“Mike, did you place the sauce pan somewhere?” My wife, Louise, questioned.
“Nahh, I don’t think so,” I replied in a tentative tone. “I will help you find it.” Organization is one of the keys to a happy wife and happy camp life while adventuring in the outdoors. There have been countless times that I have “lost” something for a minute or two and, at times, longer. Some people have the innate ability to organize while others, like me, must work at it. However, organizing my equipment and gear can result in a more fun and enjoyable overlanding experience. Here a few ideas that help me and I hope, maybe you.
Pelican Trekpak
For years, Pelican engineers have been designing robust cases for most notably, high-end photography equipment. Their cases come with foam inserts that one can tweak and modify to fit lenses and camera bodies of varying sizes or anything else stored inside their hard sided case. Pelican’s new organization accessory is not foam. The other brilliant attribute of the Trekpak dividers is that they can be customized for use in other things besides Pelican cases—such as my ARB drawers. The Trekpak divider system allows for personal fitment depending on the user’s needs. My needs included organizing my camp kitchen. Historically, I unintendedly disorganized my pans, pots, glasses, bowls, plates, and mugs.
I have a set of robust ARB drawers in the back of my 200 Series Land Cruiser. They are solid, made from steel and aluminum, and built to last. However, each of us the family “threw” things from our camp kitchen into the drawers and, eventually, would lose or misplace items during our trips. Tensions and frustrations would percolate during our travels. I decided to organize our drawers so that we would find things quickly and easily and keep at the tensions of the blame game.
The Trekpak systems come complete with different length dividers; a cutting tool; and metal, u-shaped attachments to connect the dividers. On my garage floor, I laid out what I wanted to organize. The assortment included pots and pans, coffee mugs, fuel cannisters, and a coffee grinder. The cutting tool cuts easily and precisely the dividers to the desired length. The dividers are made from rigid plastic and covered with a thin cushion of foam. Once the cuts were made, I attached the different divided sections by using metal u-shaped attachments/pins. customizing the dividers and creating desired storage sections for my camp kitchen was a breeze. Within a few hours, I had two drawers organized and ready for the next adventure.
Overall, the Trekpak system exceeded my expectations. I found the entire system well-engineered and easy to use as the consumer. The finished product resulted in my camp kitchen Having a place for everything and in its place. The customization of the Trekpak makes this an ideal piece of equipment to organize a drawer, a hard-sided case, and anything else that might store gear and equipment. The bonus feature was that my wife was super-stoked on items being organized and readily retrievable. Happy wife, happy camp life….
Pelican Case BX140R
There is never enough room! I utter those words out loud or silently as I pack my 200 Series Land Cruiser. Normally, three of us travel together, oh, and one dog. Space is a premium. Many of us bring too much while overlanding and adventuring, and I am not immune to that problem. Adventure travel requires particular gear. We like to hike, canyoneer, fly fish, and mountain bike among other activities. Where to put all the necessary gear?
Pelican’s BX140R Case to the rescue! I had always thought of Pelican cases for photography equipment because I have two that I use regularly for that purpose. They are dust proof, robust, and secure; they keep my photography equipment safe while adventuring/overlanding. However, Pelican has entered the overlanding/adventure travel market with BX90R and BX140R overlanding cases.
While I overland and adventure travel, my family and I enjoying many outdoor activities. We might hike to a remote rock art panel; fly fish in a wild, scenic stream; or mountain bike along a singletrack rollercoaster trail. These activities need and require particular equipment. My Land Cruiser’s interior reaches capacity fairly soon when carrying camping and personal baggage. Therefore, Pelican’s BX140R case proves ideal as a storage solution.
Pelican’s BX140R case provides four cubic feet of additional space. It measures roughly 46 inches long by 24 inches wide and is 11.5 inches tall. The exterior is made from polyethylene and withstands the elements without a hiccup. One area of improvement could be a gas strut to hold open the case’s lid. I found it to be an annoyance, but it did not deter me from using and appreciating the case itself.
The case can be latched to a roof rack with a separate fit kit. The kit worked nicely on my FrontRunner roof rack. The mounts slid perfectly into the t-slots for a solid fit. The mounts then attached to the case securely holding it in place. It didn’t move one inch after miles and miles of rough roads and overland travel. The case itself proved weather tight – not allowing water and/or dust ingress.
Overland travel can involve a plethora of gear and equipment. Invest in gear and equipment that will last throughout years of use and abuse. Granted, I don’t have any long-term experience with the Pelican overlanding cases. However, so far, no complaints!
To Learn More About Pelican Products CLICK HERE
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Featured Writer: Mike Holland
Photos: Mike Holland and Brian Kretschmar
Instagram: DesertRush
CHECK OUT: Get-North – Overlanding in the Canadian Rockies – Mike Holland
