Hi there and happy Wednesday to you! Here at Flawed yet Functional, I want to love all parts of my life, and fun hobbies is one area. My husband loves to ski, and we’ve been working to make it an activity for the whole family to enjoy. But when the whole family participates in a sport, there’s SO MUCH GEAR! Let me show you a quick, inexpensive way to organize family sports equipment!
Love Life Where You Are
For years I’ve struggled to enjoy winter. Driving in the snow used to scare me, and I let that fear take over my life for the duration of winter. In my mind, there was NOTHING to enjoy about winter. Until Dan taught me to ski!
Skiing has opened my eyes to several things that now allow me to enjoy winter:
- the beauty of God’s creation in the winter
- anticipation of trips up north on the weekend
- the thrill of learning a new skill
- meeting new friends who also enjoy skiing
How to Store the Gear
But back to the main topic: all. the gear. We only have four members in our family, but that means we’ve got 4 sets of skis and boots, 4 helmets, 2 harnesses, 4 goggles, 4 pairs of snow pants, scarfs, gloves, mittens, etc. etc. There’s just so much. After an hour and a half long hunt for my son’s harness a couple weeks ago, something had to give. I had to find an easy way to organize our gear so we could pack the car quickly and arrive with everything we need.
The solution?
Reusable grocery sacks
Organize with Reusable Grocery Sacks
Over the years, I’ve accumulated quite the stack of reusable bags, so I had plenty lying around for this quick sanity saver. The solution is simple: one bag of ski gear per person then hang them together in a closet.
Each bag holds 1 pair of ski boots (yes, adult boots fit in these bags!), 1 helmet, 1 pair of goggles, 1 harness (for the kids), and any other gear for that person that is skiing specific. For example, I always wear a balaclava under my helmet and have dedicated ski mittens, so both of those are in my bag.
To load the van, Dan picks up these four bags in one swoop and tosses them in the car. When we return home, I let the gear dry overnight then load up each bag and put it back in the closet. Easy as pie!
Adventure Packing Made Easy
Our skis are strapped together with Velcro straps then laid on large hooks in the garage awaiting the next adventure. So each time we leave to ski, it’s two major grabs: the gear bags from the closet and the skis from the garage. With everything organized and easy to grab it is quick to load the car and ensures we don’t forget anything.
Quick organizing solutions that use things already on hand are the best! If you don’t have these bags, you can pick them up for $.99 at most grocery stores, still a very inexpensive solution. Apply this method to any family activity that accumulates a bunch of gear: ice skating, hiking, swimming/beach, etc. Expensive bags are not needed to organize family sports equipment. Be creative and use what you have!
What have you organized lately that was an aha! discovery? Do you use and re-use common items for other purposes? Share a tip with us in the comments below!
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