Show us your truck bed sleeping platform/drawer/storage systems

The notch right above the cubby door. In the pictures you quoted you can see it in picture #3.

 

Still a work in progress but im getting there

6´ bed, 21 gallon onboard water tank, large gear drawer, narrow kitchen drawer. Aluminum frame, 1/2" plywood.

 

Sick! Where's the water tank from?

 

Ebay... search rv water tank, this one is 39"x16"x8"

 

Yes what SpeedoJosh said....lot of cool ideas here for guys with caps or soft covers otherwise. I run a tonneau cover in winter and an All Pro rack with CVT tent in the summer so waterproof is a must for me. Maybe I will talk to my local fab shop about making an aluminum bed frame and go from there. "Decked" seems cool but they don't make a Tacoma model yet and they are not cheap.

-tj

 

looking great, where do you plan on putting the sink? and how or where will the water spigot be??

 

Yea, I've seen the Decked systems. They are supposedly in the works for a Tacoma one. But as you said, not cheap. I'm thinking I can make a drawer similar to worm squirts, fiberglass over the sides where the wood meets or just coat the whole thing in a rubberized coating, then make the top piece overhang the front of the drawers by a couple inches and install a rubber flap to route the rain runoff.
Or style the drawers similar to a boat hatch, and just make rubber gasket. Boats get pretty soaked, yet those deck compartments stay dry.

Once I get back state side, I'm going to start tinkering away and see what I come up with.

 

Nice truck! Reminds me a lot of mine..


Just out of curiousity, is that the ARB 2500x2500? Also, what did you use to mount yours to the thule rails/tracks?

 

The sink will overhang the tailgate when the drawer is pulled out, then i can dump the water in a collapsible bucket. I will have a pull out faucet installed on top of the platform

 

Hey man! Yeah it is the 2500, I was tempted to go for the 2000, but for a couple extra bucks, I figured it would probably be nice to have some extra square footage in case I ever decide to purchase the drop down room. I chose to build some custom mounts to attach mine. I have a bit more overhang than ARB recommended, so I chose to construct a little bit more robust of a mounting system. So far it's done exceptionally well! P.S. Loving your truck man, I am always envious of the forest green tacomas. Such a badass color!

 

I was also debating between the 2000 and the 2500 but im glad i got the bigger one, the extra space has really come in handy. How many inches of overhang did you have on yours near the front? Whenever i was mounting mine, the overhang was almost an issue for me but i think i had an inch or two to spare. I just moved mine back as far as i could where i could still open the shell window all the way. Those brackets you made look great, really beefy! Are those 1/4 inch steel? I should've just made some brackets like that but i just got some of the brackets from ARB and then drilled through my cross bars and bolted them down that way. it's done well thus far, i drive on rock roads every day and its solid. Thanks man! i dig the timberland mica too! one of my favorite colors they offered! its a shame they dont offer it anymore

 

If I remember correctly, ARB said no more than 700 MM ( about 27" ) of overhang. I think I ended up somewhere around 29 or 30. It hasn't been an issue yet. I debated moving it back some, but I really like how I am able to open the access cab door while standing under the cover of the awning. As far as the metal I think it was 3/16" so it has been very solid. I think my favorite thing about the awning is having people ask what it is, I tell them its an awning and they say "what do you need that for?" I then give them a demonstration of how easy, and awesome it is to have, and they start asking how much it cost and where to buy one.

 

Are you able to set it up by yourself? Any tips? Lol ive found that its a two person job just due to the size

 

Yeah I am! It's easier to do with two people obviously, but once you get your system down, its not bad at all! This is the guy who has been the inspiration for my entire build, I really like the simplicity and functionality of his truck/ and sleeper. Here's a helpful video on the setup and teardown of his ARB 2500. Check out some of his other videos too, he's got some great advice!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI872CutHXY

 

Great video! I always assumed you werent supposed to let the vertical support arms hang there but obviously that isnt a problem! Ill give that method a try next time i set it up. Doesnt seem like its too hard

 

boy those chairs eat up a lot of space

you need some front runner expander chairs.

 

that is a nice setup there Mc. I've got a removable plywood platform in the truck bed for my wife and one boy. me and the other son in the 2 man tent. canopy setup off my good old honda element.

this is as close as my cheap ass will ever get to rv'n gets us to the local small town music festivals on short notice.

this one was last weekend at the Kempt Shore acoustic music festival in Kempt Shore, Nova Scotia. All great people in a great place.

 

Looking at doing the DCSB, I want to be able to stealth camp in the bed under a soft top canopy.
What I am interested in hearing about or seeing pics of, are your solutions for sleeping diagonally in a 5' bed being that I am basically 6'.

I've measured out the dimensions above the wheel wells of the 5' bed on my living room floor and laid myself out in that space. However, without all of the actual truck and canopy hardware, i'm obviously missing the full effect.

Whatcha got working for you?

 

I've had my truck since April and the few times this has come up from friends, I always remind them that I've crashed just fine on plenty of small couches, a night or two in the woods isn't a big deal. I've done two trips a-ok. I don't even have any cover. 5'8" though.

 

I'm 6' and sleep diagonally in the short bed just fine... then again I don't move much when I sleep, so your results may vary... also, hope you either have a short girlfriend/wife or plan on sleeping solo