| 379 | Action Packer | 2011-04-20 |
If you have gear, you need a place to store it. Years ago, I tried several different storage systems. The plastic crate with a folding top was good but the lids soon cracked. The plastic milk crates were sturdier; but it did not have a lid nor solid walls. Wooden crates were good; but they were heavy and most did not have lids.
I also tried duffles and similar soft shell bags. I tried a variety of sizes; but the less than rigid design made them difficult to store some types of gear.
Finally, Rubbermaid entered the gear storage game with the Action Packer. Essentially it is an ice cooler without the insulation. The crates range in size from an eight gallon, small bin to really big ones. We find the most uses for the small and medium size containers.
A few Action Packer notes ....
I am a little foggy on the dates; but I have been using the Action Packers for about 20 years and none have cracked or broken.
My wife, also, likes the containers.
We use an 8 gallon container as our kitchen. It stays ready to go.
The containers are waterproof. To rephrase that, we have never had water inside one from rain. If you dunked the Action Packer, it would probably take on water. It is not advertised as waterproof.
For car packing, we use a combination of hard shell and soft shell storage containers. Using hard shell only, looses space.
We use the container for a table. It is a good height to use with Crazy Creek chairs or other low to the ground "beach" chairs.
The perfect table cloth for an Action Packer is a dish towel.
The latches secure the bin. Storing food in the garage, we do not have to worry about rodents if we store the food in the Action Packer.
It is not bear proof.
We have stood on the Action Packers. The lid is reinforced and takes a lot of weight. Now, you probably couldn't tap dance on top of one; but a soft, carefully placed step is possible.
We sit on the Action Packers regularly.
We store the Action Packers in the garage. The containers are subject to the non-insulated garage temperatures. It is cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. The Action Packers seem unaffected.
We use package labels to help identify what is inside the boxes.
The lids are designed for locking.
Our kitchen, Action Packer
The Action Packer is by far the best storage container we use.
Happy action packing trails.