Packing gear can be a pain in the ass, and with hundreds of storage solutions available on the market, it can be tough to find a quality product that will perform well under multiple circumstances.
After using Rubbermaid Action Packers for the past 2 years, I decided it was time to find a new storage solution that would perform well both in and outside the truck. My goal was to get something that was waterproof, didn’t weigh 500 lbs, and was affordable enough that if I ran it over by accident, I wouldn’t mind.
My first thought was to go with something from Pelican, but while their products are well built, they are HEAVY. The new Alu-Box’s looked like they would fit the ticket, but considering the smaller ones start north of $200, they were way outside the affordable price point. Now you’re probably going to say, since when do the guys at DRT care about price point? My answer is go buy a house and then come and talk to me.
Finally I ended up checking out the Front Runner Wolf Pack, and it checked off all of the necessary items on my list. It’s relatively waterproof, it’s lightweight/durable, and cheap enough that I wouldn’t mind if it flew off my roof rack.
The Front Runner Wolf Pack is made of high quality plastic, has integrated carrying handles, 4 easy to use latches, and is designed to be stack-able. The Wolf Pack easily supports the weight of an average person, and also makes a great seat around the campfire. There are drain holes in the bottom that would let in water if the box was submerged, but I’ve left it on the roof of the truck during a rain storm and have had zero issues with water penetration.
This particular box was setup for my camp kitchen, and with an interior dimension of 17.7″ x 13.4″ x 8.1″ it was able to easily store my entire kit. Inside the box I’m able to pack 2 cast iron skillets, 4 SnowPeak plates, 4 SnowPeak bowels, 6 sets of cutlery, 1 propane tank, cooking spray, 1 paper towel roll, 1 roll of toilet paper, SnowPeak tongs, a backpacking kitchen kit, 1 kitchen sink, 2 SnowPeak mugs, and a set of assorted cooking utensils. As you can see, it easily holds a ton of stuff.
The only thing I wasn’t crazy about is some of the latches come with a piece of plastic that is left over from the molding process. I wasn’t paying attention the first time I used the box and cut one of my fingers. It’s not a big deal and it’s easily fixed, but it’s something that quality control should pick up on.
We’re going to be using a few of the Wolf Packs in the field this summer, and I’ve been very happy with the 3 boxes that I purchased so far. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these for gear storage, and they’re a huge upgrade from my old Action Packer. Keep an eye out for the long term review we’re going to publish in a few weeks!
I got a couple of the Bundu boxes. It is pretty much the same African ammo box as the Wolf. They are pretty durable. My only gripe would be the crappy plastic clips they came with. Maybe its just our colder Michigan weather. Sierra Expeditions sells some replacement metal spring clips that work good but tent to like to go airborne sometimes.
I found some of these in black at Wallyworld last year. They may not be as durable but they are stackable and keep out the moisture. https://www.amazon.com/Quart-Ziploc%C2%AE-WeatherShield-Storage-Clear/dp/B00MWTJXP0
I haven’t had an issue with the clips yet, but I can definitely see how they could become brittle over time. I just got back from a trip where they boxes got beat up pretty heavily from low hanging branches, and they are still in great shape. To mitigate this in the future, I got the FrontRunner carrying bag that holds 3 of the boxes. We’ll see how well they do over the next few years.