Discover Optimal Storage Solutions for Overlanding with Tailgate Gear

A Brief Introduction

Overlanding is synonymous with adventure. It is the perfect mix of travel, exploration, camping, and discovery. It is quintessentially freedom at its best.

To make sure every trip is fun, memorable, and comfortable, a good storage solution is key. At Tailgate Gear, while we design and manufacture overlanding premium storage solution, we strive to provide the best possible advice to our customers and fellow overlanders to make sure everyone has a great time traveling and exploring.

Why it is important to nail a good storage solution

An effective storage solution is important to be able to organize, secure and sometimes keep all your gear safe. Let’s see why each of these objectives is relevant when overlanding.

Organizing your overlanding gear

Organization of your gear, ranging from clothing, to camping items, food and drinks and recovery tools, helps you to keep everything easy to reach and accounted for.

The first step you may want to take is lay everything out on one space to get a visual idea of what you would like to carry with you. What you want to take and what you actually will need my be two different things. More on that later when we discuss minimalism.

To further improve your overlanding storage option, you can identify or label your items, so you know where to reach into and grab the garment or piece of equipment you are looking for.

You may also want to pack your stuff side by side rather than in layers. This is important to be able to visually spot what you need without the moving stuff around, messing up an otherwise perfectly organized drawer or box.

[PRO TIP for clothes: roll your garments rather than folding them flat. Pack them vertically next to each other and use partitions where possible so that they don’t fall when you extract them. Better yet, divide your items in categories and inside color coded nets. T-shirts in one, trousers in another, underwear and socks in their own and one for dirty clothes.]

It takes effort and building a habit to organize (and to keep it organized) your items but what you will get in return is a relaxed and rewarding travel experience and an efficient use of your gear. More on this, keep reading.

Securing your overlanding gear

Securing your gear means making sure it does not move around while searching through it, when driving, when you are out wheeling, or, hopefully never, when you have an accident.

There are several ways to secure your overlanding cargo cases, drawers, or other storage solutions. Various straps, with or without ratchet, elastics, with or without hooks, velcro strips, lock mechanisms and bolts and nuts.

Each have benefits to consider depending on the usage and the frequency you need to access the cargo box or drawer you are securing and of course based on the layout and features of your storage system.

Heavy boxes can be secured with ratchet straps and sturdy elastic straps. Some versions have anchor-points built-in while others have proprietary mounting mechanisms with locks and latches. The heavier the content the most secured the systems needs to be. Your jacket can be stored with a velcro strap while your recovery gear box with over 20kg of stuff needs to be really secured.

Drawers are usually bolted down on dedicated surfaces and platforms. Alternatives are ratchet straps (verify the load of the straps you select) or with metal turnbuckles. 4 bolts or anchor points will be necessary and will need to be pulling the drawers downwards not just kept in place.

It goes without saying that the surface you are placing your box or drawer systems on needs to be either part of the vehicle or securely attached to it, inside or outside of it. Otherwise, all your efforts will be in vain.

Keeping your overlanding gear safe

Keeping some of your gear safe, away from children or potential thieves, is also an important consideration.

If you plan on carrying potentially dangerous items like knives, guns, ammunitions and certain lighters or if you need to keep under lock a valuable electronic like a drone, a camera or data storage disk, then a lock is a simple but effective solution.

You love traveling in your vehicle but a run to the store, a hike in a popular spot or kids playing around your 4x4 may be situations where a locked drawer or a lockable box (itself fixed onto your vehicle) provide extra piece of mind.

The ultimate lock does not exist, but you can greatly reduce your risks, slow down ill-intentioned “visitors” and, again, make your overlading a truly relaxing and enjoyable experience.

How to choose the best overlanding storage solution that fits your needs.

First and foremost, you want to make sure you are selecting durable products that will not break when you most need them. In addition, you may want to consider capacity, versatility, and compatibility.

Durability

A durable storage solution needs to perform when you are out exploring. Sturdy materials, well-engineered construction and an easiness of use all contribute to making a product your best ally.

If you are evaluating a storage box, you may want to check the type of plastic or metal used to manufacture it. Thickness of the material is related to the type utilized and its construction. A plastic injected box, for example is solid and minimizes joints. This can help create a strong product with waterproof features. If treated well it can last for a very long time.

A drawer system usually incorporates more components made of metal, wood and plastic. One key element to evaluate is the sliding system both in terms of load capacity as well as the type (ball bearings, rails, Teflon pads, or other).

For wood drawers, marine plywood is a good option to minimize the impact of natural elements and humidity. And make sure wood is treated and coated properly with heavy duty paint.

Finally, for metal components of the drawers and their containers, find out if aluminum, steel or stainless steel is used. Rust can be an issue in the long run and therefore stainless steel or aluminum (which is lighter), can be a better option compared to, for example, galvanized steel.

Look through products’ specifications and do not be afraid to contact the seller or the manufacturer for any question you may have.

Capacity

The capacity of your storage solution needs to be maximized based on the use you plan for it and the bigger may not always be the better. Small items may benefit from a small size box or drawer where they don’t get lost, covered, or spread around in larger space.

Look for a combination of capacities, within a specific product, that has a purpose, based on what you need.

Capacity is also best optimized using partitions. They allow you to separate gear as well as to keep it from moving around.

Finally, a large box, drawer or bag can be used to store smaller boxes, each with their load and weight. Be sure to check inner sizes of the storage you are looking at.

Versatility

Sometimes you need to get creative when you are out there on your own, with family and with friends. A box can serve as a seat, a good bag can be used to pack wood for your next camp, a drawer with a cutting board on top of it may be the perfect place for a quick snack.

These are just few examples, and more is possible based on the product’s materials, construction and hidden “easter eggs” features.

Several products are also built with rails, extruded profiles channels and hooks that allow you to secure other items on top, mount extensions and create your very own DIY project to complement the product.

Versatility for overlanding products is very often a function of its owner’s creativity so make sure to experiment and share your hacks!

Compatibility

As you build up your overlanding setup, it is likely you are going to select gear from various brands and with different sizes. Each will serve a purpose but making sure everything comes together well and your stuff is organized, easy to reach and secured, is a plus.

Perfect compatibility is likely when you purchase products from a single company or single source but with a bit of research you can make sure boxes can be stacked together and drawers can accommodate your favorite boxes and duffle bags.

For example, small every day or consumables items such as bottled water or cans, have standard sizes so you want to check the inner sizes of drawers or boxes to make sure those can be placed standing to maximize capacity.

How to store your overlanding storage solution.

Your vehicle can be optimized for storage in various spots. You have of course the inside of your truck which offers a safe and dry space for your gear.

For regular 4x4s like Toyota Land Cruisers, Jeep Wranglers, Land Rover Defenders and other similar vehicles, the roof rack is the most popular choice to expand your total storage space.

And if you drive a pick-up truck, you can utilize the load bed to store a lot of your stuff. You can further expand that with a hard top, with a rack, with a canopy.

Let’s see them one by one.

Inside your vehicle

By now you should have a good picture of pros and cons of different storage solutions, understand materials and how to optimize space inside your preferred option.

However, securing it and making that box or drawer easy to grab or access takes an extra effort when planning your setup.

First, game out several scenarios you may encounter when planning your trip. Examples are quick stops for a snack, hiking a trail, camp+bbq. This will be a good guiding practice to plan the right location of the gear you are going to need and the sequence of boxes you need to move around or the drawer you need to open.

Once you have a good idea of what you need and when you may be needing it, based on the total space you have try to stack things accordingly. Remember, you don’t have to fill every single square cm of space. It may look great when you are done but as you touch something, something else may be falling down.

Lastly, make sure everything heavy is secured, tied down or bolted down, when you are on the move. Make it rattle free and free of worries.

Roof rack, on top of your vehicle and around it

Extra space is always available outside of your vehicle, on top of a dedicated roof rack, around the spare tire, on the sides with proper mounting options.

Make sure to apply the same strategy you have for the interior of the car. Pack thinking of the use of the gear based on your style and type of adventure.

Popular brands make great gear and storage solutions for the roof rack, each with its mounting brackets and gadgets. Make sure everything is water and dust proof. Generally the bags and boxes have ratings to identify the level of waterproofing. IP68 (submersible) is considered the highest with IP64 being light rain proof.

Always check for the maximum load capacity of the rack and other accessories. You will see a static and dynamic load. The static load refers to the vehicle when parked. The dynamic load refers to the maximum weight when the vehicle is moving.

Here is an example, although not directly relating to storage: a rating of 70kg dynamic is good to carry an average roof top tent. That same rack could have a 300kg static load which gives you an additional 230kg of load for a couple plus a child (with the tent being 70kg heavy).

A final consideration about dirt and garbage. It is a good idea to store potentially dirty items outside on the rack rather than inside the car. The same goes for wood, used recovery gear, and garbage.

Food leftovers, especially where large wild animals are common, should either be locked or kept in away to minimize its attraction.

Truck bed (for pick-ups)

Special mention for the large storage available to you, pick-up truck owners out there. With great space though comes great responsibility and you should also keep everything organized and neat back there.

The ability to use the truck for both work and leisure is definitely on top of the priorities for pick-up owners. The versatility of these vehicles is unparalleled and so the storage that you select needs to be solid, durable, and equally versatile.

The ability to reach all the gear you throw in the truck is also a key consideration and therefore the solutions you want to look are either on a slide to be pulled out or long enough to be pulled out without having to crawl in the back all the time.

And with each option you need to make sure that they are either secured with tie-downs or bolted in. Generally speaking, pick-up trucks have at least for heavy duty hooks available. Those a usually 15-20cm above the floor so select storage that is not too low.

Minimalism, style and functionality

We all have our style, our habits, our taste so it is hard to pinpoint a solution that satisfies each and every single one of us. The followings are therefore considerations one can agree or disagree with but that are worth put in writing.

Minimalist overlanding storage

Where space is limited, and a 4x4 adventure vehicle is definitely not a large RV, what you decide to bring needs to have a purpose and a reason for being there with you. That is why learning to travel and live with less can be very beneficial and make your life easier. Easy examples are garments. Bring the right garments for the adventure, pack them well and count them right. You don’t likely need 3 jackets. One versatile jacket with layers can do the work in most situations. One good pair of shoes is better than 3 different average pairs.

No need for pots and pans of every conceivable size when a good pot for stews and soups plus a frying pan can handle breakfast, lunch and dinner and, not a small fact, reduce washing and waste.

The same is applicable also to storage solutions. You may not need 10 different IKEA style boxes amassed in the back of your vehicle. Pick few good quality options that work well together and can be used in a variety of ways.

Style

We are based in Italy and style is important to us. We spent most of this piece talking about practical and functional aspects of storage and overlanding and those are top priorities. However, when you swing open that tailgate or turn back to look at your 4x4, after parking it, you are going to be happier if you see something beautiful.

Go ahead and put your DIY skills to test to get started. It is a great way to explore the possibilities and find out what works for you. Then upgrade to an equally functional and good looking piece of equipment.

Things you own may also be reflection of your personality and your style. Bragging and showing off is not cool but there is nothing wrong with expressing the love for good things in life and choose products that look good too and make you happier.

Functionality

We are going to tackle this last point with respect to minimalism and style. When you put these 3 concepts together it is all about striking the perfect balance to enjoy your overlanding adventure.

Here is a simple practical example with a drawer system. Drawers need to be closed, even better, locked. There are many ways of keeping a drawer locked. An external latch is an easy fix but let’s face it, it often looks ugly, sometimes in awkward positions, only added at the end.

You just need well thought solutions with a simple pressure latch the pops open and provides a solid grab to open the drawer. All fitting into the drawer’s front. Add a nice coating on the drawer, durable plywood thick enough to withstand the test of time and the right slides according to the size of the drawer. Have the drawer sit in a light but sturdy frame.

There you have it: functional, minimalistic, and beautiful. Alright, we confess that this one looks a lot like the ones we design and manufacture at Tailgate Gear but let us gloat a bit just this one time!

Let’s get technical

We have covered a lot in this article. And still many other topics would deserve a focus of course. Water storage, electrical systems, cooking and washing each have a long list of considerations to discuss and master. However, weight and its impact on your vehicle and overall driving experience is paramount to provide you with practical and usable knowledge.

Weight of the storage containers and their load

Weight distribution, though, is an important one because it touches on many of the above and it is often overlooked.

The center balance of your vehicle is something the engineers designing it take into consideration and they sure account for extra gear and gadgets you may decide to install in your 4x4. However, they cannot account for every possible scenario and you need to keep a few things in mind.

Height

The height of the load you place on your car will have consequences on the balance and tipping angle when off-roading. A heavy load like water tanks, strops, hi-jack and more do raise the central balance of the car and that can make a difference when you are on an inclined slope, either ascending or descending a trail.

A good rule of thumb is to try to pack the heaviest loads a low a possible and as central as possible. When you really do not have a choice then make sure it is well balanced left&right and front&back.

Forward or backward

Finally, your vehicle is meant to drive with a certain angle and geometry to be efficient when steering, breaking and wheeling off-road.

Heavy gear towards the back of the vehicle puts more strain on the rear suspensions changing how the car drives and responds both on paved road and in the dirt. Try your best to distribute that load evenly as much as possible or upgrade suspension (adjustable ones are also available) to support your overlanding habits.

Conclusions

Traveling and exploring nature in your vehicle is a beautiful thing. You know that space comes at a premium and that cargo and storage solutions can make your overlanding trip successful.

So, get organized, sort out your gear, select the essentials for each category, find a place for it, choose the right cargo box or drawer system, label it, make it easily accessible. Try it, fine tune your choices, repeat.

We at Tailgate Gar love to be a part of this fantastic community and contribute with the best possible products we can design and manufacture.

Go ahead and leave your comments here below. Share your experiences, tips and tricks, “how to” and suggestions about overland storage solutions.

And get in touch with us for any curiosities or questions you may have about our storage modules and drawers.

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