6 Best Anchor Bags For Compact Storage In A Van That Maximize Every Inch

You’ve stuffed every cabinet, crammed gear under the bed, and played Tetris in the garage space until you can’t fit another thing. Yet, you’re staring at a pile of essential soft goods—jackets, sleeping bags, towels—with nowhere to go. This is the moment you realize that in a van, the walls aren’t just for insulation; they’re your most valuable, untapped storage real estate.

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Why Anchor Bags Are a Van Life Game-Changer

Hard-sided cabinets are great for kitchens and heavy gear, but they are rigid, heavy, and often create awkward, unusable voids. Anchor bags, on the other hand, are the secret to unlocking vertical space you didn’t even know you had. They are soft, flexible storage containers designed to be securely mounted to your van’s walls, ceiling, or doors.

Think of them as soft-sided lockers. They turn flat, empty surfaces into deep, functional storage for clothing, bedding, towels, and other bulky but lightweight items. Unlike a deep cabinet where things get lost in the back, a well-placed bag keeps essentials visible and accessible.

The real magic is their flexibility. You can compress them down when they’re empty, unlike a wooden box that occupies the same volume whether it’s full or not. This modular approach allows you to adapt your storage to your trip, swapping a bag of winter coats for summer hiking gear without rebuilding a single thing. It’s about creating a dynamic space that works with you, not against you.

Adventure Wagon Mule Bag for L-Track Systems

If your van build incorporates L-Track (also called logistic track), the Adventure Wagon Mule Bag is purpose-built for you. These bags are designed with specific hardware that clips directly and securely into the L-Track slots. There’s no guesswork and no sketchy DIY mounting—just a solid, reliable connection that won’t fail you on a bumpy forest road.

Mule Bags are essentially large, overhead lockers made of durable fabric. They are brilliant for storing bulky items like down jackets, sleeping bags, or a week’s worth of clothes. By stashing this gear up high and out of the way, you free up lower cabinets and floor space for heavier items that need a low center of gravity.

The main consideration here is the L-Track itself. You either have it or you don’t. Installing it isn’t a small job, but if you’re planning a build from scratch, integrating L-Track on the walls and ceiling opens up a world of modular possibilities, with the Mule Bag being a prime example of its potential. They are an investment, but one that pays dividends in organization and efficiency.

Blue Ridge Overland Gear for MOLLE Panels

MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) panels are another fantastic system for vertical organization, and Blue Ridge Overland Gear (BROG) is a master of the format. Originally designed for military applications, MOLLE is a grid of heavy-duty nylon webbing that allows you to attach a huge variety of compatible pouches and bags. It’s the ultimate in customizable, grab-and-go storage.

BROG makes an incredible range of MOLLE-compatible pouches for everything you can imagine. You can create a dedicated first-aid wall, a kitchen utensil station, or a tool organization panel right on your van door. The bags are incredibly tough, often made from Cordura fabric, and designed for quick access in the field.

The tradeoff with MOLLE is that it’s best for organizing many small items rather than one or two large ones. While you can get larger MOLLE bags, the system truly shines for things like recovery gear, electronics cables, toiletries, and medical supplies. It turns a chaotic junk drawer into a highly organized, mission-ready command center.

Patagonia Black Hole Duffel: The Classic

Not every storage solution needs to be permanently bolted to the wall. The legendary Patagonia Black Hole Duffel is a perfect example of a versatile "free-floating" anchor bag. Its legendary durability and water resistance are a given, but its real strength in a van is its multitude of lash points and daisy chains.

You don’t need a fancy track system to secure a Black Hole. A few simple tie-down straps or even a bungee cord looped through the daisy chains and secured to a bed frame or D-ring is all it takes. You can cinch it down tight against a wall, stuff it into an awkward cavity over the wheel well, or strap it to the ceiling.

This approach is ideal for the van dweller who also tent camps, flies to adventures, or needs to haul gear to and from the house. The bag serves double or triple duty. It’s your clothing storage in the van, your luggage for a flight, and your gear hauler for a weekend backpacking trip. It’s the definition of a multi-purpose tool.

Step 22 Stingray Flat Box for Organization

Sometimes a simple duffel is too unstructured. For items that need more protection or internal organization—like camera gear, sensitive electronics, or neatly folded clothes—the Step 22 Stingray Flat Box is an exceptional solution. It’s a semi-rigid, padded case that holds its shape, making it easy to pack and access.

The "flat box" design is key. It’s shallow, which means you can see everything inside at a glance without digging. The real genius is its stackability and slim profile. You can slide it into a shallow overhead shelf, mount it flat against a wall using its exterior webbing, or stack several in a garage area. The configurable internal dividers let you create custom compartments for lenses, batteries, and cables.

This isn’t the bag for your puffy jacket; it’s the bag for your expensive or delicate items. It provides a level of protection and order that a soft duffel can’t, bridging the gap between a simple bag and a heavy, hard-sided case.

The North Face Base Camp for Durability

If your adventures involve sharp, heavy, or abrasive gear, you need a bag that can take a beating. The North Face Base Camp Duffel is the original bombproof gear hauler, constructed from a rugged laminate material that shrugs off abuse. It’s the bag you choose for your climbing ropes, recovery straps, or heavy tools.

Like the Black Hole, the Base Camp is covered in grab handles and lash points, making it incredibly easy to anchor anywhere in your van. The compression straps on the side are a key feature; you can load it up, then crank the straps down to shrink its volume and keep the contents from shifting. This makes it incredibly stable when secured.

Choosing between the Base Camp and the Black Hole often comes down to personal preference and the specific gear you’re carrying. The Base Camp’s material feels a bit more robust and industrial, making it a favorite for anyone whose gear list includes more metal than fabric. It’s less a piece of luggage and more a portable gear locker.

Overland Gear Guy Custom Wall Storage Bags

What about that weird, tapered space above your sliding door? Or the recessed area in your factory window panel? For these non-standard spaces, off-the-shelf solutions just won’t work. This is where a custom builder like Overland Gear Guy becomes your best friend.

Companies like this specialize in creating storage bags tailored to the exact dimensions you provide. You measure your awkward, unusable nook, send them the specs, and they build a high-quality, zippered bag that fits perfectly. This is how you truly maximize every single inch of your van.

The obvious tradeoff is cost and time. Custom is always more expensive than off-the-shelf, and you’ll have to wait for it to be made. But for that one spot in your van that drives you crazy, a custom bag can be a transformative investment, turning a wasted void into a perfect home for your maps, books, or insulation window covers.

Choosing Your Van’s Ideal Storage Solution

There is no single "best" bag; the best solution is almost always a combination of different types tailored to your specific needs. To figure out your ideal setup, start by asking yourself a few key questions:

• What is my mounting system? If you have L-Track or MOLLE, start with bags designed for them. If you have nothing, focus on versatile duffels with plenty of lash points.
• What am I storing? Bulky soft goods go well in large duffels or Mule Bags. Small, hard items are perfect for MOLLE pouches. Delicate gear needs a semi-rigid case like the Stingray.
• Do I need portability? If you constantly move gear between your van and other places, a classic duffel like a Black Hole or Base Camp is invaluable. If the gear lives in the van permanently, a dedicated, mounted system is more efficient.
• What’s my budget and timeline? Off-the-shelf options are fast and affordable. Custom bags offer perfect space utilization but come at a premium price and require patience.

The ultimate van storage strategy isn’t about finding one perfect product. It’s about creating a system. You might use a Mule Bag for bedding, a MOLLE panel for your kitchen tools, a Stingray for your camera, and a custom bag for that weird spot by the bed. By matching the right bag to the right job, you create a space that is organized, efficient, and ready for any adventure.

Ultimately, mastering van storage isn’t just about finding more space; it’s about making the space you have more intentional and accessible. Stop thinking in terms of cabinets and start seeing your walls as a canvas for creative, flexible storage. The right anchor bags will fundamentally change how you live and move in your tiny home on wheels.