jtpedersen
Caught the Bug
Offroad Tool Stowage
Been a few months with other distractions. Thought I'd share a couple current thoughts...
Some of you may have seen my posts over the last few years, asking how folks stow their tools in their Jeeps. I've appreciated the range of solutions. Many tend to involve a mix of rigid (tool boxes) and soft bags. A couple milk crates have made appearances, too
. Thought I'd share my experiences and thoughts.
Last season was my 3rd iteration. Acquired a set of interlocking DeWalt boxes. Nice kit. Unfortunately, after a trip to SMORR, no matter what I tried, keeping them secured was all-but impossible. If you've done a SMORR creek/river bed, then you know what shake-n-bake can truly be about.
Tool boxes, generally seem to have 2 core problems for me. One is wasted space. They're just not efficient in the small confines of our vehicles. Either there's dead-air within, or they have gaps in'n'around them.
Second major problem is they're hard to secure. The DeWalts 'seemed' to have nooks, crannies, robust handles that would help solve this. Interlocking feet also seemed promising. Alas, not to be. The handles were nowhere near as robust as they appeared or felt. For high-way use, static use, probably not a problem. Off-road, handles broke, straps kept slipping/shifting (even when really clamped down). And of course when you're using straps to secure them, they're a headache to access, and, more wasted space in/around straps.
So, this season, heading done the path of 4th-gen tool stowage. Fundamentally, I travel with a fairly complete set of tools. Some would say over-kill (to each their own), but the tools run somewhere around 75lbs or so. Then add the 'stowage' solution. That can easily add another 25 lbs.
This year's approach is going to be what I always avoided in years past. Going with all-soft bags. Why?
They tend to simply stay in place, for one. Bounce the truck around, they tend to stay where they were. There's almost no wasted space. And, their shapes are malleable (with steel inside, that can be a 'relative' statement<g>). Easier to consume Jeep's own wasted spaces.
The other item, stowage-related, we're likely doing this year, is make Stitch (JKU-R) a full-time 2 door. Seats will come out and a Goose Gear package going in the back. We've started doing more week+ road trips and a more-consistently shaped space (and ability to secure things to the floor) will be useful. The kids are out, and the dogs will appreciate it, so why not.
This will be another interesting evolution for Stitch. Thought I'd share in case others face similar struggles.
Been a few months with other distractions. Thought I'd share a couple current thoughts...
Some of you may have seen my posts over the last few years, asking how folks stow their tools in their Jeeps. I've appreciated the range of solutions. Many tend to involve a mix of rigid (tool boxes) and soft bags. A couple milk crates have made appearances, too
. Thought I'd share my experiences and thoughts.Last season was my 3rd iteration. Acquired a set of interlocking DeWalt boxes. Nice kit. Unfortunately, after a trip to SMORR, no matter what I tried, keeping them secured was all-but impossible. If you've done a SMORR creek/river bed, then you know what shake-n-bake can truly be about.
Tool boxes, generally seem to have 2 core problems for me. One is wasted space. They're just not efficient in the small confines of our vehicles. Either there's dead-air within, or they have gaps in'n'around them.
Second major problem is they're hard to secure. The DeWalts 'seemed' to have nooks, crannies, robust handles that would help solve this. Interlocking feet also seemed promising. Alas, not to be. The handles were nowhere near as robust as they appeared or felt. For high-way use, static use, probably not a problem. Off-road, handles broke, straps kept slipping/shifting (even when really clamped down). And of course when you're using straps to secure them, they're a headache to access, and, more wasted space in/around straps.
So, this season, heading done the path of 4th-gen tool stowage. Fundamentally, I travel with a fairly complete set of tools. Some would say over-kill (to each their own), but the tools run somewhere around 75lbs or so. Then add the 'stowage' solution. That can easily add another 25 lbs.
This year's approach is going to be what I always avoided in years past. Going with all-soft bags. Why?
They tend to simply stay in place, for one. Bounce the truck around, they tend to stay where they were. There's almost no wasted space. And, their shapes are malleable (with steel inside, that can be a 'relative' statement<g>). Easier to consume Jeep's own wasted spaces.
The other item, stowage-related, we're likely doing this year, is make Stitch (JKU-R) a full-time 2 door. Seats will come out and a Goose Gear package going in the back. We've started doing more week+ road trips and a more-consistently shaped space (and ability to secure things to the floor) will be useful. The kids are out, and the dogs will appreciate it, so why not.
This will be another interesting evolution for Stitch. Thought I'd share in case others face similar struggles.
