Importance of Proper Storage when Traveling

If you do a great deal of traveling, then you probably have large numbers of things which you bring with you from place to place, and possibly a trailer large enough to contain all of these things. For such a person, it is important to have everything stored properly before setting out on the trip; otherwise, bad things can happen, as described below.

Damage to things

The most obvious reason to secure things is to prevent them from falling from their places and being damaged or destroyed. This is all the more true for fragile, expensive items that can easily be damaged. Likewise, something could get crushed beneath something else if stored improperly.

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Risks to other drivers

Improperly stored items are not just in danger of falling and being damaged. They also pose a hazard to other drivers because they can cause the vehicle to swerve and possibly crash into another vehicle, resulting in severe injury or even death to the parties involved. Most places have laws that dictate how cargo is to be secured in motor vehicles, with heavy fines in place for those who are caught violating them.

Risk of loss

A final thing to be said about items that are not stored properly in your vehicle is that they can be lost in the chaos that can result from everything falling all over the place. Sorting through the mess can be time-consuming; it may be days before everything that was taken along is properly accounted for.

All that has been said above is all the more true if the person traveling is on a business trip, because then there may be many things on board that are absolutely essential for the trip. For instance, there may be printouts that will be used for a presentation or that the person needs to be able to refer to at a meeting. It is thus crucial that the person know exactly what has been stored where both before leaving and upon arriving at the destination point.

• Heavier items should be stored on the bottom, with progressively lighter things on top.
• Never stack things too high unless they are properly braced to keep the stack from toppling over.
• Valuable items such as china should likewise be at the bottom.
• Softer items should be stored on top of harder ones.
• Wherever possible, things should be tightly bound to the floors or walls by means of aptly designed straps. Do not take off until you have made sure that each and every one of those straps is properly fastened or otherwise secured.
• Similar items should be stored close together so that it will be easier to search for something when it is needed.
• Have a checklist available that tells you what is being stored where and have it in a place where you can refer to it should the need to do so arise.

Ways to store things and tools to have

There are several ways in which items taken on a trip may be carried, such as:

• in the back of a car, truck or van: Place things in such a way that they will not slide when the vehicle changes direction, accelerates or goes up or down an incline.
• on top of a vehicle: Have fasteners of some sort to tie the load down and make sure that they are fastened as tightly as possible. A blanket, tarp or other covering should also be used to protect everything.
• in a trailer: Use a trailer that is big enough to accommodate everything that it is to contain. Stack and secure each item as described above.

Tools that are useful to have on hand include the following:

• fasteners: These include short cloth fasteners with a hook on either end and longer leather ones that resemble seat belts.
• covers such as blankets or tarps
• duct tape for attaching certain things to the floors