Plano Stow N Go Tool Boxes are essentially portable organizer racks. They feature internally-stored organizer bins, and a top compartment for tools or bulkier items.
The organizer bins can be removed or exchanged as needed, and feature removable dividers for a customized layout.
There are two sizes – small and medium. Plano offers the Stow N Go in a couple of different styles – these are their “tool box” models, with a gray and sandstone color scheme.
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Dimensions
Small: 11″L x 7.25″W x 10″H
Medium: 13.71″L x 10″W x 13.31″H
The small rack (135430) has 4 organizers (model 23500), and the medium one (1363) has 2 deep (23630) and one shallow (23650) organizers.
Plano Stow N Go organizer tool boxes are made in the USA.
Price: $30 and up
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OldDominionDIYer
Plano, I thought they made tackle boxes, in fact mine is a Plano. I prefer toolboxes for my tools there are plenty of choices, no need to go off the range and buy a tackle box to store your tools in.
Stuart
They have tackle box versions too, with clear cover panel.
Munklepunk
Wut?
Should we go through your garage and find how many of your tools are being misused? Using a tool box to store, GASP!, plant seeds.
My Plano stores an amazing amount of my soldering and crimping equipment. Solder, crimpers, strippers, wire, fuses, heat shrink, spudger kit, heat gun, and on and on. But since I bought it in the fishing department at black sheep I must have done it wrong. I guess I’ll go find a manly Mac tools box to carry with me instead, nah, I think I will paint pastels with lots of pinks and yellows and baby blue instead. (insert eye rolling emoji)
This is the one I use, but the smaller ones are great to have for everything else as well.
https://planomolding.com/products/guide-series-angled-tackle-system-3700-pmc787010?variant=40467983433888
John
I never saw restrictions on the label for what you can put in the box.
MM
These are an awesome product and have been around in one way or another for many years. When I was a teenager in the 90’s I had a very similar unit from Plano though it was advertised for fishing tackle. Same idea though: big compartment up top and a few rectangular bins below. I used it for my RC model parts and supplies. I have another I bought in the early 2000’s for automotive electrical work: crimpers, strippers, wire loom, and spiral wrap in the top compartment, then ring/spade terminals, splices, QDs, fuses, heat shrink, etc, in the organizers. I have a another that’s a bit newer on my fine electronics workbench; my precision pliers are on a rack in the top, the bins are used for components, solder wick, low-temp alloy, heat sink grease, etc. They’re handy to work out of, they’re quick and easy to pack up and transport, and they use a good tough plastic that can take knocks well without cracking.
If you’re interested in this sort of box definitely check out Plano’s fishing line as well. Some of them are fishing-specific but the majority would be great for general toolbox or small parts organization.
Brian
I have used one of these for years as a tackle box. I replaced one of the larger internal boxes for 2 shallow ones for small hooks/sinker/etc. No complaints with these boxes. The top is section is deep so it can hold a spare reel or two, line spools, etc. The one I purchased is bright yellow in color and seems to be larger – it came with 3 deep storage boxes and 1 shallow. I think this was before Plano made a specific model for use as a tackle box.
Saulac
If I am not mistaken, there are no bins but dividers in those cases. And deviders vs bins are what differentiate these from those part organizers. Each has their own place. I made the mistake of using these as part organizers and was not happy and did not know why. Until I had a chance to use the organizers with removable bins. The abilities to take just one bin out, to swap bins…. make the organizers much more pleasant to use.
Fowler
We had the 3-drawer model for storing electronics parts for high-power rocket launches. They work great for storing small parts, but they always got on my nerves because you have lay the front panel completely flat to remove the bottom drawer. If it’s angled up at all you can’t get the drawer out. Tha being said, I don’t know if there’s anything better for the price.
evan
i use a plano bill dance tackle box for small parts. it holds the 3600 size boxes in the bottom and also has a see through top for small items . works great at moving around and taking it with you.
TonyT
I’ve looked at these many times, but have always passed – I’d rather have a a holder for a larger number of 3600 series-size tackle boxes without the top.
I have a substantial number of 3600 size tackle boxes from Plano and Flambeau that hold a variety of small parts such as connectors.
fred
My first tackle box was made out of steel – and no matter how often I painted it (red lead paint was the anti-rust thing back then) it still rusted. In my teens – this new company called Plano came along selling plastic tackle boxes that revolutionized things. I still have my old green one with one cantilevered tray. Today – I think that they (Plano Molding) are part of Pure Fishing Inc. – part of Jarden Corp. – a Newell Brands Co.
They are the OEM for other toolboxes as well. In our plumbing business we had Midwest backflow test sets packaged in Plano 6134 boxes.
I never considered their boxes as heavy-duty for loading up with heavy tools. These stacked tray boxes might work OK for miscellaneous parts – but I wonder about their recommended weight limit.
MattW.
I use the edge line for on the go screw packs with a wide assortment of sizes and types. The organizers in the pictures we have 20+ that have the same assortment of screws thoes are for the crew that loose or break things. Aka this is why they don’t get nice things…. At 4 bucks a peice at our local Walmart we can replace them easily. One unintended thing to this system is I can buy 25 lb buckets of each type and save some money. I almost never have people running to to store because they need this fastener unless it’s a special one save money and keeps people focused.
If a worker lost a 30 to 45 dollar packout shallow that would get costly. If you wonder if they hold up yes they do just shy of running over them with trucks ect.
MattW.
The edge line ones are Really nice and are for me only so no one “borrows” my screws people knows the bosses tools and consumables by sight.
Nathan
PLano also makes ammo boxes for those that play in that fun. I have 2 and like them – I could see them making a decent tool box
that medium device might work for me if the boxes have decent size dividers. would make a good electrical stuff box.
Kurt
I use one of the bigger ones (787010 ) as the field box for my R/C ships; waterproof, plenty of room. It does take up a lot of volume compared to what you can carry inside due to carrying the contents in removable multi-compartment boxes, but for my purposes, it is a worthwhile compromise. The ability to have several dedicated task boxes for, say, for example, electrical repairs, with room for a portable soldering iron, solder, desoldering wick, wire, connectors and so forth is really nice.
Stuart
Completely unrelated, but that’s a hobby I want to get into someday.
RC model warships are also high on my hobby bucket list, where DIY battleships try to sink each other’s balsa wood-lined hulls until their bilge pumps fail.
Munklepunk
This is what I have, if they were squared off they would be way bigger and awesome.
Peter Fox
I have owned and used a large variety of Plano cases and tool/tackle boxes over the years. there is not much better bang for the buck when it comes to small parts organization.
While I am moving more to Milwaukee Packout I have and will continue to have more than 200 Plano 3700 series cases for parts and hardware storage. I even made my own custom Packout compatible case to hold 10 of them for my mobile set up. https://photos.app.goo.gl/59HRTt7DHZfD8gsW9
I really hope the manufacturers of newer module tool storage solutions eventually add front loading cases to hold smaller organizers such as these. All of the currently available smaller parts cases for modular tool storage have too large and too few compartments to efficiently organize small parts.
Stuart
Nice build!
William Adams
Harbor Freight has a very similar:
https://www.harborfreight.com/home/household-kitchen/storage/organizers/toolbox-organizer-with-4-drawers-68238.html
and Woodcraft and a few other companies have a smaller one:
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/4-drawer-storage-tower
I really wish that there were more options for stacks of such small plastic trays.
I have a fair number of:
https://www.harborfreight.com/multi-compartment-utility-box-40528.html
and True Value used to have a single column version and Amazon has a similar one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N3247G/
and wish that there was a design for organizing/carrying:
https://www.harborfreight.com/18-divider-storage-container-94456.html
(which I have more of than I’d care to count)
xu lu
i made the move to flambeau from plano. Both are very good. Stuart’s highlighting these boxes is a great tip. i use them for OTG kit and specialty collections eg home electrical collection.
smoothness
My only complaint about many of the Flambeau, Plano, etc. tackle/small compartment containers:
Just about all of the containers I’ve examined aren’t recyclable. That includes containers made both here and abroad.
I understand that in certain cases, some plastics cannot be recovered. But most of these containers are entirely plastic, save their hinge pins.
Bad industrial design. Pass.
Dave O'Heare
My big problem with these is that the organizer bins do not do well in the cold. I used to use them for audio adapters and such, but after a couple of the bins shattered while working at outdoor skating events and such, I’ve gone to different arrangements.
bj
Back in the early 90’s, Plano used to actually make plastic tool boxes with sliding drawers that lock when the top lid is closed.
I had two of these when I was car stereo installer:
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/tool-chests-tool-cabinets/3738332
They even had some larger versions. I was so bummed when I learned they were discontinued; however, about 12 years ago, I found the ultimate tool box which mainly targeted RC users, I think. PDY systems Lift-n-Lok.
http://www.pdysystems.com/
Sadly, I don’t think these are available anymore either but it is really a neat and clever design that addresses some problems with portable compartmentalized tool boxes.
Franco
The Plano boxes are great. Whether intended as a tackle box or anything else, I love them. I have found the tackle box models can be a bit lightweight for tools, depending the model box and/or the tools you put in them.
Other than that, I use a lot for expanding the crappy little boxes you get with a cotter pin “kit” or assorted pop rivet kit.
I get a nice size Plano and put my pop rivet gun plus a nice selection of pop rivets. Do the same for cotter pins, small plumbing fittings, lock nut washers, self tapping sheet metal screw and so many other thigs where they sell you a kit with a small crappy box with no room for expansion.
**** My hobby is not RC, but have an extensive slot car collection, about 650 cars (1/32 scale), and use many Plano boxes for all the various parts for my cars
JoeM
*Shrug* My Dad and I used to have several Plano tackle boxes for fishing gear. They don’t just hold hooks, lures, and bait. Spare reel, Line, Weights, Bobbers, Pliers, Flashlight… the company even made Rod Tubes at one point, where you could store spare rods in a floating, durable, waterproof container.
If Plano makes all that possible, what’s wrong with a wrench set in the top, and tons of fasteners of various sizes in the drawer bins? Frankly, if Plano reoriented their design ethic to fit the DeWALT or Milwaukee (SBD versus TTI) industrial appearance, I would actually say Plano is significantly better than both ToughSystem/TSTAK and Packout. And it wouldn’t even be close. Flambeau, a Canadian-born company that once competed with Plano in the Fishing and Hunting gear niche, would be the parallel to Plano, the way DeWALT and Milwaukee are parallel in tools.
I see no problem in Plano or Flambeau (Still in business, now doing Industrial Plastic tool boxes, many still based off their best designs when they were making Fishing gear. Their Infinity system being the one I miss most, with its infinite adaptability and expansion.) being used in the field for construction and trades. They’re boxes, and bins with dividers. There’s no magic forcefield that will prevent your tools from fitting in them. If anything, they’ve got so much experience making these boxes rugged and watertight, there might as well be a magic forcefield keeping the world out of your tools.
I’m just kinda surprised these have taken so long to be marketed this way, really. I would’ve thought it would’ve started 60+ years ago, when tackle boxes first started showing up in water-tight designs. But, hey… They made good money as tackle boxes. Who am I to tell them that profits in the billions per year aren’t enough? Maybe they are facing a year or ten that saw them only making millions, and it was time to expand the niche to the growing construction and infrastructure boom? I don’t know. I can contest to their strength, and quality. That I can guarantee has not gone down in 50 years, as my Father bought Plano and Flambeau when he fished with my Grandfather before I was born. You can very much trust them with your tools, and supplies. There’s no gun to your head here, but you won’t hear a bad word about them from me.
Stuart
They’ve been marketed as tool boxes for a long time. When shopping locally though, they were traditionally only found in tackle box sections of sporting goods stores. Other than that, they might have been mail order-only types of products.
Mr.X
I used Plano and Flambeau boxes for small electrical parts, screws, nuts, bolts, washers, and much more long before there was anything like Packout, Husky, Systainer, etc. These boxes are often better due to the smaller sized fixed compartments and customizable larger sections. One of my bigger complaints of the otherwise excellent Milwaukee Packout system is the lack of a larger box with more, smaller compartments rather than fewer, larger compartments. The best compromise between “tackle boxes” and Packout boxes is the cantilever type Husky box. If Milwaukee made a similar box to Packout level of durability, it would be a best-seller.
John
How do we get Plano to re-launch the legendary Phantom Pro from the 90s. They are awesome. I used one for a rc car pit box and I still have it tucked away.