NZ4WD columnist Richard Soult has just created a new set of drawers and sleeping platform for chump change. He outlines how and why here.

Some of you may remember my ‘Budget Prado fit-out’ article in the March 2018 edition of NZ4WD, where I created a rear storage system based on a plywood carcass and plastic boxes.

The thing with Overlanding, is that the more you do, the more refined your set up becomes. Even after all these years, most trips will see some modification to how the truck is organised. This may be just moving things around, to make the most used items more accessible, or maybe the result of meeting someone and seeing how their set up differs from your own.

A basic system

A lot of people have drawer systems but I have always been put off by the price of custom made sets and wasn’t sure if I could even find some that would fit my 1998 Prado. In the end, I decided to have a go and make some myself.

One of the most expensive items required to build a drawer system are the drawer sliders. I thought about it and decided that I was going to go for a basic system without sliders and see how it went.

Phase 1

I have a great friend, Ian Richardson, who is currently converting a furniture truck into a camper and I knew that he had the tools and the skills to give me a hand.

I bought some structural plywood in 18 and 12mm and headed off to Ian’s workshop. I removed the previous carcass and after measuring it all up, we used a table saw to cut the wood needed for the drawers and the box carcass.

Because I sleep on top of the drawers, we used 18mm for the sleeping platform and 12mm for the remainder. Once all the elements had been cut they were glued and stapled together.

A bit of sanding was needed to get the drawers sliding nicely. If I were doing it again, I would have constructed the whole box out of 18mm to stop the base sagging. I’m going to have to find a solution to this as when the drawers are full, the 12mm flexes too much.

Phase 2

The next phase was attaching marine carpet to the visible surfaces using PVA glue and adding the aluminium edging with glue and stainless screws. I bought some cheap cargo box handles and attached them to the drawers, after having attached the carpet.

I wanted the drawers to match the 4X4Explorer signwriting on the truck, so bought some ‘Mitre 10 orange’ paint.

The materials required were plywood, aluminium edging, marine carpet, glue, screws and the handles. All of this cost me less than $200!

Good result

Now I am no craftsman, but I think that the result is good and certainly looks pretty professional. I love the orange!!!

By the time you read this, we will have been on the road for nearly three months, exploring the North Island and now the South Island. I am sure that we will have made many tweaks to the system as we get used to the Overlanding life, living out of the truck.

Great project though and only took $200 and a weekend.

If you see us out on the tracks, be sure to come and have a chat and I’ll tell how they are performing.

To read the full story in the February 2019 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (January 21) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store