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

my bad.
Thats a sick set up you have there

 

Just a simple platform for sleeping on and a slide out board underneath for storage. Covered with a softopper

 

This is the kind of setup I eventually want. How are you preventing the half-drawer/platform from sliding?

 

What drawer slides did you use

PS looks great!

 

These are the ones I used, which oddly aren’t currently available on Amazon.com, but still available on Amazon.ca in the 60” length.

$115 VADANIA 36" Industrial Grade Heavy Duty Drawer Slide with Lock #VD2576, 3" Widening Up to 396lb Load Capacity, 3-Fold Full Extension, Ball Bearing Lock-in & Lock-Out, Side Mount, 1-Pair

https://www.amazon.com/VADANIA-Industrial-Extension-Bearing-Widening/dp/B08C5392QV/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=VADANIA+Ultra+Heavy&qid=1610735531&sr=8-1&th=1&psc=1

 

I know for myself I just had the base of the platform overlap the bed bolts and used those.

 

Do you do anything to seal the gaps between the caps and the pull out.

 

that was the tricky part...



The wood is the “baffle” between the cap and the pull out. It is tensioned against thick weather stripping that is on the inside of the cap.

 

I see. I have a bed mat I'd probably want to keep down there without cutting in half or drilling holes in...hm...

 

I want to combine your idea with Bryan's and build a square pull out that doesn't have to deal with angles from a camper shell but would pull out onto a kayak hitch extender and not have to include a trailer.

 

You could probably use some turnbuckles to the factory tie downs and maybe something like these to try and secure it to the bed rail, should keep it from moving if you didn’t want to drill any holes.

$16 Mission Automotive 5-Pack of T-Slot Nuts - Ideal T Slot Nut for Toyota Tunda & Toyota Tacoma Pick-Up Truck Bed Deck Rails - Cleat/Cleats

https://www.amazon.com/Mission-Auto...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

 

The kayak hitch is a great idea for support! I went with pipe clamps for support, they work fairly well.
Just go for it, i did my first one out of wood to make sure it would work, pretty cheap experiment.

 

Just finished my drawer system. I call it the Kitchen And Mattress Platform - K.A.M.P. Drawers:







Check out my build thread for more info, and lots more photos:

K.A.M.P. Drawers - Kitchen And Mattress Platform

 

These are great!

 

Scrolled through most of this thread and there’s some awesome inspiration!

For those who didn’t varnish / paint their wood, any issues with decay? I like the bare look of my birch ply.

 

I took mine out last month to install a new cap. It had been installed for 2 1/2 years. No rot, but there were some spots that showed they were wet at one time. I primed and painted my platform and reinstalled it. Just have to get around to painting the drawers.

I would suggest to put some sort of protective coating on it.

 

Sweet. Just bought some spar urethane, might as well do it right the first time. Will post pics when it’s done.

 

Brovo on this setup!

I can see the level of work and attention to detail that went into this and its really well done. I checked out the dedicated thread you have on the build too. Very nice.

 

So I just got my softopper and I'm about to buy the materials to make a simple platform. No hinges, maybe some screws for security. I plan to camp with my wife and haul climbing gear and other camping essentials. I don't often have to use the length of my truck to haul things...

So here are my questions.
1) Should I carpet the platform? (Softoppers aren't 100% water or dustproof so I don't know the likelihood of mold, nor would I want to have to sleep on the dust)
- But think the dust wouldn't be as much of a concern since the benefit of better insulation comes with the carpeting.

2) Which is more functional? To cut the platform in half, the length of the truck - or to cut it in thirds with the width of the truck.
Horizontal or vertical, if you will.
So if I take the boards out and stack them would it be more efficient to stack them towards the cab of the truck (horizontal cuts) or to stack the other half piece (length of the truck) to one side. Keep in mind this is with the support still in place.

Yes I always overthink this shit.

Thanks!

 

When I built my platform, partial removal was never a consideration for me as I had no plans for it. In 4 yrs I have removed it completely 1 time, and that was simply to power wash the bed. If I have a large object, I own a few trailers to carry a load, plus its easier to load a trailer with a drop ramp, then a truck bed.

That being said, if the ability to quickly participate break down the platform in the field, I believe having the boards go across the bed horizontal will allow you to stack the pieces ontop of each other towards the cab.
A vertical setup requires you to still leave the support boards across the bed, so you don't really gain much use of the bed.

Strength wise I feel a vertical setup will be stronger.