Which do you have, the soft bag or a hard box? I've seen some cheap hard boxes at Walmart, but what do you use and do you like it?

 

I guess it depends on how much junk you think you need to carry

I use a bag myself, but then I don't carry much at all and the only time I use it is during hunting season to carry hunting gear. I bungee right over the bag (to compress it to the rack) and everything to keep it low profile and nothing rattles around. Most people that are trail riders which like to camp often use boxes because they are much more durable and don't rip at the mounting straps like bags. They also carry much more gear.


If you just wanna carry some extra jackets and a few essentials and perhaps a bottle of water and sandwiches then a bag would suit you good. You can compress the bags and gear for a low profile and keep your quads handling charateristics close to natural.

If you wanna lug half the house and the kitchen sink plus a half rack of beer then go with HIGH QUALITY boxes, don't get the cheap crap. Some of the nicer boxes even have built in coolers [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Thanks for your reply. That's exactly the kind of info I had hoped to receive. Keep them coming.

I plan to do a couple of overnights this summer and IF I got a hard box was planning to bolt it down with some "U" bolts by drilling holes in the bottom of the box and bolting it to the rack. Right now I've got a cheap Cabela's soft pack, the one with the hard rubber middle for a second rider and smaller zippered pouches on the sides and back, but the zippers keep getting dust in them and are hard to operate. I spray WD40 on them, they work for awhile then hang up. It's not really large enough for a serious, long ride. I like the idea of being able to keep stuff cool, but the larger boxes are not cheap.

 

The U bolts thing is commen pratice for mounting boxes, if you get a cheaper box (to get you by for now) I would suggest putting on a backing plate to help keep the blots from ripping thru the box.


Get some material and cut it into 4" or so squares, (aluminium, steel or even plywood) and glue them to the bottom of the box where your U bolts are going to mount. If you glue it good then it'll be easier to line things up as it won't move. The reinforcing squares will keep the bolts from pulling thru even in the roughest of conditions.

 

I've got one of the big bags, the kind that holds it's shape w/foam inside the walls. A cheap-o from GI Joes.

I really like it, and can carry lots of food, rain gear, and probably enough stuff to camp if I were to bungee the tent and sleeping bag onto the front rack.

If you carry something small and heavy, like a winch accessory kit for example, it may be better to strap that directly to the rack as I would bet it would wear the soft bag badly if allowed to slide around in there. I don't run a front bag, so I have room for stuff like that on the front rack. You probably wouldn't have to worry about something sliding around causing wear with a hard bag.

I also thought a soft bag might be better if you tip it over, in that it smooshes rather than breaks. Also it's softer if you don't get yourself out of the way in time.

I also had the zipper get clogged with dust, but I found that if I turn the bag so the zipper is on the front I don't have that problem. Like someone mentioned, snagging a strap on a stick can tear it off the bag. Happened to a buddy of mine, but he wrote the company who sent him a new pack...

 

I have one of Cabella's cheap boxes on my Prairie. Don't do much trail riding as such but haul fence fixing stuff and tools around a lot. Have spent a few days at a time out in the mountains and had plenty of room for all the stuff I would have carried on a horse plus a lot more.

The cabella's box is held in place by small turnbuckels that hook to the rack and box. Two back and front and one on each end. No failures so far but then I don't do any jumping or hotrodding around.

I agree with prior posters that what you want to carry and how much of it will dictate bag or box.

I also have fender bags for small stuff, a scabbard for a rifle and a platform on the front rack for the dog.

 

I have the quad boss front box. It came with rubber rope hooks to hold it but i wanted permenent so i did the U bolt thing and it works great. I drilled holes and mounted large tractor lights to the box also to provide better lighting and the box held up perfect

 

My dad has the box, and I had a bag. My straps broke on the bag after the first ride though. Needless to say Kolpin(cabelas) got that one back in a hurry. They are convenient though, its nice when at least one person you ride with has something to hold the soda and food in.

 

i bought the Tamarak standard trunk. smaller than the really big ones like the Kimpex or Moose Explorer, but bigger than the front boxes. i also have a smaller front box, a steel one that a huge socket set came in. the front one is u-bolted down and secure enough to lock a handgun in, along with digital camera and gps unit.
i usually travel alone on the atv, and sometimes thirty or so miles from the truck or nearest highway, so i like to carry enough stuff to get me back without too much stress. i also sometimes pack in enough stuff to camp at one of the mountain lakes. that really takes the space.
to be honest i haven't used some of the stuff i bring, like first aid kit, shovel, or pack saw (well i have used the shovel for trail maintenance) but every item i throw in is as light as i can get, and stuff that i think is reasonable. then there is room enough for a small cooler and a jacket without having to bungie stuff where the dust gets all over it.

over on highlifter, there is a guy that linked a site with just about all of the atv bags and boxes on one site. he's gonna do a review on a bunch of them, but last time i looked, it was just pictures with the manufacturer and model. i think it's in the accessory column.

monty

 

When I was riding those big fat **** polarises, I carried a front and rear hard box and enough gear to deal with any situation. Didn't seem to affect the handling all that much.
Now that I got the Bomb to sport around on I'm keeping it light, just a soft bag for the essentials. Gotta be able to fly!

DT