Box Rocket
Well-known member
I've been prepping for Cruise Moab next week and I've wanted to improve some of my storage solutions.
I have had this army surplus medical supply box for several years now it it works fine in my Land Cruiser and in the trailer as well as in the bed of the truck, but it is large enough that when it is loaded it is VERY heavy and hard to move around if I needed to. That led me to look at a similar approach with smaller boxes.
Yesterday I picked up a couple new surplus boxes (I can't afford some nice lightweight pelican cases). I found some explosive containers that were roughly half the size of the medical supply box. This would theoretically split the weight of the larger box between these two new ones and make them much easier to move around if needed.
After spraying them with some Rustoleum undercoating, I bolted some tie-down loops to the sides so I could secure them to the rack with turn buckles, but still be able to open the lid and access what I needed without having to undo a bunch of ratchet straps first to get the lids off. They could be secured in the bed rather than on the rack but the things I plan to carry in these boxes are things that I generally need better access to on the trails. So it leaves the bed open for the rest of the camping gear etc that I don't need until I get to a campsite, and I don't have to shuffle things around to get to these.
I'll have to see if I still like them on the rack or somewhere else after a trip or two.
This is a much better setup, because even though it does block some visibility, I still have a mostly unobstructed view out the back using the rear view mirror.
AirForce C130 tiedowns
Also, you'll notice I got my CO2 tank secured in the bed. That's been on my list for far too long so it's nice to have that finally done.
Another thing that needed some attention was my hilift. 10+ years of living on the outside of 4 differnent trucks has taken its toll and it was a rusty peice of useless metal. The climbing pins were almost worthless as they were rusted so badly. I got a rebuild kit with new climbing pins and shear pin. Tore the whole thing down, wire brushed it, repainted it and put the new pins in. Almost looks like it might work again for another 10 years!:victory:
I have had this army surplus medical supply box for several years now it it works fine in my Land Cruiser and in the trailer as well as in the bed of the truck, but it is large enough that when it is loaded it is VERY heavy and hard to move around if I needed to. That led me to look at a similar approach with smaller boxes.
Yesterday I picked up a couple new surplus boxes (I can't afford some nice lightweight pelican cases). I found some explosive containers that were roughly half the size of the medical supply box. This would theoretically split the weight of the larger box between these two new ones and make them much easier to move around if needed.
After spraying them with some Rustoleum undercoating, I bolted some tie-down loops to the sides so I could secure them to the rack with turn buckles, but still be able to open the lid and access what I needed without having to undo a bunch of ratchet straps first to get the lids off. They could be secured in the bed rather than on the rack but the things I plan to carry in these boxes are things that I generally need better access to on the trails. So it leaves the bed open for the rest of the camping gear etc that I don't need until I get to a campsite, and I don't have to shuffle things around to get to these.
I'll have to see if I still like them on the rack or somewhere else after a trip or two.
This is a much better setup, because even though it does block some visibility, I still have a mostly unobstructed view out the back using the rear view mirror.
AirForce C130 tiedowns
Also, you'll notice I got my CO2 tank secured in the bed. That's been on my list for far too long so it's nice to have that finally done.
Another thing that needed some attention was my hilift. 10+ years of living on the outside of 4 differnent trucks has taken its toll and it was a rusty peice of useless metal. The climbing pins were almost worthless as they were rusted so badly. I got a rebuild kit with new climbing pins and shear pin. Tore the whole thing down, wire brushed it, repainted it and put the new pins in. Almost looks like it might work again for another 10 years!:victory:
