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Milwaukee Packout Modular Storage

Heavy duty tool boxes, parts organizers, and totes that can be ganged together for transport and storage.

By David Frane - July 5, 2017

in Organization | Hand Tools

Long popular in Europe, modular storage took a while to catch on the U.S. Festool, Bosch, and DeWalt have offered it for years, and now Milwaukee is entering the category with its soon-to-be-released Packout Modular Storage system.

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Like other modular systems, Packout offers contractors the ability to stack and connect components—making them easier to store and transport. Its most unique and significant feature is the ability to integrate soft-sided totes with hard plastic boxes and parts organizers, which will be a boon to the many tradespeople who carry frequently-used hand tools in open top bags. No one has offered this feature before.

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Packout relies on short interlocking channels molded into the tops and bottoms of boxes and bags. Milwaukee refers to this connection system as Mod-Lock. Connecting a Mod-Lock component is a matter of placing it on top of another and sliding it towards the hinges. To prevent them from sliding apart a spring-loaded dog pops into a slot on the box below. Detaching a component is a matter of pulling up on the dog and sliding away from the hinges.

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The boxes and organizers are plastic with extruded aluminum corner protectors. The handle pivots, screws, hinge pin, and latch bales are steel. The corner protectors can be used as tie-down points and for grasping units and dragging them out of a vehicle.

Like DeWalt ToughSystem and Ridgid Pro Series tool boxes, Milwaukee's are strong enough to stand on and can be transported in the rain without excessive leakage. As nice as they are, you would not want to try that with Festool Systainers, Bosch L-Boxxes, or DeWalt TStak.

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Packout boxes and organizers have gasketed lids and are rated IP65—meaning they have undergone testing and proven to be protected against the ingress of dust and the ingress of water when subject to low-pressure jets (a test akin to the box being transported in the bed of a pickup truck in the rain). IP65 is two steps short of being watertight when temporarily immersed.

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The ballistic fabric totes have plastic bottoms with the same interlocking channels as boxes and organizers. Fabric tool bags see a lot of wear so plastic bottoms are good—even when they are not part of an interlocking system. Veto Pro Pak, a maker of high-end tool bags, has used plastic bottoms for many years and competing brands have emulated that feature.

The Packout system is made in Israel—probably by Keter, which produces storage products under its own label and for Husky, Ridgid, Craftsman, and others.

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Scheduled for release in September of this year, the system will initially include 3 tool boxes, 2 parts organizers, and 3 soft-sided totes. The largest tool box has wheels and a telescoping handle, which allows it to function as a dolly for the other components in the system.

**Editor's Update 9/25/17**

The Milwaukee Packout System has recently been released and is now available.

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Jeremiah McKenna

3 years ago

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It's been three years since this article was released, and I just now ran across it. I can tell you that this was one of the best decisions that Milwaukee Tools made, and they have been hitting it out of the park with this, as they continue to add more and more modules for us to buy and use.

I think that it was a good decision to wait a few years after the other manufacturers came out with theirs, so that Milwaukee Tool could see what worked and obviously, what did not work and make their system ten times better than pretty much everything else out there.

These are tough, water/dust proof and there are many different sizes for us to choose from. As I mentioned before, they continue to release more new modules that interlock with this system. Their radio/charger, vac, lights, and now the drawers are all great additions.

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Jeremiah McKenna

3 years ago

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I would like to know where the individual modules are made.

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Derek Crenshaw

7 years ago

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Boooo! Bosch did this years ago. this isn't new. Boxes like this are good for the European Market, but the US Market Demographic prefers bags. European's seem to like the protective nature of job boxes, because they believe in keeping their products longer than the North American throw away market. North America tend to like REAL Bags, not the in-box, throw-away/give-aways, but something they can rely on. It's unfortunate, that the Retailers provide more cheap n' cheerfuls. Sorry, just not a fan of Milwaukee Tools, they tend to make cheap accessories, to compliment their nice tool, and I can only imagine these boxes to be bad too.

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- David Frane
  
  Derek Crenshaw
  
  7 years ago
  
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  Can't argue with you about the quality of freebie bags or the throw-away mentality here in the U.S. But I know plenty of American tradesmen who use modular boxes because it saves them from having to dig around in the bottoms of buckets and bags. As for these boxes--I've seen them in person and they look to be sturdier than the Bosch L-Boxxes, DeWalt Tstak, and Festool Systainers I already own.
  
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- Jeremiah McKenna
  
  Derek Crenshaw
  
  3 years ago
  
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  Derek, I'll beg to differ on that assessment. I'm not sure if you've noticed or just haven't made it around to come back and update this comment after 3 years. But not only is the Milwaukee Packout System a great product that is actually tougher than any of the other modular systems that were already selling quite well Years Before this hit the market, but it is THE NUMBER 1 Selling System on the market right now.
  
  In fact, it is such a hot seller that there are tons of people out there making a living off of making Accessories for the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Milwaukee Packout owners in the US Alone.
  
  This System is such a hit that contractors are lining the insides of their trucks, vans and trailers with them.
  
  These are darn near indestructible and they make them in all different shapes and sizes to fit all of your needs and wants.
  
  Not only are trades people using them, Firefighters, Ambulance, Police, Hunters, Arts/Crafts and all sorts of other people are using them.
  
  They really are great tools and worth every penny. Heck, Milwaukee Tools are constantly adding new pieces for us to use. They listen to their customers and are making a 2 and 3 drawer unit.
  
  These are sort of like LEGO's since they all interlock into one another.
  
  Go to your local Home Depot and try some out.
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