What kayak crate do you run?

[Scott804]

I currently have a basic run of the mill modified milk crate for my kayak fishing crate. It certainly does the job but I'm not super in love with how it looks and while it isn't the end of the world, I have begun to look at some of the aftermarket kayak crates specifically made for kayak fishing. It seems like no matter which crate I go to, in the reviews there are multiple people complaining. I find it hard to justify buying a 100$+ possibly kayak crate if 1/3rd or 1/4th of the reviews are negative. 

 

So, what kayak crate do you run? Normal milk cart? Hobie H-Crate? Yakattack BlackPack? Wilderness Systems Krate? Any anecdotes or in depth experience would be appreciated! 

[Darth-Baiter]

I made mine out of a  Milwaukee tool box I bought from Home Depot. 

[Choporoz]

I got mine from behind a Dunkin Donuts 6 or 7 years ago.  Not once have I ever considered how it looks.

[schplurg]

 

Here's my baby.

 

I made the lid and rod holders. I made a latch to hold it shut and another to keep it open. It holds my fish finder batteries that I also use to charge cameras and power my light.

 

I may build a box from scratch using ABS. I have plans but not real motivated right now. My yak could hold a much bigger box so maybe this year I will. I want a box that is mostly light and water proof. There's no good reason for all the holes as far as I'm concerned

 

The lid is a hard piece of plastic I found, cut and painted. Rod holders are black PVC with a Starboard mount. Was fun routing that groove in the PVC!

 

I find the crates you can buy to be far too expensive for what you get and really not all that nice.

 

If anyone is interested this is how I routed the slots in the rod holder tubes. Lotsa clamps and wood! Later I flared out the ends with heat and a wine bottle.

 

[Scott804]

47 minutes ago, schplurg said:

 

Here's my baby.

 

I made the lid and rod holders. I made a latch to hold it shut and another to keep it open. It holds my fish finder batteries that I also use to charge cameras and power my light.

 

I may build a box from scratch using ABS. I have plans but not real motivated right now. My yak could hold a much bigger box so maybe this year I will. I want a box that is mostly light and water proof. There's no good reason for all the holes as far as I'm concerned

 

The lid is a hard piece of plastic I found, cut and painted. Rod holders are black PVC with a Starboard mount. Was fun routing that groove in the PVC!

 

I find the crates you can buy to be far too expensive for what you get and really not all that nice.

 

If anyone is interested this is how I routed the slots in the rod holder tubes. Lotsa clamps and wood! Later I flared out the ends with heat and a wine bottle.

 

That is super clean! My crate is real beat up and the holes are definitely something I'd like to eliminate too. I like what you did with the lid though, I feel a compulsive urge to bungee cord everything on the kayak but that lid looks way cleaner than a bungee cord holder. 

[volzfan59]

Flav-O-Rich Dairy.

[SmugOne]

I use a milk crate too.  Even made the lid using the bottom of another milk crate. I don’t really care how it looks. It is functional.  That is not to say i wouldn’t purchase something if I found a great deal.  I just can justify paying these exorbitant prices. 

[Darth-Baiter]

Here is mine.  Had to rig up two more spots for rods. I used some strap aluminum and pvc I had laying around.  I wanted a one hand carry, so I could move something else with my other hand. It has a handle that flips up. 
 

I will make a crate for my other kayak since my brother is coming to visit.  Hope to stay under $5, so I see zip ties in my future. 
 

 

[TonynswAR]

Completely homemade with 3 pvc tubes, used the bottom 3” from another crate to make a lid/tray in the event of a turtle

[Jmilburn76]

Ive got a Blackpak, however, I generally don't take it as it weighs around 40lbs with what I have in it. Its nice but I don't think its worth the $130 price tag.,I think DIY is the way to go.

[BBuck]

I've got the flambeau tuff krate and it is nice. I bought it on Amazon for around $80 a few months ago. I like that it has a lid on it so my lures don't get blasted in the sun all day. Plus, it has 4 rod holders. 

[NJBasstard]

I was gifted a Blackpak and added the NuCanoe hinges. Love it but not sure if I would've spent that much myself.. and if I did I'd probably get the Nucanoe crate (same as Blackpak but easier to get 3700 boxes in and out of)

 

[Scott804]

4 hours ago, SmugOne said:

I use a milk crate too.  Even made the lid using the bottom of another milk crate. I don’t really care how it looks. It is functional.  That is not to say i wouldn’t purchase something if I found a great deal.  I just can justify paying these exorbitant prices. 

Yeah. Some over 100$ seems silly. Most of them don't even really have many features, but at the same time sometimes little things can make a big difference and if it fixes some of the hassle of the classic crate maybe I will consider switching. 

[schplurg]

6 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

Here is mine.  Had to rig up two more spots for rods. I used some strap aluminum and pvc I had laying around.  I wanted a one hand carry, so I could move something else with my other hand. It has a handle that flips up. 
 

I will make a crate for my other kayak since my brother is coming to visit.  Hope to stay under $5, so I see zip ties in my future. 
 

 

 

I think using a toolbox is a great idea. I see no reason to have an open-air box like my milk crate, lid or not.

[Maxbasstn]

After looking around a ton,  I found a cool setup on YouTube. $45   It’s a Hart brand toolbox from Walmart. It will fit a trolling motor battery, lunchbox, tools, jackets, etc.  love mine. 

 

[ThatFishingGuy]

I use a standard milk crate I got from home depot along with one of these to organize my tackle. I put 3 3600 tackle boxes in the pouches on the outside, soft plastics on the inside along with anything else I might need (grips, scale, rope, bottle of water, etc. It has a divider for the interior which helps). Best part is it has a shoulder strap, so I don't have to move all my tackle into a separate backpack if I'm beating the bank - I can just bring it with me. 

[TcRoc]

Flambeau Tuff crate

[Koz]

I have the Flambeau Tuff Krate Premium. The difference between this one and the standard is that it has two compartments, and for me that come in handy. I'll use the top compartment for things like gaiters and gloves, a snack, fishing tools, sunscreen, etc.

 

It hold a ton of gear and it's easy to overpack and take on a lot of weight. But I do prefer it of the standard milk crate that I had been using.

[Hawkeye21]

I made mine using this. https://www.amazon.com/MTM-Sportsmens-Utility-Black-19-Inch/dp/B0051F9B2W/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2LZXBPWGZA2NO&keywords=mtm%2Bspud6&qid=1643640645&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=mtm%2Bspud6%2Csporting%2C95&sr=1-1&th=1

[bulldog1935]

Milk crate (container store) with a cargo net (amazon). 

Carries everything I need, including lunch. Quick-stuffs weather shell and layers, and keeps them there in a blow. 

Has also made a turtle without a single item lost. 

 

If you find the hooks, you can make these really useful bungees, but they're sold ready to go as Clinch-It, from mariner-sails.com

You can lock your crate in place with a little creative rigging. 

[Fishingmickey]

Howdy Scott,

     I couldn't stomach the high cost of the black pack either. I run a milk crate with rod holders (three each side and back). The rod holders are zip tied w/heavy duty zip ties to the crate.  I use the crisscrossed bungee cord that came on the kayak to hold it in place. I carry five or six 3700 boxes, a couple of small terminal tackle boxes and two marker buoys in it. I have a 19 qt Engel dry box/cooler with four rod holders on it that sits in front of the milk crate. 

Fishingmickey  

 

 

[J Francho]

Mine is an actual crate from the storage section of Home Depot with some rod and tool holders bolted to it.  Same thing I've been using for over a decade.

[TNBankFishing]

On 1/29/2022 at 11:04 AM, BBuck said:

I've got the flambeau tuff krate and it is nice. I bought it on Amazon for around $80 a few months ago. I like that it has a lid on it so my lures don't get blasted in the sun all day. Plus, it has 4 rod holders. 

I really like this product. I ran a milk crate for a couple years and the tuff krate (when on sale) is worth every penny. Add some bungies to the top lid and tray and it never flops open. Plus it’s not heavy, and fits what I need. I’ve stuck some Gruv launchpads on top of mine as well which make swapping my most used lures easy and fast. 
 

I think kayak fishing has an issue with over priced junk. On the whole though there are good products if you know where to find them. 

[CrashVector]

I stopped using a crate.

 

I use a Magellan ice chest instead.  It doubles as a live well bc it comes with a pre-cut hole in the side for a bubbler tube.

 

Has stanchions for included rod holders on he side as well.

[Scott804]

57 minutes ago, TNBankFishing said:

I really like this product. I ran a milk crate for a couple years and the tuff krate (when on sale) is worth every penny. Add some bungies to the top lid and tray and it never flops open. Plus it’s not heavy, and fits what I need. I’ve stuck some Gruv launchpads on top of mine as well which make swapping my most used lures easy and fast. 
 

I think kayak fishing has an issue with over priced junk. On the whole though there are good products if you know where to find them. 

If I can figure out how to rig 6 rod holders on the tuff krate that is the direction I am leaning now. I really like the top lid. And yeah I agree, lots of overpriced junk on the market. The good thing is almost anything can be DIY'd as far as kayak mods go.