Zarges boxes for broke people?

pluton

Adventurer
The only reason I was motivated to get a Zarges case as my dry food case was that Action Packers are so space inefficient. I thought it'd be an added bonus that the Zarges, unlike the Action Packer, was also small animal-proof, where as an Action Packer could easily be chewed through by a small rodent.
When I selected my Zarges case (about 4 years ago), they offered a range of cases. I bought the cheapest approx 60L one at $240 or so. But, the really good, supposedly less flimsy, submersible ones were $1200 at that time.
If Action Packers had straight sides, I'd probably have stuck with them, since the chew-through threat has never materialized since I have never taken the Zarges out of the truck while camping..
 

sn_85

Observer
I bought these Swisslink storage boxes. They have 3 sizes, although only like sizes can stack. They're about half the price of a Alu-box or Zarges. Free shipping to boot. I can tell you they're very nice. I've felt Alu-Boxes before and the Alu-box is definitely more stout but these aren't too far behind. These are weaker and I can stand on them but you can feel the top give a little. I'm only 140lbs. I went ahead and built some top plates for them with 1/4 plywood and truck lined it. That made it much more stable and reassuring to stand on and I have full confidence that I won't break them. Latches are nice and close tightly. It has a rubber bead around it so it won't let dirt, water, dust in. The handles are nice, spring loaded, and support the weight of a full box. I think they're a good, viable and cheaper alternative to Alu-box or Zarges and a much better option than those UK or Germany Ebay box

https://swisslink.com/new-aluminum-storage-case-small.html

IMG_20170907_170346 by sn_85, on Flickr
IMG_20170907_170400 by sn_85, on Flickr
IMG_20170907_170415 by sn_85, on Flickr
 
Last edited:

SethJ

Observer
Thanks for the replies, I have forgotten to check back here since I ended up buying 2 Harddigg cases for a good deal on eBay so I'm set for now.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 

tenebs

New member
Have you seen one? They are not that great. They are light weight to the point of being flimsey. I got rid of mine as fast as I got it.
Not sure if you are referring to zarges boxes or a cheaper copy. Zarges boxes are awesome. My significant other is German and he did field research in several countries in Africa as well as lived there. Zarges boxes are how he shipped all of his gear, clothes, equipment. They have been all over the world. The ones he has are close to 20 years old and they are still perfect and waterproof. The only damage to one was stupid TSA unnecessarily breaking a lock by prying it with a screw driver. Zarges boxes are also used in the defense industry and other industries as shipping containers to protect delicate electronics. These things take abuse and I would never get rid of any of ours.
 

tenebs

New member
Title pretty much says it all, I'm looking for a Zarges or Alubox style aluminum case on a budget. $250 for an empty aluminum box is the most absurd thing I have ever seen. So far I have found 3 places on Amazon UK that sells similar boxes: Alutec, Enders, and huenersdorff. I was able to get a 47L from Enders for $72 including shipping to see how well they were built. It's built fairly well with 1mm thick walls and decent latches, the only problem I have is getting another one; the shipping price has jumped and will now cost $50 more. $120 is still a great price compared to zarges but I'm cheap and want to see if anyone has found anything cheaper or here in the U.S. And what in the world makes South African Boxes so expensive? Is their aluminum better? Was it blessed by Elon Musk?

Zarges boxes are made in Germany and Germany has all of those awesome benefits like free healthcare, childcare, education, elder care, and the list goes on.
 

RacerAV

Active member
OR, get a few action packers and spend the rest of your money on other cool gear!!!
I USUALLY overspend when it comes to gear. I'd LOVE to get some Aluboxes but id need 4-5 to replace my action packers. thats a TON of money...
 

RacerAV

Active member
The only reason I was motivated to get a Zarges case as my dry food case was that Action Packers are so space inefficient. I thought it'd be an added bonus that the Zarges, unlike the Action Packer, was also small animal-proof, where as an Action Packer could easily be chewed through by a small rodent.
When I selected my Zarges case (about 4 years ago), they offered a range of cases. I bought the cheapest approx 60L one at $240 or so. But, the really good, supposedly less flimsy, submersible ones were $1200 at that time.
If Action Packers had straight sides, I'd probably have stuck with them, since the chew-through threat has never materialized since I have never taken the Zarges out of the truck while camping..

very true of the action packers! i hate that the walls go inward, killing a little bit of space between each box. BUT if i were to monetize the space per box, then the space wasted, it still would just be insane to pay $$$$$ for a few more cubic inches! I had a larger one that I put a foam gasket around the lid/box groove.

You can also buy a pelican for less than an alubox... if youre more worried about the rodent issue. OR just have ONE dedicated alubox for the food situation? That would be doable for me, thinking about it. But i like things to match, and that'd be a slippery slope toward replacing all my boxes with aluboxes lol... and there goes $1500


forgot to mention! action packers wont damage my vehicle or trailer if they bang into it!
 

trae

Adventurer
Thanks for pointing out harddigg cases. I gather they are used a lot in US military so there's a lot of used options on ebay. If it works the military it'll surely work for me!
 

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