Hi, pals! I’m thinking about putting a drawer system like Decked in the bed of my truck. I have a short bed Taco with a V2 camper. The GFC has side doors and I may get a ladder in the future, but right now I’m getting in and out of the tent through the bed. The only fixed things in my bed right now are a fridge and a goalzero battery. I do use the inverter to charge the battery.
All that being said, do you have bed drawers and do you like them? Would you recommend them? Do they make things like getting in and out of the tent harder? Is there a model or brand you recommend? Any sweet mods?
I built my own for my camper shell setup. I have yet to put them back in just because I added bed stiffeners for the GFC and have yet to modify the drawers to fit. I will say I miss them a ton because of all the stuff they could hold.
I have the DECKED system in my truck a Colorado shortbed. I like the DECKED system because it is designed specifically for the vehicle and is a fairly easy install. You can buy directly from DECKED and shipping is free, DECKED does offer a 10% GOVX discount if you fit in that category. I found the prices are fixed not matter what website you look at.
I like how it gives me one big flat surface in the bed of the truck to store gear. I have fridge mounted on it with a tilting slide. You will need a tilting slide if you mount it on a DECKED so it can clear the rear hatch and you can access the contents.
The DECKED system is good because it gives your feet a flat smooth surface to stand on especially if wearing socks or bare foot compared to a ridged truck bed if accessing the tent via the cushions.
After mounting the fridge which takes up space, we do not access the tent via the truck bed. If you will be SOLO I think you would be fine accessing the tent that route. For two of us, I found you have to do some extreme yoga moves to exit or enter the tent with two people via the truck bed when having a double sleeping pad in the tent, so we went with a ladder and it was a smart move.
The DECKED system drawers hold a fair amount of gear and come with two (2) tool boxes, I removed the wide box and keep my stove and cookware in that section, I use the wide box to store dry food. Here are some videos I did if you want to get into the weeds on it all.
I made something for one side. Not sure I would want my whole floor space taken up and my RAM is a lot taller than a Tacoma so that might be something to think about.
Here is one option for frig wire management. I have both 12V and 110V cables in it for my titling frig slide. No issues since I installed it. I got the 15 x 30 mm.
Saw that a lot of Aussies use that system, it looks pretty cool, but beyond my technical skills on cutting and soldering wires. I got something in the works for a simple fix to the problem with the power cord.
I would go with a better made brand. I worked for this company for 16 years designing chains into all types of automation and robotics. There are a lot of things that come into play when selecting the correct size. Length of travel, un-supported weight, orientation of the movement, and one of the most important and often overlooked is the bend radii of the cables you are putting inside.
There are many options for openings but for a fridge slide I would go with a zipper chain. Igus R07 zipper
Very clean and practical…just one question with the location of the fridge adjacent to the bed catch (great product love it!) how much room do you have to fully open the lids of the fridge? Can you grab stuff out of the fridge from the side panels as well?
If you check out the link above you can see how I use the VRNCLR Bedding catch to lock the fridge lid in place. It opens plenty to be able to dig around in there with both hands and without having to awkwardly hold the lid. I’m 6’1 so able to easily reach in from the side panel as well.
(Reachability from the side has greatly improved by elevating it and getting it over the wheel well.)
My husband built a sweet draw system that also serves as a platform bed for kids “downstairs”. I can’t imagine not having it but we haul a lots of crap…because kids. We looked at Decked but felt like we’d lose a lot of usable space around the draws so he did it custom (also way cheaper). We even have some hidden compartments in the back that are accessible from above. We were inspired by All-Terrain Family’s “minimalist ultra-light draw system and sleeping platform for overlanding”.
I’m going with a yak attack retractor designed for Kayak fishing accessories. It fits into the V2 T-track on the bottom of the sleeping platform and then attach the retractor cord to the power cord. It is a simple solution for me.
There’s a 24” door on the front left that has a 48” storage compartment split to fit my tire chains and tools. The other half stores dry goods. Each corner has hatched to access the space in front of the wheel Wells. The right side of the platform can flip down to the bed to give full access. At the back, on the right side is a 90ah gel battery, that connects to a eco-worth solar charge controller. The right side is open for ratchet straps, bike/sled locks and such.
The big mods with the GFC will be re-notching the side walls to fit the mounting brackets. Aside from that, I don’t think I’ll need to change much. This setup will give full standing height (less 1” from the deck) on the right side.
Wow! What a excellent professional looking video. Thanks for sharing your experience and a big thank you for all of your efforts towards sharing that experience. I have been going back and forth with getting a Decked system or not. You brought up the very same problem I was seeing and solved it with getting a ladder. I do have an awning attached to the side and I enjoy having it.
FujiMoGoat, thank you so much for the kind words. I’m glad you got some value out of it. As I am building my truck out I am learning that everything comes with a tradeoff, you just have to pick what is best for your situation. I have the ladder mount on the driver side and I still have the passenger side to mount an awning there if I need to. After I do more trips, I can decide if I need an awning or not.
I worked on building a simple plywood drawer build this past winter and am so glad I did. It brought a sense of organization while out on trips and allows for a nice way to keep camping things in the truck, rather than constantly taking them in and out between trips. There’s definitely components I could build out more/upgrade to more expensive things down the line, but just wanted to keep it simple and low cost to start. Made a quick video about it you can watch here, let me know if you have any questions!
