Cargo Solutions For Your Next Big Adventure

Sometimes it can be difficult to organize a challenging equipment review. Not this time. In January, my wife and I needed to load our Toyota Tundra full of household belongings and all our outdoor equipment, and drive from Fairbanks, Alaska to Tucson, Arizona, traversing the Alaska Highway in mid-winter. To complicate matters, the locks on our truck’s bed shell hatch had gone on strike. No amount of heat or de-icer would free them, so the hatch had to remain cracked the entire trip. This meant every night we had to unload all our containers and luggage, brush off crusted accumulated drift snow and ice, and reload them. Given that the morning before we left the temperature in Fairbanks was -42ºF, you can imagine we did this quickly, with little regard to maintaining duffels and cases in pristine condition. The truck had its block heater plugged in most nights; the luggage had to either endure ambient temperatures or a 90-degree swing if we brought it into a lodge. In these conditions, soft luggage wants to turn into hard luggage, latches balk, gaskets freeze.

Fortunately, from previous travels spanning Alaska to Zambia, we had a selection of our own well-proven containers we were pretty sure would hold up, along with several new candidates we hoped would.

Filson Rugged Twill Duffel

Years ago, Filson ran an ad featuring one of their Rugged Twill duffels hanging from an engine hoist. Inside the duffel was an entire VW Beetle engine. I never tried that, but my own Filson duffel is the veteran of eight or nine trips to Africa, and betrays it with nothing but patina. Look all you want for sophisticated features on this bag—U-shaped opening, pockets, technical fabric—you won’t find any; just burly, lightly waxed cotton twill and bridle-leather fittings seemingly sourced from Cape buffalo hides. You could melt down the brass in the zipper and forge a sizable musical instrument. Admittedly, the slot opening is not as convenient as a full flap, and you might miss external pockets if you’re a hyper-compartmentalizer. Small concessions to a bag with this much character. When it’s finally retired, you’ll want to hang it on the wall of your study. $595; filson.com

Pelican 1615TRVL

Pelican’s brilliant 1535 Air is the best carry-on case on the planet—lightweight, tough enough to shrug off abuse from fellow passengers fighting viciously for overhead space, suitable as an impromptu seat in overcrowded gate areas. I fly nowhere without mine. The 1615TRVL is its perfect check-in companion. Molded from the same HPX polymer (which seemed immune to sub-zero temperatures), the 1615 has two and a half times the volume of the carry-on, and shares its effortless push-pull latches (five of them rather than two; the front ones with TSA keyed locks), stainless-bearing wheels, steel-reinforced padlock eyes, side and top carrying handles, extendable trolley handle, and a clever tamper-proof business card/ID slot. It then adds significant organizational capabilities in the form of a multi-compartmented and pocketed lid insert, plus two packing cubes. As a pair, these two might be all the luggage you’ll ever need. $510; pelican.com

Zarges Revel K470

My first exposure to Zarges cases was the sight of four dusty, beat-up examples strapped down in the back of a Land Rover 130 Hi-Cap pick-up in Namibia, circa 1999. I have no doubt those cases are still in use. No other cargo-carrying device I know of comes closer to justifying the term “investment.” All-aluminum (1.5mm 5005 alloy) construction with stainless-steel hinges renders the K470 completely corrosion-proof (not to mention recyclable), cast corner caps shrug off serious bashes and allow secure stacking, glove-friendly cam-over latches secure the dust-and rain-proof lid. Vertical sides and sharply radiused corners mean volumetric efficiency is second to none, in addition to which the K470 is available in a bewildering array of sizes—there’s one my wife could have shipped me ahead in (that’s the two-grand price below), and another suitable for several long guns. The company also offers a variety of internal divider options (including organizers from Step22), and a heavy-duty set of casters so you can roll a whole stack of cases into a garage corner when not in use. Note to self: Definitely use gloves when handling aluminum cases in winter. $290-$2,123; zargesusa.com

Kuiu Kodiak 3000 Submersible Duffel

If you’ve booked a fall caribou hunt in arctic Alaska, it will rain on you and your equipment. Such an outing might have been the inspiration behind Kuiu’s Kodiak 3000. Tough, TPU-coated nylon, welded seams, and an air- and watertight zipper means your gear can’t get wet, even if you manage to dunk the whole bag in the Yukon. On other waterproof bags I’ve used, the straight zipper restricts access, but the Kodiak’s opens a bit wider thanks to two extension wings, allowing you to stuff the fattest sleeping bag inside. Grab handles at both ends make it easy to heave into the cargo hold of a Tundra or a DHC-2, and the reinforced Hypalon bottom won’t object to being dragged back out. Surprisingly comfortable shoulder straps are handy if there’s a hike between your take-out point and camp. Two flat zippered interior pockets hold phones, licenses and tags. If you also happen to own a set of Kuiu’s excellent camo you can order the bag to match. If you need (considerably) more room, there’s a Kodiak 6600 as well. $299; kuiu.com

Rux Revel 70L

At first glance the Rux seems like neither fish nor fowl. Actually it’s both. It looks like a soft case, but you can lean on it with nearly all your weight. It stays rigid for loading or carrying, and it cinches down in the cargo area like a hard case. Give each of the vertical corners a brisk karate chop, however, and the case squashes down to about two inches tall. You can stack five or six collapsed Rux cases in the space of one deployed case. The secret is in the spring steel corner braces, which pop back upright with the push of a thumb when you need a box again. The rigid lid is sectioned so you can fold back just part of it for access, and it’s completely rain and dust-proof. An available interior bag separates gear if you need to, and accessory pockets clip easily to the upper perimeter rails on either the inside or outside. I wondered if the flexible material would remain so at below-zero temperatures or crumble into a thousand frozen chips. Astonishingly, it felt as pliable at -40º as at 80º. $298; rux.life

Dometic Go Hard Storage

You can think of the Dometic Go Hard Storage as either an upscale Wolf Pack or a downscale Zarges. It combines aluminum and composite construction, and falls between the others in price. Since it was a fresh design, it shares none of the downsides of the original Wolf Pack. The lid is hinged rather than separate, and the dual latches operate easily with gloves on. Space efficiency is on par with the Wolf Pack, and the cases share very good water- and dust-resistance—although, in the unlikely scenario the Dometic wound up sitting in two inches of standing water, I’d expect seepage through the riveted bottom plastic-to-aluminum seam. You could stand on the Dometic as is, but attaching an aluminum reinforcement plate, as I did on a Wolf Pack, would undoubtedly overbalance the hinged lid when opened on an empty case. I’d like to see Dometic offer this in a larger size as well to create a versatile system. $150; dometic.com

Step22 Tamarin Trunk

Looking at the dimensions of the Tamarin Trunk—23.5 inches long by 8.5 wide and 8 tall—I admit to wondering what exactly I’d do with it. I needn’t have. Right off the bat it proved to be perfect for storing my 30-foot C4RS KERR recovery rope—which until then had been an awkward bundle to manage—along with gloves and a selection of hard and soft shackles. Sold. Looking around some more, it also proved perfect for carrying my tire-changing kit: a hydraulic bottle jack, 24-inch handle extensions, an 18-inch breaker bar with a short extension and appropriate sockets. Nice; I guess I need two. Hmm, let’s see. My rolled Thermarest Base Camp sleeping pad fit—much more convenient storage and a lot better protection against punctures than the standard stuff sack. I could go on, but you get the idea. You probably have more things than you know that are two feet long and eight or so inches around that could use a sturdy, zippered case with handle. $90; step22gear.com

Plano Sportsman’s Trunk

At $50 and boasting a full 5 cubic feet of storage space, the Sportsman’s Trunk effortlessly wins the price/volume award here. It must be said this is no Zarges—the plastic construction is thin and flexible; the lid is separate, attached by four slightly dodgy latches. It’s only minimally rain-resistant. However, my wife and I have used two of these trunks to ferry our (heavy) books and business supplies back and forth from Tucson to Fairbanks via Alaska Air a half-dozen times now, and both cases have survived with zero damage. We zip-tie the lids to back up the latches, and have never had one pop open. The wheels have held up perfectly with no coddling, even under a full load of publications. Of course, neither has yet been sucked out of a hole in a Boeing 737, but short of that I’m expecting them to last a long time. $50; planooutdoors.com

Front Runner Wolf Pack Pro

For years, the South African military-derived Wolf Pack—originally designed to carry ammunition—has been one of my top recommendations for sturdy, affordable gear storage. It is rain-proof and dust-resistant, more space-efficient than most plastic cases, and just the right size for everything from tools to food. I bolted a piece of 3/8ths-inch aluminum diamond-plate to the lid of the Wolf Pack we use for recovery gear, and it doubles handily as a step into our Land Cruiser Troop Carrier. There is just one problem with the original case: The four plastic latches are difficult to operate and prone to popping out altogether. Front Runner swapped them for sturdier units, and streamlined the entire design while they were at it. Totally worth the premium over the standard item. $80; frontrunneroutfitters.com

Grundéns Wayward Backpack

Confession: This Grundéns fisherman’s backpack was not on the Alaska/Arizona journey—I’m pretty sure it’s designed for piscatorial outings that don’t require boring a hole through two feet of ice. The Wayward is a waterproof, roll-top rucksack with enough room (38 liters) for all your fishing equipment, camera, lunch, dry clothes and shoes. There’s even a laptop compartment if you want to do a streamside Photoshop job on that 12-inch brookie and lengthen it a bit. The compression-molded back panel provides all the rigidity you need for loads around 20 lbs.; the shoulder straps will carry that weight comfortably. Two elastic side pockets hold slim water bottles or Thermoses. It’s in my fly fishing kit, ready for next summer. $180; grundens.com

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