Honestly, I don’t really enjoy writing “gear reviews,” and I think I’m basically alone when it comes to this. There is little artistic merit involved in these things. A lot of other writers in this niche do enjoy this kind of writing for a variety of reasons, and consumers love gear reviews perhaps most of all. It is a reality that the most popular content on this website is gear-based. If it must be done, then I like to do it to the best of my ability. All of this is to say that if I go out of my way to recommend a product, it is for a damn good reason. The Plano Sportsman’s Trunks are such products.
The Favorite – 56qt Sportsman’s Trunk
I am somewhat sure that these were first brought to my attention via a Last Line of Defense video that explored the idea of a one-bin storage solution for your required camping equipment; simply toss that bin in the back of your truck, and know that all is squared away. This concept resonated with me as someone who is always trying to eke out fractional efficiencies for the mundane parts of trips — cleaning, packing, unpacking, taking inventories, and so forth. In practice, keeping everything in one bin is just not possible for how I roll sans rooftop tent, but the wheels began to spin.
I ended up with a two-box system — one for food and food prep, and one for everything else — housed in identical 56qt Sportsman’s Trunks. After five years in hard-use conditions, I think the best way to sum up my thoughts is a simple list. Away we go:
- For the exceedingly reasonable price, I do not think there is another storage bin on earth that can match the durability of the Plano Sportsman’s Trunks. I can literally stand on them. The engineering on these is incredible and makes the most of the strength of the plastics used in the construction.
- While there is no gasket installed in the lid from the factory, a deep lip has done a perfect job at sealing out all rain and dust I’ve exposed the bins to. When not in bear country, I just leave them out at camp. Additionally, and perhaps even more importantly, they’ve perfectly resisted buckling from sun and heat over half a decade in the Mojave.
- Jumping back to engineering real quick — the sides of the box are more vertical than others that I’ve seen, translating to more usable interior space. The latches positively click closed and have experienced no degradation in their function.
Avoid – 108qt Sportsman’s Trunk
See all those nice things I said about the 56qt model up there? Completely disregard all of them for the 108qt model (Plano 1819). This was the first example that I picked up to serve as a sort of possibles pouch for all of the truck stuff. From the get-go, it was a major disappointment.
The lid is floppy and not at all rigid like its counterparts resulting in a lid that is difficult to line up, especially with a heavily-laden bin. The piano hinge sucks and will fail on you as it did me. I guess the wheels are fine, but since the overall construction is so poor, I don’t really do anything at all with this bin except keep it in the back of the 4Runner with the tire equipment, jump pack, air compressor, etc; the stuff that lives in the vehicle and doesn’t move.
Where to Buy
I’ve been to a few Home Depots looking for one variety or another of these trunks with a gift card to burn. Unfortunately, while many stores keep them in stock, I’ve found that they usually keep these outside in the garden section. I’ve been through stacks of them trying to match one good, dirty bin up with one good, dirty lid, and it just isn’t worth your time unless you have no other option. Maybe ordering these online from the orange store would turn out better, but I can’t speak to that at this time.
In my experience, the ideal place to pick these up is at a Bass Pro or Sportsmans — they are stored indoors and kept clean.
They are also shown for sale on Amazon, but for some reason the price discrepancy between the Amazon stock and what you can find at a local retailer is usually significant.
Conclusion
Above nearly everything else, I hate time-wasting inefficiencies that make getting out on a hunt take even longer than it does during the best of cases. Having a couple go-boxes around that I know are always squared away is a tremendous time saver. When I don’t need them, they sit perfectly in the shelving unit in the garage… waiting for their next assignment.
If you are in need of this particular type of storage bin for your uses, you’ll be well-served by most of the different flavors of Plano Sportman’s Trunk, a product I am all too happy to review and recommend.
