Safely storing your off-road gear

[Benje_Junior]

Hey @Carnity and everyone that stumbles along this post. I’ve been thinking about posting this as a general discussion or an advice page for good amount of time.

My goal for this page is to get every off-roader together to share how they store their off-road gear during a drive (potentially even sharing pictures) what I’m hoping this should do is show our fellow members with a little less experience how we store are gear in the back of our cars safely for drives above Newbie (because no one wants a flying compressor or shovel in their face during an intense drive) 

of course this page is really meant to highlight Safety. As every car is different I encourage people with different cars to show how they store their gear as for jeeps (like mine) it’s relatively straight forward 

I’ll start off with my current setup

So I use the advantage of the jeeps mount points on the surface of the flooring of the boot. We have 3 points per side totally 6. Personally after some time driving in the desert I notice two straps in a crisscross pattern holds down the gear the tightest while my shovel is held by a separate strap on the rear of the sports bar or (roll cage) this is a new setup to me so I’ll keep my fellow jeepers updated if I happen to change my setup or require two straps for the shovel (remember for the shovel location keep it tight but not too tight! We don’t want to damage the plastic exterior of the sports bar) 

 

Thanks everyone who happens to share  

[Luke K P]

I use this locking plastic box from amazon (105cm) to keep all offroad gear + 20L of water in, with a stretch web holding it to floor.

when off roading i take out the shovel and put the blade and handle through the webbing to hold it in place, secure, but quick and easy to get to.

[Patrick]

I think one important point to add that tying down is not just to keep items shifting around during a drive.

Most importantly the purpose of tying down is to prevent items flying around the cabin in case of a rollover. Especially in the case of a multiple rollover, lose items will quickly move around the cabin like in a blender and can dangerously hit the driver on the head and case serious injury. I have heard stories at other clubs where people were injured during a rollover not because of the rollover itself but because of loose items. 

You don't want a jack or compressor flying around in that case. Maybe this isn't relevant at our safe drives and levels, but it becomes a potential issue when tackling higher dune scenarios. Hence for example bungee cords or simple cargo nets that aren't the strap ones won't likely be enough.

 

 

[Benje_Junior]

Totally agree with you @Patrick the idea of tying down gear is to reduce or completely eliminate the movement of jacks or compressors in the case of a roll-over, no matter what drive level there is a risk of this happening but if drivers follow support crew and marshal instructions and most importantly listen to briefing the risks of a rollover severely decreases. But always plan for the unknown! Thats my idea of what this discussion is for 'planning for the unknown'

[Patrick]

It might also be worth considering installing a cargo barrier in the car as a second safety measure besides tying down, to   'plan for the unknown'. I found that cargo barriers come in different quality levels, sometimes more marketed as a 'pet barriers' that likely won't stop a 15 kg jack flying through. Great discussion Benjamin 👍

[Patrick]

Sorry to overpost here, but it's an exciting topic.

Just sharing my setup as well as Benjamin requested in the initial post.

I use an old full-size suitcase and 2 tie down ratchet straps. 

I found the suitcase big enough to fit all my gear, and the soft material of the fabric suitcase allows for tight tightening down without having to worry about cracking plastic suitcases or boxes. 

Also, if I am going for car wash and they need to vaccum the sand out, I can just take out the suitcase without having to unload a whole range of individual gear items one by one. Similarly, if I need the cargo space (maybe buying something at IKEA  I can just take out the suitcase and wheel it to my apartment - easy and no hassle.

All the gear comes out in one pop.

During the drives I keep the kinetic rope with shackles attached and the shovel strapped to the top of the suitcase, so I can access these commonly-used items without having to unstrap everything and open the suitcase. I found the suitcase to be super convenient.

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Patrick

[Benje_Junior]

@Patrick it’s alright! This forum is for anyone looking “how to” or new ideas on strapping down gear. 
 

first time seeing a suitcase which is actually a pretty good idea! I for one use a tool-bag to hold any non commonly used items like tape, zip ties, basic tools, multi tools, shackles, and rope. 
 

really interested to see how your setup will change when more gear is needed as you climb the carnity ladder  thanks for sharing! 

[Patrick]

Hi Benjamin, just sharing below the photo of the contents of the suitcase. Kinetic rope, soft shackles and shovel are typically kept outside the suitcase

All that equipment does fit inside the large suitcase for whoever wants to implement that setup. That also includes full tools and backpack with full change of clothes, jacket and toiletries.

I do have to note however that I keep my water (8x 1.5L bottles) tightly squeezed under both front seats. And if I wanted to put the trolley jack (my last one started leaking so I threw it out) into the suitcase, I would need to remove one or 2 items to make it fit.

First aid kit and some other small items are stored elsewhere.

It's amazing what can fit into a large suitcase and I find it very convenient.

[Benje_Junior]

@Patrick Wow I’m actually surprised just how much you managed to fit in a large suitcase! Might be a good idea to do something similar myself maybe leading up to another camping trip! 

[Varun Mehndiratta]

Interesting — in Jeep I don’t have this issue at all. 
 

1. My rope, shackles, bungee cords, jump cable, wd40, duct tape etc fit in under mat compartment in the boot.

2. Shovel using d grip on sides of rolling cage

3. Compressor now I have on board one earlier it used to fit under the seat or between the seats (passenger side) during drive. 

4. First aid kid now I have a utility bag from TE that has spanners, first aid kid etc goes under the seat. Earlier was using a behind the seat Molle bag set with all these things - on the rear passenger seats.  

5. Jack and board tied to the floor in the boot using bungee cord. 
 

So car is usually neat and well organized