This thread , Boomerang Tire Cover! started it all for me.
I tried to contact Boomco and was referred to a Land Rover dealer. No luck finding one in either case as , evidentially they had better things to do than sell me a cover.
I continued the search for a bag, sack , or pack that could be attached to the spare tire. I know I had seen solutions from Australia, but have had no luck tracking anything down. I really was not wanting to hang a canvas sack from the back. (just not my style, no offense)
Today I finally broke down and made one.
I used four yards of black duck cloth. This is the material that insulated coveralls are made from. It is breathable and washable. I did not want something that would retain water. Waterproof material would trap moisture and not wash out nearly as well. Not to mention the condensation that may form inside if moist items were stored there. I want stuff to dry out if possible. I had a choice of black, brown or off white. Black won. I have kind of a black thing going with my truck. Sure it might be hot, but it will hide stains better than the lighter colors.
I bought a heavy parka zipper 26" long, heavy thread and some brass grommets. I already had a good stock of 3/8" and 1/4" shock cord, so I was all set there.
It took about four hours to put it all together, including two trips to town for materials. 110 yards of thread was half what I needed
All seams are at least double stitched. And it is double layered everywhere.
My spare is a 33x9.50-15. The cover fits snugly. I may need to add longer cord if I go to a bigger tire. This was a tight fit to put on. There is plenty of material to go to 10.5 tires if I need to.
The grommets in the bottom are to aid in draining so that I can just hose it out. I also "Vee'd" the bottom back side so that road dirt could be washed down and out. It is a little looser at the bottom than I planned, but it offers a nice chute for drainage.
That is a 3L can stuffed in there. I think it will be a nice addition and a handy place to store trash or dirty clothes. Who knows what I might want to put in there. I can see it as a nice place to throw the recovery strap too.
All together I had about $50 in materials. Not a bad price considering I could not find one anywhere.
