Photo credit: Yannick MacDonald
This project was featured on tinktube’s appearance at the television show Dans l’oeil du dragon, which is the French Canadian version of Shark Tank
You’re into sports. So are your kids and your significant other, maybe. If you play football, you already have helmet, shoulder pads, hip, thigh, and knee pads, mouthpiece and gloves… And you’ve been thinking about sports equipment storage ideas to avoid clutter in your home. We know how it goes. Then your oldest wants to start soccer. Sports are good for children, right? So, you get shin guards, soccer cleats, a ball… Before you know it, your youngest is ready to start baseball and suddenly you can’t shake off the vision of your hallway, garage or basement, completely cluttered.
Turns out we went through this too, and we found the perfect solution: a DIY sports equipment storage for your garage or basement.
Why is this the perfect solution? Because:
- You’ll be able to customize the size of your sports rack to fit the exact space you have in the room where you’ll place it.
- You’ll be able to design a rack that’s just big enough to hold the equipment you have, but not too big – you’ll avoid loss of space.
- You’ll be able to change the configuration of your rack over the years, so when your significant other decides to start playing hockey, all you’ll be worried about will be the smell of the gear -can’t help with that, sorry-, knowing that you’ll be able to add storage space to your original rack to accommodate the new sports equipment.
Whether you’re an experienced DIYer or a beginner, the beauty of the tinktube building system is that you’ll be able to create a heavy-duty, professional-looking sports equipment storage rack, thanks to this free plan and the simplicity of the system. Are you ready?
1. The parts you’ll need to build your sports equipment storage
The first step is to design your sports rack according to your needs and buy the parts to build it. We created a step-by-step plan according to the model of rack below to give you an idea of what you would need to build it, but you can of course customize the project as you see fit.
What you’ll need: Connectors and tubes
Here are the parts and tubes you’ll need to build this project. Modify the dimensions and adjust the number of tubes and fittings according to your own plan!
| Qty. | Part | SKU | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1-1/16" x 92" Jet black steel pipe | PT-92-BK | Buy now |
| 27 | Pipe end cap plastic | AP-ICAP | Buy now |
| 30 | T-Connector black fitting set | HJ-1 | Buy now |
| 18 | 3 way corner black connector set | HJ-2K | Buy now |
| 4 | 2" swivel caster w/brake | W-2ESBT | Buy now |
| 4 | 4 way cross black connector set | HJ-3 | Buy now |
| 30 | 3 way cross black connector set | HJ-4 | Buy now |
| 18 | 5 way cross black connector set | HJ-5 | Buy now |
| 16 | Intersection black connector set | HJ-7 | Buy now |
| 3 | Tee hinge black connector set | HJ-12 | Buy now |
| 3 | Quick release latch metal | AC-STRAP | Buy now |
| 7 | Rubber foot | AF-RUB | Buy now |
You won’t necessary need to buy other building materials for your project, but if you need surfaces, you’ll find ideas here.
2. The cut list
Once you ordered online and the parts have been delivered to your doorstep, it’s time to build your project. Start by cutting the tubes (don’t forget to buy a pipe cutter if you don’t already have one, it’ll become your new best friend and it’ll be useful for future projects too).
| Qty. | Length (inch) | Length (centimeter) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 1/2″ | 107.95 cm |
| 2 | 40 1/4″ | 102.24 cm |
| 1 | 38 1/4″ | 97.15 cm |
| 4 | 36 1/4″ | 92.07 cm |
| 2 | 34 1/4″ | 86.99 cm |
| 2 | 29″ | 73.66 cm |
| 8 | 26 3/4″ | 67.95 cm |
| 2 | 23 1/4″ | 59.05 cm |
| 8 | 22 1/2″ | 57.15 cm |
| 2 | 21 1/4″ | 53.98 cm |
| 1 | 16 3/4″ | 42.55 cm |
| 10 | 16″ | 40.64 cm |
| 2 | 10 1/4″ | 26.03 cm |
| 12 | 9 1/2″ | 24.13 cm |
| 2 | 6 1/2″ | 16.51 cm |
| 2 | 5 3/4″ | 14.60 cm |
| 4 | 4″ | 10.16 cm |
| 1 | 3 1/4″ | 8.3 cm |
3. The build (the fun part)
Now that you’ve cut the tubes, gather all the parts. It’s time to start building your sports equipment storage rack!
The tinktube joint sets are assembled with bolts that require one of the following tools – you might already have the tools at home, but if you don’t, you can order from us here:
| Tool name | Number | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Hex drill bit set (x5) | T-BIT | Buy now |
| T handle wrench | T-HANDLE | Buy now |
You won’t necessary need to buy other building materials for your project, but if you need surfaces, you’ll find ideas here.
4. Organize your garage, thanks to your new sports equipment storage rack
That’s it: everyone in your family is now on the right path to staying healthy AND your garage or basement is (or will be) well organized. If you’d like to see more storage and shelving ideas made with pipes and fittings, we’ve got plenty!
5. See the community’s builds: Sports equipment storage ideas
Since there is no limit to what you can build with tinktube, we wanted to give you a little bit of inspiration to fuel your DIY project. Check out what kinds of sports equipment storage racks other tubetinkers have built with the system!
