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

Just finished the build over the weekend:

 

Been drawing this up in cad

Still have a lot of ideas I wanna mess with

 

Dimensions of those totes and where to buy them? Thanks!

 

Have you used fusion 360 yet? You can import everything from mcmaster for all your hardware if you want to get into the details

 

Really? Interesting, sounds awesome Ill look into it, thanks!

 

Yup I used to do the 3d through autocad but man it was frustrating at times, fusion is great to use tho. Its simple to use but you have to adjust your thought process from drawing in autocad if thats what your used to, you'll find once you get moving that the commands are very streamlined and wish they carried over the same way in autocad

 

AutoCad is very cumbersome for 3d IMO. I used Solid Works so much easier, I am going to check out the fusion too.

 

Not OP, but I may be able to help you out.

I use some similar totes under my wheel well height sleeping platform. I have 3 of these, one in front of the wheel well and two on the tailgate side. I also have one of these that goes between the wheel well and my middle divider. I leave the other half of the bed open for longer things (chairs, canopies, etc.).

 

@Maximilian
Yes, me, too. I would like to know how tall they are.

Ken in NC

 

Yeah its best used for 2d, and I still use it for 2d since some stuff is best figured out that way. I wanted solid works since its the industry standard but fusion works on mac so thats my main reasoning behind fusion but I really do like it

 

I mostly do architectural stuff so most of our gig is in BIM like ReVit and 2d unless we are doing stuff so a client can see what things will look like. I like AutoCad for 2d but it's what I have been using and am the fastest with.

 

finally got to finish this. Dimensions aren't super precise I just wanted to get an idea. Gonna price everything out tomorrow, I'm thinking of doing the whole thing with 0.5"x10" boards and 0.5" plywood on top. But using plywood cut in 10" strips might be cheaper. Gonna carpet the entire thing most likely. Gonna do air and electrical (12v but possibly an inverter if I go dual battery in the future) on one panel and water on the other. I left 16" off the back to store a 21 gallon tank if I ever decide to do that. The whole side thing next to the bed will be removable so that I can use the entire space if I need to. Also it has cup holders.
(heres the water tank)

$89 Class A Customs | T-2100 | One (1) RV Fresh Water 21 Gallon Tank, Grey Water

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007MSK5RQ/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IFIT47HS6R4RI&colid=1V4KIQ181UVTA&psc=0



Im basically gonna copy Chux's idea for the drawers using a 2" hollow aluminum tube and skateboard bearings.
(these)

$59 608-2RS Skateboard Bearing, Red, 8x22x7, Sealed, (Pack of 100)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045F48WC/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IUE9RVMKXCUTM&colid=1V4KIQ181UVTA&psc=0
and these handles:

$13 Reliable Hardware Company RH-0511BK-A Medium Spring Loaded Recessed Handle, 10 Hole, Black

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JQYVJNS/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3QRLBE7O6K332&colid=1V4KIQ181UVTA&psc=0
I wanted the drawers to stay shut somehow, especially considering they are spaced away from the tailgate, so I figured the best way to do it would be these small roller things that would fall into a divot to "lock" in. I have absolutely no idea what they are called and can't seem to find them but Im sure someone here knows what I'm talking about. I did a half assed design here:

 

Do any of you guys have drawers built and not have a topper? If you guys do, how did you guys go about weatherproofing it?

I've been going back and forth thinking about trading my Tacoma in for a 4Runner, but love the truck too much. I carry around a lot of photo equipment and wanted a safe place to keep it when my truck is full of people. I then thought having a bed drawer system will work out for me pretty good. But Im concerned about water or too much dust getting into the drawers.

Sidenote. I think having stuff in the drawers would be even safer than keeping them in the cab theft wise, because I have dual rear swingouts that I am able to lock

 

I've not done this myself but couldn't you add a tonneau cover/locking tailgate for weatherproofing and security?

 

I wanted to avoid any topper/tonneau because I wanted this to also be some type of a makeshift photo platform. Kind of what Ansel Adams had on his van. The drawers don't need to be completely waterproof, My biggest concern is how much dust would get into them

 

That's the idea behind my build. I built the drawers to hold certain sized gear, added a shell to allow for extended trips and camping and then placed a Prinsu rack on top. The next step is adding an aluminum sheet to the rack above the cab to use as an elevated platform. I know this doesn't answer your question directly, but perhaps give you some alternative ideas.

 

What about the metal ones that roll up....something like the Retrax Pro? They don't take up as much room as the folding ones so you could still use the drawers as a photo platform yet have more security than a soft tonneau. There are also a lot of different types of locking flush mount latches that I'm sure you could use to lock the drawers instead of getting any kind of bed cover.

Dust-proofing the drawers might be a separate issue from locking them though....

 

I was planning on having the platform built to the tailgate. It would be locked by my tailgate, and by my dual swing outs. If I needed extra security the latches on the dual swing outs have the ability to be locked.

How are you guys sealing your drawers? Do you think high density foam would be enough?

 

I have bed bars on my bed that I wanted to also try and keep

 

This is an extreme rough draft I’ve been working on. I’m hoping if I can make the main box part that will contain the drawers well enough, it should be (hopefully) dust/water resistant.

Do you think sealing the plywood and using high density foam would be enough to keep the drawers dry?

The wings toward the rear of the bed would flip up and down to allow me to have access to the cubbies.