Transcription
Today I'm going to show you my weekend warrior camping toolbox setup. I love this system. I'm going to show you all the components of everything I've got packed inside here, how and why I use it. Hopefully give you some ideas how to build your own kind of system like this.
So, I decided to build this thing out because I was sped up and tired of my camping gear being disorganized and messy. I would always forget things or not know that I was missing things and never be able to find the right thing at the right time when I needed it. In fact, earlier this year, we went on a camping trip with my family to the Oregon coast and let's just say it did not go great. It basically rained the entire weekend and there were multiple key things that I either forgot or did not know that I didn't have packed, which I guess it's the same thing, but it was pretty basic things like bowls and spoons and aluminum foil. And every time I would come home from a camping trip, I would think I would remember to restock the things that I knew that I had run out of and to go back and reorganize my gear after the trip. But my old system was so unorganized that I never knew what needed to be done by the time I got back home. Everything's just all just one big mess in one big bin. It's impossible to kind of keep track of like what needs to go where and what needs to be replaced and whatnot.
So, while we were on that trip to the Oregon coast and we were trying to cook breakfast for the kids in the rain and my wife was flipping pancakes with a plastic knife, all while glaring at me because I forgot the spatula. I decided I needed a better system. So, I came home and I went to work straight away on building a better system and figuring this out. And today, I'm excited to share it with you. I've been tinkering with it all year and I think I've got it pretty dialed in now. So, I'm excited to share this with you. show you how I keep myself better organized now and ready for that next camping trip.
Quick shout out to White Duck Outdoors for being today's sponsor. A little bit about them later on in this video. Come sit up here out here with the kids and our new little puppy Biscuit. Introduce you to her. This Biscuit, everybody. Okay, Biscuit, you go hang out up here. All right.
So, first off, I want to talk about why I chose this brand and this toolbox system. So, what this is is a a modular toolbox system designed for, you know, designed for contractors and people like that on the move that are out there taking their tools to the job site and they need something rugged, but it lends itself great to camping gear. It's going to hold up way better than those black and yellow tubs or whatever action packers. And they are they're waterproof, they're durable, you can stand on them, and obviously a lot more functional, too, as you're going to see. Hi, Biscuit.
I did a ton of research on which brand I wanted to choose before I went into this and did some like deep research on all the modular toolbox brands out there. Maybe I'll list on the screen all the ones that I debated and researched and considered, but I ended up choosing the Husky buildout system partly because of the functionality of the certain boxes that I was looking for. Um, but also had a good balance of durability and ruggedness balanced with price. So, it's definitely like a mid-tier option. It's not like as cheap as like the Rigid system. It's not as near as much money as like the Milwaukee Packout, which cost about twice as much as the Husky buildout, but still straddles that line pretty well on being functional and durable.
So, let's get into the boxes. So, this is actually four units that I've purchased, and I'm going to go through each one, tell you why I picked each one and what I store in each one. Okay, so this top one, if I don't remember the exact name, I'll put it on the screen, but believe this one is just called the tool box. And this one is just really just a basic box with a handle on the top. And a quick note about the entire system is that they all interlock so that they all stay joined together. And as you can see on the back side here, there's a handle and goes down to a dolly system. So, that's what's so great about this system is that it is a, you know, a portable two wheel dolly system so that you can kind of roll it over to your campsite or wherever you want to be setting up your gear. So, like I said, these are all interlocking and they just lift off by these little handles right here. So, you can disconnect any of them just like that. They snap back together super easily. Go back into one system. makes it nice too for storing it in the truck because you can lock them all together, roll it up into the truck, strap it down, takes up a lot less footprint in your truck of how much gear you're storing. And so basically what I store in this system is basically kind of what I think about it is like everything except for the soft goods. So this is like all the camping gear I need minus like the clothes or the tent and the sleeping bags and sleeping pads, those kind of things. This is all the other gear that I didn't need to take with me camping. And yeah, there might be some things I interchange or add in for different trips, but this basically I could probably grab and go for any basic weekend camping trip.
Okay, so let's dive in. Top unit is I believe it's called the toolbox, which has a basic, you know, handle on there, which is actually pretty rugged. You can pick the entire system up. Kind of heavy on that one box, but they all open like this with solid latch systems. They all have a rubber gasket on the inside, so they're all waterproof rated. So, this one is honestly just a lot of odds and ends. Other pieces in the system are a little bit more specific. This is kind of just my catch all for all my other camping needs. So, let's just roll through that real quick. Got my Coleman camping shovel, foldable camping shovel. This thing, super handy. Comes in handy so often. Easy to pack up and keep in there. Always good to know that you have that so you can use that to, you know, put out a fire or whatever you need to do with it. Also, digging cat holes, which is where this comes in handy. Always keep some of this. You never know, even if you're going somewhere with latrines, they do run out regularly. Baby wipes, always a must have on dad camps adventures. I keep a hatchet in this one. Pretty standard hatchet, but always comes in handy when you're processing firewood and whatnot. Same here. Always keep a saw. Sometimes I keep my better quality one in here, but always know that I have at least one saw available in my in my box. I keep these two REI Flex Slide chairs always in this box because that way I always know that I have a couple chairs. I usually throw in a few more, some bigger ones maybe, but these are excellent for kids. They're perfect size for the kids and they're affordable. I think they're about 60 bucks. They're pretty nice to pick up and and have to be packable and you know, you always have at least one chair available for you and a kid or a couple ones for the kids or whatever. But comes in handy so often just to have these in here and know that I have them. What else do I have in here? Let's see. All right, let's pull you in a little closer. See what I have in here. All right, got a couple cans of isobutane propane along with a Jet Boil that I keep in here. A roll of duct tape always comes in handy. I've got my son's slingshot, so that's always nice to have around. Now, you want to play with this, bud? Here you go. You can hold the dog in and play with this. Here you go. Catch. Nice catch. Always got a good Always got a couple of collapsible roasting sticks for marshmallows or hot dogs or what have you. Got a few more in the bottom down there as well. Got my Kershaw blade in here. Always know that I have a nice knife. And again, so great that I always know that I have it in here. I don't have to remember to grab my knife on the way out. I always know that I have it packed. Always available. This is a a fun one that I always keep in here is the Go Fire colored flames. These things are always a hit with kids in the camp around the campfire. Packet or two of those in the campfire turns the fire different colors and lasts for about an hour. Totally worth picking up some of these on Amazon. A little more tepee. You never know when you're going to need some extra. And a fairly extensive outdoor first aid kit. Definitely recommend keeping something a little bit robust like this. Making sure that you've got all the essentials that you might need. Nice that you can do these with one hand as well. And you could continue to stack things. This also is stackable on top. You can intermix the way that this is organized, but I'll tell you why I have this organized the way it is in a little bit.
So, moving on to the next one in here. I forget what this one is called. I'll put the name on the screen on what this one is called. I don't remember exactly, but it's kind of like a suitcase style box. So, you can actually pick it up and carry it like that, which is handy. And this one's just obviously a little shorter. And what I keep in this one is all of my electronics. So, it's super nice to have your electronics protected from the elements. And I don't have everything in here right now at the moment of what I bring camping, but you get the idea. So, let me just bring you inside here and we'll talk through what's in here. I've got kids iPad. Talked about this before, but I actually I really like bringing this on camping trips. We're not a big screen time family, but it's kind of a treat when you have to be in the tent and it's dark. Kids get to stay up a little bit late, watch a show, and also the kids just love it. And so it's another thing that gets them excited about camping cuz it's a fun thing to do. Stay up late and get to watch a little movie together in the tent. So keep this in the electronic drawer. Other things I've got in here, headlamps. I don't have all my headlamps in here right now. I've got some other ones out charging at the house at the moment. I've got my Flextail Tiny Pump X. Highly recommend this one. This is a is my favorite pump because I have the lantern feature as well as the size and just effectiveness of it. I have a whole video on that if you want to check it out. I keep my Garmin InReach Mini in here. my star laser. I call it my star laser flashlight from Rovivon. Again, I'll link that. I have a video on this as well. I'll link that in the description. Super powerful, fun flashlight. Recommend for every dad. LED string lights. Always fun, always a hit. Flexile tiny repel repeller. A tiny portable sound machine. Great for little kids that aren't used to camping. Can help them feel a lot more comfortable in the tent. a CO2 monitor and temperature gauge if you're going to be running any kind of a wood stove or heater inside your tent. Always got to have one of those. This thing has become one of my favorite pieces of camping gear. It's a portable espresso maker from Outan. Again, have a whole another video on that if you want to check that out as well. Like I said, there's sometimes a few other odds and ends that I stick in here. But that way I know that here's all my electronics and I know that they're going to be where I need them when I need them. I can easily see what I have and what I haven't packed. Just makes it so much more organized. Oh, and I forgot this. My B RV camping lantern. Love this thing. And by the way, just so you know, I'll have links in the description to all of this gear as well as the videos that I've mentioned linked below.
Okay, moving on to the next item in the boxes. And it is a two drawer system. Threw it up here on the tailgate so that we can talk about it without having to bend stoop over too far. But this one, it's got, like I said, two separate boxes. one larger container and one more shallow with dividers. So, let's get into that one here. Let me actually pull this back down so I can show you the inside. All right, so in the top drawer here, this is great. I love it comes with these dividers so you can kind of set it up, configure it how you want it. These little dividers make it easy to kind of organize it how you like it. We'll go through what I have in each of these, but again, this just helps me to know at a glance if I'm out of something or if I need to replace it. So, starting over here, I have trash bags. So, if I go through all my trash bags on a trip or I'm low, I know that I need to throw a few more in there for the next trip. Super easy to see and know and remember. Right here, I've got my Colgate Wisps. You might have heard me talk about these on the channel before. I take these backpacking a lot of times cuz it's nice to be able to brush your teeth and have it be like ultra light, not have to worry about water and whatnot, but they're actually fantastic for camping, especially for kids, because you can eat quickly and easily. Have them brush their teeth with these. They don't have to have water. just makes bedtime go a lot smoother with kids specifically. And then underneath here, I've got my backpacker thermosel. This is a repeller that goes on top of a isobutane propane canister and just mounts on top. And this thing is great. Highly effective. And then I just keep it in here and then I know if I need to get more refills or not. I can easily see again if I need to get some for the next trip. Right here I have a bag of citroronella tea lightss. I love these things. I always just keep a bunch of them in here and that way you can just set them around the picnic table, set them around camp and kind of form a a zone against bugs. Keep the lighter right there as well. But beyond the lighter, I always keep some boxes of matches to make sure you know you kind of have a backup. Got boxes of matches in here as well as lots of hand warmers. Always always handy. We always have cold nights here in Oregon. No matter what season, this can go a long way to appeasing and making whiny kids a little bit happier. a pair of these gloves. Man, these guys these gloves are great. If you guys have never seen these, these are at Home Depot, but I'll link them in the description. I think it's five bucks for a five pack of these. They're like a dollar per pair and they last for a long time. And it's just super nice to like if you're having to touch cold things or you know you're processing firewood, always you always have a pair of gloves handy, keep them in here. Easy to store. Underneath here, I have a couple of mosquito headnetss. If you can't tell, we deal with bugs a lot of the year here where we live. And then in this one, I've got some seasoning, pepper grinder, as well as some Lowry's season seasoning salt, you might ask. Well, where is your salt? Sometimes I do have a salt grinder here, but honestly, if I need salt, I just use the Lowry. It's even better. So, see right over here, normally I can tell right here, I have something missing where there's some space where I could be storing something. This is where I usually store my paracord, and I think it got used on the last trip, so something I need to replace. Something easy to see and know that I need to bring some of that next time. Also in here, I have some kids paints, which is awesome for entertaining the kids when you're sitting around at the campsite. Super fun thing to be able to pull out and let them paint rocks or sticks or papers or whatever. And then in this one, I got a little bit of a hodge podge. I got some sponges. I have some camp soap. I have some hand sanitizer. I have some repel 100 de and some nylon cord. That's everything I have in that drawer. And then the drawer below has a little bit of a different purpose. Pack everything back in there. And then this drawer, you can kind of store some bigger, bulkier things in here. So this one, I've got some paper bowls. I can tell I need some more paper plates cuz I only have paper bowls in here. Got my spatula. Never leaving home without it again. My aluminum foil, other cooking supplies, cooking gear. Got a bag here where I keep all of my kitchen utensils. some extra knives, big spoons, cooking stuff, eating stuff, you know, my bigger knives and whatnot. Just kind of nice to keep it all together in that baggie. Also, some plastic ones. Sometimes it's easier just to pull out plastic and throw it away if you have to. Some more wipes, couple koozies, can of sunscreen. Again, it's just something that like you're not going to forget it. You know you have it in here. You don't need to remember to grab it when you're on your way out the door. Some scissors comes in handy. Some more like leather gloves for fire or handling hot things. Can opener. Never forget that spoon needs to go in the baggie. And a wine key. Super important. Don't forget that, Dads. Oh, and a box of Ziploc bags. Great to have for saving food, putting things away. Also, you can keep dirty silverware and whatnot in one of those. Makes it nice to kind of keep you organized. That's the whole idea with that one. I think the only thing I'm missing there is some paper plates. So, need to refill that for next time. And then good to go.
Real quick, I want to take a minute to talk about today's sponsor, White Duck Outdoors. They make awesome heavyduty tents, sun shades, awnings, canvases. This what I got right here is their sun shade 330, and I love this thing, and I love taking it with me. So, I brought it out here today filming just in case it was going to be windy or rainy or even too sunny. It comes with three sun shade poles in this bag, so you can quickly and easily configure it in the way that you want it. There's multiple different configurations you can do. This thing is roomy. It creates a large area where you can set up a cook system, set up a picnic area for your family, get out of the rain, whatever the case is you need to do. Love, love, love the sun shade system. They also make a number of tent configurations and varieties from belt tents to cabin tents to smaller canvas tents, but they're all rugged, durable, built to last. Something you can bring your family out in with confidence and know that you're going to be safe and comfortable out in whatever elements and whatever kind of weather you might experience. What I love about White Duck is that they are just designed for families and groups that want to make camping a regular part of their life, a tradition. and you want to know that you're going to be safe, happy, and comfortable out there. If you want to check them out, there's a discount code in the description. If you're interested in making a purchase from them, it gives you a significant discount as well as really helps out the channel. So, I appreciate that. Thank you to White Duck for sponsoring this video, as well as for making it easier for families to get outdoors and enjoy time together out in nature.
All right, moving right along. We've got our final box, and this to me is the PS Resistance because this one is the one that is connected to the dolly system. And so I have purposely chosen to make this one be the one on the dolly because this one I take with me not only when we're camping but also to lake days and picnics and day use areas, things like that. And I'll show you why. But first, I do want to point out this handle system is retractable. So you can put it down out of the way or you can extend it. And you can also remove it by popping the little latches here. and you can completely take the handle off if that's getting in the way and you need to be able to open boxes and whatnot. So, that's pretty handy. But, let's talk about what's inside. So, what I have designed this one to be is my cook system kitchen related items. So, in here I've got some actual plastic hard plates as well as the metal bowls. Let's see. Bring you inside a little bit more. And then also in here I have my my stove, my fuel stuff to set up for my kitchen. So, what else is in here? We got this is my Halloween 5in-1 side table system. Fantastic piece of gear. Again, another video detailing that I will link in the description. But this is great for having a little like work area to be able to set up stuff or to put food out when you're actually like having a picnic. Collapsible Hydropack water bottle. Extends out to a fulls size water bottle. Always handy if you need to go collect some water or something. My GSI Outdoors coffee mugs. These are fantastic. Insulated. I bring these backpacking as well as camping. Easy to clean. Keeps your coffee warm. Love these things. Couple cans. Always know if I have enough for the upcoming trip or not. I've got this MSR, believe it's called Black Light Nesting Cook Pot system. Had this thing for years. I like these. They're not the largest actually designed for backpacking, but it's great to have them in here because they they nestle in nice. They're small and lightweight. three different cook pots that all nestle in together. And then in here is a pot grabber so you can grab any of the pots without having to burn your hands. Non-stick. Nice little system. Okay. Couple more things in here. I have a couple of cutting boards. These are great. Lightweight, flexible little cutting boards. Always nice to have those or even just to have as a a clean area to prep food even if you don't need it to be cutting on. And then two things left in here. I've got my stove, the fuel regulator, and I found a stove that I can fit perfectly in this box. This is a Glacier Edge stove. It's nice little size. Obviously, easy to pack. So, let me just show you the setup I did for my grill here. So, you can set these little windbreak things up like so. And then I found a large cast iron griddle that has a griddle as well as a grill side. And then this is the exact size of this stove. Works works out fantastic. Took a little bit of figuring to find a system that fit exactly, but I just took the dimensions of the box and went about finding a camp stove that would fit inside and then went about finding a cast iron griddle that would fit on that stove. So, all dialed in super nice and fits all inside this box. And so, what I was referencing about taking this to picnics, day use areas, things like that. I like bringing this box with the dolly system out to the beach, at the lake or something like that and then I have my whole cook system and I can set it up like this and be able to cook us a nice meal, a nice hot meal right on the lake shore. Done that several times this year where we go out, we cook shish kebabs or, you know, cook some BRZ, things like that. And man, it just makes it for some great meals and it's so much more satisfying than, you know, your basic cheese and salami kind of picnic that you might have otherwise.
All right. And lastly, I wanted to talk about I told you I would talk about why I chose the way that I have this set up. And I want to explain that real quick. So, basically, the way I've got this all dialed is that I have all of my kitchen stuff in the bottom. So, I unload everything when I'm first setting up camp and then get all the kitchen stuff out. And then you're going to have that kind of set up at a table or something where you're going to be using that throughout the camp. The rest of the stuff you kind of want to keep in the boxes and just take out one at a time the things you're going to need. So, kind of unpack everything, get everything out of the kitchen box, then you can kind of rebuild it and kind of keep yourself organized. So, next, I like having the drawers locked on above that because, again, you're not going to be opening that bottom one. And then it leaves these drawers to be accessible even when you have stuff stacked on top of that. I put both of these, which can be picked up by that handle. And then I've got my electronics box on the bottom there. Lock them up just like that. They're locked. And then that way you can lower down the handle for the dolly in the back so that it's out of the way. And then obviously this one that's like the catch all box kind of coming in and out of here often while on a camp out. You know, you want to put the hatchet back or whatever the case is. So that's nice to have. And then your electronics. You occasionally need to get something out. But you don't have to take the whole thing apart. You can just open this one and then just le lean this back. And then you're able to grab out whatever electronic item you need. Keeps you organized. Lock it back down. Good to go.
So, I hope that was helpful. I hope that inspires you to go out and build your own weekend warrior camping toolbox system. Let me know in the comments. If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them. But what would you do different? What did I forget when you were watching this? Did you think, man, why didn't you put that there or use that for that or or I can't believe you didn't pack one of these? Let me know how I can improve. I would love to discuss that. I've been, like I said, I've been iterating on this all year. I'm going to continue to iterate on it. I'm probably going to add more modules to this as I go along. But I think it's a fantastic system so far. It's held up, made me feel organized and on top of things so that I know that I have what I need when I'm heading out with my family. Like I said, super durable. You can stand on it, use it as a step stool. Love that about these.