Summer is now officially over, and camping season has ended. If you want to make sure that your camping gear is safe during the winter, and ready to go again next summer, you've got to store it properly. While you could store your camping gear in your garage, that would take up valuable space that you could use for other purposes – like keeping your winter gear nearby. Instead, rent a self-storage unit for your camping gear. That way, you can rotate it out next summer when it's time to put the winter toys into storage. Before you place your gear in storage, here are three tips you should use to make sure they'll be ready for use again next summer:

Avoid Storing a Dirty Tent

If your tent got a lot of use this past summer, it probably picked up some dirt along the way. Some crumbs might have even gathered in the creases. The last thing you want to do is store a dirty tent. That's a good way to invite pest problems. Not only that, but the caked on dirt can cause your tent to wear out quicker. Before you place your tent in storage, set it up in your yard one more time and give it a thorough cleaning. Carefully wipe down the dirt, and vacuum out the inside of the tent to get rid of the crumbs. Once it's clean, it will be ready to fold up and place into the storage unit.

Wash Sleeping Bags Before Storing

Your sleeping bags probably picked up a lot of dirt and odors this summer too. You don't want to store your dirty sleeping bags. To make sure they're clean and ready to go next year, wash each of your sleeping bags and then dry them thoroughly. Toss in a fabric softener sheet, or a softener ball, to keep the static cling to a minimum. Once your sleeping bags are dry, give them a good shake to fluff up the fibers again. Finally, roll them up and place them in storage.

Power-Down Your Gadgets

If you've got battery-powered camp gadgets, you want to make sure you power them down before storage. Leaving the batteries in place could lead to corrosion, which will destroy your gadgets. To protect them, remove the batteries, use a dry cloth to clean the battery compartments, and then place your gadgets into clear plastic storage bins.