Securing gear in portables while towing...

[Shake'em]

How does everyone secure their gear in the portables when towing behind atv's or snowmobiles. Not owning an atv, I usually pull mine by hand, but towed it for the first time on LOW this weekend with a snowmobile. Everything banged around, and even broke some gear. Just thought I would check to see what everyone does, maybe compartments in portables etc to prevent everything from sliding around?<P>Thanks,<BR>Shake'em

[lowrox]

Shake'em,<P>What kind of house are you pulling with your ATV? I have a 4-man Polar Sport, I usually try to keep most of my gear in a big lockable plastic tub. The auger fits in the bottom of the sled, I usually bungee that to the side of the plastic sled...just in case.

[Shake'em]

lowrox-<P>I have a fish trap voyager... by the time i have a vexilar, heater, auger, a couple 5 gal buckets with tackle etc, seats for portable, shovel, and rod case in the tub, there is a lot to move around... add another guy and his gear, and wammo, its a lot to secure every time you move...<P>Shake'em

[cliffy]

I have a three-man Polar Sport portable shelter. I have also encountered similar problems in the past. I try to pack my gear as tight as possible. I also have a couple of small pillows that I put under certain gear to protect it from bouncing all around. This would include my auger and propane lamp. My vex goes in a pail that has padding on the bottom of the inside. My rods and fishing tackle are in a soft-sided gear bag. The key to the whole system came together when I bought a cover for the shelter. This kept all the snow out and all the gear inside. I towed it behind a snowmobile at 60mph and had no problems. Next winter I plan on replacing the tow rope with a tow bracket/hitch….to keep the shelter from running into the back of the sled when I slow or come to a stop. <P>Good luck.

[hanson]

Boy, I learned this one the hard way too LOW I.C.E. series event I followed some of the ProStaffers way out into the lake. 22 miles round trip going 30-40 mph gives your gear plenty of time to move around. I've got the little Otter Den so my auger with extension doesn't fit into the bottom. I've got the auger and shovel tied down to the top of the sled the best I can. After going a few miles I turn around and my shovel is gone and the auger is about ready to leave me also! Resecured my auger and kept going. By the time I'd got out there, I busted up my minnow bucket pretty good also.<P>My plan this summer is to round up everything I need, lay it out, and figure out where it is going to go in the sled. I'm thinking about putting eyebolts into the sides to secure bungee cords to. That way I can strap down the propane tank, buckets, and whatever else. The auger is going to go on the back of my sled on a rack.<P>Travel cover gives you peace of mind, so does a rigid hitch. The less you have to worry about what is going on behind you, the faster and safer you can get to your destination.<P>Thats just a couple thoughts I had. I think everyone learns this lesson the hard way. Hopefully it'll be smooth sailing for me next winter.

[bturck]

I run my ATV down here when I fish but have never made the miles you guys do on the pond however. I purchased a couple of plastic milk crates from the local office supply store. A lot of people use them for filing. I used wire ties and secured them to the back rack of my ATV. I put my Vexi and other delicate items in these and it really saves getting banged around by the Auger, propane etc. On the front I use gun mounts to fasten by Auger and it really works well. But then again I'm not running the miles that you fellas are either. Bill

[RoadRunner]

I installed a piece of 1/2" plywood about 1/2 way up from the bottom on the back of my Otter Magnum with 2 holes cut out so that a couple of 5 gallon buckets fit snugly into it. 1 bucket holds my vex, along with foam below and above it, and the cover snapped on. The other bucket has a couple of Plano tackle drawers with jigs and such, my extension, and whatever else I can fit into it. Again, with the cover on it. I also have a piece of plywood with a cutout in front of 1 of these buckets which holds my propane tank. I then put eyebolts into the plywood so that I can bungee the buckets and propane tank down securely. My Auger is secured down right in front of one buckets so that it doesn't bounce around. I also strap my heater down and can still fit my rod/reels and a med size cooler and shovel under my cover. Works very well for me. Even with all this I still remain mindful that I have alot of money tied up in the equipment I'm towing and I tow it accordingly. Bottom line is that it doesn't do me any good to get to a fishing spot quickly if my equipment is not going to work when I get there.

[Northlander]

I pack tight, use hard sided rod holders by Stone Legacy, pick Marcum in a milk crate, put minnows in a 5 gal pail with a snap lid and put on cover and dont go 60 mph.<BR>My only problem seems to be some broken mantles but now I use a headlamp and battery operated light.

[FLOODJET]

i made a rack for my snowmobile that holds<BR>two five gallon pales, 20 pound cylinder, and<BR>my auger over the top. in the pales i put my<BR>bait, rods and tackle box. in my otter i just have my heater, vexilar, and chair. i've made containers for my heater and vexilar that are LOW proof, learned the hard way. i also use a led headlight instead of<BR>a lantern.

[Tracker 87]

There was an article in the 21 March Grand Forks Herald Outdoor section. A couple of guys from Crookston custom build an insert for otter sleds called a "Sled Mate" to organize and store your gear. Looked like a nice set-up from the pictures in the paper. I talked to the guy last week via e-mail and he is working on a web site to market his product but hasn't finished it yet. He has some demo models set up in his place of business - going to check them out on my next trip through Crookston. If anyone is interested - shoot me an e-mail and I will pass on the info he gave me.

[Guest]

Cabelas sells a mount for an ATV that will hold your auger right on the front rack. Frees up a lot of room and is very secure going over the bumps and ridges. Well worth the money.

[hanson]

Tracker87,<BR>My parents clipped that article out of the GF Herald and sent it to me. Looks like another pretty good idea to me. I'm just not sure if thats the way I want to set up my sled. It also looked like the insert sat pretty high so you'd have to modify it to get Otter style seat brackets to fit onto the sled. <P>If anyone is interested, I could e-mail a copy of the article.

[lowrox]

Shake-em',<P>Lot's of good information on here, the general idea I think is that your gear needs to be packed tight....obviously. Best bet is when you have some time this summer, pack all of your gear into your sled and see where you can make improvements. The big tub in the sled works best for me. I have a system for packing my Vexilar, tackle box, heater, rods and other gear in the tub. Aside from that the only other items in the sled are my auger, 20 lb. LP tank that's in a milk crate and a scoop shovel. I need to figure out something different with my auger though. It's okay early in the year when I don't need the extension on it, but with the extension it's too long to lay in the bottom of the sled. And obviously that's taking up a lot of room in the sled when it's laying in there at an angle. The head of the auger then rubs on the bolts that are coming through the front of the sled for my solid hitch. Does anyone have a solution for this?

[widetrack]

I use one of those big black tubs made by rubbermaid. The one with the grey lid, and red handle. Everything, but my scoop shovel, and rod case goes in there, including my propane tank. It serves double duty as a nice bench seat. My auger is mounted to the back of my cat via IPI mounts from cabelas. I think it's very important to keep the auger out of the tub. Sooner or later you will have gas spilled in there, and smell that all season. A round cooler with a screw on lid works great for keeping bait from spilling etc. I drive hard, fast and cover lots of miles, and don't break a thing anymore.

[Lip RIPPER!]

Another thing you can do is to put as much gear on your snowcat or 4-wheeler as possible. ShadeTree sports makes great accessories for this. I bought a tank bag for my sled and it holds my vex, there is a place for your GPS that you can read while driving. It is made for a map but my hand held Garmin fits perfectly. Cell phone, 2-way radios, etc. can also fit and there is still lots of room. It has quick release buckles so you can just snap it off and on when you use it. This is the best thing I own for traveling by sled. They make big saddle bags for your mode of transportation too. My heater goes on the back of my sled and about the only thing I put inside the sled is propane, bucket, and shovel. Rods, beer, and tackle go right on my back. Check out Shade Tree if you get a chance and they are cheaper than most places.

[Northlander]

Tracker can I get that too? [email protected]

[Paul Waldowski]

Tracker,<P>Can I get it also?<BR><P>------------------<BR>Paul<BR><A HREF="http://www.drakemotel.com" TARGET=_blank>Drake Motel</A><P> [email protected]<BR><A HREF="http://marcumcustomerservice.com/index.aspx" TARGET=_blank>Marcum</A><BR><A HREF="http://otteroutdoors.com" TARGET=_blank>Otter Outdoors</A><BR><A HREF="http://www.jrstackle.com/index.html" TARGET=_blank>JR's Tackle</A>

[Shake'em]

Hanson, I would definately like a copy of that article... please send to [email protected]<P>lowrox, I tried the old milk crate for the LP tank, and by the end of the weekend there wasn't a bottom of the milk crate.<P>Thank you to everyone for all the information. All I know is I need to do something to make sure everything is secure when not dragging by hand...<P>Thanks,<BR>Shake'em

[SANDPIPER]

hey lip ripper would you post the web site for shade tree thanks

[hanson]

Shake'em -You've got mail.

[Lip RIPPER!]

Here it is. Their new snowmobiling magazine won't be out until June. They have some great accessories.<P><BR><A HREF="http://www.shadetreepowersports.com" TARGET=_blank>www.shadetreepowersports.com</A>

[love 16]

The ice boggan sled from Cabela's is a life saver. It took a few modifications but it's great now, especially for a long journey.<P>16

[SANDPIPER]

Road Runner <BR>do you have a picture of your set up, i'd like to see what it looks like E J