In my 2003 35R the two hanging closets, to me, are useless. I don’t have that many hanging clothes, at least not while camping. To make better use of the space I decided to add shelves in the entire closet in the bedroom and in half of the closet in the hallway outside the bedroom. I wanted the shelves to be adjustable and be able to use the same system as in the other cabinets with shelves throughout the rig.
I purchased a bunch of pilaster strips from Lowes. What are pilaster strips? These are the brackets you put the little clips on that the shelves rest on. They are six feet long so I cut them in half with a hacksaw. Three feet long was plenty long for what I planned.
Pilaster Strips Lowes
The pilaster strips were easy to install, so long as they stayed perpendicular, which was easy to do with a short two foot level. I put screws into the closet wooden sides and back. The screws came with the Pilaster Clips, also from Lowes.
Installed Pilaster Strips
The closet in the hallway I split in half vertically with 1/2″ thick plywood that was finished on one side, with both sides painted white primer. I anchored the plywood to the closet using small 90 degree brackets.
Vertical Closet Divider
The shelves I made from the same 1/2″ thick plywood I used for the closet divider. I cut each shelf t0 fit each area they were going to be used. I put a piece of 3/4″ thick pine board a little over 1″ tall on the front face of the shelf using glue and wood screws. I figured this would give the shelf some strength so it wouldn’t bend if I put something heavy in the middle. It would also prevent anything on the shelf from sliding off the front of the shelf while in motion. I put four shelves in the bedroom closet and five in the right hand side of the hallway closet, with one shelf in the bottom of the LH side of the hallway closet.
Bedroom Closet Installed Shelves
RH Side of Hallway Closet Shelves
LH Side Hallway Closet Shelf
I haven’t decided if I’m going to paint them or not. They can be adjusted up or down or even removed if I need more space. At least now I’ll have a more useable space.
