Loading…
9
Roof racks vs. stacking bins for winter car storage, which side are you on?
For years I just piled stuff in the garage around the car, boxes of chains and scrapers and old blankets all over the floor. Then last November I finally bought a roof rack and strapped the heavy stuff up top, thinking it would free up all the floor space. But now I'm second guessing it because every time I need the snow brush or the tire chains, I'm out there in 20 degree weather unstrapping and lifting stuff down from the roof. My neighbor swears by just stacking clear bins against the walls and sliding the car in tight, says he can grab anything in under two minutes without climbing. But I knocked over three bins last spring trying to get to the spare tire and cracked a taillight cover, so that method failed me too. What changed for me was realizing the real question is how often you need to access any of it, once a week or once a season. For me it's twice a month at least, so the roof rack is getting annoying. Does anyone else store seasonal car gear up high and regret the daily reach, or do you keep it all ground level and just deal with the clutter? I'm in Denver, so snow season runs about 5 months, that makes a difference to me.
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
milesrobinson3d ago
Go with bins, but ditch the loose stacking before you give up on it. Mount a couple of cheap shelf brackets or a wire rack along that wall so the bins slide in at chest height, and you never have to lean over or climb for anything. I did that two winters ago in Minnesota, which is basically Denver with more ice, and I can grab my chains in about thirty seconds. The cracking incident was your setup, not the idea, since a tight stack with no shelf is just an accident waiting to happen. One thing to keep in mind though is weight, because you do not want a heavy bin up on a bracket you put in with two screws. Keep the salt and scrapers low and the light stuff high and you get the best of both.
6