As anyone who has done a road-trip will know, packing is crucial for a hassle-free journey. Arranging your tools, spares, camping equipment, foodstuff, and miscellaneous odds and ends of loose items which could potentially get lost, has to be paramount for a harmonious trip. No one wants to stop on the road merely to have to dig through bags to find the item they want.
Having the right kind of storage boxes can make even the most forgetful person take control of packing arrangements. Labelled, stacked boxes make for tidy minds. I reviewed the newest Tentco Plastic Ammo Box and found 101 uses.
My packing system use to start with 2 old metal ammo boxes. The rubber gaskets were already perished so there was no protection from moisture damage and they were very heavy when full which was vexing. So I decided to upgrade my storage system to something more practical. I chose the traditional ammo box re-imagined by Tentco Plastic Ammo Box. I was personally drawn to this because they are made using recycled polypropylene with black Masterbatch.
The new Tentco boxes are made of a hard and tough recycled plastic. I particularly like newly styled corners reinforced on the outside of the box, which does not take away the internal size. This makes the Tentco box hard-wearing enough for regular hauling between your vehicle, your home and your campsite. I am certain the box when will remain unharmed when I eventually accidentally drop it.
It appears to have throw-it-off-the-cliff ruggedness. The boxes have removable, interchangeable lids with four orange virgin plastic clamps (two on each side) that keep the lids firmly in place. The clips proved effortless to grip with gloves on I found the bright orange clamps easy to find in low visibility situations, aside from Tentco being a trendy colour clip and brand name on the box. You can be assured of one pinnacle piece of information – Quality and reliability.
Should these clamps ever break replacements can be purchased. The lids fits into the top of the box for a flush fit, so there is no possibility of an outer lid causing difficulty when packing the boxes into a vehicle, and they are perfect to put your mug on as you sit by the campfire. Lids are sturdy and there are no holes to let any water in, although they are not submersible.
I found the Tentco box particularly user friendly. The Ammo box proved comfortable to carry to and from the vehicle even when full, weighing only 3kg when empty. Tentco boxes are an ideal size for me, 50cm long by 40cm wide by 23cm in height, any larger and I could not manage to carry each one up and down the stairs. There are built-in two handles on the sides to carry the box which are uncomplicated to grip even when your hands are cold or even muddy. The design of the boxes is such that they are stackable, so that they can fit one on top of another and will not slide off.
The new Tentco boxes are compatible the previous models and can stack perfectly together, thus you do not need to replace all your Tentco storage boxes. The boxes are just as robust in a mini-tower, are easily accessible and the rectangular shape makes them fit usefully in the boot of my vehicle. They could easily fit on the back seats or even on a roof rack. In fact Tentco make a convenient Ammo Box Bag for 3 Boxes or 6 Boxes for use on a roof rack.
These bags are made from durable rip-stop canvas with a PVC top and bottom lining. There is a zip closure on the bag for 3 or 6 standard ammo boxes to keep everything neat.
I divided the “Food” and so forth into different boxes and labelled each. The “Food” box stored and protected enough non-perishable food for the entire trip. I also found the box to be a perfect size for the tools and spares I take for my old vehicle. To keep my electronic bits and pieces dry I utilised a box for my navigation equipment, binoculars, flashlights, cameras and so forth.
I purchased the foam rubber seal available as a Tentco accessory for this particular box. As with most road trips in Africa, dust will get into every recess of your vehicle and gear. The snug-fitting foam rubber around the lid will keep the dust out when closed.
The key to utilising an Ammo box is to sort all your gear so you can find it easily and quickly. Tentco storage units are big enough for your essential gear and more, yet not too unwieldly to take up a lot of space in your vehicle. I found that stacking two, one on top of the other gave a suitable depth of the boxes for my old vehicle, which were packed among my other gear in the boot. In a 4X4 I suggest using a bungee cord or rope to hold down a stack of three.
The affordable price allows you to buy multiple ammo boxes, just remember to label the outside of each to show what is inside as it can be a real challenge to remember where one piece of gear is located.
Tentco Ammo Boxes are the ideal packing and versatile storage solution for an overlanding trip, an equestrian event where all horse equipment can be kept in one box, for the safe transit of delicate merchandise, for kayaking or fishing gear, for busy parents who want to bring order to their back seats whilst catering for young children’s needs, the conceivable uses are endless. The Tentco ammo box will make your life easier in more ways than you could imagine.
There are other brands of comparable storage units on the market however these Tentco Plastic Ammo units are perfect for my requirements and I will definitely recommend them to others who need to sort out the disarray of items in their vehicle with regards to packing and storing their equipment, food, kitchen items, clothes or tools when going on a trip. Don’t leave home without one.
Tentco Plastic Ammo Box Pros:
• Durable construction
• Excellently priced
• Volume they hold for their size
• Magnitude of things these can be used for
• Ease of use
• Snug-fitting lids on the inside rim of the box
• Stackable
• They protect from rain
Cons- not ‘bear-proof’!
To enquire about Tentco’s new and exciting range of off-road and caravan storage boxes please enquire below. Storage catalogues are available on request, with a plethora of sizing options available for customers nationwide.
