I am sure drawers can be made from materials other than wood? Obviously decked and others are but I have never seen any DIY. Seems like a lot of weight advantages to either HDPE or fiberglass and foam for a single drawer
Any experience from anyone
Would like to know
2 Likes
I have the same question. I want to build out my bed similar to what @julian has done, but I don’t want to deal with a huge weight gain. Many people do aluminum extrusion, but I’m not sure what panels would work best if I wanted them to double as a seating area.
We’ve got a lot of smart, experienced folks in this forum, hopefully someone will have some insight.
1 Like
I made my kitchen drawer slideout stealing the roller skate bearing idea from Pask Makes. https://youtu.be/ELP41pDKaqs?si=GQaIkXt-Hdla-GWU
The video above is very much a DIY version of decked slideout drawers but with wood. I don’t think foam/plastic is strong enough. ’
here’s an 8020 aluminum long drawer option. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnmYKkzPglw
1 Like
You can use PVC Foam board and PVC glue. That is probably the lightest and strongest option. Just expensive and a little more complicated than wood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-srsB0F6l8
1/2in Baltic Birch plywood is very strong and will save you a ton of weight compared to 3/4in. You can also add internal voids into parts to reduce weight. I don’t think I would use 1/2" Birch or Sande plywood, as it is not as strong as Baltic Birch.
8020 extrusion builds waste space in such a small area where storage is at a premium. If you are just doing a few big drawers then it might make sense. Once you start designing in multiple compartments, the extra width starts to become a nuisance. They do make sense when you have more room in a Van or larger camper. Its also expensive.
4 Likes
i had the crazy idea of using carbon fiber panels since I have access to CF sheets at my part time.
but ended up scraping the idea after calculating MY cost.
2 Likes
Appreciate the links
1 Like
This is what I’ll be using for my build. Just need to figure out how much material I need and I’m hoping to find a supplier local.
1 Like
HDPE board and tnutz 1x1 aluminum and fasteners. Full drawer slide out for camp kitchen and all other camp essentials. Made a mount for our joolca shower too. Still enough bed room for our coolers and dog bed. Could have done HDPE for top but I already had some marine ply.
If I were to do something different I’d replace the wood with coosa board.
Safe travels everyone.
2 Likes
The expanded PVC arrived today. I’ll start cutting and glueing in a couple weeks…still finalizing the design but the box will be 2ft x 4ft and 8" high to match the height of the wheel wells. Planes storage for the battery, compressor, recovery gear, tools, and some camping equipment.
2 Likes
This guy is a vanlife wizard, he has multiple 30min+ long videos testing the process out
It seems xps foam adhered to window screens and /or 1/8 wood veneer makes insanely light and durable furniture built ins
There is aluminum composite panels that can be used too
