ABOUT THIS PHOTO:
After I applied indoor-outdoor carpeting to the box lids I no longer had to take an anti-splinter rug on trips to protect the air mattress. The blue labels on the boxes make it easy to find stuff when the boxes are stacked in a bedroom closet. Note that the two custom shelves under the side windows have been painted.

ABOUT SYSTEM 5:
My fifth and current system involves sleeping atop a set of plywood boxes having detachable lids. In the Summer of 2010 I built ten plywood boxes of various sizes to hold travel gear. They replace the Rubbermaid totes I had used for years. This system eliminates the need to move things because the boxes stay in place throughout a trip. It also eliminates the plywood-handling nightmare of the previous system---the lids are small enough to be easily handled and stay with the boxes.