Pickup truck question

[btyreprich]

Originally Posted by youngknight

For what it's worth, I tried renting a pickup to move my daughter to college and a rental trailer but could not find one company that rents one with a tow hitch set up. In fact they would say that it was due to policy...no towing.

I have seen a few rental pickups with the factory installed hitch under the bumper but would guess that the rental agency would have removed the wiring harness just for the reason.

[rockape]

I have one friend in our group that has a Dodge Ram. No cap. I have thrown my two duffel bags of clothes, food, tackle, etc. in your standard rubbermaid or the other safelite brand (whatever it is called) into these big tubs, and sealed them with duct tape. Never a problem. Cheap. Cargo net over them too.

I make sure all of my gear is locked up if we shack up at IF. Another buddy has a big Ram with a cap. I'll put my rods and valuable tackle in there if I need to. Who wants to take the chance that your killer tackle is gone at the border before you even make cast #1! Nowhere can you replace your gear at the last minute. Bobby's in Vermilion Bay is the best tackle shop I have found, but are you going to drop several thousand dollars to replace all of your ****, respool every reel, etc.? Not me. I'm not taking the chance. I'll sleep with my St. Croix's, Shamano's, and Abu Garcia's if I have to!

[PJHColdwater]

We have a group of guys from Rural Ohio that make the trip about 16 hours to Ontario every year. If more than 4 go - we have several local places that will rent 15 passenger full size vans. We can take out the back 1 or 2 bench seats and leaves a TON of room. Even with 6 guys and gear we have room to spare. They also come with hitches and they have all given us the OK to pull a boat. Cost for 10 days is usually $800-1000 with 2200 miles round trip. (If 4 or less we take my Tundra with full cap).

[btyreprich]

Originally Posted by PJHColdwater

We have a group of guys from Rural Ohio that make the trip about 16 hours to Ontario every year. If more than 4 go - we have several local places that will rent 15 passenger full size vans. We can take out the back 1 or 2 bench seats and leaves a TON of room. Even with 6 guys and gear we have room to spare. They also come with hitches and they have all given us the OK to pull a boat. Cost for 10 days is usually $800-1000 with 2200 miles round trip. (If 4 or less we take my Tundra with full cap).

Those seats - do you remove them with a socket set? Would have guessed they were held in place by welds.

[Hot Runr Guy]

Originally Posted by btyreprich

Those seats - do you remove them with a socket set? Would have guessed they were held in place by welds.

the middle set on a Transit pop right out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBuwwXO4Zcw

HRG

[btyreprich]

Changed my mind and am thinking of going with several Rubbermaid tote boxes to hold our clothes and groceries. Priced right and will have more uses that the weatherproof bag.
For those that have pickups without any kind of a cover, is a cargo net necessary?
I want to thank the Rubbermaid totes crammed full of clothes & reels will weigh enough so as to not be affected by the wind.
However I don’t own a pickup so I’ll take the advice of those with experience.
The cargo nexts aren’t expensive - Harbor Fright has a nice one with good reviews under $20.

[Rock Lobstar1]

Don’t forget to consider that the price of gas is obscene as soon as you cross the border. Those pick ups are thirsty buggers

[btyreprich]

Originally Posted by Rock Lobstar1

Don’t forget to consider that the price of gas is obscene as soon as you cross the border. Those pick ups are thirsty buggers

That’s for sure about gas prices in Canada. We always top off in International Falls and buy just a small amount in Canada on the return trip. Just enough to get over the border.
We used to bring a few gas jugs worth of gas but stopped doing that as we realized the risk & mess are not worth it.
Last year I drove the wife’s Highlander and we got pretty decent mileage given the size of that truck and how much gear we had packed into it. We leave very early in the morning and overnight in International Falls so there’s no hurry. Drive under 65 mph was the key.

[RRK285]

Have done this plenty of times, no problem. Large plastic bins that have latches, throw a bungee around them too. Nothing has got wet. Wrap stuff in garbage bags if you want a little more piece of mine. Plano makes the big storage trunks too if you want to spend some money.

[law57]

I've made many trips to Canada in very heavy rain. I never have a topper on my truck and just use totes - Rubber Maid or the like. I've never had anything in them get wet. I do put duct tape on the lids to ensure they don't blow off.

Just plain old totes seal pretty well - but a good bump may knock a lid loose - so the duct tape. No worries mate!