One major side effect of Army (and military) life is that your home soon resembles an Army surplus store. From uniforms to PT gear to issued equipment, our service men and women just have a lot of crap. Over the years, we’ve learned through trial and error how to corral all of Mac’s Army gear.
1. Invest in a large dresser.
Mac and I bought our whole bedroom set over a year, and we wound up with three dressers. I have the largest, while Mac uses the smaller two. One of his is civilian clothes, and the other is Army gear. It’s helpful for him to have plenty of space to store his clothes without us fighting over who gets what drawers.
2. Tough boxes are your friend.
These big uglies are a staple during deployments. Mac kept his and uses them for the random gear that he has been issued but doesn’t use on a regular basis (like his sleeping pad, a random ACU hatchet). Tough boxes fit well on the industrial shelving units you can find at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
3. Get creative with your storage space.
We have a two-car garage, and one half is dedicated to storage. We bought and are going to install this hanging shelf to increase where we can put empty boxes.
How do y’all handle all of the Army and military gear in your homes?
It’s funny because I have a rule for no tough boxes haha. We use our spare bedroom closet for all of his gear, it keeps it from cluttering the garage and other places. Out of sight out of mind. 🙂
All of my husbands gear is supposed to be in the attic… but it has kind of taken over the second car spot in our garage. Whatever.. that is his space and mostly out of my mind. Haha. Better than being IN my house.
We use tough boxes too. He also has one closet in one of our spare rooms devoted to his “gear.”