How To Store and Organize Seasonal Sports Equipment

It’s typically in your best interest to cycle out and appropriately store various types of seasonal equipment throughout the year. Doing so will reduce clutter and may prevent damage to the equipment over time. When it comes to seasonal sports gear, it’s in your best interest to ensure that these items are easy to find and ready to go the next time you need them. 

Important Considerations for Your Storage Space

Common structures people use to store seasonal sports equipment include: garages, sheds, basements, attics, pool houses, and rented storage units. However, while many different structures may technically be suitable for organizing your equipment and shielding it from the elements, that does not mean they’re an ideal storage space. When choosing a storage space for your seasonal sports equipment, consider the following:

• Does the space feature climate control?

• Is the structure covered?

• How stable is the structure?

• How much space is available?

• What built-in storage features are available?

• Does the space struggle with pest control issues?

• How often will the space be accessed and by whom?

• What security measures are available?

• How customizable is the structure?

Once you have chosen your storage space, you shouldn’t just start shoving things in wherever they can fit. If you want to maximize the longevity of your equipment, you should properly prepare it for time in storage.

How To Prepare Seasonal Sports Equipment for Storage

To ensure your equipment does not suffer damage during extended storage, take the time to make appropriate preparations. As you prepare your sports equipment for storage, consider the following:

• Does the equipment need cleaning? If so, what is the appropriate way to clean it?

• Can you disassemble the equipment? Disassembling the equipment makes it easier to store and less likely to suffer damage related to its unwieldiness.

• Are there many pieces of equipment related to a particular activity? If so, it may be helpful to document the pieces and label their storage spaces.

• Are the containers I’ve chosen durable and airtight? This may extend the life of both the containers and the items within them.

• How can I reduce strain on the equipment? By taking steps such as hanging and mounting certain items, you can minimize damage over time.

It will also be to your benefit to do further research on any specific care recommended for particular types of equipment.

Ideas for Organizing Off-Season Sports Equipment

Your unique strategy for organizing your seasonal sport equipment will necessarily depend on several factors, such as available space, the type of equipment, and your personal aesthetic preferences. The following are just a few common options that can help you effectively organize your equipment.

Utilize Wall Space

Most storage structures have wall space, and you can make this space functional. Doing so will help you reduce clutter on the floor, make items more readily visible, and reduce the strain of gravity on heavier equipment. Options for using your wall space in this way include:

• Using a pegboard to mount lighter items like baseball gloves, helmets, rackets, and small baskets;

• Using hooks to hang a variety of light or medium items;

• Using unfinished wall spaces to store longer items like oars and hockey sticks;

• Adding shelving to store a wide variety of items;

• Creating built-in closet space for larger items.

Utilize Ceiling Space

Utilizing your ceiling space is another way to reduce clutter on the floor and keep your equipment clean. This space is commonly overlooked, but is a great option for storing rarely used items in particular. Options for using your ceiling space to store seasonal sports equipment include:

• Using ceiling hooks and straps to hang bulky items like bikes and kayaks;

• Installing simple tracks into the ceiling that can hold plastic bins to store a variety of small-to-medium-sized items;

• Hanging a net to hold balls and other odds and ends.

Use Buckets and Baskets

Small odds and ends can be difficult to manage, especially if they are oddly shaped. Buckets and baskets can be extremely helpful for organizing such objects. This strategy is particularly effective if you organize similar items into each container, and then clearly label each container. Containers for this purpose include:

• Pails;

• Laundry baskets;

• Wicker baskets;

• Plastic totes;

• Fabric totes.

Get Creative With PVC

It may seem intimidating to build your own storage materials, but PVC is particularly versatile and easy to use when it comes to building simple structures. By simply mixing and matching various pipes and connectors, you can create a wide variety of structures. Then you could adjust the structures as needed. Some useful storage structures you can create using PVC include:

• Bike racks;

• Freestanding hanger organizers;

• Shoe racks;

• Wall-mounted racks;

• Shelving;

• Ball organizers;

• Parking stops;

• Room dividers;

• Fishing rod organizers;

• Bungee cord organizers;

• Storage pockets;

• Display mounts.

Put Items on Display

You could also make your sports equipment multipurpose by using it as decoration during the off-season. Some options for displaying off-season equipment includes:

• Hanging up items like surfboards, kayaks, and golf clubs;

• Mounting jerseys for display;

• Mounting balls and headgear;

• Suspending odds and ends from the ceiling;

• Strategically parking motorized equipment like ATVs;

• Recreating a scene such as a putting green, a batter’s box, or a bowling alley.

Putting your sports equipment on display will be most effective if the display complements the surrounding design. If possible, you may want to consider options for adjusting other elements of the design and structure to create a more seamless aesthetic.