Build Thread: Ultimate Bed Drawer System for Camping/Cooking/Tailgating

Sounds good, happy to answer questions! At some point I'd like to do a schematic with all the dimensions for the cabinet/drawers/etc -- but in the meantime if you need any specific dims I can grab them for you.

 

Heck ya man! Evil Offering. I love it!

 

Bravo. This is incredible. I have been wanting to build drawers for some time now and have a quick question for you.

How much were the drawer slides, and did you source those from HD as well? I found some on Amazon that were 48" but they are $250 a pair.

 

Sure, the drawer slides I used are these ones:

https://www.ovisonline.com/60-Heavy-Duty-Drawer-Slide-FR5400-P2383.aspx

I bought them direct from Ovis and they shipped super fast (got them in 2 days from Michigan to NH).

The slides were one of the most expensive parts of the build, coming in at around $200 a pair. More if you want ones that lock open or closed.

The slides are also pretty heavy. I was surprised when they showed up and weighed like 70lbs (total for both pairs). This makes sense though — it takes a lot of steel to make slides that can support 500lbs cantilevered 5’.

If you want a drawer slide solution that doesn’t require expensive slides, check out the “PASK Makes” video I linked above in my write up — he did a great job. I would link it here but I’m on my phone now.

Cameron

 

Rad!

Evil - The Following!

 

Such an awesome build and great write up man!

I've been thinking about re-doing mine because it takes up so much vertical space and I wanted to add a tank for sink and shower.
Definitely want to try designing something similar to yours.

 

Very well thought out and your craftsmanship and originality skills are.

 

Looks amazing! Any reason you didn't go with a taller topper? Seems like there still isn't enough head room in there to really sit up.

Also, I wonder if you could install the diesel heater you mentioned underneath the bed and route the vent through one of the rear cubby areas (probably on her side ha)

 

Even though it’s in the drawers it’s a good idea to store food in Tupperware! Critters find a way. Something small got fat while I was out fishing in the wind river range. I had a couple pasta sides, paper towels, cliff bars eaten

 

That's a great question. To be honest, I didn't love the way taller topper looked, and I was worried about the added height making it more difficult to get it into my garage (and also to put bikes/skis on top). In hindsight, the added height would be SO NICE for sitting up inside, and if I were to do it again I think I would have gone with it instead. I need like 3 more inches to sit up fully on top of this new platform.

In regards to the diesel heater, I think you could get it in there if you turned the water tank on its side. This would also require making the platform a little taller though. The main reason I ditched this idea was because of the intake and exhaust lines. From my research, the diesel heaters only work well when you have completely unrestricted intake and exhaust lines. If the intake/exhaust runs are too long or if they have too many bends, it will cause an air restriction resulting in incomplete combustion and potentially noxious CO fumes. The only way to ensure that this could be done safely would have been to run the intake/exhaust lines directly down through the bed, which would have required drilling large holes and placing penetrations. I didn't want to drill holes in my bed, so I ended up ruling out that idea. I'm also pretty sure that the cheap steel exhaust would not have lasted long with all of the salt exposure during winter in the NE.

 

Excellent point. I've been doing most of my food storage in the cab recently which has worked a lot better!

 

Wow! Amazing; and you make it look simple to make using basic tools.

Only question; How to you fill the water tank?

 

Subbed because well now I want to burn the one I whipped up over the last few days and start over after seeing yours.

 

Ahh I didn't cover that in writing, but if you go back a couple of pictures you can see a street elbow coming out of the water tank with a red test plug it. To fill the tank, you just remove the test plug and fill it up! I sometimes use a funnel, but have had great success with a garden hose as well.

The plug is also accessible without flipping the mechanical compartment hatch up. I can just slide my mattress back about 12 in and access it that way too. It's worked surprisingly well.

 

Haha I feel you man. To be fair, that's exactly how I felt after I built my first one and started checking out others on Youtube/TW

 

OMG! HFS! Your design, execution, and documentation is superb! I laugh at the one I made; it looks like a kindergartener built it. Bravo!

 

WOW! Absolutely fantastic design and fabrication! I haven't seen this until now and am blown away. My truck camping setup is a fat Thermarest, sleeping bag, couple of pillows, a 5 gallon Coleman jug for water, and a "junk box" for hiking boots and misc.

I would really like to have even a low sleeping platform, but I just can't give up the headroom as I want to be able to sit up. I didn't really consider a high/tall cap when I bought mine but if I could do it over again, that's the way I would go- then I could have a sleeping platform for storage, and be able to sit up. I don't think I'd ever do something as elaborate as this, but just the extra storage space would be awesome when you're living in it for a few weeks. but I guess not as awesome to me as being able to sit up!

 

@ETXTacoma Did you see this? I'm stealing a few of his ideas for my trailer.

 

Me too; I feel your pain.

 

Hot damn, that coffee table lift up situation is pretty rad!

@cjptacoma very well done! Very well done!



@Naveronski
I am going to be saving for some more tools here and there so I can do some nice woodworking stuff down the road as I would like to be able to redo the table for the decked system, have it to where it will raise up on removable hinges that are installed in the drawers instead of the paracord I have now, and a couple of other things.