Hey, I'm not an old geezer, I'm a recycled teenager!
I try to keep my trunk fairly neat and clean. I do try to put stuff in the trunk instead of just in the cabin. I really like to keep the cabin clean. Plus, if I stop or turn quickly, I don't have all kinds of stuff flying around the car.
Seems to me my old 560SEL had the bucket thing (technical term) that went in the spare tire. Spare was mounted face down. Bucket did a great job of holding tools and such.