Rear Drawers/Bed

[Matthew1955]

Hi All,
I am hoping shortly to start on my rear drawer storage having looked at many different designs both on here and other sites. My question is do members use the folded down section of the back rest on the rear seats as part of a bed system ie the drawer storage is the same height as the, lets call it half folded down rear seats, I hope I am explaining myself properly.Thanks

 

[chapel gate]

I made this for a forum member.

 

[MarkW]

Bin the seats and use the area for storage. The seats are heavy and not worth keeping unless you need the passenger space

 

[MarkW]

My setup

 

[chapel gate]

Yeah, if you dont need the seats take them out. I ran my 80 as a van for years with a full length ply base with 8" upstand for work. When camping another deck slid on top so there was storage underneath. There was 6' plus in length. In the early days i had a luxury air bed in there! Imo there is plenty of room for one person to kip with kit. Two i found a struggle and went with a rtt.

 

[Matthew1955]

Thanks for the replies guys.Chapel Gate your post are some of the ones I had seen and very good the design looks and is very much along the lines I was thinking of doing. MarkW I think my better half would go made if I was to take the seats out although they would probably only be used half a dozen times a year so that idea isn't really an option but thanks anyway.
The main issue is with the rear seats still in that how to transition from the flat board to the flat of the rear seat.There needs to be a gap between the seat and the drawer unit to aloow the seats to fold up and down and there is also the gap between the head rest which is all complicated and likely to be uncomfortable.The ideal thing would be to have another board to cover the the rear seats but its where to store it or hinge it ect.
The likelihood is it will only ever be for me,my partner won't settle for less than a reasonable hotel for staying away.

 

[MarkW]

I take mine out when going on a trip and then back in when at home. My system is modular so the rear storage can stay in with the seats.

its really just a case of measuring everything up and going from there, a flat board that slides over the seats when folded is pretty simple for getting the sleeping area. I think most commercial drawers available are quite low in height but if your making your own system just make them a little higher than the seats when folded.

In case you haven't found it this is by far the best resources for ideas
http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/9034-Post-up-your-drawer-storage-system

 

[chapel gate]

The gap was no more than 2" iirc. Im sure a good quality thick foam sleeping mat would span this and be unnoticeable.

 

[Matthew1955]

Thanks for the link MarkW. I have just registered to allow me to see the photo's cheers.Yes you may well be right Chapel Gate,I have not got as far as looking at sleeping mats yet .

 

[GeekOKent]

those are some fantastic drawers that CG put together. Can confirm that.

the back of the 120 is not nearly as large as a 100 or a 80 even, two people sleeping in the back is going to mean you need a 100% clear surface all the way from the tailgate to the back to the front seats. If you do go down that route, I would say drawers like CG's are fine, the break will be just under the hips ( depending on height... ofcourse ) and you wont notice it. Or throw in a good self infating mattress that can be packed away easily, and you wont feel the gap. The biggest challenge will be that the rear seats, when folded down, are not a flat surface, so you almost certainly want a matterss on top of them.

also think about ventilation and weather etc, sleeping inside the car can be quite a different experience overall compared with a tent.

 

[StarCruiser]

I've made my drawer system quite tall. Up level with the bottom of the 80 windows in fact. I have a plan on the back burner of using the seats tilted all the way forward to then have a board spanning the gap for occasional car sleeping but it could well be a bit tight to the roof. As GoK has said, ventilation is a must as condensation from breath can make the interior damp in the cold weather or like a sauna in the summer. Night tiddles is also a tad tricky with more than one occupant.

 

[chapel gate]

The draw system rich has made are a work of art, i know plenty of time served joiners who couldn't make something to that standard.

 

[StarCruiser]

The draw system rich has made are a work of art, i know plenty of time served joiners who couldn't make something to that standard.

That's very kind of you to say so CG it took a very long time to design and build and is not finished yet. Nor is it fully proven but I'm getting happier with its carrying capacity. One day I might even get round to updating my build thread.

 

[MarkW]

I’ve always slept in mine, with temps from below zero to 40 degrees. 40 degrees was a little too hot with temps only dropping to 34 by 6am. Condensation and damp hasn’t been a big problem so far. At least nothing more than a few minutes with the blower on couldn’t clear.

Very handy for stealth camping and I don’t have to wait for a roof tent to dry in the opening before packing up.

My set up works exceptionally well for me and the way I travel

 

[garygiles1963]

hi
MarkW, do you have any pics?

G.

 

[MarkW]

Have a look here Gary

https://www.landcruiserclub.net/community/threads/sleeping-storage-platform.144410/#post-1457869

 

[Grimbo]

Currently have a similar set up in the 80 , no rear seats and the platform is just high enough to clear the top of the wheel arches . The space under it is the right height to take .50 Cal ammo boxes and also the bigger 120mm tank main gun boxes , also huge space now where the rear seats would be if folded and the footwell area too. I partitioned it up a bit to stop kit sliding.
We spent many a week away with the dog stealth camping , also took a light weight but very high spec 3 man tent.
Two adults and one collie fit well and we slept well with the sun roof open and or all the windows down a couple of inches . We spent a night in Cornwall warm and dry in the cruiser when the surrounding campsites were all flooded and tents flattened by gales .
I love it.....( but to be fair I also spend a lot of the summer sleeping in a Hammock or under a Bahsa sheet in our woods)...... the Mrs a little less so ..... with the night time toilet break being her biggest issue , also if having spent a day on the Moors in typical weather 2 damp humans and 1 damp dog do take a bit of drying out in the confined space

 

[Matthew1955]

Thanks for all your input and advice everyone. Starcruiser do you have a link to your system by any chance?

 

[Sam]

Made a simple drawer unit in the back of mine a couple of years ago.

I didn't end up bridging the gap once the seats were down but it would be pretty easy to fashion an attachment that brackets to the rear of the drawer unit. Couple of sturdy 90deg angle brackets that fix to the back of the unit with a narrow board on top would be fine (and very easy to carry around when not in use).

Recommend doing it yourself for sure. Good fun. Mine's here if you want a giggle.

If nothing else, there's a lots of tips and advice and links to other units from people in my post that might be helpful.

 

[Matthew1955]

Made a simple drawer unit in the back of mine a couple of years ago.

I didn't end up bridging the gap once the seats were down but it would be pretty easy to fashion an attachment that brackets to the rear of the drawer unit. Couple of sturdy 90deg angle brackets that fix to the back of the unit with a narrow board on top would be fine (and very easy to carry around when not in use).

Recommend doing it yourself for sure. Good fun. Mine's here if you want a giggle.

If nothing else, there's a lots of tips and advice and links to other units from people in my post that might be helpful.

Thanks Sam,a nice job you made there and lots of tips.I will be making mine from plywood and solid timber what else could I do being a retired cabinet maker.