He is the crate master for sure

Mine came from The Container Store. Their HD crates are only like $6. And they are slightly bigger than a standard milk crate (I have one of those, too) so my Plano 3700 boxes fit in them. The top is easy. a couple of small hinges and a piece of 1/8" thick plastic or plexiglass.

Here are some photos of my crate.




While I was down in Kerrville I found a black cutting board at Gibsons that I would like to use as a lid. I just have not figured out how I want to mount it.


But if your wanting to save money make your own rod holders out of PVC. The YAK Gear rod holders run about $20 each. So I spent more than I should have.

I like the supreme crate from the container store. it's the one they use for records. It's bigger and holds quite a bit of stuff.

http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10005526&N=&Ntt=crate

These are 3700 series boxes in this crate





I have a Black Pak that I won, but I have yet to use it.

Now I've seen all you guys' s crates I feel a little inadequite. Nice work. Now I gotta make improvements.

What did you use to attach the Yellow Crate Lid to your Crate?

Thanks

I did a similar double decker with lid and I used zip ties. it worked out well, just drill out a 1/4 hole into the crate and run the zip ties around.

looks like he used zip ties

I use zip ties to attach mine ,and a bungie cord to latch it closed

Correct I used zip ties.

I've seen the black pak and I think it's a high quality product that no one would regret buying. The Jackson box looks tough and it is no doubt. Probably a little like buying a super light 24 ounce paddle. I doubt anyone would be kicking himself or thinking its a waste of money. But a 29 ounce paddle that costs a fraction of that is really just fine when you think about it. I just can't imagine paying the full retail on these. Just too many reels, rods, graphs, lures that I could put that money toward that would directly improve my catch rate. The storage container that I'm holding my crankbaits and Plano boxes in really doesn't have a whole lot to do with that... The standard milk crate works fine, particularly if you take the time to add a lid and rod holders. But if I had all the kistler/dobyns/loomis rods for all the presentations that I need to be truly effective (ain't even close yet!), yeah I'd buy one... JMO...

What is best way to cut crate to create a lid?

Thanks for help, project for the weekend

I used a jig saw. Took about a minute then I used a pocket knife to cut any rough edges. You could sand down the edges to make them even smoother.

I was blessed with winning a BlacPak at the KBFT Open. It is a very useful piece of equipment. Being primarily a fly fisherman I wouldn't normally use a crate but the BP is real handy. I have even bought some of the thin Plano boxes for my flies. I put the custom lid in the man cave and am using the standard lid. It holds a lot of stuff and I like the fact that it has the lid so that everything is secure if I flip, and it keeps the sun from beating down on my "stuff".

I'm all for the custom milk crates, and even though I have the JCrate I ain't given up my custom milk crate. They are cheap to build and add too when more goodies become available to add on. I use a table saw to cut the bottom of a milk crate off and use it for the top. The milk crate will hold up and can take a beating too. The JCrate and BlackPak are very nice crates and yes they do cost a bit more. They both can be customized to fit your fishing needs as you see fit, and both are pretty darn tough and light weight. One thing that's nice about the storage crates, is lots of folks who build them on this forum love to share there ideas and even help out when some of us don't have the tools or place to build them. Good folks here.