“Back packs” newly available from Western Star Trucks are offered as an economical way to add behind-the-seats interior space to work vehicles without engineering integral extensions.

Steel boxes are 12 and 24 inches long to accommodate storage racks, shelves and cabinets, and 36 inches long to house a three-person bench seat with certified seat belt mounts, or a “rest” sleeper bunk.

A box attaches to a cab’s rear with access via a back cutaway opening, which is ample thanks to Western Star’s generous width, according to John Tomlinson, the Daimler division’s vocational sales manager. The boxes come ready to install with internal parts fitted and ready for use.

The Iron Feather-brand boxes are made by North Side Industries, a metal fabricator in Kalowna, British Columbia, Western Star’s original home. They are available on all Western Star models, Tomlinson said.