It’s nearly Christmas and everyone loves a story, so below are a couple from the Open Sky Touring archives. Fires are everywhere at the moment and a huge amount of loss has been incurred across Australia. As such, it seems more than appropriate to talk about them.
As travellers, we regularly use fire as a tool. In fact, for us and many others, it is the ritual of cooking in the bush. As someone on Facebook recently posted: “No one drinks beer around the microwave!”
That said, fire safety, now more than ever, should be one of your highest priorities when bush camping. Let me share one of my little life lessons that I hinted at in the last newsletter. Sometimes the best lessons about travelling are learned from your mistakes.
Lessons from Fire
A lifetime or so ago, I was working as part of a team on a station in a remote part of Queensland. We had called it a night near a small dam, lit the fire, cooked up a feed, washed it down with a few tinnies and crashed out for the night in our swags. The next morning we re-stoked the fire, knocked up a brew and some breaky for everyone, re-packed the Toyotas and moved on. The fire was out before we left and had a reasonable clear patch of ground scraped all around it. No worries. Or so we thought.
A couple of hours later, I took off in a Robinson R-22 helicopter and heard about a fire on the station radio. I turned and saw a huge wall of smoke billowing up from the direction of our last camp. Let me tell you, the feeling of dread and helplessness that hit me at that point is not something I ever want to experience again. One look at that fire, which was about a kilometre wide and out of control, and I knew it was us who had caused it by not properly ensuring it was out.
Well, a week later it finally burned out after all hands from three surrounding properties put in their best efforts to cut it off with backburning and firebreaks. About 67 square kilometres of cattle feed was gone as well as a few paddock fences, and let’s just say that I was not exactly the flavour of the month.
That fire was investigated by the Regional Firies and the first thing said was that although we had scraped up a clear patch with the shovel, we didn’t have the required 1.5 metres of cleared ground around the fire. It was eventually decided that a whirly whirly had most likely blown through and thrown a hot coal into the nearly dry grass. Stupid stuff. And it could have been a lot worse.
Lesson learned: Always, 100 percent always, ensure your fires are properly doused with water and out before you leave camp.
Lessons from the Dessert
For anyone who has spent some time travelling, a breakdown situation has probably happened to you at some stage. Breaking down in the desert though is most people’s nightmare and should be avoided at all costs. A breakdown here is a serious situation, and one that can be both life threatening and very expensive if you don’t plan properly. Well, that is exactly what happened to us during our 2015 desert crossing, and although it is now a part of our story, it could have been a disaster. It also provided another valuable learning experience.
In my case, the breakdown was caused by a single hose clamp popping off a hose running from the automatic transmission to the transmission cooler on the Brown Bear, the name affectionately given to my bronze GU Patrol with the 6.5l Turbo Diesel heart transplant. Great car by the way. It now lives at Useless Loop in Western Australia with its new owner, Luke.
Anyway, this happened just as we moved off from our second camp and we still don’t really know why it waited until we were in the middle of nowhere. Murphy’s Law, I guess. So, was this preventable? Probably. That said, I’ve never known hose clamps to vibrate loose, so I wasn’t paying attention to them. Also, and more importantly, I’ll never know if it was loose prior to starting the vehicle because it wasn’t checked during the morning vehicle start-up routine. Why? Because I stupidly didn’t do one.
Luckily for us we were traveling in a convoy of three vehicles and were able to duck into town (nine hours away) and pick up 12 litres of the world’s most expensive tranny fluid before continuing on our merry way.
Lesson Learned: Always have enough fluids for at least two days in case of a breakdown (we nearly ran out!) Doing pre-start checks is also highly recommended.
A blister from Pat
We got a bit of a rude shock a couple of weeks back when none other than Pat Callinan, aka Mr 4×4, gave us a public blister on one of our Facebook posts for a box with a bent lid. Once we found out, the matter was quickly rectified with a replacement and Pat now is a happy customer again.
In fact, we are only sorry that we weren’t able to provide him with the Sandy Taupe colour he wanted for his awesome Amarok. We pride ourselves on good communication with our customers. We’ll go out of our way to fix any problems and appreciate a chance to do this if something is not right.
Tight Boxes
If you have just joined the Expedition134 owners club (or are thinking about it) or have a new box on the way for Christmas, you may notice that the lid can be difficult to latch down for the first time. Take heart, this is normal when the custom seal is still brand new and yet to bed in properly.
If you are struggling to close that middle latch, pull the edge of the tub out and up as you push down and the latch should pop on. We recommend then leaving the box latched down for 72 hours to let the seal bed in properly and all should be good with the world again. See the video on this blog for a look at how to do it.
Update from the Team
We’ve been working a lot of overtime on our business of late and slowly getting the good word out about our Expedition134 boxes. The positive feedback has been great and a lot of pictures have been sent in by people just like us, who are travelling this fine country and are now enjoying doing so with our homegrown Expedition134 boxes.
Our fellow Cairns businessman, Isaac Edmiston from Norweld, recently bought a few boxes for his unbelievable new custom 79 and carted them across to the Perth 4×4 show and back in a massive effort, driving from one side of the country to the other, with Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne on the way. It’s always good to support and work with other like-minded Aussie businesses.
Zone Caravans has also seen the light (a big shout out to Mark and Sam from A247 for the intro) and have incorporated the Expedition134 boxes into some of their exciting new light-weight canopies. Dave and Matt at Zone are into some real cutting-edge designs with their composite materials and it’s always exciting to see what they come out with next.
Christmas Orders
If you are looking for something for that special someone, then check out some of our bundles for the perfect Christmas presents and grab some savings at the same time. Just be sure to get the order in before December 15 to ensure they get to you before Christmas. All the best to everyone for the holiday break, if you are lucky enough to get one, and a big shout out to the Emergency Services for all your hard work. We’ll be out and about again in the New Year.
Ben & Nic
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OPEN SKY TOURING REVIEWS
from 51 reviewsStorage boxes are as described and very strong. Able to be sealed from water and dust. Very happy with this purchase.
Great storage for my camping equipment. The latches are super tight so I think they will be completely waterproof
Love the boxes... great product. You guys should be proud of your exceptional customer service... great support and advice with follow ups. Don’t get that anywhere else these days. Thank you
These Australian made Storage boxes are awesome for camping. Great design and well thought out! Love them!
Couldn't be happier with the Expedition 134 boxes that I purchased. They are a credit to their designers and everyone involved. Would thourghly recommend getting some. Finally an Ant, Dust and Water proof storage solution for all my on roof items
They are that good we just keep buying them, now have 7. Makes camping and travelling a lot easier. Used for all purposes including water storage.
Great Product
I've had a couple of these Expedition134 storage boxes for over a year now. They hold my camping gear, tie-downs, car cleaning products, photography gear, food, drinks, clothes and anything else that I can fit in them. I've traveled everywhere from the South Australian Coast up to central Queensland Coast inland and coastline on dusty roads, flooded roads and sandy beaches and the seal hasn't failed me yet. They store easily in the Ute with the interlocking lids, easy to colour coordinate between the interchangeable coloured boxes and lids, you can attach small ratchet straps to tie them down and padlocks in you need to.
For anyone considering purchasing new storage boxes, I highly recommend the Expedition134. Strong, weatherproof and affordable.
After many travels and more than a few camping tubs which didn’t last, we stumbled across these ripper camping boxes . I can not recommend highly enough. Super strong, easy to keep clean. We use every adventure and camping trip we go on. Strong enough to use as seats and steps into the Ute . We have a whole set of colours and brought more to set our young bloke up. Fantastic Australian company. Highly recommend you will not regret it.
I was set up with these cracking expedition boxes. I have the set of colors and also the mixed lids so I can differentiate what’s in them. Could not recommend these enough. Tough as nails, easy to clean and being able to stack them, they take up heaps less room on the Ute. All my mates want these boxes. Bloody choice!
We have been using these boxes for a while now and they are the best plastic storage tub I have ever used. Highly recommended them if you love the outdoors
These boxes are expensive. BUT, totally worth it. We were looking at buying a step ladder, another table, and trying to figure out how we store our clothes in a camper trailer for a year traveling around Australia. The solution to all these problems was a quad pack of Expedition 134 boxes. Camper trailer storage is tight, as anyone knows. With these boxes our clothes can stay outside and be dust and water free in any conditions. On top of that, they don't get in the way because we can use them for other purposes. And, if we want them off to the side, we can stack them up and put them anywhere knowing our gear is safe. When they're in the car we can stack them up and tie them down safely knowing the won't budge. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for the best possible storage solution for camping and caravanning.
Purchased 3 expedition boxes and we have used them a couple of times when out camping. They are at a very reasonable price, can fit our items easily (pantry items, cookware, general storage). I’ve used other storage boxes (pelican and rhino) and this by far exceeds any storage box - they are lighter, compact, easier to handle. Boxes sealed well and items were kept clean. Can highly recommend buying the boxes and also the straps that can be purchased with them.
I can 100% recommend these boxes. Pictures just don’t do it justice on how good the quality of these things are. Easy to stack,waterproof, can mix and match the colours, if you choose something other than this you are making a mistake! Just love the things.
Excellent cases! I've previously used military-spec spacecases obtained during my army days but these are equal to or better than the mil-spec. The material they are built from is thinner, but is obviously a better grade of plastic because it maintains its integrity exceedingly well. I bought four - one on orange to keep all my recovery gears, and three in black for clothes, toiletries, cooking gear and food. they stack perfectly and saved me needing to take camping chairs oput with me as they put up with my 110kg weight without any warping. Excellent after-sales service - my dog chewed two clips and they sent out replacements immediately! 10/10 do recommend for any function, whether camping or keeping your cyclone-tsunami-sharknado-coronavirus-zombieapocalypse food stores in, watertight and sturdily...
We bought an Expedition134 box for our 4wd’ing gear and absolutely love it. Sturdy, tough, and secure: we are confident using it for gear that normally would crack other plastic boxes, and it doesn’t twist or warp at all during use or storage. We will definitely be back for more!
Purchased 2 boxes and I highly recommend them. Easy to stack, tie down and clean and have used them on a couple of trips and have had no dust or water issues. Fantastic bit of gear.
We have 4 of your boxes. Been camping for 20+ years and gone through many storage ‘solutions’. These boxes are the ducks guts. Highly highly recommend!!!
We have 4 of your boxes. Been camping for 20+ years and gone through many storage ‘solutions’. These boxes are the ducks guts. Highly highly recommend!!!
I first saw the concept of this box may years ago, when I was working as Editor of Australia's biggest selling 4WD print mag - the boys sent me their 3D CAD drawings and outlined their features and benefits.
I was immediately excited by the idea and prayed that it came to fruition.
Fast-forward a few years and I was looking at my very first Expedition Box - wow, I was blown away.
They had met every single design target; lightweight, strong, UV resistant, dust and waterproof, lockable, stackable (and smaller stackable in storage with the lids off). Not only that, there are other awesome features like a smooth clean interior, unique corner tie-down points (for easy contents access without having to untie straps) and strap channels for traditional straps.
I am pumped by this box and its versatility. Nearly a year later and I am now the happy owner of two boxes (and recently four of their super-strong straps). I have put them through the normal bashing one would expect to give out bush on plenty of trips and apart from some minor scratching on the outside (lets call it bush-character!) they are still perfect. They have endured wind-driven rain and plenty of dust on my roof, never have I had a leak to the inside and my contents within.
Top job boys! Happy to recommend this wholeheartedly to anyone.
#australianmade
An Australian made quality product. Need I say any more. Have owned an Expedition 134 box for over a year now. Typically resides in my vehicle storing clutter however to date it has been utilised for multiple purposes - touring, camping, carrying goods across the farm. Never an issue with water or dust ingress. Only problem I have is that I need more of them!
We’ve just brought two of your boxes , we were originally going to buy an allubox, but after a bit of research and the fact that yours are Australian made , well that sealed the deal for us , we were very impressed with the quality and how quick it was , from ordering to receiving our order .
Definitely in our top 10 bits of camping gear
I have a set of these boxes and from what I can say is WOW! Absolutely brilliant!! The external tie down points are a great idea, everything can be tied down on the ute and still easily access the contents in the tubs with out having to untie every strap!
I use mine for cooking gear as the cast iron hot plate and cooker can bounce around in the box and I know that the box isn’t going to break on me like my previous cheap and nasty tubs! Highly recommend!
Need to start by commending open sky touring for finally providing a product we have been searching for.
For years of breaking plastic tubs, trying metal and having them rattle and drive me crazy or others that are overweight for their size. Finally have a strong box. Can use it as a seat, a step or a bench as the lid does not budge.
Zero water or dust gets in when it's on the roof or the trailer. External tie down points so you can still open the box without having to remove straps. It's lockable and durable. Well done. We have given this product hell and still in perfect condition besides scuff marks as you would expect but none look like ever rubbing through.
Looking forward to many years ahead of touring with these boxes.
Dave
4x4brothers
The night before we tackled the border track
I gotta say I'm absolutely loving these @expedition134 storage boxes.
We were in a national park so we needed to bring our own firewood. I didn't want to drive 2 hours with wood strapped to the roof & I wanted to keep the weight as low as possible as my hilux is already too top heavy. So I loaded enough wood for 2 nights in these boxes and stacked them on my back seat without any mess in my car. They are incredibly durable so I had faith that even though they were fully loaded with wood they weren't going to break on my during the track. Highly recommend them
I began looking for a secure storage box to protect my camera gear from dust and water while traveling out west. That is when I found the expedition134 boxes. They were perfect for the job. Not only did they keep my camera gear clean and dry they also kept everything secure as they are lockable. I was so impressed with them that I also began using them as a tucker box, clothes box and general storage for tools etc. I tied one onto the top of the camper and even after several thousand kilometers of dusty corrugated outback roads the inside was as clean and dry as the day we left. If you are looking for a touring storage solution then look no further then the expedition134 box.
I bought 2 of your boxes recently, to use in our camper trailer.
For 11 years we have used (multiple ) plastic tubs bought from Big W or Bunnings. Multiple tubs because, of course, they don't last. Normal camping use has seen them crack, dust get in, even some mice in our food box once.
So I recently bought 2 of your boxes and we packed them, using 1 as a food box and the other as a kitchen/cooking gear box.
We have been on a 2 week trip to the Warrumbungle and Pilliga National Parks in Western New South Wales.
Not the roughest roads this trip, but all our camps were very dusty and the odd rodent or odd million flies.
In our boxes each time I found, food or kitchen stuff. That's it. No dust, insects or mice. How good is that! Plenty of dust on the outside of them.
The boxes also changed the way I packed the trailer. Much better! They fit in great.
We used them as seats at times, and as a footstool.
Great boxes. Very happy with them.
Thanks,
Andrew Osborne
Absolutely one of the handiest storage items I have ever used.
Used to carry alot of the generic plastic tubs and they would break from being tied down, or leak and just didn't last the test of time. The Expedition 134 boxes have lived in the back of our Landcruiser wagon to stop loose items flying around and I also take one on the back of the Landcruiser ute for long trips to keep certain items safe and dry. The best feature is not having to untie everything to access the contents. Wont be buying any other storage containers
Just completed 20,000 to Cape , Central Qld, NT, SA outback, QAA track etc with 3 Expedition Boxes on the back of the Hilux. No dust , no water. Seriously good solution for heavy use , hard core situations
st purchased 2 of these boxes and we used them away camping. The conditions were very dry and dusty out there and not one bit of dust entered these boxes. The build and workmanship that has gone into these cases are well thought out and the weight of these are extremely light which always help when loading into a trailer or on top of 4wd roofracks.. They are extra strong and durable and I loved how you could have these tied down on your roof racks and still open the cases with much more ease with other boxes on the market and liked how you can lock these up from the underside of the box. Also a We had to use of them to store some water and drinks and we tried Ice in them and the drinks kept cool for 1 day placed in the shade. Well done open sky touring. Look forward to buying your new tie down straps when they are released.
Thanks for the super-fast delivery of the boxes! I’ve loaded them up for a quick weekender. I’m very impressed with them! Haven’t had a chance to fully figure out how to utilise them best, but so far, so good.Besides Barrington being 90% gated off to anyone, the trip went well. It hailed and stormed for about 30 mins which was interesting. I used the boxes as a step to get into my roof top tent, it’s awesome you can stand on them. Also, when I came back down to sea level, the seals were so good that they had almost sucked the lid in. Maybe need to put an equaliser valve in them…I love them though. I’ve been searching for a smaller box than my Trimcast ones for ages and this ticks the boxes. I’ll be buying more for sure.
These Expedition 134 boxes are so well designed and thought out. They are fully dust and water proof, square sided internally to allow you to pack them fully. They have a reinforced structure in the lid that has taken my weight at 140kg. Also the base is fully reinforced. They are stackable and lock together, they can be locked on every catch, strapped longitudinally or crosswise. Provision for strapping on each corner. We own 14 of them and use them when we are travelling in our caravan throughout Australia and to pack and store stock in at shows and Expos. They are incredible!!.
I’ve had my Expedition box for a few months now. It’s been carted around inside the car, strapped on top and everywhere in between. Most versatile box I have ever had. Really solid construction, keeps dust and water out no worries and being able to open when strapped down is a great feature. Have used it as a step, esky, food or recovery gear storage. Haven’t needed to use the lockable feature yet but it’s just another thing that shows how well thought out these boxes are.
First of all, I’d like to say congratulations on producing a top-quality Aussie product. I’d have to say the quality and finish of the container is very, very, good! I love the smooth internal finish, the look/feel of the container, the size, the tie down points and general construction of the container.I look forward to testing it against water and dust ingestion by running it on the back of my Can-Am Maverick SxS buggy, which is what I principally purchased it for – all other containers used so far have let in stacks of dust! I am quietly confident yours won’t! On a side note, used to own and run a 4x4 Accessory Shop so consider myself to have a LOT of experience with 4x4 products, the good, the bad, the ugly and the plain ‘how can you sell such rubbish’! I am a passionate 4x4 enthusiast, have toured Australia extensively (using products that range from great to absolute rubbish) and love everything 4x4 related, especially good quality products that make touring easier and more practical. Again, congratulations and well done on a well thought-out, conceived and tested product.
Received my Expedition134 box today. Despite being a little off the beaten track it found its way to be c/o Beagle Bay store up on the Dampier Peninsular, WA, which is pretty impressive in itself. When it arrived it looked just as good as I had expected, but actually feels more solid, so has exceeded my expectations. We travel with a Tvan and have limited storage space. This replaced what we call our 'Kitchen Box', which travels in the rear of the Tvan, and has effectively increased our storage space. The old kitchen box 'did the job' but this box does it better. When we set up camp the box lives outside on the ground next to the slide out kitchen. This new one won't collect the morning dew.rain on it's lid. We also no longer have the need to ocky strap the lid closed each night to keep the various bush critters out. Wife is very happy. As someone who likes everything we carry to have more than a single purpose, this new box makes me happy too. Aside from secure storage, it will double as a stool, meaning the folding one I currently carry will no longer be needed, and we now have an extra 'seat' when the odd visitor without their own drops by our camp fire.To be honest, I know it is 'only' a box, but I'm pretty stoked with it. Nice when you find something which solves several problems, is well made (giving confidence in it's durability) at a fair and competitive price. Good one people.