After a long winter, everyone is ready for warmer weather and being able to spend more time outdoors.  Spring means the start of summertime activities and sports such as cycling, soccer, baseball, ultimate Frisbee, kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddleboards, skateboarding, scooters and so much more.

It would be ideal if the kids could grab their bikes and other sports equipment without dragging it through the house along with all the dirt, gravel or water that the sports equipment collects.  One of the best places to make it easy for children to use and replace their toys and sports gear is the garage.  If you’re not currently storing the sports equipment in the garage, consider these garage storage solutions and how the garage can be remodelled and redesigned to accommodate all of these storage systems while having the vehicles parked inside.

Garage Storage Solutions for Sports Equipment

Storing sports gear in the garage is a good idea.  Kids can run in and out of the garage during the summer days to find their toys without running through the house to return dusty or muddy or wet sports equipment to a location in the basement.

Using an open style of storage makes it easy for children to figure out something they want to do.  By placing sports gear and toys at the right height for your child’s age, each family member can fetch and replace things on their own.  Learning good organizational habits early helps children maintain good habits later in life.

Using closed storage solutions allows the family to keep expensive sports equipment such as golf clubs behind closed doors such as inside garage cabinets which lock up.  This also helps keep a clean look to the design to the interior of the garage when cabinets are added to the storage system of the garage.

Of course, there is also sports gear which you might want to put away when spring arrives.  These might include skates, snowboards, skiis, hockey equipment, toboggans and more.  You may not have enough garage wall space to hang out the winter equipment as well as the spring / summer ones along with other tools which you may want to have handy during the summer.  In this case, overhead storage would be a good way to store items which you are unlikely to use for the season.

Overhead Storage for Winter Sports Equipment in Spring

When you’re using overhead storage, you likely have your spring / summer equipment located in this area in the winter.  If you haven’t already, you’ll want to pull out spring and summer toys or sports equipment from overhead storage so you can lay it out for easy access.  At the same time, snowboards and toboggans can be returned to overhead spaces until next winter.

Depending on the height of the garage, seasonal storage spaces may include made-to-measure platforms as well as mezzanines where they can be designed to fit the overhead space from one corner of the garage to the other corner of the garage.  Mezzanines are typically built with glass railings to easily view what’s stored above and still prevent larger items from rolling off the edge.  To get up to the mezzanine, a pull down attic ladder or stairs can be part of the installation although we’ve also used lifts and electric stairs.

Other off the shelf overhead storage solutions include platforms and shelves which come in standard sizes.  Shelves which are less than 2 feet in depth can be mounted to the wall.  Other platforms with a 4 foot depth would need to be mounted in the centre of the ceiling so someone can climb up from any one of the four sides to be able to reach items closer to the centre.

Overhead Storage for All Seasons

Certain sports equipment may be stored in the overhead space during all seasons even if we use them mainly through the spring and summer.  For instance, kayaks and canoes are bulky and won’t easily store on shelves or walls.  If you garage has enough space, floor standing racks may be an option but most people don’t have enough space available in the garage to do this. 

Instead, kayaks, canoes and even Thule cargo carriers can be stored away safely overhead with a sling.  They can stay there whether it is spring, summer, fall or winter.  Add a hydraulic lift system and it makes it even easier to mount or remove from the roof of your vehicle. With the touch of a button, the hydraulic system will do the heavy lifting.

Hydraulic racks for bicycle storage and golf club storage are also available.  Even young children who wouldn’t be able to lift a bicycle onto certain wall rack systems would be able to use the hydraulic rack system.  With the press of a button, they could have the hydraulic rack lower so they could position their bike into place and then push a button to raise the bicycle rack back into place in the overhead space.

Slatwall Organization Systems & Bicycle Racks for Sports Equipment Storage

A variety of wall racks for bicycles exist including fold away racks that tuck bikes flush with the wall like pages in a book.  Other racks allow bikes to mount flush with the wall to maximize space for parking vehicles.  Some racks are installed into the ceiling and some are mounted into the wall.  For young kids who ride in and out all day, using a floor standing rack for kids to wheel their bikes into the gride and walk in for lunch without minimal fuss.  This may not be an all season solution but in the summer when the kids are constantly on the go, this may be an effective way to keep their bikes from being left just anywhere inside the garage or on the driveway.

Finally, for most sports gear, a slatwall organization system would accommodate most equipment.  They offer a variety of camlock hooks, baskets and bags to store a wide variety of balls as well as gloves, shoes and other types of sporting equipment.  Scooters, skateboards, bats and other equipment can be hung from hooks.  Balls can be stored in the storage bags which hang from the wall.  And, baskets for baseball gloves, shin pads, helmets as well as other protective equipment can be mounted in a wide variety of configurations to suit the outdoor lifestyles of everyone in the family.

Remodelling the Garage for Sports Equipment Storage

If you’re looking for a better way to keep the kids playing without dragging in the dirt, mud and wet equipment of their favourite sports, consider contacting our garage renovation specialists for a complimentary in-home consultation today.  Storing sports equipment in the garage makes a lot of sense.