They’re inexpensive, plastic 10 gallon buckets, or bins, from Walmart. I’ve been using them for several years for a variety of purposes. Initially, they saw the most use in packing for camping trips. One with miscellaneous kitchen items, like instant coffee, percolator, paper towels, washcloths, etc.. One with our Mountain House supplies for the trip. One larger one for things like our tent fans, camp axe, batteries, etc. Depending on how they’re packed, they can get heavy. Then again, I only need to carry them between the house and the car, then the car and the campsite. So far, we’ve always camped at a “modern” campground. Hmm, maybe I’ll work up an entry on setting up our camp.
Stacking Storage Buckets
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At the end of Trailer Security, Tools and Trunk – Part 3, I mentioned my plan to enclose the trailer. There are two reasons for it really. The first, as I mentioned, is to make it easier to get more Stuff on the trailer. With the walls of plywood, I’ll be able to stack more and have attachment points, of various kinds, for securing the load. The second is as much to hide the Stuff. Sure the access ramp is still a metal mesh through which the load can be seen and it’s not exactly secure. (Guess I’ll have to work that into the wall system.) Having a four foot high wall of plywood and metal mesh could be, if not a deterrent at least a delay.
Trailer Access Ramp
I am now using the majority of the buckets to store “supplies”. I still have a bucket dedicated to camping kitchen supplies, and a bucket or two with Mountain House meals. I have them all cataloged, printed and copies stored in several locations. Once a month I try to go though my inventory and make sure it’s up to date.
Inventory Document
A couple of days ago we went shopping and purchased our first load of canned goods. Mostly fruits, vegetables and soups, it weighed a ton! I carried the bags downstairs, organized the cans and dated them. I hadn’t been doing the dating initially, but now the unmarked cans are at the front and the dated cans are arranged front to back, oldest to newest. The volume of cans required me to rearrange my basement storage, again. I had things in the cupboards that really should have been on the shop side, and now they are.
Cupboard 1
Cupboard 2
The Bucket Locks
The process to add locks to the buckets is pretty simple. At least so I thought. Drill holes in the lid of the bucket, insert lock! Yeah, that’s easy! Of course, everything I envision as being easy is also a learning experience. So I learned.
I’ve numbered all my buckets. Makes it easier to find the Stuff on the lists. Here’s how it starts.
Bucket Top
Locks. Need locks. As I wandered through Walmart during one of my semi-weekly shopping trips, I found this set of three! (I can’t find this particular set on the web, but in store it’s about $15.)
Lock Set
Ok, so I thought I wanted four, but three can work. Now to release them. My handy dandy pocket knife does the trick on the zip ties.
Releasing the Locks
Releasing the Locks
Just for fun, MasterLock attaches the keys with a twist tie! Gotta watch for that when cutting the zip tie for that lock.
A Twist Tie!
Once I have the locks released,
Locks Released
I can number the locks and the keys to match the bucket they go on. Again, it’s all part of that organization bug that’s in my head.
Locks Numbered
While I wait for the ink from the Sharpie to dry, I can move to the holes. First learning experience. (I should have known this from past experience.) Drilling on a smooth surface never goes straight in. The bit wanders until it gets a good bite. Having learned that on the first couple of buckets, this time I used that handy dandy pocket knife as a center punch. Ok, not punch, more like digging tool.
Knife as a Punch
It’s not much of a hole, more like a dent, but it’s enough to keep the drill steady.
The Knife Makes a Dent
Growing up, we never heard of variable speed drills. The thing my dad had was a metal monster with a power cord that was almost long enough to be useful and it had one speed. ON. Now, we have battery powered, variable speed, bells and whistles machines. There’s one reason I’m glad I was born when I was. I can touch the trigger and the bit crawls around slowly enough to get a good start.
Starting the Drill
The plastic of the top seems a bit softer than the body so the drill cuts through pretty quickly. Then comes the tricky part. The ledge around the body isn’t nearly as wide as the lid, AND it curves down right away. I end up pressing the lid against the outside of the body to keep it as stead as possible. (Another lesson learned from a previous experience.) I slow the bit down again to give it a chance to start. Usually pretty quickly, it cuts on through and the bit shows below.
Drilled Through
Now I slide the lid off a little and check. What I’m looking for is a hole in the lid and a hole, preferably centered, in the ledge on the body. It’s not always so nicely aligned as this one. But, since it is plastic, a little wiggling works to get the lock in place.
Good Holes
This one didn’t need any wiggling. Nor did the other 18 holes drilled this day. I’ve gotten pretty good at keeping things steady. It doesn’t hurt that I have a very intense desire to not drill through a finger nor coat the buckets with my blood.
Lock Ready to Close
As I’m sure anybody who is Getting Ready for What If can attest, finding a place to store all the supplies can be a challenge. I’ve very grateful that I have a basement. I had garage in the last place, but hadn’t even really thought about Getting Ready. I could have had a great system in there! (We never parked the cars in the garage because it doubled as my workshop.) Space can be found though!
Storage Stack 1
Storage Stack 2
I’ll keep buying buckets and locksets to accommodate the growth of my Stuff. In the meantime, I have Stuff to do outside. The backyard requires attention.
Keep Getting Ready!
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Just a note to inform you that zip ties do NOT need to be cut. Take the point of your knife and lift the small tab from the zip face of the tie and pull the tie out from the fastener hole. It only takes seconds and saves the tie. If someone other than you wants in, a zip tie is easier to cut than the tote, but not much. At least you don’t lose the tote if they remove what’s inside. Likely, they will take tote and all.
The hard plastic interlocking lid totes in which large stores receive merchandise most often have a hole already in them for a lock or zip tie — your choice.
I only store items in the commercial totes that can freeze, as I have no tempered storage space available — and there are literally hundreds of food items that can freeze and re-freeze without damage. I do number each tote, and keep a list of the contents. I make a table on my computer and list quantity, size, item, purchase date, and a remarks section. In the remarks section I may list, ‘add water only,’ or the brand name of the item, or other remark that would help the one who is managing the stock to know exactly what is in it, and be able to go to the exact box for the item/product. I make two copies, one I lay on top, immediately under the lid, and one to go in the book of foods. I keep a third electronic copy for use as well. I can also know how much of what item I have, and what I need to focus on purchasing, and what item(s) I have enough of. I never stack these over three high, as the sides are not structurally sufficient to take too much weight. This means one must build a sturdy shelf to stack another three totes upon, which takes it near the top of an eight foot ceiling.
Though I don’t recommend it, I’ve had many commercially canned food items that have frozen in my camper, and they do not burst. They are still usable, and I have used them later during the summer — all edible and equally tasty.
Hope this helps, Blessings!
You’re right, Son, they don’t need to be cut. I’ve used zip ties for decades and we did once use the “pry it open” trick, many years ago. At the time, we didn’t consider the price of them to warrant the effort. lol
I love your comment about the “freeze safe” quality of the canned foods! I really hadn’t thought about that because mine are all in the basement. When it’s literally freezing outside, it’s warmer in the basement. When it’s 90 degrees outside, it’s MUCH cooler in the basement. IF the time came to bug out AND I had the time to load up the trailer with all this Stuff, I would have to take that into consideration during the winter. Although thanks to your information, I won’t worry so much in the winter as I will in the summer.
Thanks so much for your feedback!
You might try turning the tub upside down and drilling through the lip into and through the lid. A piece of scrap wood prevents drilling onto…the floor, bench, etc.
That’s good, Neal, but the drill ended up at a pretty funky angle and the results were inconsistent. (Read, I made a mess of one of the buckets!) 🙂
This may be a great idea for safely transporting your goods in the locked totes, but it just screams that something of value is inside, which may not be good op sec, if you can’t hide what you’re transporting. One good knife can defeat this system by cutting a hole into the soft side of the tote and removing what’s inside. You can accomplish the same safety protection by using zip ties to lock down the lid for safe transport which are way cheaper than locks. Still, for grab n go convenience, its a good system, so long as you can get where you’re going quickly. I use free or low-cost #5 and #6 food grade buckets and load them with foods and materials. Being a middle-aged gal can’t carry much, but the handles on the buckets make it easier. I also load up old popcorn tins with food for safe keeping from vermin, who can chew through soft plastic. If tote size is what you need, then you might consider acquiring the harder-plastic cargo boxes most commonly used in delivering to big stores. These boxes are very hard plastic with hinged inter-locking lids. You could drill 2 holes – one on each side of the lid near the edge where they meet, and insert one lock. These kind of totes are more expensive but a knife can’t defeat them nearly as fast. Plus, you don’t need to use as many locks.
Thanks for your input! Yes, a knife could easily defeat these buckets. Zip ties could be defeated just as easily with a knife. I use mine all that time to do just that. My “justification for the padlocks is they’re reusable. While the buckets are still in storage, I can add to or subtract from them while maintaining a level of security. Zip ties would have to be cut and replaced. In the long run, in this scenario, the padlocks would eventually pay for themselves, depending on how much opening and closing would be done.
Yeah, I get that having locks on them could scream “VALUABLE” but the scenario I’m looking at isn’t driving around town and parking at the grocery store either. I see a time of GOOD (Get Out of Dodge) when I load up the trailer, hook it up and GO!
I like these totes because they are designed to carry. Pretty decent handles on the sides and I can use my rather healthy belly to support them going up the stairs and into the trailer. I do have five gallon buckets with bail handles for my food storage. One of these days I’ll make a practice run to carry it all upstairs and load the trailer. I may end up rethinking what goes in which. 🙂
Thanks very much for your feedback!
Instead of using pad locks all around, you could use the zip ties on one side to make it a hiunged lid and just use the lock on once side.
I like that idea, Angler! I like the idea of the hinge! Thanks!