RUX 70L Gear Box

Review by Erin Trail

RUX has taken a new approach to gear boxes, with premium materials and purposeful construction, their 70 L Gear Box is more than just a place to store things.

Specifications

• Volume: 70L​
• Empty Weight: 5.3 lbs / 2.4 kg
• Dimensions (W x L x H): 15.7 x 19.5 x 13.8 inches / 40 x 50 x 35 cm
• Load Limit: 50 lbs / 22.6 kg
• Bag: 840D TPU-coated waterproof nylon bag
• Base: Compression molded PE foam base laminated with 600D TPU coated Polyester
• Straps: Nylon Webbing
• Rim and Rails: Composite Nylon
• Connect Buckles: Acetal
• E-Hooks: 7075 aluminum
• Detachable straps, enabling you to wear the tote like a backpack or over the shoulder
• Clear side pocket for easy labeling
• Nylon webbing side handles
• Two options (based on colorway, press to fit or tri-fold) sturdy enough to enable stacking
• Fully collapsible for easy storage when not in use, thanks to silicone coated spring steel
• Several Low profile last points
• Waterproof
• Lifetime warranty

Optional Accessories that clip directly into the Rail System:

• RUX Bag
• RUX Pocket (3L)

Detailed Review

The RUX 70L Gear Box is a pretty beefy gear tote.  It arrives to you fully collapsed.  In order to bring the item into “box” form, you have to insert silicone coated spring steel (think high tech snap bracelets) into each corner wall of the gear box. For me, a woman with small hands, getting the grippy silicone snap bracelets into a very snug corner pocket (4 times) took a fair amount of work.  I also took several views of the set up video on their website to ensure I had the orientation of the supports correct (i.e. do they snap to the inside or outside).  Even with my engineering degree, this was not intuitive and I could have benefitted from a “this side goes towards the inside of the box” label. Once the side wall structure is in place, however, you never have to remove it.

Thankfully, installing and using the other pieces of the RUX 70L Gear Box is easier than setting up the corner supports.

What strikes me about the RUX 70L Gear Box is now modular it is.  RUX has literally thought of everything.

Waterproof? check

Easy to store when not in use? check

Ways to attach the sealed box to a vehicle, ATV, vehicle, or boat? check

Straps to help you carry the box? Check, check and check

Interior options to customize layout and attachments?  check

Functionality

As a person whose “hobby is collecting hobbies”, I have a LOT of gear.  And that gear should, ideally, be organized by activity, and also ideally, that organization structure should be easy to load into the back of my SUV or van so I can grab-and go.

I am still working out which “hobby” I’m dedicating the RUX 70L Gear Box towards.  Most recently, I used the Gear Box for ski gear.  My ski boots fit nicely inside the box.  I didn’t have to worry about knocking the muddy slush off the boots prior to stashing, because the Gear Box is waterproof and easy to spray clean.

I also have the RUX Bag and RUX pocket accessories installed into my 70L Gear Box.   Both of these accessories clip into the composite nylon top rail system.

And speaking of the nylon top rail system – this is what makes the RUX 70L Gear Box so modular.  The rail system fully lines the inner rim of the Gear Box and has clip points equally distributed across the rim.  There are also side rails installed along the outer rim of the Gear Box.  This makes your arrangement of the RUX Bag and Pockets totally up to you!

I installed the RUX Bag into one side of the Gear Box, allowing for more than half the box’s storage to be dedicated for bigger items, like ski boots.

The RUX Bag is a 25 L bag that can function both as a Gear Box accessory, or on it’s own. There’s a hook and flap closure, so you can easily secure things inside the bag. There’s also internal mesh pockets (i.e. pockets inside the bag) that help to keep smaller things organized.  The entire RUX Bag is made from TPU-coated 600d polyester, making it waterproof.  As a bonus, the RUX Bag comes with handles, making it really easy to use this as a stand-alone piece of kit.

The RUX Pockets also clip into the side rail system (interior or external) and hang parallel to the walls of the tote (i.e. they do not serve as a Gear Box divider).  The RUX Pockets are also made from TPU coated 600d polyester and have a flap that secures closed with a Fidlock magnetic closure.

During my time using the RUX Bag and Pockets, I used them attached into the inside Gear Box.  The Bag held medium sized items, like my ski helmet, goggles, and mittens.  The Pocket held spare goggle lenses, offering them a “safe” place to be stored for when I needed them.

I have the black version of the RUX 70L Gear Box, which come with a tri-fold top that presses onto the box to seal.  The lid has some structure to it, making it easy to stack things on top of it.  It also can fold back to open, so you don’t have to take the entire lid off to access the half of the box that’s got the RUX Bag.  I haven’t stacked things on top of the RUX 70L Gear Box, but I can confirm that the lid easily holds a 10 pound cat who likes to sit on top of things.

Finally, if you wish to store the  RUX 70L Gear Box flat, you release the spring steel corners and the Box loses it’s corner tension and collapses down to a small profile.  I really like the idea of the spring steel, but I do wish it was a little harder to snap/release, as I often found that I snapped the tension out of a corner when I was loading things in or out of the box.

Closing Thoughts

The RUX 70L Gear Box and accessories are a well thought out and highly versatile gear storage solution.  The RUX 70L Gear Box is available in four colorways.  The Mars Red and Bronze versions have the press-fit lid and the Black and Green versions have the tri-fold lid.

Erin Trail

Trail Boss of Stoke

Erin Trail on her mountain bike at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race

Erin Trail on her running at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race