Case Logic Car Organizers

By STEPHEN REGENOLD

You may think of Case Logic Inc. as a company that makes briefcases for laptop computers. (I did, at least.) But the Longmont, Colo., company, which is owned and operated by Thule, has a line of organizational products that stretches from GPS cases to backpacks.

I recently tested a couple in-car products, including a trunk container with a built-in cooler and a console organizer. The soft-side containers are made of polyester and nylon. They have zippers and small stash pockets. Board inserts keep the cases standing upright when you plop them on the floor between two seats.

The Trunk Organizer with Cooler is a nice product for stowing food while camping. A small zip-shut cooler keeps perishables cool for up to a day, depending on the temp inside the car. Two large stow pouches on each side of the cooler can be stuffed with a weekend’s supply of oatmeal, granola bars, peanut butter, bread, and fruit.

I keep the company’s Center Console Organizer up front between the seats in my VW Eurovan. The product, a basic square container with open pockets and stiff sides, is a nice place to stow maps, cells phones, audio players, and CDs.

Collapsible dividers allow for different compartment configurations. On long car trips, my wife and I store our kids’ small DVD player and discs in the Center Console Organizer. It’s a safe and secure place to tuck items that’d otherwise be rolling around on the floor.

Finally, the Folding Cargo Bag Trunk Organizer, which costs about $22 on www.caselogic.com, is in my trunk and stuffed with tools, bungee straps, a first aid kit, and other miscellany. It is essentially a big nylon box. There are mesh pockets on the front and a large compartment that zips shut. The 23 × 13 × 12-inch case does the humble job of keeping my van’s trunk tidy.

The Case Logic line is hardly exciting. But in my van, from driving around town to long road trips with kids, these small cases have helped cut the clutter.

A final perk: Case Logic Inc. offers a 25-year warranty on most of its in-car items. They are quality products with tough construction. For anyone looking to keep their vehicle cleaner and better organized, these reasonably priced products are a good bet. www.caselogic.com

—Stephen Regenold is founder and editor of www.gearjunkie.com.