Best Latches for Campervans Cabinets and Drawers

In your campervan, it’s important to keep your drawers and cabinets from opening accidentally. Luckily, there are a wide variety of latches to make sure it is ready for life on the road.

But how do you know what kinds are the best latches for campervans?

Your campervan will experience much more turbulence than a stationary home.  When you make a sharp turn, or drive on a bumpy road, your drawers and cabinets are bound to experience all kinds of forces. 

When furniture opens by accident it can cause damage to your furniture, belongings, and even send things flying in the case of an accident. 

Here’s how to choose the best latches for campervans cabinets and drawers.

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Latch Choice Considerations

Latch Strength

Not all latches are the same when it comes to their holding power.  You need to determine how much stress a certain drawer or cabinet door can expect, and choose a latch capable of the job.  Consider how much a cabinet door or drawer itself weighs. 

For example, a drawer full of heavy pots and pans requires a more heavy duty latch than just a small cabinet door under its own weight. 

However, you should also consider the contents inside that may be is acting on the door/draw.  For example, our kitchen pantry cabinet doors themselves don’t require that much strength to keep closed, but if a stack of canned food tips over it can be enough pressure to force the door open.

And in the worst case, if your campervan gets in an accident, consider that only the most heavy-duty latches will keep the contents contained.  This can make the occupants much safer in the event of a crash because loose items can become deadly projectiles.

Compatibility

Depending on your type of cabinets or drawers you may be limited to certain latch types.  For example, some cabinet/drawer styles have doors/draws that lay flush with the frame (inset), while other types extend off the frame (offset).  

This will decide if certain types of latch are compatible with your style furniture.  

Automatic vs. Manual

Some latches function automatically, while some require you to actively latch them each time.  If you forget to latch one of your drawers and then hit the road, it may be too late by the time it fails and stuff goes everywhere.

Style/Finish/Color

You may decide to choose latches for aesthetic reasons because they fit into your interior design.  Different latch types, as well as color/finish, may help to match the interior style of your campervan conversion.

So when choosing latches for campervans, make sure to consider the latch strength, cabinet/drawer  compatibility, auto-latching vs manual, and visual style.

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RV Labs Pull Handle Latch

This Australian company called RV Labs makes probably the most stylish, modern, and functional latch of this entire list.  It’s a modern sleek handle that has a built in locking mechanism, so you can solve two problems with one piece of hardware.

They are designed for inset drawers and cabinets.  Installation is pretty straightforward and just involves a little catching mechanism to be mounted inside the drawer or cabinet frame.  Then the handle itself has a latch that locks automatically with the interior catch every time the door is closed. 

We wish we knew about these before our first campervan build and definitely want to incorporate them in future builds.

They also make a variation for overhead cabinets.

You can find their products on their website here: RV Labs.

Pros

• Latch and handle
• Locks automatically
• Modern look
• Sturdy enough for heavy applications

Cons

• Expensive

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Push Button Latch

Push button latches are a great solution because they solve two problems.  They function as locking mechanism and also as a knob/handle. 

They are a popular manufacturers choice for RVs and boats.  The fact that they lay flush makes them a great fit for small spaces, because you cannot snag your clothing.  However, the small little knobs aren’t good for large/heavy drawers. 

Installation is somewhat advanced because decent precision is required.

Pros

• Latch and handle
• Lays flush (discrete)
• Modern Look

Cons

• Small handle is bad for heavy applications
• Must remember to latch

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Magnetic Child Safety Lock Latch

Though it may seem funny, child safety locks can also be used as latches for campervans.  They are cheap and effective, and latch automatically.  The magnetic key makes it easy to unlock the drawers or cabinets.  Or the locks can be fully disengaged for when your vehicle will be parked for extended periods of time. 

You will have to keep track of the magnetic keys. And the internal mounting means that they are very discrete.  The 3M adhesive provides a strong “no-tools” installation, or there are screws provided if you prefer that.

Pros

• Very discrete
• Latches automatically
• Can be left unlocked
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Drawers may rattle a little bit
• Could fail under heavy loads
• Can’t visually see if the lock is engauged.

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Cupboard Latch

Cupboard latches are another option that serves both as a latching mechanism and also a knob for opening doors/draws.  These are often seen on antique furniture so they are a perfect compliment for rustic or antique style builds. 

They are much better suited for cabinet doors, because its a rather small knob for opening a heavy drawer. 

The latch is spring loaded, so you don’t have to remember to latch them.  They are only suitable for inset (flush) door/draws.

Pros

• Latch and handle
• Available in lots of colors/finishes
• Very secure
• Easy Installation
• Locks automatically

Cons

• Can make rattling noise
• Can snag clothing
• Small handle is bad for heavy applications

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Barrel Bolt Latch

Barrel Bolts are a very secure locking mechanism for drawers and cabinets doors.  You can trust a barrel bolt for very heavy drawers that experience a lot of g-force.  The are only suitable for inset (flush) doors/draws.  

Barrel blots are a little pricey if you need a lot of them, but they offer unmatched strength and security.

Pros

• Very secure
• Easy Installation
• Too simple to fail

Cons

• Not discrete (utilitarian)
• Can make rattling noise
• Must remember to latch
• Can make squeaky noises

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Hook & Eye Latch

Hook & Eye Latches are a simple but effective latch style for keeping furniture secured.  They are probably the most likely on the list to make rattling noises.  But they are very secure, even for heavy applications and are rather inexpensive. 

They are much better suited for inset (flush) doors/draws.  However, they can sometimes be used on an angle for offset, or used to latch two offset doors together. 

They are usually only available in silver, black, or white.

Pros

• Very secure
• Easy Installation
• Too simple to fail

Cons

• Not discrete (utilitarian)
• Can make rattling noise
• Must remember to latch

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Magnetic Latch

A magnetic latch is best for lightweight applications.  The strength of the magnetic attraction can easily fail under heavy pressure.  But they are very inexpensive and discrete.

Pros

• Very discrete
• Latches automatically
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Weak latch strength

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Roller Catch

Roller catches are probably our favorite latches for campervans in lightweight situations.  They don’t offer the most holding strength, but they hold up fine for lightweight cabinet doors. 

Plus they are very affordable and install discretely on the inside of furniture.

They can be a little challenging to install because the two pieces need to line up nicely.  But the mounting holes are oblong to allow for a little bit of fine tuning.

Pros

• Very discrete
• Latches automatically
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Weak latch strength
• Tricky to install

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DIY Latches

I am personally a big fan of DIY solutions, especially when they are cheap and easy.  Below are a couple of techniques that I used to create my own latches for campervans. 

We have a couple of these methods installed on drawers and cabinets in our campervan.

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Loop & Catch

A simple latch solution I came up with consists of a bungee loop (hair-tie) that loops around the head of a screw.  I mounted these on the underside of our overhead kitchen cabinets.  They are relatively discrete and very easy to install.  

Simply tie a single overhand knot in the hair tie to attach to the head of a screw.  This screw will anchor one side of the hair tie.  Mount the screw several inches away from the edge of the cabinet door. 

Then drive a second screw into the edge of cabinet door itself, but leave the head of the screw exposed about 3/8″.  Then to secure the cabinet door, simply loop the hair tie around the head of the second screw.

Pros

• Can be discrete
• Inexpensive
• Easy to install

Cons

• Must remember to latch

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Internal bolt

Another simple latch solution I designed is to just insert a metal bolt through the inside of your drawer or cabinet.  You just drill a hole through the frame and then through the drawer itself.  Then when a metal bolt is inserted through both holes, it prevents the drawer or cabinet from opening.  The internal bolt latch is very discrete and can handle extreme weight.

We use this system for our kitchen drawers.  Our pots and pans drawers weighs nearly 50lbs and experiences high g-force anytime we make a turn.  The internal bolt has not problem keeping the drawer closed.

But installation does have a few requirements.  You need to be able to get a powerdrill into position to drill the holes.  You need clearance for the screws to slide out. 

And lastly, you should have a system to keep the the screws from sliding out accidentally.  We just drilled a couple little notches into the adjacent.  The “head” of the screw tucks into those notches and prevents accidental slide outs.

Pros

• Very discrete
• Inexpensive
• Easy to install

Cons

• Must remember to latch

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Gas Struts (Honorable Mention)

Gas struts are not technically a latch, because their main function is to prop doors open, but they do provide some holding resistance once installed. I figure its worth mentioning as just another tool in your arsenal.

The resistance of these gas struts combined with the resistance from roller catches is enough to keep our overhead dresser cabinets closed.  So where a roller catch (or magnetic catch) might not be sufficient on their own, these gas struts may provide the extra bump you need.

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Best Latches For Campervans

As you can see, there are lots of options when choosing the best latches for campervans.  I hope this post helps introduce you to some lesser known options.  There are lots of different styles and price-points to help fit any budget.  Did I miss any latches for campervans that you think readers should know about? Let us know in the comments.  Thanks!

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