Best Prepper Storage Shelves for Supplies and Gear
It’s time to get organized. You’ve got the storage plan, and now you need the shelves to execute. Setting up a proper supply room takes foresight and the right gear, and the best storage shelving can help you get there. There are a lot of options to consider when it comes to shelves: size, weight capacity, durability, etc.
I’ve been using shelves for my prepping storage for over 10 years now, and have tested a variety of shelves for different uses.
My main recommendation is for the Reibii Heavy Duty Shelves, which are versatile in how they break apart, but also hold thousands of pounds.
I also suggest a FIFO Can Rack that works exceptionally well for long-term food storage rotation. Beyond those, I have rack picks for budgets and heavy-duty storage as well.
Contents (Jump to a Section)
Our latest update on prepper storage shelves adds a FIFO can rack pick, adjusts prices for accuracy, and adds more comparisons. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Disclosure»
Best Storage Shelving
Reibii Heavy Duty
Strong, Adjustable, and Well-Made
Adjustable height shelving with heavy-duty load-bearing capabilities brings a ton of value to your storage spot.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Serious shelving at not-too-bad a price? This rack gets it done. Adjust the heavy-duty shelves up and down to maximize your space utilization and know that they’ll hold a massive amount of weight. Store your food buckets, water bricks, and survival gear with peace of mind.
Specifications
- Material: Alloy steel
- Weight Limit: 3,010 pounds
- Shelves: 5 adjustable (602-pound max per shelf)
- Size: 35.5″ W x 72″ H x 16″ D
- Weight: 35 pounds
The uprights are two pieces, which lets you break it down into two 36″ tall racks if height clearance is an issue. This is what I did in a tight spot where I store a lot of my tested gear.
With unsurpassed value, it’s easy to see why the Reibii Heavy Duty Rack is the best.
Budget Storage Rack
Amazon Basics Wire
Inexpensive, Effective, and Lightweight
A lightweight, versatile rack for fast, efficient, and surprisingly strong storage.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Amazon is slowly taking over the world, and they’ve been making their own products for a while now. This basic shelf gives exceptional value and can store a lot for just 9 pounds worth of steel.
Specifications
- Material: Alloy steel
- Weight Limit: 750 pounds
- Shelves: 3 adjustable (250-pound max per shelf)
- Size: 24″ W x 30″ H x 14″ D (also available in larger sizes)
- Weight: 9 pounds
The shelves have a slight lip built in, which can tilt storage that overlaps the edge, but is good for storage retention and earthquakes. The clamping adjustment system for the shelves is intuitive, with ‘TOP’ stamped on the clamps to help you not put them on upside down. The poles are strong and marked so the clamps can seat and also help position the shelves level.
If you are looking for dependable shelves on a budget, an Amazon Basics Wire Rack is the answer.
Upgrade Heavy Duty Shelving
WORKPRO Ultra Wide
Industrial-strength, Top-Quality, and Expandable
Industrial racking at residential prices brings unparalleled strength, durability, and expansion capabilities.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
When you are storing water or other heavy items, you’re going to need some strong shelving. WORKPRO has made a rack that steps up to the challenge, providing industrial strength and versatility. The crossbeams attach to the uprights the same way warehouse industrial racks do, allowing for fully adjustable shelf height and the ability to expand multiple shelves.
Specifications
- Material: Powder-coated alloy steel
- Weight Limit: 7,200 pounds
- Shelves: 4 adjustable (1,800-pound max per shelf)
- Size: 68″ W x 65″ H x 24″ D (also available in smaller sizes)
- Weight: 264 pounds
Besides the great warehouse-style flexibility, the uprights, beams, and wire grids are strong. With powder-coated steel, you’ll never need to worry about this shelf failing you. All you need to figure out is how you’ll configure this beast of a racking system in your storage area.
If you are looking for the best of the best, pick up WORKPRO Industrial Racking.
Best Can FIFO Rack
FIFO Can Rack
Adjustable, High-Quality, and Expandable
Optimize your canned goods’ shelf life without having to rotate them by hand with this ingenious rack.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
“Work smarter, not harder” should be the slogan for FIFO can racks, because they keep you from having to track or rotate your canned food shelf life manually. Automatically use the oldest canned food first with this adjustable, expandable rolling rack.
Specifications
- Material: Plastic
- Weight Limit: 50 pounds
- Shelves: 3 adjustable width (54 cans)
- Size: 16″ W x 12″ H x 16″ D (also available in smaller sizes and expandable)
- Weight: 4.5 pounds
I keep my most frequently used canned goods in the rack. While it is adjustable, tuna and #10 cans do not fit. Otherwise, cans 3 – 15 ounces fit fine and do not bind up or jam like many other FIFO can racks do. The rack is also expandable, so you can fill your space or your shelving with them for a larger variety of canned foods or just more smart storage.
If you are looking to get your canned food organized, get a FIFO Can Rack.
Comparison Table
| Storage Rack | Recommendation | Price* | Material | Size | Weight Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reibii Heavy Duty | Best Overall | $77 | Steel | 35.5″ x 72″ x 16″ | 3,010 lbs |
| Amazon Basics Wire | Best for Budgets and Light Weight | $30 | Steel | 24″ x 30″ x 14″ | 750 lbs |
| Workpro Ultra Wide | Best for Heavy Duty Storage | $252 | Steel | 68″ x 65″ x 24″ | 7,200 lbs |
| FIFO Can Rack | Best for Canned Food FIFO | $50 | Plastic | 16″ x 16″ x 12″ | 50 lbs |
| Saguiki Wire | $20 | Steel | 18″ x 30″ x 12″ | 300 lbs | |
| Iris Light Duty | $33 | Plastic | 24″ x 48″ x 12″ | 200 lbs | |
| Vevor Heavy Duty | $54 | Steel/MDF | 36″ x 72″ x 18″ | 2,000 lbs | |
| Sterelite Heavy Duty | $71 | Plastic | 36″ x 75″ x 18″ | 150 lbs | |
| Ravigin Heavy Duty | $180 | Steel | 71″ x 69″ x 24″ | 5,000 lbs |
Why Trust TruePrepper
Storage racks can help keep you organized, which helps you be better prepared. I’m Sean Gold, and I’ve been using storage shelving to keep my prepping supplies organized for over 10 years. I’m also an engineer and have sourced and installed storage racks for warehouses and factories across the United States and Canada for large companies, like Lenovo.
I enjoy finding the most optimized solution for many things, and have even fine-tuned a storage color-coding system to help myself and other preppers stay organized. I use the storage racks every day, storing survival gear and pulling prepping supplies to use for various reviews (or when I need to use them for emergencies).
What to Look For
The best storage shelving has several important features to look for that set it apart:
- Value
- Durability
- Weight Capacity
- Size
- Quality
When you get the right blend of these, you can find a shelf system that will work perfectly for your prepper pantry or supply room. Below, we break down what each of these features means for the racks that truly set themselves apart.
Value: Cost vs. Benefit
The amount of money you spend on something like a rack shouldn’t blow out your entire budget. There are plenty of options with a wide range of prices that span between our budget pick and upgrade pick.
You never want to spend too much money on one resource, especially something with a singular purpose like shelving. It’s better to diversify your preparedness gear to make sure you are covered for a wide range of scenarios.
Durability
Steel racks have excellent durability when compared with the cheaper plastic shelves, but there is also a wide variety of steel options.
A little bit of engineering using angles and tubes and/or more steel material thickness contributes to racks that not just support more weight, but are less likely to get bent or broken.
Weight Capacity
Weight capacity is important because canned food, water bricks, and some survival gear can weigh quite a lot. Getting racks in place just to be restricted on how much you can store is very counterproductive.
Make sure that your shelving solution can handle what it’s meant for. Even our budget option can handle a lot, but you aren’t going to be putting any water bricks on the shelves anytime soon.
Size
The biggest limiting factor in the shelving size you can accommodate is your storage area. Even if off-the-shelf racks won’t work in your area, there are plenty of ways you can get shelves to work for you. You can use wall shelves or make your own rack system.
The size of racks typically scales with the cost, and many off-the-shelf racks have several configurations available.
Quality
Shoddy manufacturing quality is not something you want to see when you assemble your storage shelves, and that is pretty easy to tell right out of the box. Flimsier racks can have bent uprights, cross-members, or support grids.
If you choose to make your own racks, make sure you’re starting off right by selecting straight lumber. Poor lumber choices will lead to a wobbly rack down the road.
How to Organize Prepper Shelves
There are many ways to configure shelves, and usually, the amount of storage space you have can limit your options. One of the best ways to organize your shelf is to have the front and back open for First In, First Out (FIFO). This way, you can backfill your supplies like a grocery store does. This makes it less likely that you will have food spoilage or other expired gear since you will be using the oldest supplies first.
Even though many store-bought racks list weight capacity per shelf, it’s a good idea to put the heavy stuff down low. This way, you can easily get to it and reduce the chance of injury from reaching for a heavy food bucket or water brick.
The last consideration is to keep high-use items at eye level. This is just the best ergonomics practice and will help you eyeball inventory quickly if you don’t track it using a spreadsheet.
If an off-the-shelf rack won’t work for you, you can always build something yourself. Here is Homestead Engineering with massive homemade FIFO can shelving:
Who Needs Prepper Shelving?
You don’t need to make an entire warehouse, but having a well-organized area for your prepping resources is important. There are several disaster and emergency scenarios where seconds matter, and you don’t want to be sifting through a pile of supplies to find what you need.
Supply shelves are needed (and considered essential) for your:
Solid shelving can also come in handy with your:
Shelving always has its uses, so if you find yourself with extras, you can always use them in other storage areas and in the garage.
Sources & References
All of our experience and the testing we do to determine the best storage shelves are useless without listing our research sources and references. We leaned on these for the book knowledge that we paired with our hands-on testing and practical military and prepping experience:
Bernuzzi, C., et al. (2016). Pushover Analyses of Hand-Loaded Steel Storage Shelving Racks. Journal of Earthquake Engineering. Volume 21. Issue 8. Pages 1256 – 1282. (Source)
Higgins, N., et al. (2017). Human factors and ergonomics assessment of food pantry work: A case study. Work. Volume 56. Issue 3. Pages 455 – 462. (Source)
Kabel, A., et al. (2014). Disaster Prepper: Health, Identity, and American Survivalist Culture. Human Organization. Volume 73. Issue 3. Pages 258 – 266. (Source)
Conclusion
Make sure all of your resources, supplies, and gear have a strong, stable home. Racks aren’t prepping and survival specific, so you will always find uses for storage investments. Having an organized storage area can also really help in a disaster or emergency where seconds matter.
Here are a few other reads our subscribers have also found helpful:
- How to Store & Treat Water for Emergencies
- The Best Dehydrator for Prepping and Food Storage
- Survival Food List | Pantry Stockpile Plan and Checklist
See more of our expert-written guides, resources, and reviews in your search results – add TruePrepper as a preferred source.
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