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

1x1 is more then you need. I used 3/4" square tube and it's very strong. Last winter I threw 20 bags of wood pellets on the platform for a total of 1000#'s. Truck squatted bad, but the deck was rock solid.
If I could have found 1/2" square I would have used that. Save some weight as well as space.

Take a look at my bed build thread.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/building-my-bed-platform.497053/

The great thing about doing it from steel is so much less material is needed to make the system. I don't know for sure as I've never weighed my metal setup but it has to be as light, or lighter then wood. Definatly lighter then some of the very over built setups I've seen.

 

Nice!
Any reason you cut all corners to 45* angle instead of just butting them together?
What wall thickness metal did you use?

 

I did 45's as that's what I see on tv welding shows, and it's just cleaner looking.....also i guess to make sure it wouldn't rust from the inside as they are sealed tubes.

No idea on the metal tube thickness. I went to my metal supply house and gave them a basic idea of what I was doing. They chose the metal for me. I know 3/4" outside, and I think it was the only 3/4 they stocked. Once when I went to buy metal, the worker accidentally grabbed 1" square. It was a lot heavier carrying those cut pieces to my truck then the proper 3/4".

 

So this is what I did this weekend to make my cab sleeper better.

I went to Home Depot, and spent $19.49 on materials.

Then I had the guy cut everything, since I don't have any saws.

Then I got some help from this guy...

I started with (3) 16'' peices of 2x6 and a 4 foot, 1/2'' piece of particle board, and had the side trimmed to a width of 19''.

Then I drilled the boards to the bottom...

Put some Gorilla Tape over the screw heads for an extra safety measure so nothing gets caught/ripped.

Here, I still have storage space under the bench seat, and 3 divided storage spaces under the platform.

Then I taco'ed the memory foam around a Big Agnes insulated camping mattress, and then wrapped that in an insulated hammock underquilt.

Here is my complete setup with sweet sheets.

I cut up a sunshade to black out my windows.

 

Cool idea, but you must be under 5' or sleep folded in half.

 

Awesome guys, thank you! I really your scrap plywood approach to dividers, I've been tearing my hair out trying to decide the best way to make little notches for 1/4 or 1/8 inch plywood to slide into. Your style looks way easier.

 

I am 5' 3" but sleep in various positions hahaha

 

I actually bought a small heater today for me and my Queen Pup Roxy. It's close to freezing at night already and we haven't even moved in yet

 

Simple but effective. Side tool box for frequently used gear, the rest that i dont use often goes under the platform

 

Does anybody have any ideas on how to make locking drawers? I wanted to have a little more security since I am using a soft top.

 

Why wouldn't locking your tailgate be enough?

 

My truck is new to me so at the moment I dont have a locking tailgate, that is one of the things im looking into, i just wanted to have some extra security.

 

In the Cheap and Easy Mods page, there's a bit on locking the actual tailgate to the truck... I noticed you're in OC, Ca, so that might behoove you... bc tail gate theft is a thing.

 

Okay cool, I'll definitely go check it out!

 

Has anybody used the foam padding for flooring as a sleeping cushion of some sort?

 

Condensed foam?

 

Before I built what I have now, I had cut up a king size memory foam topper and layered it 3 times. It was ok, but my back would hurt in the morning bc obviously as a women my hips were heavier than the rest of me and put more pressure on that part of the memory foam. Could also bc that it was just a topper, not a memory foam mattress.

 

This is the exact reason i have been reading this thread...... this a genuine genius of an idea

 

This is interesting, did you need any truss members for supporting the center Plate that drops down?

 

Finally made curtains

They’re kinda hard to open since it’s not loose enough on the rod but they work fine for now