Luggage storage woes - HELP!!!!
Submitted: Wednesday, Jun 07, 2006 at 22:23
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Fab
Hello all, here's a cry for help you don't see every day. I'm taking the family up to the Flinders in 4 weeks time for a week long holiday. Staying at caravan parks etc, so we won't be taking too much luggage.
I'm taking the company 4X4 dual cab ute which doesn't have a tonneu cover (or even hooks for a tarp) , toolbox or a tuff lid. My problem is where do I store our luggage without it getting too dusty or wet for that matter.
I'm after cheap and temporary solutions.
One suggestion I've had so far was to get an old fridge, gut the compressor and other heavy stuff, lay it on it's back, put a latch on it and bingo ...... a dust proof/weather proof, lockable box.
What do you think? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers ....Fab.
Reply By: Middle Jeff - Wednesday, Jun 07, 2006 at 22:34
Wednesday, Jun 07, 2006 at 22:34
Hi Fab
Big
orange yard / garbage bags, they are really strong and big enough to get anything in.
Have fun
AnswerID:
177329
Reply By: Motherhen - Wednesday, Jun 07, 2006 at 23:20
Wednesday, Jun 07, 2006 at 23:20
Use those large plastic boxes with lids that you get from the cheap stores. They have proved rain proof for us (even during a severe rain storm in which water got into the esky) and are big enough to pack easily. If you get the big ones that have wheels, they are easy to maneuver, and when packed together on the Ute won't move around anyway. You probably wouldn't need one each family member for clothing for such a short holiday, plus one or two for food. You can even stack them on top of each other if you run our of room on the Ute tray - ours have 'dips' in the lid for the wheels, which helps with the stacking. Much easier to manage than plastic bags (which will not last the distance).
AnswerID:
177341
Follow Up By: Truckster (Vic) - Wednesday, Jun 07, 2006 at 23:33
Wednesday, Jun 07, 2006 at 23:33
x2 on the storage boxes with stuff in
orange bags, with the tarp mentinoed below as a final cover.
or just go buy a proper cover for your ute from wrecker.. would be much easier faster and useful
FollowupID:
433403
Follow Up By: Member - Andrew W (SA) - Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 08:55
Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 08:55
just watch that they can be brittle, especially after one day in the sun, and so treat them carefully - no dropping, watch what you put on them, etc.
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Member - Barry C (NT) - Wednesday, Jun 07, 2006 at 23:25
Wednesday, Jun 07, 2006 at 23:25
Take 1 tarp - say 4 m X 3 m. Lay 1m on floor of tray at front and then load luggage onto this area first then load the rest of ute and fold remaining tarp over the top of everything and tuck in sides and back.
You can lay jerrycans (or similar weiths) on lose ends in back corners if a wellbody to stop them flying around. If tray top just tie down. Easy enough to do.
Cheers Barry
AnswerID:
177343
Follow Up By: Motherhen - Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 00:07
Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 00:07
Barry, I'd hate to be the one who packs it up each day after the family have all rummaged through for their clothes.
Fab, we used to travel between properties each weekend through all kinds of weather and found the storage boxes really good. Easy to take inside if you are staying in cabins (not clear from your post if you are taking a camper trailer or staying in on-site vans/cabins). They will crack if they get a hard knock, so they won't last for ever, but for a cheap price especially if you can get them on special, it is not much of an outlay.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Marquis - Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 11:00
Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 11:00
I used the same method (Barry C) going around AU - works
well
FollowupID:
433471
Follow Up By: Member - Barry C (NT) - Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 22:13
Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 22:13
Ah Motherhen very easy to pack,,, throw all your gear in (heavy gear on the bottom helps) and pull tarp over. Dead easy don't "really need to pack".
I was just offerring an unsophisticatate approach,, boxes do work and we use em also.
Cheerio Baz
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Fab - Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 07:33
Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 07:33
Cheers Motherhen ..... I like your idea. Will double as toy boxes for the 3 kids when we get
home I suppose. :)
For the record .....I checked the wreckers and the best I could get was a f/glass canopy which is of no use to me when I get back (company car - not
mine).
Remembering there are no tonneu hooks, only 4 tie down points in the ute body (not tray). There is no campervan/trailer (otherwise I'd pile everything in that).
Must admit ....Did think of the garbage bag idea. But I think the final winner is the plastic boxes.
Cheers Motherhen..........
AnswerID:
177366
Reply By: Takn it Easy (QLD) - Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 08:35
Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 08:35
Well here's my brainstorm - for what it's worth - the Plastic boxes leak dust into the contents, so I went to a Cabinet Supplies Wholsaler and bought some 19 x 6mm closed cell self adhesive tape (one sided) I applied this in a continuous strip to the internal underside recess of the lids of my boxes. They lock in at one end so that end is tight seal and on the other I use a 6mm Tank bolt with a wing nut to tighten and presto - Dust proof seal !
Hope it Helps
Also look in the Yellow pages for a Food Container Wholsaler - buy your boxes there - you can get ones which are not certified for holding food cheaper - a 70 litre black box cost me about $30 including the lid and they are lmost indestructable.
AnswerID:
177382
Follow Up By: Member - Brian H (QLD) - Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 08:53
Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 08:53
Also have the cheepie boxes, yes they do crack but if you are only putting cloths and light stuff in should be no issue. If you stack one on top of the other put the heavier one on the bottom and cut a bit of 3 mm ply and place on the lid of the bottom one as this helps transfer the weight off the four corners.
I also use them for my cooking gear(light pots) and plates bowls etc etc. So far i have used the same boxes for several years without breakages. Even survived 7000klm round trip to the Cape.
Don't bother putting recovery gear or heavy
tools in them as they will crack in the bottom. For that i use one of the black boxes from super cheap about 900mm long and is packed full of spares, including a couple of shockies and they seem very tuff.
Using the seal as stated above also works a treat :)
Brian
FollowupID:
433441
Reply By: Member - Matt L (NSW) - Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 09:21
Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 09:21
Hi Fab,
You can get a large zip up bag from Big W and they are completely dust and water proof.
They are designed for sitting on the roof rack but they will sit neatly in the back of your duel cab tray.
Hope this helps.
Matt
AnswerID:
177393
Reply By: Robin - Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 11:14
Thursday, Jun 08, 2006 at 11:14
Fab - Mate had problem like that -and we solved it by getting a 10X8 trap and throwing over whole lot.
As no tie points on tray , brought 12 ocky straps ($2 here for 6 at Go-low) and
took off one end so as not to scratch car and tied it thru holes along trap.
Various length other ends found attachment points under body etc.
Used Aussie disposals heavy duty trap as has sewn ends not plastic ends ($12.95)
Have similar thing here for my GU patrol , pre-attached ocky straps, to 6X8 trap go over back
Barn doors and make waterproof area at back of car to
cook from etc
Robin Miller
AnswerID:
177420