Show Off Your Storage Solutions

richard310

richard310

Adventurist
Moderator
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So we've got all these fancy tools and gear that we've got, but do we have the organizational ability to contain them all in our vehicles the way we need them to be?

Post up your storage solution, whether it be in the back of a 4x4 or your trailer!


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2004 Nissan Xterra

Built myself out of 1/2" Ply from Home Depot. McMaster Carr for all the hardware.

The upper deck is a perfect size for 5 bundles of wood across.
The center portion fits 5-gal water container, two lanterns, two burner stove, full toolkit, two small propane tanks, an extra 2P tent, and two sleeping pads/bags.

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Removable deck for taller items.

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Right Side: Kitchen items.
Upper has a two fliptops: Large one is for pots/pans and cutting board. Small one is for bug spray, two-way radios, and other small items.
Lower contains cooking propane, utensils, spices and other kitchen related items.

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Left Side: Recovery
Upper contains tire patch kit, snatch strap, and air compressor.
Lower drawer contains large tools, recovery strap and ratchet straps.

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I made more progress on my dog platform/cargo box for the 05 4Runner. Ive done a couple long road trips so far and its been working out well. Keeps most valuables out of sight and somewhat secure. still room for the dog to move around and I was able to sleep in the middle section one night when driving late. Sort of scrunched up, but worked for a night.
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Maxcustody said:
I cheated too and bought stuff from AT.............
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Many an afternoon was spent at AT stealing inspiration and parts, or flat out getting help building my setup. :D

Otherwise it's a DIY job from 3/4 and 1/2 birch ply, glue-and-screw construction, and a few T6061 aluminum reinforcements at the critical structural points.

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Contents: somewhere between a queen- and full-size bed up top (due to the fridge); clothing and personal gear for two in the forward cubbies, fulltime camping loadout for two in the mid-cubbies, galley + food for two for up to a week in the drawer, onboard water, onboard air, second Group 31 battery, then recovery gear in the rear footwell below it all (accessible with doors closed, just in case), and every tool required to do every job on a Discovery (maintenance and trail repairs) tucked in the remaining nooks and crannies. It's all bedliner black on the outside, and color-matched gray gloss exterior paint on the insides for visibility and easy cleanup.

Still to do: some sort of spiffy padded divider to organize the dishes/utensils in the drawer, and some sort of removable food box to make packing a little easier.
 
@Chazz Layne Thanks! Its def a game changer...Its not totally different in size capacity than the 4Runner the problem with my model Foz is the curves. All of the curves in the rear cargo area almost made this an impossible build for everything that I wanted. Ryan was able to make everything fit perfectly with some tweeks to the system he fit in his 4Runner.

ScoutOK3
 
Is anyone making a swing-away rear carrier that's NOT a tire carrier? Ive done searches, but they all seem extra heavy duty and made for a heavy spare. Im thinking something I could vertically stack a small Honda generator and window AC unit, and maybe fuel can on the other side, or just the gen and AC unit above the bumper level and somewhat tight to the vehicle. It wouldn't have to be super duty or super heavy, just allow me to access the back door of a 4runner. The hitch mounted cargo rack will work for now, but will hang out and drag some places I like to go in to.
 
Malamute said:
Is anyone making a swing-away rear carrier that's NOT a tire carrier? Ive done searches, but they all seem extra heavy duty and made for a heavy spare. Im thinking something I could vertically stack a small Honda generator and window AC unit, and maybe fuel can on the other side, or just the gen and AC unit above the bumper level and somewhat tight to the vehicle. It wouldn't have to be super duty or super heavy, just allow me to access the back door of a 4runner. The hitch mounted cargo rack will work for now, but will hang out and drag some places I like to go in to.
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Generators aren't light nor are window AC units. My guess is the combination would be equal to if not more than the weight of a spare tire. You could easily modify a spare tire to rack. Plus the rugged design would help mitigate vibrations. The company that built my bumper also offers a "DIY" kit for swing outs. Basically it's the spindle and bearing that you can weld to the bumper and build off of. Nothing super fancy, but it's nice to get it as a kit. At least that way you could build your own.

http://atozfabrication.com/tire-carrier-hinge-kit.html?category_id=130
 
Thanks for the link.

After realizing Id probably need a heavier bumper, I thought about a hitch mounted carrier that was taller and closer to the vehicle than the common hitch carriers. Looking at the folding adapters for the common hitch racks, I may be able to work out a modification to make vertical the normal position, and tilt back to get access to the rear door, as some hitch mounted tire carriers do. I'm not doing any serious offroading at this point, softroading at best, but don't want to drag the carrier just getting in some places I like. The folding adapter raises the carrier a little over 2", Id of course like more clearance. Some of this may be a work in progress over time as needs and budget allow. In the short term, I just need to get a workable solution soon. I already own a couple hitch mounted carriers. A folding adapter in on the way.

The small Honda Gen is about 47 lbs without fuel, the small window AC unit I looked up was 41 lbs. I'll have to see how well the vertical position of the folding adapter works with my idea.
 
Malamute said:
The small Honda Gen is about 47 lbs without fuel, the small window AC unit I looked up was 41 lbs. I'll have to see how well the vertical position of the folding adapter works with my idea.
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For perspective the spare 255/85R16 E-Rated tire for my Jeep (roughly 33x10) is about 85 pounds with the wheel and inner beadlock liner. So those two items combined are close to the weight of a heavy spare. And remember that's static weight. If you cantilever the weight out on something like a hitch basket the dynamic load till be magnified the further you get from the rear axle. I like my loads low and tight (stop laughing). Keep that in mind in the long run. Hitch basket might work for the short term, but that's a lot of weight bouncing around even on soft roads.
 
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