Storage space is always difficult to come by when it comes to owning a small RV like a truck camper. We’ve made several improvements and modifications to our Wolf Creek camper to increase that storage space, but more is always needed. You never have enough.
We have several maps, booklets, and pamphlets that we use quite a bit when we’re out on the road or camping. Rather than keep them buried in a drawer we wanted them handy and out in the open. A magazine rack seemed like the perfect solution. The problem was finding a magazine rack with a darker finish that matched the cherry cabinets in our Wolf Creek camper. Nobody sold one, so I had resigned myself to making one. That changed during a recent trip to Camping World where, to my surprise, I saw an RV magazine rack sporting a darker cherry stain that was a perfect match for our camper. Better yet, it was only $11.00 with the Camping World member discount. I probably couldn’t make one for that price.
The installation was pretty simple, but the thin wall where I decided to mount it posed a problem. It really didn’t provide much of a solid surface for anchoring the rack. Rather than use the 2 inch wood screws and the standard plastic anchors that came with the magazine rack, I opted to use plastic toggle bolts for the four mounting holes. The toggle bolt requires a larger hole to mount, but once the inner arms are spread out (a special enclosed plastic tool is used for this) it provides a rock solid mounting hole. When purchasing your toggle bolt (molly screws work great, too) make sure you get the proper width for the wall on which you’ll be mounting your item. As you can see in the picture below, the installation looks great and is rock solid.
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| The plastic toggle bolt and extender tool used in this installation. |
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| The installation looks great, eh? |
This was a fun and cheap modification that not only looks great in the camper, but also keeps my magazines, maps and pamphlets organized and handy at an instant. If shopping for an RV magazine rack
Another solution to the lack of reinforcement in many RV walls is to use a moly to help hold the screw in place.
Yes, molly screws are great, too, but for this installation were either too long or too large.
For tight situations, you can get plastic moly units that the screw is independent of the base and if needed you can trim the plastic a little shorter to fit and use a similar diameter but shorter screw.