Storage Solutions - Anyone care to contribute? [Archive]

VACRMH

02-01-2005, 01:15 PM

Too many games, too little space... we all know this problem.

Well myself and a few others were thinking about making a website (or FAQ with pictures) dedicated to storage solutions.

We all have a few ideas that we thought of, and i'm sure plenty of people out there have even more!

So throw out some ideas, something in the form of...

What system it applys for
What it does
Where you can get it
Cost
Picture of it in action

I'd like to have a picture for every idea, so if you can take a quick pic, great!

Kamino

02-01-2005, 01:35 PM

You can't buy the shelves. I built them. --These shots are out of date by a few months. heh.
As for the drawers, they are just sterlite 3 drawer sets. i pried the lid off the bottom sets as they do snap together. Also the zebra pattern on set one is custom ^_^
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/krazy_kamino/shelving/P1040003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/krazy_kamino/shelving/P1040002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/krazy_kamino/shelving/P1040001.jpg

WanganRunner

02-01-2005, 01:42 PM

I'm too lazy to take any pictures, but I've got some plastic drawers like in the picture above, and I use them for controllers, cables, etc.. that don't have the original boxes.

I put each cable/controller in it's own sealed, labeled ziploc bag, and then organize the drawers by system, so Genesis in one, DC in the next, then SNES, blah blah blah.

I've got a couple of big clear plastic locking bins too, and those hold stuff for which there isn't enough to justify it's own drawer (i.e. GB link cables or whatever). I've got all sorts of stuff in those, Minidisc gear, Gashapon figures, all of which is in Ziploc bags.

yuppicide

02-01-2005, 01:54 PM

LOL! A website that shows pictures of shelves. What next?! One that rates how valuable the collection of dust on them is?!

VACRMH

02-01-2005, 02:00 PM

LOL! A website that shows pictures of shelves. What next?! One that rates how valuable the collection of dust on them is?!

No reason to post something like this. If you think the idea is stupid, at least give a reason why.

PDorr3

02-01-2005, 02:13 PM

LOL! A website that shows pictures of shelves. What next?! One that rates how valuable the collection of dust on them is?!

This isnt gamefaqs buddy keep those thypes of comments on those little kiddy boards.

But anyway, i think a website dedicated to storage solutions is an excelent idea! there are tons of people here that need help finding solutions for storage, i think step by step pcture tutorials of buildind storage units, or even people contributing examples of storage or ideas is great. i so go for it man i would definitly be a visitor.

imanerd0011

02-01-2005, 02:21 PM

"A website that shows pictures of shelves. What next?! One that rates how valuable the collection of dust on them is"

I think this is a great question. When I first started collecting NES games I would have loved to know exactly what shelves/containers fits certain games perfectly. I have two different kinds of containers (rubbermaids) that I hold my games in. I bought them both at Lowes. One of them is made by Rubbermaid, it holds 46 NES games PERFECTLY. Here it is:

http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=60138-315-2283

I then upgraded to a larger container that is made by Gracious Living. It costs $20, and is 3 containers high, and each container holds 4 rows of 20 or 19 games (depending if you have sleeves on all of your games). So one of these will hold either 240 or 228 games, depending on if you use sleeves or not. There is also a little gap in the middle of the 4 rows, it's maybe 1 inch. In the picture it shows them on rollers, but you don't have to use them if you don't want to (I don't). I think that they would break off if you had the entire case full of games, because that weighs quite a bit. Anyways... here is the link:

http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=110186-78148-91940

The 2nd container is the one I use for my Licensed NES games, and the first one is what I use for my unlicensed ones. If you are collecting NES, these are the best containers I have found ANYWHERE, and trust me I looked.

youruglyclone

02-01-2005, 02:51 PM

You can't buy the shelves. I built them. --These shots are out of date by a few months. heh.
As for the drawers, they are just sterlite 3 drawer sets. i pried the lid off the bottom sets as they do snap together. Also the zebra pattern on set one is custom ^_^

that's a decent setup and hey you have the same crappy Compaq Keyboard I have...

and how could you leave general chaos on that carpeted floor

Jibbajaba

02-01-2005, 03:10 PM

You can't buy the shelves. I built them. --These shots are out of date by a few months. heh.
As for the drawers, they are just sterlite 3 drawer sets. i pried the lid off the bottom sets as they do snap together. Also the zebra pattern on set one is custom ^_^

that's a decent setup and hey you have the same crappy Compaq Keyboard I have...

and how could you leave general chaos on that carpeted floor

Well it is sitting on top of some protective papers...

Chris

squidblatt

02-01-2005, 07:50 PM

I'd like to see more storage ideas, myself. I have a relatively small space to keep my all my crap, and I'd like to keep it neat. I'll just keep my systems in storage if setting them up means messing up my place with cables and other clutter. My wife probably wouldn't put up with it anyway.

VACRMH

02-01-2005, 07:57 PM

I'm adding ideas to a list right now, but I have a few questions for whoever can answer them ;)

Plenty of ideas are coming from looking at various rooms of doom. Would it be ok if I took pictures from the website and used them?

The same goes for the topics in Invading Spaces, what do you say Earl?

Lastly, anyone have suggestions on how to set up the page? By catagory (Games, Manuals, Overlays ect)? Or by system?

<_< Also is anyone good with HTML? Otherwise I may just see what I can do with frontpage.

Flack

02-01-2005, 08:43 PM

Are you interested in people who have built their own shelves/storage solutions? I have done a few, and documented the processes with pictures.

I can also help with the HTML if you need.

I would say to use people's RoD pix you would need their permission.

VACRMH

02-01-2005, 09:12 PM

Iron Draggon

02-02-2005, 12:24 AM

Never underestimate the power of the Kroger egg crate! Basically it's a 24" x 12" x 10" deep cardboard box. And it's the perfect size for storing anything. Genesis games, SNES games, 32X games, Jaguar games, Game Gear games, any games that come on a CD or DVD, and any other media such as music or movies that come on a CD or DVD as well. Its dimensions are so perfect that if I ever build my own shelves, they will have these dimensions. I don't know why they work so well, but they do, and that's good enough for me. That's all I need to know. I'd take some pics, but my room is far too much of a mess right now for that. Those boxes aren't a mess though, and neither is anything that's stored in them. Quite the contrary, what's in all those boxes is the most organized stuff in my entire house. Unfortunately though, Kroger changed the design of these egg crates, and their new design isn't useful for anything at all besides cartons of eggs. It's a real shame, because the old design has seen me through many a move, and it may very well always be my storage solution for all my games. If only I could afford to build some nice shelves, I would do so, but until then I still love my trusty Kroger egg crates!

Cryomancer

02-02-2005, 12:53 AM

Ramen boxes for me. Although I'm starting to like kamino's drawer setup, might have to try that.

goatdan

02-02-2005, 02:38 AM

If you want to collect, as in put away stuff, a big ol' plastic bin from Target (or your favorite cheap big retailer) and controllers, memory cards, light guns or whatever inside is perfect for hardware. That's how the GOAT Store manages to keep all of our hardware in the same general spot, but not tangled together. Oh, and then you put those bins on a wire shelving unit. You can fit six comfortably, and store systems on the top.

I have some other more "industrial" solutions that I use with the GOAT Store, but it is pretty much all stuff we've made ourselves that wouldn't make sense for collections. If you want more information on those, I can write about them a bit.

For my own collection though: Jaguar games -- one big shelf in a closet. Dreamcast games -- bottom shelf of my printer stand. Xbox / GameCube - in our DVD storage thing. Nothing too complicated there.

I did pick up an adjustable CD rack that holds 300 CDs a while ago for my DC collection at Best Buy. It worked perfectly, but didn't fit in our apartment when we moved. Instead, it's full of a bunch of plush Donkey Kong and Mario dolls right now...

Goodwill Hunter

02-02-2005, 10:09 AM

I put together a "how to build custom shelving" thread last year, complete with pictures. Check it out HERE. (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39614) You're welcome to link to it, as long as Digital Press allows that sort of thing.

Rich

jgenotte

02-02-2005, 10:31 AM

My storage solution applies mostly to NES and 5200 games but I use the racks for all of my cartridge games.

I made them myself. They cost about $20 a piece.

Game Racks Here (http://www.geocities.com/jgenotte/Forum/NESRacks.html)

-james

TougherToast

02-02-2005, 10:33 AM

I think that this is a great idea. I am always interested in ways to display and store all of my crap.

A section on custom shelving and storage, with pictures and instructions on how it was built would be way cool :D

VACRMH

02-02-2005, 12:52 PM

Flack

02-11-2005, 03:14 PM

Feedback requested.

http://www.robohara.com/sss

imanerd0011

02-11-2005, 03:20 PM

Flack,

Great site!!!
I'm glad that you took my advice with the two rubbermaids I suggested. :)
I am sure there are ones that fit Genesis games perfectly, as well as one that fits SNES games just as well. We just need to ask around and find out what everyone is using.

Vectorman0

02-11-2005, 04:01 PM

For DVD's that are going to be stored for a while, these work great.

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?PRODID=71134&CATID=225

Flack

02-11-2005, 04:03 PM

qbertandernie

02-11-2005, 04:38 PM

if you have the opportunity to find cd shelf displays pick em up...they fit NES games perfect...mine is a 'nature sounds' display, pulled from a store that dumped use of them.

if you have the means, i highly recommend picking one up...

in the corner here:

http://photobucket.com/albums/v509/qbertandernie/?action=view&current=DCP_1054.jpg

atari games are as wide as VHS tapes...a store display fits those great too. i got one from a rental store out of business, its here:

http://photobucket.com/albums/v509/qbertandernie/?action=view&current=DCP_1052.jpg

the rest of the shelving was custom built to fill every inch of wall space...

16-bit

02-11-2005, 09:01 PM

IVAR shelving units from Ikea. The levels can be adjusted and your collection changes/grows.

goatdan

04-22-2005, 05:37 PM

No one on here has talked about shelving CD units, but I need to know some information about that. From my other post:

In a little under a month now, I'll be moving into my first house. This means that my collection of Jaguar and Dreamcast games will finally be coming out from the boxes they are in currently to be displayed! Yay!

I've been looking through people's Room of Doom photos and stopping through places like Best Buy to try to come up with some sort of solution, but I haven't had much luck finding just what I was looking for. The closest I found was probably this from koji ito:

http://www.videogamecollectors.com/kojiito1.jpg

I want prefab, adjustable shelves like that that display the games horizontally, but I want them to be about as tall as GoodWill Hunter's shelves:

http://www.videogamecollectors.com/bubik4.jpg

I like this idea:

http://www.bestbuy.com/s...mp;id=pcmprd28600050012

And this idea:

http://www.bestbuy.com/s...mp;id=pcmprd28600050007

My questions why doesn't anyone else seem to be using something prefabricated like this, and is there some sort of problems that I'm not seeing with it? Also, does anyone have this type of storage that I somehow missed, and if so how do you like it?

I was thinking that I would get an upright swivel CD thing to store my Dreamcast collection and maybe something else for my Jaguar games. Any ideas from anyone here?

Thanks! I greatly appreciate it!

---

Note: I already have "industrial" solutions to everything else, as I posted in this thread before. What I specifically need / want is CD storage, which seems to not have been touched on in the past. My biggest collections are Dreamcast US, Dreamcast PAL, Playstation and Jaguar. I would like to use a nice-looking prefabricated solution because of that, which we haven't had a thread on that I could dig up.

I really like the swivel idea, but I couldn't find one other person using it. Since $230 after shipping is a lot to be paying for a swivel CD thing if it won't work, I would love to hear if anyone has one already, and if anyone has tried one. So.... Anyone?

Policenaut

04-22-2005, 09:18 PM

Great thread! Any good idea for Sega CD/Saturn/PS1 longbox games?

Flashback2012

10-15-2011, 10:28 PM

Bumping this thread instead of making a whole new one. It's not exactly what I'm after but it's close enough (the subject line is anyway) :)

Basically, I'm hoping to find some good information on some plastic tubs I can buy to store my games in. What I'm after is possible UPC numbers and dimensions so I scour my local stores and see if they have those particular containers in stock.

A few years back I purchased a decent amount of these 38Qu./36L opaque containers from Sterilite but for the life of me cannot locate them locally anymore. I haven't tried looking up the UPC online to see if I can find them on the web, was figuring that I would settle for something similar if it could be found locally (and to be honest I was hoping to find something perhaps a hair taller).

Right now I've got a lot of my stuff stored in copier paper boxes and these document boxes from a company called Cintas. While they're nice, I'm wanting to switch over to plastic because our basement can sometimes flood if the weather acts stupid and rains a ton.

Anyway, if anyone has any pictures or UPCs they can pass along, I'd appreciate it. I'm not interested in the drawer-type storage units. I've purchased a few of those and found them to be unreliable, especially if they're on wheels.

Emperor Megas

10-15-2011, 11:16 PM

Bumping this thread instead of making a whole new one. It's not exactly what I'm after but it's close enough (the subject line is anyway) :)This thread is older than some of the posters here. You would have been fine with a new thread, especially if this wasn't exactly what you were after.

Compute

10-16-2011, 09:00 AM

Nice bump. I tend to not read the posting dates. Then I saw some of the posts were by Kamino, and I knew something was up.

calistarwind

10-16-2011, 11:19 AM

Bumping this thread instead of making a whole new one. It's not exactly what I'm after but it's close enough (the subject line is anyway) :)

Basically, I'm hoping to find some good information on some plastic tubs I can buy to store my games in.

I have quite a few of these different storage solutions. One I'm on a budget so they are pretty inexpensive and two I'm always looking for room to expand. I'll go through my stuff and see what I can find out. I know quite a bit of my stuff has been bought at Target. As for the drawers with wheels...those pop right off, the only issue is finding ones that support weight and I have a nice set that can be added to and that don't cave in the middle.

Also if you have Atari 2600 cartridges, there are these small sock drawer liners at Target that holds them perfectly.

Flashback2012

10-17-2011, 02:59 PM

I have quite a few of these different storage solutions. One I'm on a budget so they are pretty inexpensive and two I'm always looking for room to expand. I'll go through my stuff and see what I can find out. I know quite a bit of my stuff has been bought at Target. As for the drawers with wheels...those pop right off, the only issue is finding ones that support weight and I have a nice set that can be added to and that don't cave in the middle.

Also if you have Atari 2600 cartridges, there are these small sock drawer liners at Target that holds them perfectly.

Thanks for the assist! :)

Just as an update, I did find some plastic tubs while I was out and about yesterday. I found these 18 gallon tubs from Rubbermaid. The bottom is mostly flat, and it seems to be just the right size to fit 4 decent length rows of DVD cases in snugly. If anyone's interested in a part number or UPC, I can get that and post it. :)

CRTGAMER

10-17-2011, 06:56 PM

From my CRT vs LCD HD Lightguns and More Guides Signature link:

Game Shelving and Cart End Labels

http://www.racketboy.com/forum/download/file.php?id=3726

Pull from Google Images or scan the front label of your Game Cart. To make an end label, Crop and Resize to fit with any photo touchup or label application. You can get special label paper or print on regular paper. Use double sided tape for the bottom and Transparent Glossy (not magic) tape for the top as a laminate. Both tapes are placed oversized on the printed label, then everything is cut to size at once for a clean look before sticking.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT4p0-n37hpmrAmevZTpUwC-HezxB_R_KM5LGKTBzs7K2tqVvAkUg

As far as organizing I just have shelves behind me of Alphabetized CD / DVD cases. For the Game Carts I built custom wood shelves that are cut to size matching the width and height of my N64 carts stored contacts down. Keeps the dust out of the contacts and I don't have to hold eight carts to pull one. There is enough air space above each cart for my finger or a taller Game Shark cart to fit. Five shelves tall. Laminated Wood flooring makes great space saving lightweight thin shelving material. I used a finish nailer for a quick and clean fit. Shelves are held together with �" slats. Each shelf layer is also independent of each other, makes for easy swapping around or moves if need be. More shelves can also be easily added as the library grows. Gameboy carts a real pain, A Gamestop or Golfball display case seems the best way.

http://www.racketboy.com/forum/download/file.php?id=3487

DREW

10-17-2011, 07:12 PM

Probably not exactly what you were thinking of but since this is my storage solution I
thought I would post

these are the five storage units I built along the back fence of my back yard.
two are 10 X 12.5 Feet, two are 10 X 10 Feet and the last one is 10 X 8 Feet
the first four are Made of Vinal Siding and the last smallest unit is Made of insulated
Rubber/Plastic type material. all are placed on a Cement foundation covered with Plywood
and then Carpeted. All have Gorilla Shelve units along the sides,Back and a row up the Middle.

In the past I have used the metal type sheds but they rust over time and are very Hot
in the summer. I built Wooden units but they need painting and tend to have a problem
with Termits (our property is on what use to be an orchard so termits are in the soil).
So far the Vinal Siding seems to be the best solution no need to paint and they are much
better climate control wise.

Big Papa Husker

11-06-2011, 03:00 PM

I just picked up one of these to store my DS games in it, but the DS games were too tall label up so I switched in my PSP games. Any ideas for storing DS games?
http://img3.targetimg3.com/wcsstore/TargetSAS//img/p/10/49/10497011_265x265_pad.jpg

Flack

11-06-2011, 08:04 PM

About a year ago (but five years after this thread was started) I launched LoveThyShelf.com. Submissions stopped and it hasn't been updated in a while, but it's still there. Eventually I'd like to add more shelf-building instructions to the site.

slapdash

11-11-2011, 11:42 PM

I like the BrickBox system on LoveThyShelf -- I'd been pondering something very much like that (though also wondering if it were possible to make the boxes close-able). The product site isn't loading very well tonight, but I'm curious how high you could stack them before they were too heavy or too unstable...

vincewy

11-13-2011, 04:12 PM

For those with really expensive collections, such as Neo-Geo, I recommend having a small dessicant gel pack inside the cases (3 gram to 10 gram depending on space available inside and the value). On top of those gel packs inside, if you store things in a chest, get a bigger gel pack like 50 - 100 grams. This minimizes the risk of getting molds because in a storage where you don't open very often, the moisture doesn't get out.

The gel packs are used by many collectors, so why not games.

JSoup

11-13-2011, 06:20 PM

Not to be terribly obtuse, but I've found this to be one of the more effective storage options:

http://irvinebox.com/images/REG%20BOXES%20B.jpg

bb_hood

11-14-2011, 11:00 PM

that's a decent setup and hey you have the same crappy Compaq Keyboard I have...

and how could you leave general chaos on that carpeted floor

Yeah, how could you leave general chaos on the floor??? It belongs in the garbage.. I hate that game..

substantial_snake

11-30-2011, 09:29 PM

I looked into this thread a little while ago and got some good ideas from it. The IVAR system looked ideal but since their is no IKEA near me it was a no go and instead I just looked around on ebay and picked up this. I picked it up for 85 bucks and holds everything I have and then some with several simple removable shelves. If you just have a ton of games this definitely isn't for you but for my collection its perfect.

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/3482/img20111130210926.jpg

cd\tony2

03-04-2013, 05:47 PM

This bookshelf is $17 at Target. Fits the 2600 box perfectly. If I got the 5 shelf one. I could fit an LED tv (has to be under 25 lbs) and the system in there and make at an arcade like set up. It's a bit deep for the games but I could put something behind the games to push them forward. I've been working on making cases with box scans and the cover project site.6379

-hellvin-

03-04-2013, 11:43 PM

I used to use those Atlantic shelves that I sold at Best Buy where I worked, they were pretty sweet but not worth the price. I purchased them though cause with discount they were like 75% off. Nowadays they've been in boxes for about 4 years in a poor family member's garage that has more space than I have available.

recorderdude

03-05-2013, 12:56 AM

Pretty sure everyone and their mother knows this, but since I didn't see it mentioned for those that don't....

Old casette tape storage cases work wonders for storing genesis games (at least normal shape ones). I've found craptons of these dirt cheap at thrift stores and elsewhere and use them for pretty much all of my loose games.

They are really only for one system, so there are better options, though it's probably one of the most accessible.

shoeshot

03-05-2013, 07:25 PM

Those cassette cases also work really well for regular size loose Famicom carts.

Niku-Sama

03-05-2013, 08:30 PM