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Organizing interior of top box

elgin mary

New member
Has anyone spent any time or money or both designing a good system to organize the contents of the top box on an RT? For around town rides I'd like to have some way to put things in compartments so that the entire contents don't just slide around. I usually carry some cleaning wipes, cables and maps. I've looked for ideas but the most I've seen is custom carpet jobs. Pictures and ideas are welcome

Thanks
 
Mary, although I don't have an RT, I do run a top case sometimes. I like to use various zip-lock bags and nylon stuff sacks for things. The clear zip-lock bags are great because there is no guessing about what is in them. The "freezer" weight ones seem to hold up fairly well. I find both the quart and the gallon size to be useful. They made a half gallon size that is PERFECT for a pair of gloves but I can't find them for sale anywhere anymore.
 
made my on

Mary,
What I did a couple of RT's ago was make my own spacers. First out of cardboard for a pattern then plywood. PM me if your handy and interested in talking you through making your own.
 
For my top case organization, I went to Walmart and purchased a clear plastic box (no lid), maybe 12" X 6" in size. In it go the maps. Then, in a one gallon plastic bag, go all the small pieces/parts and those also go in the box. Between the box and the wall of the case goes a balaclava, kerchiefs, water bottle, sunscreen, glasses case, hard candies (also in a small plastic bag), ear plugs (in a ziplock sandwich bag) and duct tape.

Box is always organized, neat and never messy. Jackets, gloves, and everything else go into the side cases.

Works like a charm. I can see everything, and nothing is ever out of place.
 
Zip locks for small stuff or oil btl.,etc.. Canvas bags for tools,spare parts,lt. bulbs in bubble wrap then cardboard. Military surplus crew bags are great for bag liners. Made heavier than purpose built liners & much less expensive. I see purpose in bagging items but not in creating loop holders and other such contrivances for contents. Cable was mentioned which is best circled in bottom of top case with an old sock-toe section over the lock.
Much mentioned in post #5, I place in tank bag, not top case.
 
I chose to line my top box with styrofoam...

i-C7WFFBt-L.jpg


Six pack holder keeps the bottles safe, plastic bags for the ice and food. :kbasa
 
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In my tank bag I use bags made by Eagle Creek to keep things organized. You can do the same for a top box.
Eagle_Creek.jpg



Inside_bag.jpg
 
I carry the bulk of my stuff in my side cases (heavy stuff) for stability. My top case usually just holds extra gloves (along the sides), service manual (flat, on the bottom), jacket liner and heated vest, assorted maps in a map pouch, balaclava and a hat.
 
I am also looking for ideas to put organizers in my 28 liter top case. I am looking at gluing Velcro or that nylon locking strips to the underside of the lid to fasten little bags. I already added a power strip with 3 "cigarette lighter" outlets and 2 USB outlets. I like to charge my phone when I ride and my headset when I'm parked. I'll post photos after I figure out the rest of the plan.
 
Top case picture

Hi Bruce, I'd love to see a picture of what you make. I've gotten a couple of good ideas from the posts and plan to start working on it myself. I'll post pictures when I'm done.
 
When we travel our two small laptops (in a single case) take up 2/3 of my top case. Voni refuses to have a topcase. :) The other 1/3 is used for gloves, sunglasses, cell phone, and other small assorted items. To keep from needing to arrange and rearrange this stuff every time I took the computers out, I put simple dividers in the top case - heavy corrugated cardboard and duct tape. Now there is a compartment for the computers and another two for the loose small stuff.
 
Soft bag

I use the top box for trips and remove it for local travel. I replace it with the BMW soft bag which is big enough for my notebook and all kinds of small stuff.
 
Klein tools make canvas bags which zip closed- in various sizes. The eagle Creek bags that someone posted pix of are along the same idea. Compartmentalize and isolate things into organized sets. If you had to, you could also put things (bags as described above?) into small tupperware containers- like say if water is an issue?
 
I used to use actual bank bags. They worked great, right up until the time my wife pointed out that being observed placing a bank bag into a top case isn't real bright.....
 
My first try

Here is my first attempt at creating sections for the top case. I can use the side sections for maps and moist cleaning wipes on one side and gloves on the other. In the long front section I put my cords and on either side I have room for my GPS and other small items. My next version will be made of thinner partitions, not the plywood and only 3 or 4 inches tall rather than the 6 inches for this one. That will give me more room to store jackets and bulkier items on top of the dividers.View attachment 44949
 
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