[ConanYourBarbarian]

So I've got a new oar frame, I have owned the boat for a couple years but I've only used it for paddleboating. Anyhow, becoming more nostalgic about my days as a raft guide I started to put together a list (I'm I'm tad bit obsessive so I thought I might fit in with the buzzard community!) Of all the items I will need for my oar rig, frame, oars, straps etc etc. I've always been more or less a minimalist, butgetting older now comfort is becoming king. So to the meat and potatoes, as my eccentricity and obsessiveness take over i find myself at a crossroads in regard to the dry box. Is it even worth it? I can see myself using it when it comes to camp kitchens and a fire pan but I have no idea what else I would use it for. So if yall can give me an idea of why you like your dryboxes and what yall keep in them my very annoyed wife would be appreciative so I can stop bouncing ideas of her!

 

[caverdan]

I use mine for food storage on multi day trips.

 

[ConanYourBarbarian]

I use mine for food storage on multi day trips.

So do you pack anything else in it on multiday trips? Doe you ever have a problem with items shifting and getting squished?

 

[caverdan]

I put my Dewalt drill in it and my jump start battery to charge my mp3 player and camera, but that's about it. My frame holds two dry boxes. I sit on one with a narrower one up front. The front one I use more as a bread and chip box. The only time I've had things squished was when I flipped. 🐴

I also own a kitchen box with detachable legs for large group trips that goes in a second boat.

 

[ConanYourBarbarian]

Thanks for the input! I don't know if I'm overthinking it or not, im just not sure if the NEED for one is there for me. I'm a fairly avid outdoorsman and have dialed my camp stove down to a T and I'm used to cramming it all in a backpack or a sled and hike it in. I've got a good variety of dry bags and I rarely use all of them for one trip. Is that a good substitute?

I can see the merit in using one for weight distribution purposes, but can't I rig a dry bag underneath a HMWPE or plywood deck if I follow clean line principles and meet the same or similar need for a properly trimmed boat?

Outside of maybe a 2 burner Coleman stove my wife had from her seldom car camping trips, a pop up fire pit and maybe a camp table I don't know what else I would put in there. I also don't think my camp kitchen needs to be In the drybox, but maybe I'm wrong. Dry goods are a good call, but is it worth the $400- $700 bucks?

I also can't see keeping any rescue equipment in there, my Z drag bag is strapped to the stern behind the gear pile for ease of access when I flip.

 

[caverdan]

The things you mention I keep in dry bags and action packers. You might not need one. I need one for my gear frame to sit on. If I'm doing an overnight trip with the wife and dog...... I take the day frame with cooler loop and tractor seat.

 

[markhusbands]

I like having hard sided storage for all sorts of odds and ends. I do use mine as storage for stove, pots, pans, lanterns, tent poles, sand stake, and other random stuff as well as some dry food items. Yeah, a good portion of what I put in mine doesn't really need to be dry, it just needs to be in a box where it won't get lost or poke a hole in anything. And I sit on it. I just noticed the box (pretty much full size) I use is on sale now for $315....frontier play. Some may scoff; I think it works great.

For stuff like chairs, pop up pit, and and roll tables, I have a drop bag up front under the passenger bench.

 

[Bootboy]

I find my dry box indispensable for keeping my corn chips safe, and my straw hat crisp on rapid days when I swap it for my helmet.

 

[Pinchecharlie]

They're just easier but you do have to buy them and they are expensive. It's nice to if you have a not so good site where you gotta lot of back and forth and can just carry it to your site. Makes a great seat too.

 

[ConanYourBarbarian]

Thanks for the heads up, that actually sounds like a steal!

 

[craven_morhead]

Camp kitchen + all dry food + weird odds and ends in mine.

 

[Conundrum]

Borrow one and see if you like it before buying?

 

[ConanYourBarbarian]

That would be a good idea! I'll have to ask around and see if anyone out there would let me.

 

[caverdan]

Is your frame set up to hold one? I only have one frame that a dry box fits in. I have a trailer frame for my kitchen box to fit in a boat with my day frame.

 

[MT4Runner]

I put odd stuff in there that needs to stay dry or unbroken--first aid kit, repair kit, chips, booze, bread, crackers/chips, quick access rain jacket/hat, stove, etc.

Now I run a dory more than a raft, and have 6 built-in dryboxes, so to speak. I tend to put the bread/chips in 4gal square buckets so they don't get squished.

 

[MT4Runner]

For stuff like chairs, pop up pit, and and roll tables, I have a drop bag up front under the passenger bench.

Agree that stuff doesn't really need to stay dry and rigs well in a drop bag under the table.

 

[ConanYourBarbarian]

Yes, my frame has a welded exterior but the 'runners' for lack of a better term are fully adjustable. Which is a huge reason I even went for the frame I did.

 

[ConanYourBarbarian]

Kind of a side bar question but I'll ask it anyways. Is there a good way to move the latches on dryboxes? I noticed most of the options have the latches right where a framing member would be. Do any of yall move them to the sides for easier access?

 

[rtsideup]

I have one and love it but, is is really necessary? Probably not.
A couple of things others haven't mentioned:
Don't count on it to be "dry". Even the good ones are really only splash proof. If you flip, there's a good chance that it will fill up with water.
Ease of access is the biggest benefit. Mine is rigged right in front of me; cold kid needs a jacket, hangry mom needs food, captain needs a shot of tequila to deal with cold, hungry passengers, it's all right there at my fingertips, no digging in drybags.

 

[Dangerfield]

For breakables so to speak and for items you don't want rubbing and springing a leak such as Bota Box type wines. Also, aluminum boxes are impervious to gnawing critters that want their own chips & nachos for a midnight snack. Try camping in bear country with dry food staples in drybags or drop bags on your craft. If you store in dry bags - "hang em high".