Building an Interior Closet Shelf for a Small Travel Trailer

Building an Interior Closet Shelf for a Small Travel Trailer

Our 2020 Scamp 13’ is loaded with more things than most people can believe – including a full size bed, kitchen dinette, kitchen (with two-burner gas stove, sink and refrigerator), furnace, bathroom (including shower), HD TV, and storage cabinets.  However, being only 10 feet long (3’ is the hitch length), there isn’t a lot of interior storage space in our Scamp.  I like to keep my laptop inside the Scamp because I load movies onto it before each trip (see How To Watch Movies in the Wild) which we often watch at night.  I used to place the laptop on the kitchen floor underneath the kitchen table, but wanted to find a more secure and out of the way storage location.  When looking for possible storage areas in such a small space, one has to keep an open mind and keen eye to identify any space which isn’t being used.  I found one such space in the main clothes closet just above the clothes hanger.  The unused empty space seemed perfect to suspend a small shelf which could be used to store a laptop as well as a few other small items.  Having just completed my AC window project, I had some leftover ½” thick plywood.  I took some measurements, and using my jigsaw and belt sander it was a quick and easy job to create the shelf.

The first thing I did was measure the space to calculate the maximum shelf measurements which would fit.  I calculated that a shelf 14” wide in front, 12” deep (10” on the shorter curved side), and with 5” high walls would accommodate my laptop and maximize the storage space in this area.  Since the Scamp main closet curves at the back, I had to cut a corner in the rear shelf tray (reducing the rear right side tray by 2” to 10” deep).  I thought I might need a wall piece for the back corner, but it was unnecessary as the tray rests against the back wall (which acts as a shelf wall).  The back wall piece came out to 9” long x 5” high.  After all the pieces were cut, I drilled pilot holes and used glue and wood screws to join all the pieces.  Lastly, I cut 4 small pieces of plywood and used them as mounts.  These mounts are glued and screwed into the top of the shelf side walls (see video).

Once the shelf is fully built, it’s just a matter of having an assistant hold it in place inside the cabinet.  After positioning in the right area, use screws to attach the mounts to the wood ceiling.  Once I secured the shelf, I decided to cut some holes on the left side wall so, if necessary, I could insert a screwdriver through the shelf to tighten the collars on the hot/cold PEX lines (in case there was a drip).  The only thing left is to create a front cover (if desired).  I wanted the ability to be able to quickly see inside the shelf but needed a front cover so my laptop wouldn’t fly out while driving, so I opted to use a clear Lexan (high strength plastic) polycarbonate piece (which I attached to the cabinet using rare earth magnets hot glued to both the Lexan and plywood) (5” high x 15” wide).

I have used this shelf on several trips already and it has performed very well.  The rare earth magnets have always held securely during travel.  Hinges might be considered to avoid having to pull the Lexan off the front and setting it aside while putting things in and out of the shelf.  Though, I’ve found the magnet solution to work really well and don’t mind setting aside the front piece while accessing the gear inside the shelf.  So, if you have any small items in your small travel trailer that you need a home for, consider shelving them!

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly.