Many of the thousands of military personnel who have deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and other distant lands in recent years have packed their duty-related equipment and gear into sturdy plastic bins made by Contico of St. Louis.

"They are the new footlockers of the armed forces," said Ingalil Wimbs, who works at LC Industries' warehouse-sized retail outlet at Fort Bragg, N.C., and has sold many of the containers.

Known as Contico® boxes, they are 37" wide, 21" deep and 20" tall, just large enough to hold most of the essential items U.S. troops have to take along when they deploy. "Soldiers pack them to the brim with things like body armor, M16 cartridge magazines, uniforms, cold weather gear and anything else they might need while stationed away from their home bases," Ingalil says.

Soldiers also ship possessions back to the states in the containers at the end of their tours. One sailor whose containers were delayed made the following comment in a Web blog: "The boxes are basically two large footlockers (called Contico boxes) that contain all my worldly possessions from my deployment. Everything from underwear to a laptop and some valuable rugs are in my boxes...."

Convenient shipping containers

In addition to direct use by thousands of individual enlisted men and women, Ingalil says noncommissioned officers often visit the store and purchase enough boxes to accommodate the collective needs of their units. Frequently this involves packing the boxes with bulk supplies of everyday items. "We sell a bunch of them," Ingalil continues, "that are used to transport things like pens, pencils and paper goods that will be needed in huge quantities during operations. It's not uncommon to sell 150 cartons of pens to a procurement officer who will then ship them overseas in Contico boxes."

The Contico box footlockers appeal to the military because they’re easy to stack on pallets and load into ISO shipping containers.

The boxes appeal to the military because they're easy to stack on pallets and load into ISO shipping containers (so named because they conform to requirements set by the International Standards Organization). "It's amazing how many Contico boxes get packed and shipped out when there’s a major troop deployment," Ingalil says.

The durability factor

Service people like the recessed, soft-grip handles because they're comfortable and easy to grasp. Each box also has rugged structural foam construction and a molded-in, lockable hasp. "They protect possessions well and lend themselves to lugging around, and military people do a lot of that," laughs Ingalil, who was a munitions specialist in the Air Force before taking her current job as assistant manager with LC Industries.

The main reason troops like the boxes is because they're durable. "I've seen them covered with dirt and dust – looking like they’ve been through a lot – but they're still intact and able to protect the soldier's belongings over the long term," Ingalil says. "This does a lot for our customers’ peace of mind because they often have to ship their stuff out six to eight weeks before they themselves are transported."

Contico boxes are also versatile. "Soldiers use them for all kinds of things," Ingalil says. "I was at a wedding reception recently and saw a Contico box being used as a cooler loaded with soft drinks and juice boxes for the kids!"

Source:
www.tadpolenet.com/warblogs/index.php?m=200703

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