Boxes to hold gear in the car/truck

[Ed Richards]

I am thinking of building a plywood box to hold my LF gear. The objectives are to keep it from rolling around and to deter theives, at least those not armed with a bolt cutter. Anyone one have pictures of their creations for inspiration?

[Ralph Barker]

My self-made "post-shoot" box:

http://www.rbarkerphoto.com/Misc/Misc-Stuff/LiquorChest01-550c.jpg

The trick with a trunk box, I'd think, would be securing it in the trunk, so they don't take the whole thing with them.

[Jean-Louis Llech]

Don't complicate what is simple. Buy a solid Pelican case, and bolt it to the car's body with a detachable system.

[Frank Petronio]

milk crates and 5-gal pails, if you want upscale buy fancy versions: http://www.duluthtrading.com/

[Robert Fisher]

WalMart has lots of inexpensive containers of every description - also sells industrial strength Velcro to keep anything from sliding

[Keith Pitman]

I put an aluminum "truck box" in the back of my Jeep so I can secure gear when the soft top in on. The manufacturer was in Michigan, but I cannot remember the name and I'm not home this week. It takes most of the back seat area and I can get two camera packs, and two tripods as well as other stuff in there. I secured it to the Jeep using the bolt locations that were used for the back seat and rear seat belts in such a way that the bolts cannot be removed without getting inside the box. Works great, except when you want to carry passengers in the back!

[Ben Hopson]

I use large storage containers that I picked up at Walmart. Big enough to hold an f64 backpack with room to spare. I put a 2" foam pad in the bottom to absorb vibration. The last couple years I have hit the road for a couple months in the fall to photograph and hauling camera gear in the back of the truck in containers has worked out well. I do have a canopy with very dark windows on the truck so you really can't see what is in the back. I built a wood frame out of 2X6's which two of the containers fit snugly in so they won't slide around.

[Fred L]

I don't think a wooden box would deter thieves. When I was considering a storage box, I was close to getting this...

http://www.mygreenlee.com/Products/main.shtml?p_search=storage&greenlee_category_id=7&Submit=Find&portalProcess_2=showGreenleeProductTemplate&upc_number=38718

Cabled down it would be a serious deterrent and give pause to potential thieves, ymmv of course. Some might consider it overkill but considering the cost of some of the lf gear people have, it's a viable option.

[Ed Richards]

Fred,

I am thinking about kids, not professionals. I am also thinking 3/4 plywood screwed and glued, piano hinge, and a serious hasp and lock.

[wfwhitaker]

Large dog.

[Fred L]

ah, that changes things of course. I made a couple of wannigans for canoeing and camping out of 1/4 birch ply but 3/8 would have been better. Long story short is it has a hinged lid as well as a drop front which doubles as a counter/ ledge. I used bullet catches but didn't do a very clean job of it but it works.

Ralph's workmanship is light years ahead of mine and damn fine looking. Don't have the patience to do fine woodworking etc..

As an aside, not sure where you're located but this place is a candy store for woodworkers if you like hardware and such.

http://www.leevalley.com/home.aspx

How much gear are you looking to store in it ?

[Dave Hally]

I use a large "soft cooler" to pack my toyo field and lenses and film in the van. It has a rigid liner and doesn't look like camera gear. I've also used this on my bMW motorcycle, strapped on a rack behind the solo seat, with the tripod in a bag from a cheap folding chair- nobody has ever bothered it. My only problem was that my cycle boots are a bitch to hike in!
Dave Hally

[John Kasaian]

If you're serious about security a steel truck box is about as good as anything else I've seen. Keep your gear in an Igloo Playmate stashed inside the truck box so you can grab it and go. Before using the cooler tie a rope to it and drag it a few blocks with your truck for "effect." Put lots of duct tape on it (a leaky cooler is next to worthless)and some cheesey decals (Women's Christian Temperence League or other decals suggesting sobriety) on the Igloo to out fox thirsty thieves.

[Turner Reich]

A teacher once suggested an old dirty suitcase, the old cardboard type, rub some stinky smelling stuff on it, no one will touch it.

[Scott Schroeder]

Ed, what kind of truck do you have?
Actually, it's no matter. I think this would work in any vehicle. I have used a 'skid' for many years for various reasons. In my truck it increases my storage room and gives me a table to use. Currently it's become part of mobile darkroom for wetplate :)
Here's a pic about what I'm talking about
http://www.schroederworks.com/MobDark/MobileDark_01.JPG
You could put all your gear under the skid and from the outside it just looks like a floor. If it's a trunk you could put a hinge on the middle of the skid to be able to get to it. You could carpet if you wanted to go for the ultimate in stealth....
This was easy to make. I think I used 3/4 ply and some 10X2s. I needed it high enough to go over the wheel wells. That way I am not limited to just a flat area between the wells, but can go wall to wall. It really is a helpful little piece!
If you look at the swing out door in the pic above you'll see a whitish square. That's another mod I like. It folds down like that while moving but can open up into a table to be used for cooking (or for collodion, where I can pour and fix the plates).
http://www.schroederworks.com/MobDark/MobileDark_03.JPG


Anyway, I hope that helps in some way....

[Ed Richards]

Thanks Scott! I have also been using a shelf, but I stack stuff on top. Maybe I need a double decker, so the stuff on top will be out of sight.

[Jean-Louis Llech]

And what happens to what is inside the double deck if someone breaks the door's lock ?
I would prefer a case securely bolted to the car's floor.
Otherwise, buy a hearse and place the camera and lenses into the coffin.
Or simply a box with a coffin shape. Needs the car to be painted in black. Not very secured, but impressive...

[Ed Richards]

Jean-Louis,

A lot of the issue in the US, or at least where I live, is break-ins driven by seeing valuable stuff in the car. Keeping things out of sight and the car locked solves most thefts. OTOH, a serious thief with a good bolt cutter can get through most locks in a few minutes, so security is limited even with a case bolted down. As someone suggested, a truck box will need an extra lock because truck boxes are pretty easy to break into. So security is always relative. I do like the idea of a Pelican case chained to the car as a good way to deter all but the most serious thieves. It will also protect your gear if you get flooded - not that we worry about that in south Louisiana.:-)

[jwaddison]

You can buy locks and chains that normal bolt-cutters won't even dent.

[Ed Richards]

> You can buy locks and chains that normal bolt-cutters won't even dent.

But you get back to the problem that you are connecting them to a plastic case. You might not be able to cut them, but you could bite through the case where they are attached. It is just a question of making things difficult, not impossible. Even the hardened steel can be dealt with - a thief with a battery powered Rotozip with the diamond wheel could get through anything fast.

[Eric Woodbury]

I made mine from 1/2" plywood. 3/4" is gastly heavy. It's big enough to hold the 5x7 and some film holders. I lined it with 4 ply mat board. It was strong enough to sit or stand on. Now I travel in a van and in the back is a platform with room for camera bags, film holders in ammo boxes, tripods, etc, under the platform. Bed on top of platform.

[Jean-Louis Llech]

OTOH, if an experienced thief "feels" that there is something valuable in the case bolted to the car (why would it be bolted if no value ?) he simply steals the car.
Just for joking...
The most important thing is of course to complicate his job, to slow him down sufficiently to discourage his attempt. Sometimes a simple warning siren completes the protection.

[Carsten Wolff]

Gawd, you guys are protective of your gear ;) my last car didn't even have a door lock (well it did, but I didn't have a matching key ;) ). I had it for six years, and all I got taken once was an old Swiss Army pocket knife out of the glove box. My reasoning is: Simply don't leave stuff in the car for any length of time and if you do, don't make it obvious.
"Lowepro" bag in the passenger seat and a a cellphone on the dash are asking for it....My father's station-wagon has one of those cargo sliding blinds; he's only ever had his cellphone stolen :)
Now, what was the original question :) ?