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My current lifestyle requires moving homes frequently. While I don’t own too many things, I am not a minimalist and I do have lots of clothes and equipment needed for different (outdoor) activities. At the moment I have a reasonable sized room with a closet, but taking clothes out of suitcase and putting them on shelves and packing them again in short term is very time consuming and living out of a suitcase isn’t convenient either. Are there any specific storage units or methods to keep my clothes organized while making it easy to move frequently?

P. S. The clothes in conversation are mostly tops and Tshirts and trousers that don’t need ironing so can be folded.

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  • How are you traveling?
    – paparazzo
    Oct 19, 2018 at 19:22
  • On land, in a van. It’s not a chosen lifestyle, just too much instability and difficulties securing a permanent home. Previously it was the job that couldn’t provide the promised accommodation. I ended up buying the clear plastic IKea boxes and have been living out of them hoping there will be an end to these moves soon!
    – Neeku
    Oct 20, 2018 at 16:48

2 Answers 2

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Unusual situations call for unusual solutions.

Being on-the-move is normal for many; but, most have a 'home base' where some things can be stored. This allows traveling light. You know this.

A snail carries everything in its shell. An equivalent for you might be a large-enough container to hold most everything you may need; but, the down-side is the inconvenience of moving it.

Back in the day, a steamer (travel) trunk was used. While most are like large footlockers, some were vertical with shelves and drawers. They are strong and relatively inexpensive. You could probably get one made or modified to your exact requirements. There are all sorts. You probably wouldn't mind living out of one if it met your requirements. I put one of mine on a small mover's dolly to make it easy to move around and go over door sills, etc. It's not difficult.

They used to carry a traveler's possessions from trains, to hotels, to boats, and back to home again.

Vertical Steamer Trunk Footlocker Steamer Trunk

If you have your own transportation, you can move your things whenever and wherever you want.

If not, express shipping is inexpensive but slooooow. You might want to split your things into two containers. Keep one and send one ahead to your next destination. When you leave, ship the one you have to catch-up with you at your destination or take it with you. Meanwhile, one will be waiting for you when you arrive. Rinse and Repeat as you go.
(Whew ! - maybe not.)

This should work for you* as it's a tried-and-true solution that has withstood the test of time

*That's until you meet someone who you can't live without and will glue you to a spot— of their choosing— on the planet.

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  • Didn't know those movable closet things existed, have you tried this yourself? May 14, 2018 at 2:05
  • I have used (lived a couple of months) a smaller version of the flat one on the right (and also a huge duffle bag.) I have seen one like vertical one. It's lighter than it looks.
    – Stan
    May 14, 2018 at 2:51
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Since your problem is going back and forth between hanging and folding the clothes, all you need to do is eliminate one of the steps.

To eliminate hanging: Forgo the use of the closet for clothes (you can use it to store other items) and put your clothes in a drawer, still folded. You'll only need to lift them out of the drawer and back into the suitcase to move, but you'll have to be in places that have dressers or bureaus provided.

To eliminate folding: Forgo the use of the suitcase and leave your clothes on the hangers. Get one or more garment bags (as many as needed for your clothes); these are zippered bags that go over your clothing, with the top of the hangers poking out. Just wrap them around the clothes while they're still on the hangers, zip them up, and go. (You can also use large plastic garbage bags pulled over groups of clothes on hangers, but these are less durable and more suited for infrequent moves.)

Of the two, I'd most suggest using garment bags as your best solution, as you won't be dependent on furniture at the new destination, and it's very easy to pack them up.

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