Overland Drawer Build- DIY Camping Drawers- Pic Heavy Thread

—THREAD UPDATE Aug 5th—
Due to this video I’ve had a ton of people inquire about a kit form of this drawer. Manufacturing is no joke, but I’m contemplating starting a company and put up a feeler website. If you think you might be interested let me know on the page! Maybe this will happen

www.PullKitchen.com

Just made a new short promo video, we will be at Overland Expo West this May 2020, next to tacomabeast and across from BAMF.
Pull Kitchen in 10 Seconds- Off Road Overland Kitchen
https://youtu.be/QBNYvasm4i4


Overland Bound just posted a video about my new drawer
https://youtu.be/UmMUiLCtzKg


I have designed and built 2 drawer systems, the first was 1/2” ply and the second extruded aluminum. The pros of wood is that it’s easier and cheaper, aluminum is lighter but more expensive, more complicated build as well.

This post starts with my original wood design, the link below jumps to the extruded aluminum build.
Aluminum version 2.0 of this drawer
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...amping-drawers-pic-heavy-thread.554249/page-7


Version 1.0


Version 2.0






—EDIT— Overland Bound did a walk around of my truck and highlighted this drawer build, at the end of this first post is the link. Post #62 has a simplified cut list of the boards needed for all 1/2” ply which is how I ended up building my drawer. My original “blueprints” had a mix of 3/4” and 1/2”.

ORIGINAL POST—————————-
I purchased my 2018 TRD Off-road in February and already have 11k Miles on it as I’ve been all over California hitting trails. I leave in a week for a Canada Road trip up to Whistler BC on a mountain bike trip with my son. Whistler bike park looks amazing and a ski lift to the top so we can ride DOWN sounds about right. I just took my kids up to Bald Mountain above Shaver Lake CA and I gotta say I hate pulling out all the bins and setting up camp, so I decided to build drawers. Technically I think my bins hold more but sliding them out, putting them in the dirt, making dinner then putting them back in at night away from the bears, then back out again for breakfast before heading another 50-60 Miles down a trail is getting old. So though it may hold less stuff the ease of sliding it out and back in means that I pull out sleeping bags, chairs, and slide my cooler to the tailgate. Easy.

I know many others have posted builds but I thought someone might like to see what I’m attempting without just buying a pre-fab solution. I don’t off road all the time and my truck is my DD so my roof top tent and racks come off when I’m at home, and this drawer is going to go in and out as well. Think of it like a truck bed chuck box. I did spend the $$$ on 56” locking drawer slides, I know rails with bearings is an option too but I like the full extension. I am currently in process with this build so as I type it’s not finished.

I work in the medical field and I am quite handy, but I only own a skill and jig saw, so I laid out my plans and had my lumber yard do the cuts that I bought the wood from. $135 for 3 sheets of ACX 1/2 ply, and $80 in labor to make the cuts. $80 for perfect cuts seemed like a good deal to me when cabinets and drawers gotta be square and I don’t own table or chop saws.

I looked at many designs and decided what was important to me and my set up, and began with the stove measurements first! That was my fixed minimum that I measured up from, working inside out. I am doing butt joints with a borrowed nail gun and glue which allows this build to be light and strong. I definitely had to keep the butt joints in mind when I was laying out my measurements. This set up fits my short bed truck which has a heavy duty Diamondback cover.

So here’s where it gets really sophisticated, my blue prints. Or....my yellow-line prints. Originally I planned 3/4”, but scaled down to 1/2”


I am doing an external box (carcass) so that I can load on top, to the side, and it doesn’t affect the drawer movement.

Yesterday evening I picked up my 21 cut boards and got to work.

I purchased a 1/2” cutting board that I had to trim down just a little to be my...well my cutting board. The cutting board unit slides out from under the drawer with the stove sliding out from under that.



The drawer box is coming together

Extended


That’s all I got done last night, and once we finish this broken neck trauma I’ll get back to work!



The drawer discussion starts at 9:35, but the whole video is AWESOME. I could be biased though
https://youtu.be/Qike5D_Msjk

 

Nice work. Following this one... keep up the pic heavy.

 

I like what you’re doing here and may have to “borrow” your blueprints. I can’t wait for the updates.

 

Well I had to head into surgery at 6:30am for a broken neck this morning, meth and alcohol keep me busy! Been working on this all afternoon. I’m sure others could blow through this fast but as with any build I had some adjustments to make. I borrowed a router and bought an $11 3/8” curved bit to round out the edges of my boxes. Makes it much more friendly to work with. Again I glued and nail gunned all the joints and pockets. I really like the coffee table lifts I got because if a lid were to flip all the way over on a piano hinge for more flat space it would be too far to reach, but the lift can hold a ton of weight in the lifted position and your items are right there. Flat space is always a premium camping.




It was last minute that I decided to make the compartment on the left. I knew I didn’t want the lift lid to span all the way to the left side of the drawer because though the drawer sliders are full extension it still might hit the end of the tonneau cover. So instead of 6” of dead space I made a little compartment for random things. Originally I got these hinges for the stove front drawer face but they were too big, but they worked perfectly here. I went with a piano hinge for the drawer face that lays down to give me extra inches to put the Coleman regulator and propane tank on. Waiting on Fedex for my 56” drawer slides, so tomorrow I will build half of my outer carcass box. I’m tired!

 

If you can make sense of my “blueprints”

 

Awesome project, very inspiring.

 

Worked on my drawer a little today. Built the outer box and routered all of the edges so it’s smooth. Still waiting on my 56” drawer slides that come tomorrow EOD. But tomorrow I am flying with my daughter to her Ole Miss orientation so it will be the weekend till I can finish it.


The top is not affixed yet as I still have to mount the drawer slides first, but just checking how well it fits. The drawer slides are massive and 3/4” wide, depending on how plumb the box is I may need to shim the slider a little with washers to make up 1/8”. We’ll see


I added $6 sliding door wheels to the rear corners so that when I slide the box into the bed, on top of my bed mat, it can more easily slide in.

 

Got my first coats on, using a $9 Home Depot shop mat to glue on the top for loading in and out

 

I love the fact that it doesn't sit permanently in the bed and can be removed when not in use. I do the same with my RTT, it hangs from the ceiling in my garage when I'm not using it.

 

Agreed. When I get it finished I’m going to use tie downs to secure it in. Hopefully that will work well

 

what finish/urethane did you use? and you put that coating on once everything wall built? any issues getting into crevasses? will this be under a camper shell or exposed?

 

Water based poly, clear satin, I think it was the Ace brand. Used a cheap foam brush and always work forward, then lightly sand and do it again. I did 4 coats, and it dries fast so it was pretty easy to get it done quickly. It’s thin and gets in the cracks nicely, you can’t really screw it up. For the orange I used a wet rag and rubbed in the paint as opposed to brushing it on. It shows the grain nicely and makes it look richer

 

Well I am almost done. I got the sliders on and attached, had to shim them a little, but being so big I had to put the box on the ground and line it all up.


Notched out the faceplate for the locking slides


I can’t open it all the way because it will tip over as it’s not tied down in the truck


Added the mat on top to protect it during loading


Lastly I need to add 2 handles on the sides to help with getting it in and out of the truck

 

It will be under my Diamondback tonneau cover. I put on the WBPU after it was built, but not where I painted it orange

 

Well I finally finished and my truck is all loaded up with my RTT and 2 mountain bikes headed for Whistler in the morning. Should be fun. I added 2 D-rings to the center of the bed, made a small slit in the bed mat so I can tuck them away when not in use. Fully extended it’s just over 8 feet of flat real estate out on the trail. Previously I had added LED lights under the tonneau with a manual switch. I just installed a pin switch (door jam plunger switch) so the lights come on when I open the tail gate and off when it’s closed.

Thanks for following along on my project, I hope it inspired you in yours.

 

I have to say that a drawer system camping is a game changer. Pulled into camp and 5 minutes later I can start boiling water. Gone are my days of bins out, sorting through equipment and food with the bin in the dirt, then packing up at night and starting over again in the morning.

My son and I left for Whistler BC from the San Francisco Bay Area


First stop Castle Lake near MT Shasta

Camping near Astoria OR

 

This is a really good build!

 

Thanks! Yeah only 3 days in but it’s solid and just so damn easy to grab stuff. Thanks for reading

 

I'll gladly read these threads. I'm considering a drawer build for my bed and if nothing else like looking at the parts lists

 

Nice! Love the coffee table lifts and cutting board !