Might be almost time to put the bike and golf clubs away for the season

With the first snow of the season behind us, it’s time to shift our attention away from golf, biking, tennis, camping and tanning and towards our favourite winter sports, like snowboarding or skiing, hockey, and eating. But with the window for summer hobbies drawing to a close for most of us, we’re also left with all kinds of gear to deal with. In this article we’ll present some tips and solutions for what to do with all that summer stuff till next year.

Start with the prep work...

Always start with a nice ist

Although this step is often ignored, there are some merits to actually dealing with some basic maintenance on your stuff before you store it away. This includes cleaning and repairing as necessary, which will help you extend the life of more expensive items like bikes and save you the time and hassle in the spring when you’re ready to have fun. Another valuable tip is to check what replacements or new equipment you need for next year - stores often look to cycle seasonal products and/or bring in new models in the spring, meaning you might be able to snag a great deal in the fall or winter and save some cash. This can potentially work in your favour with anything from golf balls up to big ticket items like a bike or golf clubs. Who doesn’t like a good deal?

...then move onto storage

The best storage for your items depends on a number of factors - what and how much equipment you have, the size of your space, and how much it bothers you (or your significant other) to have stuff just lying around. That being said, if you’re relatively limited on space but don’t like clutter, here are some ideas and inspiration for dealing with your stuff:

The 4 B's: Bins, Boxes, Baskets and Bags

Source: IKEA (left and right). Why does my home never look this good when I fill it with IKEA stuff?

For smaller items, including racquets, jerseys, camping gear, and sports gloves & balls, various sized boxes or bins are a good option. IKEA, for example, has numerous sizes of stackable boxes you can mix and match to your heart’s content. We recommend using either clear bins, so you can see the contents easily, or labelling each box. You never know when you might need something and you can just bet it’ll be in the last box you look through.

Wicker bins are a great option for when you want a more tasteful place to throw all your stuff. They look great in a variety of spots like under desks and tables or on top of tall dressers. Mesh bags or laundry bags can also be a great storage solution for sports balls and gloves, jerseys, or other items that can hang in groups without being damaged.

The Obvious and Not So Obvious Spots

Source: Parisot. Is it a bed, or is it an extremely elaborate storage unit?

This one is very dependent on your furniture, but under your bed and couch can be a great place to stash extra items when you’re working with a small space - though it’s obviously best suited to items you don’t expect to use at all until next season. Unless you invite very nosy visitors over, no one will even know about your extra little storage spot. We recommend boxing or bagging items stored this way to minimize the dust they might collect. We also recommend against storing unwashed or sweaty items under your bedroom and living room furniture. But that’s totally your call.

In terms of the more obvious spots to stow your stuff, you can find a lot of different closet organizers online that allow you to maximize your space and use it more efficiently. Chances are (especially in condos), if you’re using the default closet fixtures provided by the builder or the landlord, your closet has a lot of space that could be put to better use, whether at the floor level, in the corners, or above head level. Look at different options online - both do-it-yourself projects and affordable closet add-ons are in endless supply.

The Creative Approach

Source: Left and Right. These might not be the best options for your muddy mountain bike.

This approach is our favourite - the outside the box solution that actually ends up looking pretty great. Take for example putting your bike on the wall, inside your house. Maybe even in your living room. This one relies heavily on two things: a) your bike is not a total mess and b) you like your bike enough that you want to look at it all the time. So while it’s obviously very suited to a certain personality type and bike type, we looked at a bunch of different pictures and it’s pretty darn cool if you can pull it off in the right space.

Many different sports items can actually form part of your wall decor, from racquets to fishing rods to bats, especially if you have a den (read: man cave) or office space. You can find endless inspiration and do-it-yourself instructions online for anything from wall mounts to storage dividers to special hangers for your doors and closets.

Even with all these potential solutions, sometimes in-home storage isn’t quite enough. If you’re lucky enough to have a storage locker or garage, this may not be for you. Otherwise, off-site storage is worth considering - just make sure it’s safe and dry so that your items stay in good shape over the winter. Remember, if you can find space for 90% of your stuff but you’re not quite there, we can take away that set of golf clubs or bike that you just can’t find room for - we offer by the item storage, so you can pack away those bulkier items affordably.