[xinunix]

My family of 5 will be travelling in the new Ridge up to the mountains to go skiing. Trunk will help with packing space but I know I will need more space. Wondering what people use for a waterproof/weatherproof bag in the bed of the truck.

Found this one on Amazon that looks pretty good, anyone have this bag and want to share experience with how it fits in the Ridge? (one Amazon reviewer said they owned a Ridge and it fit well) Tuff Truck Bag.

Any other suggestions on a durable, high quality bag? Leaving on Monday so need to find something quickly...

 

[PJH]

Hi, I do a lot of travelling in my Ridgeline and I use two large plastic bins with lids to keep my clothing in. Clothes go in a large duffle bag (gym bag) which goes into the bin. This way the duffle bag stays dry too.
I have a tonneau cover but the bins have lids that can be secured with wire or tie-wraps so they would be very secure even if I didn't have a cover.

 

[coolbob]

I have traveled many times with ordinary luggage under my BakFlip and nothing has ever gotten wet, even when the truck was parked nose downhill and water pooled up on the front of the cover. A few drops do get in, but only around the very edges, so keep everything a few inches from the sides and you're good to go.

 

[larryr]

I bought the cheap Walmart unit that holds 2 large Samsonite suit cases and had no issues with water getting in even after driving 10 hours in the rain. I used 2 large bungee cords in an x pattern from front to rear to keep it in the bed and to keep the material from flapping in the wind. There is room for 2 of these in the trunk and with one - you still have full access to the in bed trunk.

at $35 it is a bargain.

 

[KGB Pilot125]

My luggage I check is a pelican. Nothing is getting in there.

 

[COOPER_ABQ]

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/expedition-duffel-large-OT5415.html

While were not 5, we are 4! Tried the plastic bins with closeable lids, those ended up cracking/breaking in the extreme cold. Now we use this bag for all our winter gear, to include helmets, goggles, snowbibs, gloves, snow boots, and each a change of clothes, this bag just seems like it has endless space!!! We haven't used the compresssion straps or the pockets yet. its survived heavy snow in Colorado, and downpours of rain here locally, just sitting in the back of the RL, (not the trunk) and nothing got wet. Found it on Ebay used for $80, and couldn't pass it up. Just a suggestion, hope you find what your looking for!

 

[xinunix]

Thanks, will take look at all of those options. Also ran across this one on Amazon that seems to get pretty good reviews. Rage Prosports 19.6 cu in Waterproof Storage Bag

 

[firefighter3666]

I have a pair of Rubbermaid ActionPacker storage boxes (24 gallon) that I use when I need extra weatherproof space. These boxes are lockable, waterproof, and fit perfectly next to each other in the bed without impacting use of the trunk. I could easily fit six of these in the bed if really needed.

 

[Slider]

Hope you bought that Rage one. Looks awesome and the reviews back it up.

 

[xinunix]

Hope you bought that Rage one. Looks awesome and the reviews back it up.

I did, just got it tonight, looks great, appears to be made of quality materials. Will post some pics after we load it up...

 

[rollinhonda]

I have traveled many times with ordinary luggage under my BakFlip and nothing has ever gotten wet, even when the truck was parked nose downhill and water pooled up on the front of the cover. A few drops do get in, but only around the very edges, so keep everything a few inches from the sides and you're good to go.

Me too with my Extang Trifecta. A good test was almost an hour in a downpour on the way to drop a couple at the airport. On a Friday evening in commute traffic. Luggage was bone dry on arrival.

 

[Uncle Festus]

Back in the days before crew-cab trucks with inside storage, I did a lot of travel in trucks and El Caminos/Rancheros with open beds. I tried various options for keeping stuff dry in all weather conditioins, and finally settled on a large Igloo ice chest.

Advantages of the ice chest compared to regular storage boxes and suitcases:
- No leaks even in very heavy rain
- Heavy lid, stayed closed at speed without blowing up/out
- Fairly heavy, stayed put in bed
- Robust, could be dragged in and out of bed, dropped on ground etc without damage
- Could do double duty for storing cold stuff under the clothes
- Came with heavy handles easy to chain to bed so it didn't disappear at rest stops and restaurants.

I probably carried it well over 150K miles over the years, never had a leak or any damage to my stuff.

 

[xinunix]

As promised wanted to report back on how the Rage Sports Waterproof bag (link provided in an earlier post in this thread) worked for us (used it for a ski trip to the mountains for our family of 5, 6 hour journey each way)...

Overall we were very pleased with the bag. First of all this thing is huge, 19.6 cu feet of storage, 59x24x24 so it filled the bed lengthwise and took up about half of the bed width, height was perfect for the ridge. Loaded it up with 2 medium sized rolling suitcases, 2 medium sized duffle bags, 1 large plastic tub, 1 18x24x12 food bag, 1 large duffle bag and 2 backpacks and still had room to spare. Very impressed with the capacity.

Bag seems to be made of quality materials all except the tie down straps on the top of the bag, they looked a little weak so I did not use them and just used 14 ft ratcheting tie downs wrapped around the bag attached to the bed anchor points. Zipper was heavy duty, a little tough to get it zipped around the corners even though we did not fill the bag up, especially in the cold and snow when packing up to come home but no significant issues there. There is a 2 inch flap that pulls down over the zipper and attaches to the bag with Velcro, seemed to seal it up pretty well.

Had clear, dry weather on the way up but the morning we were packing up to leave had about 3-4 inches of snow followed by rain as we got further down the mountain. When we got home everything was bone dry, no signs of leakage. I could see how maybe in a torrential downpour at high speeds you could get a little leakage up under the flap through the zipper but can't imagine you would get enough water in it to actually get anything wet. Thus far very pleased with the purchase, it certainly served its purpose.

Between the trunk, the bag and the under seat storage in the back we had more than enough room to pack for a family of 5 with 3 young children, luggage, food, skis, coolers, etc. for a 5 day trip and amazingly had room to spare.

Here are a few pics, not the greatest quality but will hopefully give you an idea of what it looks like (most of these were taken when we had it about 1/2 packed). While I haven't had a chance to test it in heavy rain based on my initial experience on this trip I think it was a good buy and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for something similar.

 

[xinunix]

A couple more pics...