Lock N Ride tunnel storage solution

[Pine Rob]

Hey everyone looking for a quick release tunnel bag system that is not to overly priced but provides excellent protection and water proofing. I have a 15’ pro 155 and wanted to utilize the lock and ride system as best as possible. Here’s what I came up with.

1.Old worn out hyfax (40% worn was perfect thickness but kits come with washers if they are further worn) I used 2 30” pieces and removed the walls(area of hyfax that sits over the rail) 2” on each end and one section in the middle removed from 14”-16”
2. then drilled 1/4” holes on the center of each notched area for the Polaris lock n ride kits to be used (p/n 2881260) $15 per kit and I did 6 kits for a total of $90 the biggest expense
3. picked up two Apache 3800 cases( pelican style) $30 each on sale.
4. Next stop was hardware store for 8 carriage bolts 5/16” with acorn style nuts.
5. drilled 4 holes in each corner in my hard cases 12.5” on center to match Polaris lock n ride on center measurement which will also be your hyfax in center measurement.
6. install carriage bolts to hyfax and mount cases to hyfax with a dab of silicone on the threads to keep moisture out. ( mounted my cases 4” from the ends of the hyfax facing opposite for most space to open the cases)
Before cases mounted finished producton the snow with it this morning and had no issues with cases being to tall when sidehilling or hoping from side to side old holes are from version 1.0 the 4 acorn nuts are the finished mounting hardware. Example of carriage bolt and acorn nut in hyfax rail.

I am not claiming this to be the best storage for everyone but for what I do I found this to best.

I have one case dedicated for camera gear that’s mounted on the back (as it’s lighter) and my second case carries a spare belt, tow out straps, extra saw, siphon hose etc. a handful of other emergency items. Then there’s a foam separator I put over those items so I can use the top to store water, snacks, extra layers, gloves etc.

On top of that I have a backpack with my shovel and things I couldn’t “live with out” in the situation of being separated from the snowmobile.

 

[Alaskanparret]

Well that’s pure genius right there!


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[Pine Rob]

Well that’s pure genius right there!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thank you, spent a lot of hours in the off season trying to find a solution because I couldn’t justify bags for a couple hundred were my gear gets wet and the bags simply don’t last from what I hear.

 

[Fat_Tones]

Very cool! The Polaris tunnel bags are definitely NOT waterproof. Snow tends to make it's way up under the outer shell and then eventually melts and soaks through the fabric of the inner bag. The plastic material of the containers you used isn't brittle in extreme cold? I would definitely look at doing something like this in the future.

 

[Pine Rob]

Very cool! The Polaris tunnel bags are definitely NOT waterproof. Snow tends to make it's way up under the outer shell and then eventually melts and soaks through the fabric of the inner bag. The plastic material of the containers you used isn't brittle in extreme cold? I would definitely look at doing something like this in the future.

after almost a month of use and I have had 0 issues. Have gone out 4 rides totaled about 200 miles of mixtrail and steep tree riding. Have not had any water intrusion, have hit a few trees with the cases with no damage to cases just tree residue on the case itself, have actually used the case like an extra running board when stuck to help wiggle out. Also when on trail and running close to over heating I have been stuffing snow under the cases and in between them to help cool the tunnel (this was in ice conditions were it would have over heated even without these cases on I don’t think the cases reduce airflow to the top of tunnel of create a hot pocket of air on top of the tunnel causing cooling issues)

I would highly recommend these to anyone and if anyone has any more questions or wants me to make them a set message me and I will gladly help.Best $$ I have spent in my sled by far

 

[Fat_Tones]

after almost a month of use and I have had 0 issues. Have gone out 4 rides totaled about 200 miles of mixtrail and steep tree riding. Have not had any water intrusion, have hit a few trees with the cases with no damage to cases just tree residue on the case itself, have actually used the case like an extra running board when stuck to help wiggle out. Also when on trail and running close to over heating I have been stuffing snow under the cases and in between them to help cool the tunnel (this was in ice conditions were it would have over heated even without these cases on I don’t think the cases reduce airflow to the top of tunnel of create a hot pocket of air on top of the tunnel causing cooling issues)

I would highly recommend these to anyone and if anyone has any more questions or wants me to make them a set message me and I will gladly help.Best $$ I have spent in my sled by far

One three day riding trip in the Rockies and both our Polaris bags had to have all of their contents removed and dried when we returned home. Granted we did ride through some rain on day two. Nonetheless the inner bag may be water resistant, but is NOT waterproof. Maybe there is something I could treat it with...

 

[Pine Rob]

They do have products that you can use to help with the waterproofing. Most products will help the water bead off instead of absorbing and most snowmobile dealers will have something that they will sell to apply to outerwear to refresh factory waterproofing for certain companies products, so that should work for the bag. I use “Protex spray by motorex” on my outer ware and have been happy with it.

It’s a shame that people spend a couple hundred dollars on a tunnel bag that is highly spoke of and they have issues with their gear being wet, I haven’t tried the Polaris bag system and really wanted to but it did not provide the storage I needed. I have heard both great and bad things. I wish I had a removable clam shell like the Polaris bag does only for part storage when wrenching.

 

[Pine Rob]

All in all both cases and all my “essentials” weigh 22lbs. I used to haul a 2 gallon fuel can and I run out of gas before my snowmobile does so I ditched the van and carry a shaker siphon hose for worst case scenario.

 

[Fat_Tones]

They do have products that you can use to help with the waterproofing. Most products will help the water bead off instead of absorbing and most snowmobile dealers will have something that they will sell to apply to outerwear to refresh factory waterproofing for certain companies products, so that should work for the bag. I use “Protex spray by motorex” on my outer ware and have been happy with it.

It’s a shame that people spend a couple hundred dollars on a tunnel bag that is highly spoke of and they have issues with their gear being wet, I haven’t tried the Polaris bag system and really wanted to but it did not provide the storage I needed. I have heard both great and bad things. I wish I had a removable clam shell like the Polaris bag does only for part storage when wrenching.

I’ll have to pick up some of that stuff and give it a try. I also need some waterproofing treatment for my riding suit. Have a couple dozen rides on it and it seems every time I ride it is soaked and seems to have moisture trapped in the “waterproof” outer shell.

 

[North Dakota 322]

I used a craftsman stackable storage box and 2 pieces of 3/4 aluminum tube, cost me $40 for it all and stainless hardware.

It lasted a trip to cooke so far, only 2 complaints first the latches get stretched by snow and ice building up, and I caught a lot of **** for them but hey it works better than the $200 ones.

 

[Pine Rob]

Looks great forget the haters because that’s all that is they are just mad because they spent hundreds on a tunnel bag that gets soaking wet.

The red and black box looks good with that sled.

I haven’t had any issues with latches being frozen or anything like that, have had ice buildup on the Polaris latches (they held up fine) that case latches have been flawless.