Anyone mounted a Pelican Case or Alubox inside rear cargo area? (1 Viewer)

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Long story short, we need the rear cargo area to carry ~300 pounds of dog. So, I've removed the third row and have decided to forgo a drawer system. But, I would like to find a solution to carry a recovery strap, tree strap, snatch block, winch controller, shackles, a tire repair kit, and a few other tools and parts. The stuff that needs to be in the truck every day, basically. Considered housing them in a nice bag, in the 2nd row footwell, but that eats up foot space for the occasional passenger, is potentially visible at trailheads, etc. Worried the Trail Tailor dropgate storage thing might not be spacious enough. Now I'm thinking of mounting a Pelican or Alubox to one or two of the bolts left over from the seat removal. I can obviously measure, but figured I'd see if anyone else has done something similar back there. If so, show me your solutions. Interested in ease of access, being able to fully open the lid without being fouled by the 2nd row seat backs or wheel arches, making the most of the odd shapes back there, etc. Suggestions?

 
Some guys carry them on top of the ARB drawer system and if you look at those treads they have some nice tie down systems they have install on top of the arb drawers..
 
Long story short, we need the rear cargo area to carry ~300 pounds of dog. So, I've removed the third row and have decided to forgo a drawer system. But, I would like to find a solution to carry a recovery strap, tree strap, snatch block, winch controller, shackles, a tire repair kit, and a few other tools and parts. The stuff that needs to be in the truck every day, basically. Considered housing them in a nice bag, in the 2nd row footwell, but that eats up foot space for the occasional passenger, is potentially visible at trailheads, etc. Worried the Trail Tailor dropgate storage thing might not be spacious enough. Now I'm thinking of mounting a Pelican or Alubox to one or two of the bolts left over from the seat removal. I can obviously measure, but figured I'd see if anyone else has done something similar back there. If so, show me your solutions. Interested in ease of access, being able to fully open the lid without being fouled by the 2nd row seat backs or wheel arches, making the most of the odd shapes back there, etc. Suggestions?



I feel your pain. 2x100 lbs german shepherds. But I camp/hunt so drawers are coming. I have been using Front Runner cases. Plastic but seem well built. I put my recovery gear in one and then a second one i put all my straps, ratchets and miscellaneous connections for securing loads to my Front Runner rack. They are not bolted down but dont move. The boys arent bothered by them. Good thing is, i can move them to second row if need be.
 
I feel your pain. 2x100 lbs german shepherds. But I camp/hunt so drawers are coming. I have been using Front Runner cases. Plastic but seem well built. I put my recovery gear in one and then a second one i put all my straps, ratchets and miscellaneous connections for securing loads to my Front Runner rack. They are not bolted down but dont move. The boys arent bothered by them. Good thing is, i can move them to second row if need be.

I use wolf packs in my pickup and love them. But looking for something a little more secure here. Don't want cases flying around in the dog space if there's ever a crash or rollover or even just a big bump.
 
Have you considered a heavy duty bag that is secured to one of the anchor points back there? You'd likely have a little bit of movement in the event of something unexpected, but it could be limited to within acceptable tolerances.
 
Might really be worth reconsidering drawers.

What some folks don’t think about in advance is that drawres actually create a LARGER usable floor than without them because they do away with the space-intrusive wheel well bumps. So...you end up with a carpeted surface much wider than before.

And...it means all recovery gear (plus a lot more) can be safely & comfortably kept under your beautiful dogs...not to mention a ton more items.

Also...drawers mean you can access their contents without even having to remove your dogs. If it’s rainy/muddy...you will be very glad about that. ;)
 
You can even use the short drawers to maintain as much headroom and still have a place to store your stuff. Lockable and out of sight.

ARB:
regular (11" high): RD1045 or RDRF1045
short (5.5" high): RF1045

Not sure if the fit kit works with the short drawers though.
 

I did this to mount my spare and a couple of ammo cans to hold all the same stuff. It’s holding up great!
 
Giving this one a bump, both to see how it turned out for you @WesSiler but also to gauge if anyone else has used hard boxes in any other creative ways!
 
Giving this one a bump, both to see how it turned out for you @WesSiler but also to gauge if anyone else has used hard boxes in any other creative ways!



Works well. Space is tight, but essentials are secure and the dogs are safe from anything bouncing around in their area. Used jubilee clamps to connect to seat mounts.
 
Drawers are fantastic in a dedicated vehicle, but add a lot of weight while reducing versatility.

Uhhh... I'm gonna have to strongly disagree with the last part of that sentence (underlined). Maybe in your case, but definitely not mine.
 
Uhhh... I'm gonna have to strongly disagree with the last part of that sentence (underlined). Maybe in your case, but definitely not mine.

We use our vehicles for more than going camping. Brought a large pressure washer home from the cabin this weekend with no forward planning. Just folded the second row to make space. Couldn't have saved my in laws the trip if we had bulky, heavy, inefficient drawers in there.
 
Might really be worth reconsidering drawers.

What some folks don’t think about in advance is that drawres actually create a LARGER usable floor than without them because they do away with the space-intrusive wheel well bumps. So...you end up with a carpeted surface much wider than before.

And...it means all recovery gear (plus a lot more) can be safely & comfortably kept under your beautiful dogs...not to mention a ton more items.

Also...drawers mean you can access their contents without even having to remove your dogs. If it’s rainy/muddy...you will be very glad about that. ;)

I have to explain this to people many times each week. Drawers with a trim kit that cover all the way to the plastic gives you way more room. In the 200, it’s roughly 40 percent more usable flat space. If you don’t want the cost, etc, a simple platform that is higher than the wheel wells will do fine. The drawback to the platforms is access underneath. You need to run bins of some type or you’ll be crawling in there to retrieve smaller items.
 
I have to explain this to people many times each week. Drawers with a trim kit that cover all the way to the plastic gives you way more room. In the 200, it’s roughly 40 percent more usable flat space. If you don’t want the cost, etc, a simple platform that is higher than the wheel wells will do fine. The drawback to the platforms is access underneath. You need to run bins of some type or you’ll be crawling in there to retrieve smaller items.

300 lbs of dog don't need a flat load area. Drawers are great in a dedicated camping vehicle, but get in the way in other roles. Also, load height is as valid a dimension as floor width.
 
300 lbs of dog don't need a flat load area. Drawers are great in a dedicated camping vehicle, but get in the way in other roles. Also, load height is as valid a dimension as floor width.

OK.

For others reading along whose minds are not made up... 1.3 cents more Re usable space:

You cannot pile gear ON TOP of dogs.
-Putting dogs on the lower floor basically monopolizes the entire height.
Drawers let dogs sit comfortably with more width....AND you can then safely use the secure space below them.
 
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Sounds like you're happy with your approach, but i don't really agree with your assessment. Drawers are very functional and not just in dedicated camping vehicles. If you have wings, they create a larger flat surface and a ton of storage at the same time. Our dogs (adult labs, so decent sized pups) love the big flat space. Loading them isn't an issue since the tailgate is an interim step before the platform. I use an easily removable net to discourage them from going into the front seat area. The one part I do agree with is that it makes it a tiny bit harder to haul taller objects on the fly. Then again, if I plan ahead, I can easily remove my boxes.
 
We use our vehicles for more than going camping. Brought a large pressure washer home from the cabin this weekend with no forward planning. Just folded the second row to make space. Couldn't have saved my in laws the trip if we had bulky, heavy, inefficient drawers in there.

My point is you can't make blanket statements condemning drawers. The weight is insignificant, at least I couldn't tell the difference, and the ARBs probably weigh less (empty) than the 3 dogs. The space utilization is WAAAY more efficient, for me. I've only had one time in the past 2 years where I couldn't fit a piece of furniture into the truck due to height.
 
As Wes pointed out, height of available room (with drawers in place) is also limiting factor and it's worth considering. I know my GSD fit very tight on top of my drawers, and couldn't stand up completely; standing up is often necessary when bouncing around on poor roads, as that gives the dog more stability/control. And it's just nice to have that room when the dog is sleeping there overnight (camping).

For multiple dogs, I would get a custom, form-fitted crate made to maximize use of space in the rear. That would keep the dogs safe, contain fur/dirt, and provide mounting points on the sides of the crate for various small items (like what OP wants to carry).

Of course, the crate would get in the way of some day-to-day tasks (like carrying that pressure washer mentioned above), but that setup would still work fine for the majority of errands (you can throw boxes or what not inside the empty crate).

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More pics and info in build thread.
 
My point is you can't make blanket statements condemning drawers. The weight is insignificant, at least I couldn't tell the difference, and the ARBs probably weigh less (empty) than the 3 dogs. The space utilization is WAAAY more efficient, for me. I've only had one time in the past 2 years where I couldn't fit a piece of furniture into the truck due to height.

I'm glad everyone has taken my decision not to put drawers in this truck as the personal indictment of your entire existence that is was meant to be.
 

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