Mountainsmith Modular Hauler 4

I just recently purchased a tiny camp which obviously doesn’t have a lot of cabinet storage space, but does have under bench open storage. These Modular Haulers work great. Load up clothes, linens, and kitchenware into the individual cubes and then into the carry bag to the camper, either leave on the bench or floor, or unload the cubes to the under bench storage. All gear has it’s own cube for easy access.

I have the Modular Hauler 3 and 4, and then discovered there was a cooler cube too! They have been in use for several years, and show no signs of giving up yet. I have used them for camping supplies, luggage, doggie luggage, and food organizers on road trips, and I even took one cube on deployment to the Middle East. Since the cubes are tall and narrow, you have to pack a little differently, but I use some Eagle Creek packing cubes to wrangle the small stuff. When the cubes are in the hauler, it can be pretty heavy so I purchased a Mountainsmith shoulder strap. Let's just say it didn't last long, so now we use a carabiner to attach the handles together and then each person grabs a side handle. I would definitely buy again, but I doubt I will need too!

This is the second MS modular hauler for our family. The first one served us for 5 years (and now will be for off season storage). What I like about the new bags (same size) is the material for the entire bag is the same, so much more durable. The old bags have a plastic top that ripped at the seam- fixable with basic sewing, but the current bags seem much stronger. When bags are full, it is a tight fit in the actual hauler- I do miss the side pocket the old hauler has, but that is a minor complaint. We use these cubes for our family to hold ski clothes, helmets, gloves goggles- fits nicely in car, easy transport and holds quite a bit.

Ordered the Mountainsmith Modular Hauler 4 to help organize family outings. With our upcoming third annual trip to North Carolina to help celebrate my brothers Copper Barrel Moonshine anniversary, the timing couldn't have been better! We are a family of four and the individual bags are just the right size to pack for a week worth of clothes if packed carefully. I own several Mountainsmith bags and have had good luck with them. The Hauler 4 seems made well enough, I hope to get years of use out of these bags!

We bought this about 5 years ago for a road trip, and each person in our family of 4 took a different color bag for his or her clothing and personal items. My 15-year-old still uses his bag as his primary suitcase. We were mostly car camping and sometimes staying in hotels. The hauler fit in our cartop carrier (a long narrow one designed for skis). Having our color-coded bags made getting in and out on overnight stops simple. Our bags have plastic tops with clear pockets. These are handy for a packing list, label, etc, or for keeping anything flat that you need easy access to. A couple of things worth noting: first, the handles are attached to the tops of the bags, and this is a weakness. Near the end of the first long trip, my (probably overloaded) bag split along the seam of the lid just above the zipper. This would be very hard to repair as there's not much fabric to work with to reattach the zipper, so that bag is now used for storage. I later found a same-colored, same-sized Mountainsmith bag on sale at an outdoor shop -- and the handles were attached on the sides below the zipper, a much more structurally sound design. So be aware that these bags don't (or may not -- don't know how consistent the product is) have the optimal design for carrying weight, and be careful not to overload -- or if you do, don't lift by the handle alone. Also as others have mentioned, the outer bag does not have any supporting structure, though when loaded it does keep things together. I've used it to corral other sorts of items besides the bags it comes with, such as folding chairs, sleeping bags and pads, tents. It also will fit a couple of cardboard cartons (bankers box or small moving box or apple crate size) and fits nicely in the back of a station wagon, making a secure place to hold grocery bags, etc. Overall we're pleased with the purchase, just a bit disappointed about the broken handle.