Suncast discontinued the GS17500 36-cubic-foot storage box. The closest current equivalent is the Suncast BMS2500 Horizontal Shed, reviewed below, with the original GS17500 specification kept at the end for reference.
The GS17500 was an unusually long, low storage box: 36 cubic feet in a unit only 34 inches high, which is why people used it as deck seating as much as storage. It is discontinued. The BMS2500 is the current model that matches it most closely on capacity and design.
The Replacement: Suncast BMS2500 Horizontal Shed
Near-identical capacity to the GS17500 and the same lift-lid arrangement, in a slightly taller and much shorter footprint. The BMS2500 is sold in more than one colourway, so you may see it listed as the BMS2500SB in Stoney Black. It is the same shed.
- Capacity: 34 cubic feet, against 36 on the GS17500
- Exterior: 4 ft 5 in W x 2 ft 8.5 in D x 3 ft 9.5 in H
- Interior: 4 ft 1 in W x 2 ft 2.25 in D x 3 ft 7.5 in H
- Door opening: 46.25 in W x 40.25 in H
- Access: easy-lift lid with a prop rod, plus front double doors
- Security: pad-lockable three-door locking system, lock sold separately
- Construction: multi-wall resin panels, water resistant and UV protected, with a reinforced floor
- Warranty: 10-year limited
Check the Suncast BMS2500 Horizontal Shed price on Amazon
How It Compares to the GS17500
| GS17500 (discontinued) | BMS2500 (current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 36 cu ft | 34 cu ft |
| Exterior | 88 x 36 x 34 in | 53 x 32.5 x 45.5 in |
| Interior | 79 x 27 x 29 in | 49 x 26.25 x 43.5 in |
| Shape | Long and low, bench height | Shorter and taller |
| Access | Top lid only | Top lid plus front double doors |
| Warranty | 10-year limited | 10-year limited |
The capacity is nearly the same but the shape is not. The GS17500 was 88 inches wide and low enough to sit on. The BMS2500 packs the same volume into a unit barely half as wide and a foot taller, which suits a narrow gap beside a house but will not work as a deck bench. If seating was the reason you wanted the GS17500, a rated deck box is the better answer.
The front doors are a genuine gain. The GS17500 loaded from the top only, which meant reaching down into it. The BMS2500 opens from the front as well, so you can get at things at the back without emptying the front.
If You Wanted It for Seating
Look at deck boxes with a stated seating rating instead. Our Lifetime 60012 review covers the box rated highest in this class, and the deck box buying guide explains which lid designs actually take weight. The deck box comparison puts seven models side by side.
What the Original GS17500 Offered
- Capacity: 36 cubic feet
- Exterior: 88 in W x 36 in D x 34 in H
- Interior: 79 in W x 27 in D x 29 in H
- Shipping weight: 99 pounds
- Construction: 1.5 inch thick double-wall blow-moulded resin, no metal parts to rust
- Access: top-opening lid that props open, lockable
- Warranty: 10-year limited
Two things came up repeatedly in owner feedback, and both still apply to the BMS2500. The lid overhangs the walls, so the usable interior is smaller than the outside suggests, which is why measuring what you plan to store matters more than the headline capacity. And the box has to sit level for the lid to seat tightly and stay rainproof.
Is the Suncast GS17500 still available?
No. Suncast discontinued it. The closest current model on capacity is the BMS2500 Horizontal Shed at 34 cubic feet, though it is a very different shape.
Why is the replacement so much narrower?
The GS17500 was 88 inches wide and 34 inches tall, a long low box. The BMS2500 holds nearly the same volume in a unit about half as wide and a foot taller. It fits a narrow side return better and works as a deck bench far worse.
Can you sit on the BMS2500?
Suncast does not publish a seating rating for it, so treat it as storage rather than a bench. If you want a box you can sit on, buy one with a stated weight rating, such as the Lifetime 60012.
Does the interior really hold what the capacity suggests?
Not quite, and this caught out GS17500 buyers too. The lid overhangs the walls, so the interior is smaller than the exterior implies. Measure the longest thing you plan to store against the interior dimensions, not the capacity figure.
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