Trailhunter shortbed w/ ARB sports rack + Pelican BX135 cargo case + XBED mounts

[Leucosia]

Wanted to try out a secure storage option without using a tonneau.

The Pelican BX135 cargo case and xbed mounts will work with the ARB sport rack.

The box itself is about 3-4 inches from the back of the cabin end of the bed. That’s as far back as you can mount it because of the sports rack L bracket, but you can swing out the lid and it will not contact anything because of this.

The quick detach system is a bit less robust than advertised. You have to lift the box out the hookup arms, or leave one set of nuts loose enough to slide the bed mounts out of the way. It’s still “quick detach”. In theory, I would just need to undo the locks, pull the cotter pins, and lift the box up. The brackets will remain in place.

while nifty, I’m not entirely sure just going with a diamond back isn’t the superior method. But I wanted a solution with a bit of secure storage, but could remove if I wanted to toss my surfboard in the back.

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[lauren01]

Wanted to try out a secure storage option without using a tonneau.

The Pelican BX135 cargo case and xbed mounts will work with the ARB sport rack.

The box itself is about 3-4 inches from the back of the cabin end of the bed. That’s as far back as you can mount it because of the sports rack L bracket, but you can swing out the lid and it will not contact anything because of this.

The quick detach system is a bit less robust than advertised. You have to lift the box out the hookup arms, or leave one set of nuts loose enough to slide the bed mounts out of the way. It’s still “quick detach”. In theory, I would just need to undo the locks, pull the cotter pins, and lift the box up. The brackets will remain in place.

while nifty, I’m not entirely sure just going with a diamond back isn’t the superior method. But I wanted a solution with a bit of secure storage, but could remove if I wanted to toss my surfboard in the back.
View attachment 52208

I like that size Pelican and that setup vs. the longer box. Should I want to run without my tonneau cover, this looks like a great setup.

Could you strap your surfboard propped up onto the ARB rack and leave the box mounted? Even if that’s a yes, would you be concerned about theft at beach parking?

 

[Leucosia]

I like that size Pelican and that setup vs. the longer box. Should I want to run without my tonneau cover, this looks like a great setup.

Could you strap your surfboard propped up onto the ARB rack and leave the box mounted? Even if that’s a yes, would you be concerned about theft at beach parking?

There's a couple workarounds, it also depends on what board i take with me. But if i take my 9'6 longboard, everything gets tricky without a proper roof or bed rack and the pelican in. Laziest way is to just put some towels on the tailgate, lay the board against that, and use some bungees or very light ratchets. That gets trickier with the box in because now the angle is pretty steep. I don't want to mount in with it sticking over the cabin because the resistance on the freeway would likely start to crack the glass job given how much of it would stick out. If i lived local to the beach that would be doable.
A bed rack at cabin height would be the most secure, honestly, that + tonneau is probably the best of all worlds.

I'm not too worried about theft because usually if i go surfing I don't linger or hang out on the beach. I usually get in, surf, get out and aim to surf at like 6AM (dawn patrol), however my old camry had a lockable ratchet system meant specifically for surfboards. The bigger annoying bit is the keys. My old camry had physical keys, i would wear the key crossbody on paracord inside my wetsuit. Right now the credit card key and a waterproof bag worn crossbody with paracord inside my wetsuit works, but is annoying as hell. If i leave the pelican case in, i would toss the key in a faraday box inside the pelican case.

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