Outfitting my Grenadier Trialmaster

[jscherb]

I don't know what the Grenadier designers were thinking when they created the storage compartment in front of the jack. It's hard to store anything in there because whatever is in there will be in the way when you need the jack, also things in there will rattle around because there's no provision for securing anything. And as another apparent design afterthought, they put the 120v receptacle for the inverter inside that compartment. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

There are a number of aftermarket bags for that space, some of which seem to just set in there and rely on the factory plastic cover to hold them in place, and some that are secured with self-stick Velcro. I suppose with the Velcro ones you wouldn't need to replace the factory plastic cover, although the end result doesn't look very good - all the various holes in the inner fender panel are visible. I've attached a photo of one such example I found on eBay - but if it's attached to the jack cover with Velcro, won't that make it difficult to remove the jack cover?

None of the ones on the market seem optimal to me so I designed something that I like better. It's a bag that clips in place using existing holes in the inner fender panel and removes in seconds, doesn't require Velcro or any additional hardware, replaces the factory plastic cover and hides all the unsightly clip holes in the inner fender panel. I sewed one the other day in tan and photos are attached, and I also did a photo-edit to show what one would look like in black. This prototype isn't perfect, I've got a few tweaks to make to the pattern for it to fit better, but it'll do for testing.



A typical example I found on eBay:

 

[Bill Ruttan]

I don't know what the Grenadier designers were thinking when they created the storage compartment in front of the jack. It's hard to store anything in there because whatever is in there will be in the way when you need the jack, also things in there will rattle around because there's no provision for securing anything. And as another apparent design afterthought, they put the 120v receptacle for the inverter inside that compartment. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

There are a number of aftermarket bags for that space, some of which seem to just set in there and rely on the factory plastic cover to hold them in place, and some that are secured with self-stick Velcro. I suppose with the Velcro ones you wouldn't need to replace the factory plastic cover, although the end result doesn't look very good - all the various holes in the inner fender panel are visible. I've attached a photo of one such example I found on eBay - but if it's attached to the jack cover with Velcro, won't that make it difficult to remove the jack cover?

None of the ones on the market seem optimal to me so I designed something that I like better. It's a bag that clips in place using existing holes in the inner fender panel and removes in seconds, doesn't require Velcro or any additional hardware, replaces the factory plastic cover and hides all the unsightly clip holes in the inner fender panel. I sewed one the other day in tan and photos are attached, and I also did a photo-edit to show what one would look like in black. This prototype isn't perfect, I've got a few tweaks to make to the pattern for it to fit better, but it'll do for testing.

View attachment 889334View attachment 889335View attachment 889336View attachment 889337

A typical example I found on eBay:

View attachment 889338

I like your version of the bag (in sand color) that fits in the front of the stowage compartment for the jack. I certainly hope that it goes into production!

 

[jscherb]

I like your version of the bag (in sand color) that fits in the front of the stowage compartment for the jack. I certainly hope that it goes into production!

Seems likely that one will go into production, OO has asked me for the patterns so they can make them.

 

[jscherb]

I'm not much of a fan of the Grenadier factory tool roll - yes it holds the critical tools for tire changing plus a few others but it doesn't really close nicely and while it does have a few extra slots for tools you might add, it closes even more poorly if you add anything. I'm thinking of sewing a new one that will have enough capacity for a reasonable set of emergency tools. Not large enough to replace my complete tool bag, but enough larger so that a dozen or so screwdrivers, wrenches, etc. could be stored in it for times when I'm not carrying my full tool bag. Attached is a *very crude* photo edit showing one way I could do this as well as a photo of the factory tool roll. If anyone has suggestions about what emergency tools should be accommodated in this updated tool roll design; I'd like to get a good consensus list before I sew a prototype. TIA.

A quick concept mock-up:



The factory roll as-is:

 

[jscherb]

This morning's quick experiment - a few years ago I made some MOLLE panels for my Jeeps and this morning I came across one I hadn't used. It was the right size to fit on the side of the Grenadier's cargo area so I adapted it to hang there. It hangs/removes in seconds, could be useful when extra storage capacity is needed and removed when capacity isn't needed.






Because it hangs/removes from the cargo area so easily and uses hooks to hang, it could also be useful at the campsite - store it inside for travel and when setting up the camp, unclip it and hang it on the drip rails.