Storage of gear in shed? Good or Bad?

[juz]

Hello All,
I have traditionally stored tents, sleeping bags, mats etc inside the house. We have had a new shed built, lined with foil and thin foam. Does any one have experience storing gear in a shed type environment? Are temperature extremes or moisture problematic? Any hints about what works successfully for you would be fantastic. Plastic tubs? Ventilated wardrobe? Silica Gel? We are in central vic.
Having lost a couple of tents due to hydrolysis of the PU coating and deamination of the seams, I am somewhat reluctant to just give it a go.
Any advice appreciated,
Thanks,
Justin.

[Moondog55]

I've had no problems so far in the new shed.
I use big plastic tubs with holes drilled in them or big cardboard boxes.
So far so good

[juz]

Holes in plastic tubs is a good idea Moondog. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Moondog55]

I bought a big steel rack from Bunnings with mesh shelf for the bottom for best airflow and I used plywood for the other shelves. It's a big shed

[myrtlegirl]

If you're confident your gear is fully dry when you put it away, I'd say storing in plastic tubs in the shed is fine.
And if you're doubtful about the dryness, do the phone-drying-out trick of putting rice in the tub, in a cotton or paper bag; after all, often tents are worth as much as iPhones.

But IMO I wouldn't put holes in the tubs - insect entry points, plus if, or rather, when there's any dampness - it will get in.

Try an experiment: put 2 tubs in the shed, leave the lid ajar on one, leave a piece of bread in each. Does the bread dry out/go mouldy/get eaten?

Hang on: you need 3 tubs - one closed with rice. Maybe 4 tubs - one ajar with rice.

[Biggles]

IN my garage I keep all of my go-to camping gear in an old (2010-vintage) IKEA "box hole" storage unit — 12 large squares in which are sat my tents, sleeping mat, stoves and miscellaneous accessories; car fridge sits on top. The garage gets mighty cold in winter, but stays pleasantly on the cool side in summer, due to it being beneath the house. The car, after a long drive, is parked in and that works well to warm it up as I tinker about with my toys! Never had any problems with the storage. I don't really like the idea of storing anything in e.g. plastic or cardboard boxes for extended periods (meaning, any period of time greater than 2 months) when they can be vectors for insects finding somewhere cosy to bed down, or worse, multiply.

Nothing really noteworthy to set central Victoria off from other parts of the State, other than less traffic, but more wandering stock and zimmer frames to dodge!

Be cautious of conditions that may encourage mould, especially with wild temperature and humidity changes.

[CasualNerd]

As long as you don't have a rodent problem, they love making nests out of your lightweight gear, I'd say put everything in plastic tubs, that's worked for me.

[rcaffin]

We had an antechinus sleeping under one of our quilts. He did no damage to the quilt, but he did *&^%$#! all over the shelf.
Cheers
Roger
PS: An honest count says that we had to remove NINE antechinuses from the house. Live trapping of course, They are (sort of) cute.

[juz]

Thanks all for the input. It seems like there is probably a way to store most camping items in the shed successfully.

Myrtlegirl, I like your very scientific approach, and seems like a good idea to do a few tests first. I worry with the sealed tubs, that you might put something away, sure it’s dry, but on the put away day the humidity is high, and that ends up causing drama down the track. Not sure if this would be a problem though with the typical unsealed, but closed, plastic tub. It seems like a good idea to try and stop insects and dampness getting in to stored items.

Biggles, it seems you have quite a well thought out set up, sounds very good. I take it from your description that you are storing your things essentially just on a shelf? Your tent stays in it’s bag, and the bag goes on the shelf? What about sleeping bags?

In deed nothing particulary special about central Vic. Though far greater temperature extremes than those nearer the sea. 2 or 3 overnight in winter, 35 or so in summer.

Casual Nerd, I am on alert for rodents. This new shed replaced an older shed, that was neither water tight or rat proof. So we went from storing many things in there to storing almost nothing, as dampness got to things and rodents nested and chewed and excreted - ruining some things and damaging others.

Roger, that seems like a lucky escape with the antechinus. You did a good job removing so many from the house!

After all that great information from you all, I am leaning towards storing some things in tubs, and getting an airy wardrobe from somewhere to hang sleeping bags up in. I might add some vents to this to encourage air flow.

Thanks all for the valuable input and for sharing whats working for selves. It will be nice to find a good home, and some organisation for all our camping things.

Justin.