The 5 Milwaukee Tool Boxes With The Most Storage

Scottish writer and historian Thomas Carlyle once wrote, "Man is a tool-using animal. Without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all." Carlyle could have added that without a way to organize, store, and transport those tools efficiently, they become essentially useless. Milwaukee Tools has been in business for nearly a century, making tools for woodworking, DIY auto service, and general home repair and renovation projects. Along with a wide variety of 12 and 18-volt power tools, batteries, chargers, and hand tools for various uses, Milwaukee makes various storage and transportation solutions, including trays, bags, chests, and cabinets.

Milwaukee also offers a selection of hard-sided toolboxes, including several from its new modular Packout line. The Packout series of storage and transportation cases makes it easy to join several Milwaukee toolboxes for quick movement around the job site and back to your truck or van at the end of the day. Let's look at the largest of Milwaukee's current toolbox offerings, ranked in descending order by size.

The largest offering in Milwaukee's tool storage line is the Packout rolling tool chest, which has internal dimensions of 32.5 inches x 19.5 inches x 12 inches, giving it a massive total capacity of 7,605 cubic inches, or about 35 gallons. This chest has a carrying capacity of 250 pounds and 9-inch plastic all-terrain wheels. There is a retractable tow/carry handle at one end and a molded lift/carry handle at the other. The lid has recessed areas to hold drinks, small tools, or parts and can double as a work surface. 

There are two heavy-duty latches to keep the lid closed while you're moving the chest around, and a removable 13.1-inch x 10-inch x 4.3-inch storage and carrying tray inside to make toting smaller tools around the job site easier. This tool chest measures 38 inches x 24 inches x 15.8 inches on the outside and weighs 24 pounds when empty.

The rolling tool chest sells for $229 at Home Depot and Northern Tool.   

The next largest toolbox Milwaukee offers comes in two variants; one with a collapsible handle and 9-inch plastic wheels to serve as a base for the Packout system and the other as a standalone extra-large box. This box has internal dimensions of 19.1 inches wide, 13.9 inches high, and 14.6 inches deep for a total capacity of just over 3,876 cubic inches. On both versions, the lid has an IP65-rated seal to keep out moisture, sawdust, dirt, and other debris that could damage your tools and supplies while you work, and there are metal bars at the front corners to add rigidity and provide protection from impact. 

Inside is a removable storage and carrying tray that measures 13.1 inches by 10 inches with two separate compartments. The lid has recessed sections to hold small tools or parts and can also be used as a work surface. Both boxes have a 100-pound carrying capacity.

The box with handle and wheels retails for $139 at Home Depot and Blain's Farm and Fleet, while the standalone box sells for $119 at those same two outlets, Northern Tool, and Amazon.

The next largest toolbox in Milwaukee's line is the Packout multi-depth three-drawer toolbox. This box has drawers that are 16.3 inches wide by 12.5 inches deep. The top two drawers are 2.5 inches high, and the bottom drawer is 5 inches high; these dimensions give this box a total storage capacity of 2,037.5 cubic inches. 

This toolbox comes with arrangeable plastic dividers for parts and smaller tools and metal reinforcement bars at the corners to provide structural strength and protection from damage while on the job. It has a lockable bar in front to protect your tools and supplies from theft and a carrying capacity of 50 pounds. 

The drawers have steel ball-bearing roller mechanisms for easy opening and closing, and the lid has an IP65-rated seal to keep out water, dust, and dirt, as well as recessed storage wells to hold small tools or parts while you work. This box sells for $179 at Ace Hardware and Home Depot. 

Moving down through Milwaukee's line of toolboxes in size takes us to the four-drawer Packout toolbox, which has drawers that also measure 16.3 inches long by 12.5 inches wide. All four drawers in this box are 2.5 inches deep, giving it a total capacity of 1,874.5 cubic inches.

Like the three-drawer multi-depth toolbox, it has steel roller bearing mechanisms on each drawer, metal reinforcement bars at the corners, and a locking security bar in front to help protect your valuable gear. It also comes with plastic divider trays for each drawer to help you organize your tools and supplies and has a capacity of 50 pounds. This box has external dimensions of 22.2 inches wide, 16.3 inches long, and 14.3 inches high, and it weighs 24 pounds when empty. The four-drawer toolbox sells for $199.99 at Ace Hardware and $199 at Home Depot or Blain's Farm and Fleet.

The next largest toolbox in Milwaukee's product line is the Packout three-drawer toolbox, which has the same external dimensions as the four-drawer and multi-depth three-drawer Packout boxes but comes with three 16.3-inch long, 12.5-inch wide, and 3-inch deep drawers. These dimensions give the three-drawer toolbox a total capacity of 1,833.75 cubic inches, only slightly less storage than its similarly-sized siblings.

Like the previous two toolboxes on this list, the three-drawer Packout box has plastic dividers for each drawer and a lockable handle to secure the box's contents while you work. It also has metal bars at each corner for added strength and protection from job site incidents, a capacity of 50 pounds, and measures 22.2 inches x 16.3 inches x 14.3 inches on the outside. This toolbox weighs 23.5 pounds when empty, and it retails for $179 at Ace Hardware, Home Depot, or Blain's Farm and Fleet.