I got my hands on a few Expedition 134 General Purpose boxes from the guys at Open Sky Touring to test, as a top tier storage box option. I’m happy to report, they’ve held up well over the past three months of abuse.
Aussie ingenuity we love it!
With each year finding us taking more gear away on trips, we are quickly running out of storage room in the back of our four-wheel drives. A lot of our less-fragile gear is being relegated to a storage box and tied to the roof or the top of the camper trailer. Having top quality storage boxes that will keep your gear dry and safe is important, andif you can find a well priced Australian-made set, well, that’s just icing on the cake.
I got my hands on a few Expedition 134 General Purpose boxes from the guys at Open Sky Touring to test, as a top tier storage box option. I’m happy to report, they’ve held up well over the past three months of abuse.
The boxes were designed here in Australia to suit our harsh conditions, because Ben and Nic, the owners of Open Sky Touring, wanted a better value, Australian-made option than thosealready on the market.
The Expedition 134 boxes are injectionmoulded in Brisbane and contain no metal at all, so they’ll never rust or rattle; you could even throw them in the boat for those saltwater adventures. On each corner are tie-down points that will work with the vast majority of straps and turnbuckles, and each of the closing latches are padlock compatible for keeping your gear secure. Additionally, there are marked out sections on the base, for easy drilling and screwing to a fixed base.
The interior of the boxes is smooth for easy stacking, storage and cleaning, hosing them out is a breeze – no more water trapped in the lip at the top! They nest inside one another, with the lids removed, and the edges of the boxes are also reinforced with ribs so when you’re carrying it, the grab areas won’t bend or break,regardless of the weight in them.
One of the greatest benefits is that you can still access the contents while the box is tied down – no need to undo straps. The boxes are available in black, grey, olive green and safety orange to suit a range of uses and requirements. They carry a two-year warranty and are priced at $159 each, making them great value. Future plans include different sizes and shapes, so stay tuned.
Aussie ingenuity we love it!
Key benefits of the Exapedition 134 storage solution
- The reinforced lid ensures that water won’t pool on the top, and it will happily take up to 120kg on top, easily doubling as a step.
- An inlaid weather sealing rubber ensures your gear stays dry and dust-free.
The 3.5mm wall thickness ensures strength and weight capacity. When you’re back from your trip, the empty boxes nest inside each other to save on storage space. - The latches and hinges are all made from UV-stabilised polypropylene with an impact modifier, so no steel to rattle or rust. The reinforced tie-down points mean they won’t let go when ratcheted down to your roof and allow the lid to be opened while still tied down.
- The bases are moulded in a way that they stack with the lids securely, plus add strength to the base of the box.
- With a 55-litre capacity, you can fit plenty of gear. Sand pegs, plates and a first-aid kit have been bouncing around the inside of the test boxes for three months without a mark on the interior.
WORDS AND IMAGES BY WES WHITWORTH
As featured in ‘Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures’ magazine.
