As much as we all love the beautiful wood and chrome custom tack trunks, sometimes they just aren’t in the budget. The hardware store tool trunk turned DIY tack trunk has been growing in popularity by leaps and bounds these last few years. Not sure what I mean? Check out my DIY Tack Trunk Blog Post HERE.
Now that you are caught up and in the know, I wanted to share some creative ways I’ve seen these trunks customized. These personalizations really increase the durability and functionality of these trunks.
For instance, you can now get a custom cover! Wilsun has ingeniously designed trunk covers to match the rest of your barn in everyone’s favorite Sunbrella fabrics, complete with embroidery options starting at $169! You can even get a padded lid, making it an ideal place to clean tack and boots! Image courtesy of Wilsun Custom Products/ Reiss M.
These universal cargo nets repurpose perfectly into the lid of your tack trunk to hang onto the bigger things like spurs, and gloves. You’ll likely need some zip ties and a drill to secure these to the lid interior depending on what style trunk you have.
I’ve found this Carabiner Bungee Cord from Harbor Freight a BOSS MOVE for keeping Lego’s boots and saddle pads out of the way while drying out, instead of stuffed in a corner getting musty. Two small screw eyes paired with this bad boy and BANG storage.
Alternatively, you could use two of these and secure anything drooping from the first cord behind the second. They are strong, so can easily hold your spurs, fetlock boots, open-front boots, bell boots, and even your show number and, safety pins!
Another nifty gadget I came across lives outside your trunk, it’s a magnetic bottle holder. You can use it to keep spray bottles or cough cough.. HOOF POLISH in reach without being in your trunk making a mess! Sticks to any metal surface, like stall fronts at horse shows! You can also get one that will permanently affix to the outside of your trunk with screws if that’s more your style. 
Next up we have all the little things that get lost in the abyss of your trunk at a horse show. Hairnets, number pins, gloves, spurs, stick, they just get swallowed up! Here are a few ways you can turn the inside lid of your trunk into a handy place to store these lightweight items that often play hide and seek at the most inconvenient of times!
Trunk lid organizers aren’t just for summer camp anymore! I found these handy organizers that are made to fit inside the footlockers kids use at summer camp. They are made for a flat surface application, but, with some creativity (power tools) they are a welcome addition to my DIY trunk!
I found and tested two styles of these so you don’t have to! The first one is the Seward Trunk Lid Organizer. It can be applied to a flat surface using the supplied sticky-sided velcro. However, my DeWalt trunk has cross beams in the lid that will prevent that from happening. ( It’s like they knew I’d be standing on it when setting up my stall at shows).
Installation of both is pretty straightforward, if you have the lid with predrilled pilot holes, you just need to punch a few holes along the outer corners of the lid organizer, sink in some screw eyes and zip ties the organizer to the lid. If yours doesn’t have the pilot holes you’ll need a drill (10/10 do not recommend using your leather hole punch -ask me how I know…) if you drill the holes into the framework of the trunks interior you can zip tie the lid organizer right to the interior of the trunk.
The first one I tested was the Seward Trunk Lid Organizer.
The Seward has two rows of pockets in mesh and solid with zipper and slide in styles. The top row has two large zipper mesh pockets at either side of the top, between the two large pockets there are 2 small zipper mesh pockets, an elastic marker holder and a pocket pouch with velcro closure.
I put gloves in the first large zipper pocket, and an air cartridge/vest hardware in the second zipper pocket. In the small zipper pockets I tucked hairnets, number pins and extra number string and the velcro pouch is the perfect size for screen and lip balm.
The bottom row has 3 large see-through slide pockets. I easily filled those with my seam ripper/ace bandage in the first, a pocket mirror in the second, and my back number and halter number for hand grazing in the third.
The second one I tested was from Lidmate, the CN Lidmate trunk organizer is a little bit bigger about 2″ taller and 3″ longer. It still fits comfortably inside my Dewalt trunk. I like that it has a shatterproof mirror, perfect for getting that hunter hair perfect and those stock ties straight. It also has multiple zipper pockets in a variety of sizes, some mesh, some nylon, and swinging sleeves I can’t decide if the sleeve is going to annoy me. It velcros into place and the sleeve has more pockets on both sides.
I’m torn on picking a favorite. I like them both, they both have lots of storage and use up wasted space in my trunk for things I lose track of frequently. I like the one from Seward better because you can see what’s in the pockets, and heaven forbid I put anything back where I found it. The mesh pockets make it easy to see where everything is. I’ve already installed the Lidmate, so I will give that time before I decide. Either way, you can’t go wrong with storage inside the lid of your trunk!
The last upgrade I gave my trunk was this epic crop holder. The 3M command broom gripper sticks easily to the inside of your trunk, and is perfect for holding your crop! You may have to cut the plastic housing down a little though if your lid has interior frame work like mine. But it works a charm in keeping my stick from disappearing into the abyss of my trunk!
What are some of your favorite hacks for trunk customization? I’d love to hear them and maybe add them to this blog post! Let me know if you try any of these and how they worked for you!
