My storage trunks and suggestions to organize better?

[wahoowad]

I truck camp, usually 2 to 3 nights, usually within a half day drive of home. Often alone, sometimes with wife and dog. Vehicle is your standard 4x4 crew cab with 6' bed.

I keep my smaller camping gear in a couple storage trunks - one for camp kitchen and one for everything not camp kitchen - and makes it easy to grab and load up the truck and easy to store away again when back home. I generally know what is inside (or supposed to be inside) each trunk but unfortunately it is disorganized inside the trunk and I'd like to try and organize it a bit better. Here are a couple pics and list of some of the gear I keep inside.

First pic (from right to left):

1. Rubbermaid ActionPacker 24 gal - keeps non-camp kitchen gear
2. Plano Sportsman trunk 56 quart - camp kitchen
3. The two boxes to the left are overflow storage when needed and usually get packed with food, dog stuff and any other gear that doesn't go on every trip.

Here's some of the stuff I keep packed away and take each trip:

ActionPacker (non-camp kitchen gear)

• Slumberjack tarp, poles
• a tent
• extra stakes
• propane bottles, white gas
• toilet paper
• hammocks
• a cheap fabric crate that stuff gets tossed into
• 2 basins for washing dishes
• e-tool, headlamp, zipties, lighter/matches,
• rope, multitool, paper towels, gloves
• small tarp
• other misc stuff

Sportsman trunk (camp kitchen)

• cookset, plates, bowls, utensils
• dish washing sponges, soap
• coffee press
• cutting boars
• other misc junk not shown
• aluminum foil, etc. bungied in the lid
• sometimes toss a cast iron pan in here

Other stuff like big T4 tent, camp chairs, propane stove, water jugs get thrown in truck bed too.

Any suggestions for achieving somewhat better organization within the crates?

 

[grubworm]

thats a really good set up. the wife and i started off camping out of the back of my tundra and about the only difference was that i had gone with a dewalt rolling tool box as one of my totes. i would pull it out the bed of the truck and use it to cook and prep food on. the handle slides out and you can put a small piece of plywood on top of the handle as an extended shelf. this kept the stove off the ground and could be moved wherever was convenient. i also went with the 6qt plastic shoe boxes you can get at home depot, walmart, etc. for $2 a box. they are clear and have lids, so i would use these for all my silverware and untinsels in one, bars of soap and stuff in another, etc. we got good enough to hit location and pull out the totes we need and cook and do whatever and by the time it was time to sleep, the smaller totes just went back into the big tote and was ready to load

the action packers are really nice. we generally keep our clothes and towels and stuff like that in those because they seal really well and are very easy to move around and store. as we progressed, i built a decked system in the back of the tundra and that did away with the need for most of the totes, but we still use the action packers because they are well made and versatile.

you look like you have it very organized.

 

[MMc]

I like it.
I roll in a 4door 8' bed 2500 truck, it was a subfloor with "T" locks so I can tie my stuff in place.
My cook box will work for 4 people, everything has a place, spices, wine glasses, plates, cook kit, cutting board, saw, tool roll with everything iIneed to cook like I'm at home, stove rides on top of the cook box.
Ice chest is strapped near the gate. all under a shell.
There is a box for dry goods and wine. Water is in 2,5 gal jugs that I have had for 40 years.
If you are packing the tent, pads, chairs kind of stuff in a box you are wasting space, put that in a box and there are all kinds of voids, put it in the back and use it to fill the gaps..
Most of my trips are solo, or a couple of ride along's for a week or so.
What work for me may or not work for you. I have been camping out of my rig this way for years. I roll with guys that think movie night is fun on a big screen projection. You do you!

 

[Outdoordog]

I use large totes and strap them to the roofrack.
Also I try to minimize what I bring when going camping. I often bring too much stuff and it becomes a mess by the time I come home.
I use travel bags, the mesh kind (so I can see the contents), which help a lot.

 

[wigsajumper]

I use large totes and strap them to the roofrack.
Also I try to minimize what I bring when going camping. I often bring too much stuff and it becomes a mess by the time I come home.
I use travel bags, the mesh kind (so I can see the contents), which help a lot.
View attachment 285003

What brand of totes are those?

 

[genocache]

I've been using Action Packers since the 70's. Only drawbacks are I can't sit on them and there is no dust seal. I bought some edge seal and that helped with the dust issue. I also use Pelican cases or Nanuk cases for the durability and sealing. But hey! a plastic bucket with a lid works too! Some of my storage pics;

 

[wahoowad]

Nice storage @genocache ! What is that blue organizer in pic 3 that fits so well inside that crate?

 

[genocache]

Nice storage @genocache ! What is that blue organizer in pic 3 that fits so well inside that crate?

That's a Pelican case I picked up off Craigslist with a factory padded divider, I guess for maybe camera stuff. I have that box filled with kitchen/fire stuff. The white bucket with the blue lid is my coffee set up, stove, Stanley kettle, 2 kinds of beans, cups, coffeemate, lighter, filters, etc....

 

[Outdoordog]

What brand of totes are those?

Condition 1.

They had a 2 for 1 sale a while ago, couldn't say no

 

[Lazynorse]

I’m happy with two double drawer Milwaukee Packouts, stacked atop one another. Fits and slides between my Ford Ranger truck bed and Snugtop Canopy. Hygiene, cookware, coffee kit, lighting, camp tools.

Use Plano boxes for dry foods. Duffles for clothes, shoes, jackets.

I love my set of 3 oversized milk crates (jumbo crates?), these line up perfect at the cab end of my truck bed. One holds a Wavian gas can and a Sceptre water can, each 5 gall. Need the jumbo crates though, normal ones won’t fit two 5 gall cans. The next crate has 12 packs of seltzer water and beer to rotate into my Iceco fridge. 3rd milk crate holds GoTreads, Viair compressor, tire repair, recovery strap/soft shackle, quart of oil, smaller bottle of coolant.

Yakima Skybox 12 (long, narrow at 24” wide) on my Rhino Rack rails atop my Snugtop canopy carries my Gazelle T4 tent, Gazelle Gazebo, camp chairs.

Oh yeah, square sided bucket that doubles as (lined) toilet. Square sided fits better and the top edge is wider and flatter to sit on without need of special toilet seat lid.

I’ve geeked hard over storage optimization. I wanted no permanent installs, and multi use for everything. In a few minutes, everything can be taken out and put in their place on racks in my garage.