A friend recently asked me if I could suggest a good storage box. This one had been on my maybe list for a very long time, so I told him about it. He thought about it for a while, bought it, and has since dragged it all across Europe. He’s still very happy with it.

The box has been travelling with expeditions since the 1950s. In 1954 Zarges equipped the first German-Austrian Himalaya expedition, and since then the aluminium box has become a standard in industry, on film sets and on overland trips.

What I like is that every part of it has a clear job. The cast aluminium corners let you stack the boxes safely. The sprung handles fold flat against the side and still carry up to 50 kg. A foamed seal runs all round the lid, and together with the stainless steel hinge it keeps dust and rain outside. The locks take a padlock if you need one.

At first glance there are many boxes that look similar and cost less. But the details are different. The edges are often sharp instead of folded, the boxes don’t stack, or the corners are made of plastic and wear out sooner.

The Zarges box comes with a 10-year warranty. It is expensive for a box. But I think it’s one of the few that will still be in use in fifty years.

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