Looking for a gear bag for my truck...

Macchina

Macchina

Gold Member
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Apr 7, 2006
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Yup, another bag thread from me.
I traded my Versi Pack a while back, and now I don't have a gear bag for my truck. I am looking for a bag to hold misc gear (tools, survival gear, a little ammo, etc.). The jumbo versi pack was just a tad too small. I like the looks of the Tactical Tailor multi purpose range bag, but don't what they are like inside and I can't decide between the large or medium. I am also looking at the "bug out bag" from lapolicegear.com, but don't know if I trust the quality. These are just a few of the bags I've been looking at. pockets and organization are a plus. I haven't ruled out a small backpack either.

Any advice or suggestions on a bag will be most appriciated.
Thanks,
Michaelmcgo
 
I use a Makita tool bag. Nice flat bottom, doesn't roll, wide mouth, shoulder strap, tough and was free with purchase. These tool bags work well for the trunk. Keeps your tools, tape, first aid kit, shooting supplies, binoculars, gloves, hat, ammo, whatever in one place. Heavy stuff in the bottom and I don't zip mine up for quick access.
 
Maxpedition Methuselah. BOB design without looking like a tactical bag, perfect size, built like a tank.
 
Maxpediton Pygmy Falcon ll is small enough not to be bulky but is oragnized and big enough to carry enough to be an awesome bug out bag.
 
Keep in mind Gollnick's hard-learned rule about keepin stuff inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle: if you wouldn't want to get hit on the head with it, then it belongs in the trunk because in an accident, all of the loose stuff in the passenger compartment will take flight and you very well could be hit on the head with any of it. Even things like a bag of tools and gear which may seem very heavy and which may not move around much in "normal" driving will take flight in an accident; think about it: people who weigh hundreds of pounds are routinely thrown around dramatically in accidents, so it stands to reason that a few dozen pounds of tools and gear will take of quite well. The force generated when a vehicle goes from 45+ MPH to zero in a dozen or two feet are huge.

And don't trust the glove compartment or center console or any other such compartment which opens into the passenger compartment. In an accident, all of those compartments will -- will (I've been there, trust me) -- open and spill their contents into the air around your head.

For the pickup truck owner, this rule is a problem since you have no trunk. It necessitates a locking toolbox in the bed. But I see no other safe way to go.

Of course, for you pickup owners, this
 
Have you checked out the Maratac stuff from countycomm? Good quality stuff at a good price.

Gollnick made a good point. If you don't have a locking toolbox, maybe thread the shoulder strap thru the bottomside of your passenger seat in the rear to help keep it from flying.
 
i have a pilots bag .real heavy canvas used it for 20 yrs.i don't think it will ever wear out.these were common at gun shows 15 yrs. ago.can be used as a quick throw in ba g for hunting or opr fishing or week ender.
 
Gollnick said:
For the pickup truck owner, this rule is a problem since you have no trunk. It necessitates a locking toolbox in the bed. But I see no other safe way to go.

Of course, for you pickup owners, this
Click to expand...

But you forget Newton's law of universal gravitation. If I don't wear a seatbelt, the same forces will be exerted on me, and I will be protected from any flying objects. If the tool box goes left at 100 fps, I too will be thown left at 100 fps, completely avoiding the toolbox.

I like the size of the Pygmy Falcon, all their stuff is so expensive though...
 
I was thinking about getting a Duluth Trading gatemouth tool bag for my truck. The wide opening makes sorting stuff out much easier.
 
michaelmcgo said:
But you forget Newton's law of universal gravitation. If I don't wear a seatbelt, the same forces will be exerted on me, and I will be protected from any flying objects. If the tool box goes left at 100 fps, I too will be thown left at 100 fps, completely avoiding the toolbox.
Click to expand...


If you aren't belted in, then you will hit the dashboard at 35 to 65 MPH and stop suddenly thus exposing yourself to huge dynamic forces. Just as you slam into the dashboard, so your brain slams into the inside of your skull, your kidneys slam into the wall of your abdomen, etc. And what of the tool bag? It will slam into the back of your head at the same speed.

And if it is a rollover accident as mine was, think about cloths in the dryer... especially as the dryer stops. Everything gets all mixed up with everything colliding with everything else and then, suddenly, it all falls on top of itself at the bottom.

You might say, "But I've never had an accident; I'm a good driver." I'm sure you are. But what about the other hundred million people on the road chatting on their cell phones, fixing their eye makeup, and making their way from one bar to the next? Accidents do happen even to the best drivers.

Yes, they do. And so modern cars have many design features to protect you even if you stupidly don't wear your belt, air bags that pop out, dashboards made of materials that will cushion your impact, etc., but you can defeat all of that by arranging for a tool box to slam into the back of your head.

If you wouldn't want to be hit in head with it, then put it in the trunk.
 
Gollnick said:
If you aren't belted in, then you will hit the dashboard at 35 to 65 MPH and stop suddenly thus exposing yourself to huge dynamic forces. Just as you slam into the dashboard, so your brain slams into the inside of your skull, your kidneys slam into the wall of your abdomen, etc. And what of the tool bag? It will slam into the back of your head at the same speed.
Click to expand...

My windshield is pretty cracked, I like to think of it as "pre-loaded for ejection". In the event of a catastrophic crash, me and the tool bag will be ejected from the caos going on inside of the cab. After an expertly executed diving roll, I will recover the tool bag and begin the repairs on my damaged truck.

What bag will hold up to a windshield ejection and a 45 mph landing?
 
For a truck bag I say go cheap. It might get stolen after all if you intend to leave it in there. Those canvas tool bags are pretty tough and usually have a solid bottom to hold a good deal of weight without buckling. I saw a Husky large tool bag at home depot for around $40.00 that was pretty big and looked very durable. It has interal and external pockets for inserting different tools and such. Nothing as secure as a mag pouch or anything but if the bag is just riding in your truck it should fit the bill nicely. The heavy zip top will keep stuff from spilling out. My two truck bags are a "Great Neck" tool bag that holds my jack, tire iron, E-tool, flares, air compressor, jumper cables, battery charger, and tire plug kit. It cost me maybe $20.00 at auto zone. And then a large "Franklin" Rolling travel bag I got from Wal Mart for about $25.00. It's one of the large rectangular ones with outside pockets and the extending handle and little roller skate wheels. It came with a carboard shell in it. I left it in there as it helps keep the bag from sagging. I got all kinds of survival gear in there. That plus my EDC Maxpedition Bag, there really isn't anything I can't handle. And the trucks bags are cheap so that if they get stolen, I'll be more worried about the stolen gear than the bags that held them.

I'm gonna assume you're joking about going through the windshield of your turck. I doubt you'd be in any shape to fix anything at that point so it doesn't matter where your tools land.
 
Infi-del said:
I'm gonna assume you're joking about going through the windshield of your turck. I doubt you'd be in any shape to fix anything at that point so it doesn't matter where your tools land.
Click to expand...

Of course I am joking, I've been in a few wrecks where my seatbelt either saved my life or helped me walk away much better than if I wasn't wearing it. This last March, I was coming home from a night class at about 10:00pm on a rainy night. An idiot of a girl had a flat tire and stopped in the middle of the right lane on the express way (about 60 mph in this area). This area of the express way has a huge luxurious 10' shoulder with a very gently curved curb, ideal conditions for changing a tire. I saw her with plenty of time, slowed down, and put my blinker on to change lanes. Traffic was a little heavy, so I came to a stop behind her waiting for a clearing in the line of cars. After about 10 seconds of waiting, I was rear-ended by a chick in a jeep who wasn't paying attention at all. The force caused my head to slam into the metal support of my head rest on my 1991 Ford Ranger (not much padding on the seat). I blacked out immediately and when I came too, I was 100 yards in front of the car with the flat tire, and a minivan had also been rear-ended in the mix-up (but the other driver fled the scene). My truck was totaled and I was pretty confused for the rest of the night. It was raining and about 40 degrees out, so I was very glad I had my waterproof Northface shell in the truck. I also had a couple blankets to wrap up in (and a few for the other people). My flashlight (Nitecore D20) came in handy because of the 3 wreckers that came, only 1 brought a flashlight. Nothing hit me in the head besides the seat (that I can remember), but I can definitely appreciate the advice to tie stuff down. I still can't believe the amazing force that 2 vehicles exert on each other in a crash. I got $500 in a Minitort, and much better truck now.
 
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