Velox
Well-Known Member
Trunk/Boot Grocery Bag Holder - DIY
Problem:
The flat trunk of my Civic will not hold my grocery bags to prevent them from shifting while driving home from the grocery store. It just so happens that there is a super fun turn on the way back from the grocery store, so simply driving smoother is not an option
Note: If you’re the type of person that does “bulk” shopping and completely fills the trunk every trip to the store, this device probably won’t help you at all. I live alone and like eating fresh fruit and vegetable, so I go to the store a few times a week and only have a few bags per trip. This leads to a lot of dead space in the trunk that allows these bags to shift and sometimes causes damage to items. I’ve come home to broken eggs from bags shifting a few times because of aggressive cornering on the way home from the store.
Solution:
Build a rack system to hold the grocery bags and prevent them from shifting during quick turns or big bumps.
Build Perimeters:
1) Must be able to remove the device quickly in the event of needing it out of the way for a super large item to go in the trunk
2) Must not damage or require drilling into the trunk or carpeting.
3) Must stay out of the way and not impede storage capacity as much as possible in case I need the trunk to store something other than grocery bags.
4) Cost less than $20 since there are trunk organizers on the market starting at this price range.
Items Needed (this item list is to build one):
1) 10” of ½” PVC pipe
2) 2x fender washers with an OD of >1”
3) 2x thumb screws threaded at 10-32
4) 2x 10-32 nuts for the thumbscrews
5) 3x Screw hooks
6) Black spray paint (optional)
7) Plasti-Dip or electrical tape (optional)
Tools Needed:
1) Drill
2) 3/16” and 5/32” Drill bits
3) Pipe cutters or hack saw (to cut PVC)
Build Instructions:
1) Cut a piece of ½” PVC to a length of 10”. Mark the pipe for drilling at the following increments (from one side) – 2”, 3”, 5”, 7”, and 8”. The 2”,5”, and 8” marks are to be pre-drilled for the screw hooks (3/16” drill bit). The 3” and 7” marks are to be drilled for the 10-32 thumbscrews (5/32” drill bit). The thumbscrews should be able to slide through fairly easily, but the screw hooks need to be twisted in to ensure they fit properly.
2) Clean the PVC with alcohol or another cleaner to get rid of the permanent marker. You can also debur the holes with an exacto blade if you’d like.
3) Spray paint the PVC black so it doesn’t attract attention in your trunk. I suggest doing this before inserting the hardware because the metal will likely flake over time if painted with a rattle can.
To give the fender washers additional grip, you can add a layer of Plasti-dip to them. This is expensive if you don’t already have a can of it, but it only takes about 5 sprays if you already have a can lying around. You can also just wrap electrical tape around the washer’s face for additional grip. The purpose of this additional grip is to allow the washer to grip the metal of the trunk and to allow the nut to grip the washer. This makes the installation faster because you can just pull down on the thumb screw. Because of the size and shape of the trunk holes used with this device, gripping the nuts with pliers while inserting the thumb screws would be difficult.
4) Insert the screw hooks.
5) Loosely insert the thumb screw, then a washer on top of that, and then the nut.
We’re installing the hooks into these two trunk holes:
6)To install, push the washers up through these holes and set them flat against the metal. Because their diameter is larger than the hole, they will not slide back out if laying flat. After they’re flat, tighten the thumb screws until the PVC pipe is touching the trunk’s metal and there is no wiggle in the system. Done.
Holding bags - the only function of the device.
As you can see in this photo, the bags are held at an elevation so the weight is not actually pulling down on the hook. I would not want the bags to actually be fully suspended; this would likely lead to broken bags and a larger problem than without the device at all. This support, however, has proven to keep the bags in place and in their original orientation so I don’t come home to broken eggs from the store
Conclusion:
I know this is kind of a weird post for a forum mostly based on cool looking or nicely performing modifications, but I’m sure at least one person that visits this forum will find this helpful – and that viewer alone justifies the time used to make this guide.
I did make some overly aggressive turns on the way home from the grocery store today and everything was held perfectly in place. The sound of "shhh DUNK" of something sliding and smacking into the wall of the trunk was pleasantly absent from the drive home. I'd say it does its job quite well. Granted, it's a job very few people need done or actually care about - but I'm happy.
- Velox
Problem:
The flat trunk of my Civic will not hold my grocery bags to prevent them from shifting while driving home from the grocery store. It just so happens that there is a super fun turn on the way back from the grocery store, so simply driving smoother is not an option
Note: If you’re the type of person that does “bulk” shopping and completely fills the trunk every trip to the store, this device probably won’t help you at all. I live alone and like eating fresh fruit and vegetable, so I go to the store a few times a week and only have a few bags per trip. This leads to a lot of dead space in the trunk that allows these bags to shift and sometimes causes damage to items. I’ve come home to broken eggs from bags shifting a few times because of aggressive cornering on the way home from the store.
Solution:
Build a rack system to hold the grocery bags and prevent them from shifting during quick turns or big bumps.
Build Perimeters:
1) Must be able to remove the device quickly in the event of needing it out of the way for a super large item to go in the trunk
2) Must not damage or require drilling into the trunk or carpeting.
3) Must stay out of the way and not impede storage capacity as much as possible in case I need the trunk to store something other than grocery bags.
4) Cost less than $20 since there are trunk organizers on the market starting at this price range.
Items Needed (this item list is to build one):
1) 10” of ½” PVC pipe
2) 2x fender washers with an OD of >1”
3) 2x thumb screws threaded at 10-32
4) 2x 10-32 nuts for the thumbscrews
5) 3x Screw hooks
6) Black spray paint (optional)
7) Plasti-Dip or electrical tape (optional)
Tools Needed:
1) Drill
2) 3/16” and 5/32” Drill bits
3) Pipe cutters or hack saw (to cut PVC)
Build Instructions:
1) Cut a piece of ½” PVC to a length of 10”. Mark the pipe for drilling at the following increments (from one side) – 2”, 3”, 5”, 7”, and 8”. The 2”,5”, and 8” marks are to be pre-drilled for the screw hooks (3/16” drill bit). The 3” and 7” marks are to be drilled for the 10-32 thumbscrews (5/32” drill bit). The thumbscrews should be able to slide through fairly easily, but the screw hooks need to be twisted in to ensure they fit properly.
2) Clean the PVC with alcohol or another cleaner to get rid of the permanent marker. You can also debur the holes with an exacto blade if you’d like.
3) Spray paint the PVC black so it doesn’t attract attention in your trunk. I suggest doing this before inserting the hardware because the metal will likely flake over time if painted with a rattle can.
To give the fender washers additional grip, you can add a layer of Plasti-dip to them. This is expensive if you don’t already have a can of it, but it only takes about 5 sprays if you already have a can lying around. You can also just wrap electrical tape around the washer’s face for additional grip. The purpose of this additional grip is to allow the washer to grip the metal of the trunk and to allow the nut to grip the washer. This makes the installation faster because you can just pull down on the thumb screw. Because of the size and shape of the trunk holes used with this device, gripping the nuts with pliers while inserting the thumb screws would be difficult.
4) Insert the screw hooks.
5) Loosely insert the thumb screw, then a washer on top of that, and then the nut.
We’re installing the hooks into these two trunk holes:
6)To install, push the washers up through these holes and set them flat against the metal. Because their diameter is larger than the hole, they will not slide back out if laying flat. After they’re flat, tighten the thumb screws until the PVC pipe is touching the trunk’s metal and there is no wiggle in the system. Done.
Holding bags - the only function of the device.
As you can see in this photo, the bags are held at an elevation so the weight is not actually pulling down on the hook. I would not want the bags to actually be fully suspended; this would likely lead to broken bags and a larger problem than without the device at all. This support, however, has proven to keep the bags in place and in their original orientation so I don’t come home to broken eggs from the store
Conclusion:
I know this is kind of a weird post for a forum mostly based on cool looking or nicely performing modifications, but I’m sure at least one person that visits this forum will find this helpful – and that viewer alone justifies the time used to make this guide.
I did make some overly aggressive turns on the way home from the grocery store today and everything was held perfectly in place. The sound of "shhh DUNK" of something sliding and smacking into the wall of the trunk was pleasantly absent from the drive home. I'd say it does its job quite well. Granted, it's a job very few people need done or actually care about - but I'm happy.
- Velox
Last edited by a moderator:
thats an awsome idea bro ! 
