The Trailer Stays, the Stack Goes Inside

Ryan runs RA Custom Carpentry on the Massachusetts Southcoast, working out of a trailer fitted out Ron Paulk style — plywood casework, open cubbies, shop-made drawers labelled on the front.

He got here by trying everything else first.

So basically I have used about every system on the market and landed on Packouts some years back when they were just coming out. I’ve played with them for years. When the drawers came out, kind of a game changer for me. Then I realized they’re just so heavy.
— Ryan

So the Packouts stopped travelling. Ryan bought a larger trailer and mounted them as permanent storage — a wall of labelled drawers he loads out of, rather than boxes he carries.

Packout crates and Systainers share those shelves, with vertical dividers making a cubby for each tool and a small workbench on top.

What goes in the house

With the trailer holding everything, what was left was the part he actually wanted fixed:

I also have missed having a stack I can bring into a kitchen and have everything I need and not be working out of packouts, totes and all that. So I’m hoping to build a nice stack — stack and a half — that doesn’t weigh 250lbs empty. For doing cabinet installs, finish work in general.
— Ryan

A number of Festool sanders arrived in Systainers, so he’s up to about ten already.

Recently I just started really enjoying the Systainer system and its light weight and compact design, hooks on my vac, a lot of reasons.
— Ryan

Nothing got thrown out. The Packouts moved to the job they’re good at — sitting still, holding a lot — and the Systainers took the one that involves stairs. Every Packout that leaves the trailer takes its empty weight with it.

Just kind of switching gears on my setup like a typical carpenter — never happy and always playing with setups, cause we’re OCD haha
— Ryan

Thanks to Ryan at RA Custom Carpentry for the photos. If you’re weighing the same trade-off, why Systainer goes into the empty-case weight in more detail.

One system. For everything. For everyone.
Systainer USA.

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