that it goes from the roof to the floor and creates all of the shelving that you could possibly need.

If you wanted to get really organized, you could build spaces for drawers and boxes to make it look tidier than throwing everything on the shelves. However, don’t forget to make sure that these draws are not going to slide out when you are driving.

You can add sliding clasps on the outside of the draws to make sure that they don’t open when you are on the go. You can also add edges to the bottom of the shelves to make sure that your items don’t slide off. The more space that you can save by storing your items in this unit, the better.