Here's a clever trailer add-on we spotted the Liberty U team using at the MACC Championships last spring: hooks on your trailer to help athletes stow gear.

This Trailer Hook Trick gives athletes a place to hang their bags and keeps that gear out of the bed of the trailer to make loading all the stuff that really belongs there--oars, slings, etc--way easier at the end of the regatta.

We've seen a lot of teams adopting the Portable Gear Rack Hack for the same reasons, but these trailer hooks, once you install them, don't require any set up or take up any space in the trailer bed. While the Gear Rack Hack is perfect when you have a parent tent or athlete area elsewhere on site, it is hard to beat these pre-hung hooks when the athletes need a place for their stuff right at the trailer.

The Liberty trailer did have some extra space to pull off this hack: as a fifth-wheel trailer, the whole hitch arm was available, and it sits plenty high for hanging stuff once you un-hitch the truck. But even trailers with standard hitches would have room on the arms of the first rack that you could use for hook space without interfering much with loading shorter boats on the low racks.

Or you could rig up a hybrid hack and make yourself a Portable Gear Rack that attaches to the trailer to create better real estate for your set of gear hooks.

Why bother with racks, hooks, or even using the occasional boat strap to hang gear from a tree? Well, giving your athletes a dry place to set--or hang--their stuff will cut down on lost gear and keep their bags from getting wet and muddy on a rainy Race Day. Plus, athletes appreciate a good Rowing Hack as much as the rest of us, especially if it that makes them feel a bit more organized and ready to take care of their regatta business.

Of course, Rowing Hacks has looked at some great trailer mods out over the years, from Rackable Strap Wheels to Tennis Net-ed Cargo to Cal's classic Sidemount Bike Rack, and these gear hooks make a worthy addition if you are looking for more ways to trick out your trailer.

Do you have a clever upgrade that you've added to your trailer or Race Day set-up? If so, share your ideas--and hacks--in the comments below.

If you have a great rowing hack to suggest for future inclusion, then please send it to us and we will feature your idea in a future column.