Packed, Stacked and READY to Explore!
Back in 2011, I was gearing up for a Memorial Day Trip to the Stanislaus National Forest and came across an affordable and durable overland case solution. The Plano Case Sport Locker holds just about everything you will need for kitchen gear for a 3 to 5 day trip, and fits like a glove in our Gobi Roof Rack. Here are some of the key features for the cases:
Low profile: You don’t want a case that is so low profile you can’t put anything in it. At the same time, you don’t want a tall case that will create a great deal of drag on the roof of your truck
Water resistant. While these cases are not waterproof, they do the job of keeping water out in rain and intense weather.
Small enough to heft: Ideally, one person can lift the box to the top of your truck. If the case is too big, you’ll need a couple people or more to lift it in place.
Easy to transport: This case has two wheels! Once packed, just roll it into your closet or garage until the next trip!
Camping in a Box Basics
Here’s a basic list I typically use to pack out one of our Plano cases:
Coleman lantern
2 sleeping pads
Cutting board
Fire starter
Matches
Candles
Coleman Stove
2 propane bottles
Compass
Egg tote
Kleen Kanteen
Soap
Kitchen pot set
Pour over coffee maker/filters
Spice kit
There is still room for additional clothing, a bottle of wine (or two!), more kitchen equipment, etc.
Here’s why we love it: this is a great affordable case. One will set you back $40. It will not survive a 1-story drop, but we have had our cases for +5 years, and they are still going strong.
Learn more about the Plano Cases here!
What do you use to pack out and hit the trail? Are there other brands, styles or sizes that work best for you? Let us know in the comments!
See you on the trail!
I like the idea of using these cases but my concern is their water and dust resistance. That could probably be corrected by adding some weather sealing but I’m considering something more durable for my upcoming trip to Alaska from the lower 48. Thanks for the info!
Hey Dan,
Ya – these are great for weekend trips, but if you want to stand on em, or use em as a raft, you’ll need something different. These have been good for me without concern for water or dust for about 4 years now, but they are NOT heavy duty.
Cool I've been looking for some boxes big enough for a family of four that would fit the Gobi Roof that I'm getting for my JKUR. With the checklist that you posted up earlier I'll be showing this to my wife cause I'm pretty sure she will add some stuff to it cause of my two boys 9 and 6. Lol
[QUOTE="Jose, post: 36856, member: 4667"]Cool I've been looking for some boxes big enough for a family of four that would fit the Gobi Roof that I'm getting for my JKUR. With the checklist that you posted up earlier I'll be showing this to my wife cause I'm pretty sure she will add some stuff to it cause of my two boys 9 and 6. Lol[/QUOTE]
Great!
Love my Plano boxes. My needs are slightly different. We have a few smaller boxes for our camping gear to be organized. The gear all stays separated in our water tight offroad trailer so we don't need to condense it into just a couple boxes because it hardly ever needs to be transported far outside the trailer. Looks like you have your packed for efficiency.
We use these surplus Hardigg (Pelican) cases (http://cases2go.com/resize/Shared/Images/Product/MEDICAL-SUPPLY-CASE-29-X-18-X-10-ID/472-MED-30180802-low.jpg), because they’re waterproof/dustproof and easily robust enough to stack and sit/stand upon. They fit 2 across in the rack with space to securely strap them down. We bought them on a sale for <$100ea. Only downside is that they're strong enough that it's tempting to pack them too heavy.
I have one model 1819 and was looking for a second. Found them here for $30 with shipping and tax. http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/plano-storage-locker#repChildCatid=3516443
Great idea for low cost. I like pelican boxes or MTM case gard products simply due to ease of use.
I have contico boxes from Walmart I don’t think they are as good as Plano or pelican but budget minded they Work .