Create Your Own Vehicle Storage System - Overland Build

[@downbytheriver235]

You’re like the Mr. Rogers of over landing videos. So kind and welcoming to new viewers/overlanders. I really appreciate your positivity ❤️

[@alexworks9659]

There’s an 8020 design software that can help with planning and design and if you submit it to 8020 it will give a bill of material and parts list. All pieces cut to size, holes drilled, tapped where needed.

[@OVRLNDX]

T-Slots offers a free software and the same service too!

[@longhairmullet]

Wow thats nice to provide design assistance. Didn’t know this,thx.

[@2424lmao]

I can attest, the service is awesome. Expensive, but 1/3 the cost of GG.

[@nicholaslandolina]

What’s the software?

[@2424lmao]

@@nicholaslandolina you can download a add on from 80/20 for CAD and build out your idea, than send it to them and they will give you a itemized bill.

[@jerrymarsh5171]

Awesome Brad! Marco is a man of many talents! The main thing I take away from "do it yourself" projects, be it shelving units, slider /bumper installs whatever....is; You can't do a field repair unless you how how something works! The way to be safe on the trail is to know everything about your vehicle, all the ins and outside, this will allow you to go forth with confidence! Brad you're a good steward of your talents and time, Thank you!

[@TrailRecon]

100% agree. When you build something, you are completely familiar with it, making fixes easier.

[@Foxleaxer1981]

I wish I had a friend as handy as Marco

[@PreonEnergy]

Bags, bags, and more bags. So what the F am I saying. As a test take all the items you put in the draws and put them into designated bags (not including the frig contents, hahaha). You will save tons of space, weight, and oh yeah money. They are easy to move around, stack and cram a lot of things into. I like to have one box for weather proof stuff and maybe to sit on while camping, but bags are the way to go for most of your gear. One might say, "It's not as organized".....however we are all about the cost, weight and space saving when it come to Jeepin. As always, love the vids!

[@sgthotrod1]

I am planing on doing something like this for my '19 JL. Because it's a 2 door I am designing it to be completely removable so the rear seat can still be put back in and used and to save weight when i'm not on the trail.

[@jmsuitter5]

Marco you are a DIY genius what a great friend to have not only at chow time but at every time. Hat off to you sir keep on keeping on doing amazing things

[@alkhatib9989]

We in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia use these ladders for road trips, and there is everything you need for a trip inside these stairs ❤️

[@MichaelWilson-hp2xg]

DUDE! This is AWESOME!!!!. I wished I communicated with you sooner. I came across a company called 80/20 and their products are very similar to your project. I have a WK2 Grand Cherokee and similar to you, I wanted to have my own design of installing drawers. I search for MANY months and the prices for drawers for my vehicle range from $500-$700 PER DRAWER..... OUCH!!. I figured if I put my mind and hands to it could create something similar as you did. I'm still waiting for their catalog to arrive so I can sit down on my lunch breaks and pick the specific parts I need. The company also has a KZbin channel I have watching so I'm pretty excited about starting the project. Once again... AWESOME JOB!!!!!!

[@TrailRecon]

80/20 is very similar, but the TSLOT is a little thicker and more durable. Both good options.

[@Grey_Pete]

A turbo tap chucked into a cordless drill (low speed) is a treat for tapping those aluminum bits.

[@davidschneider6169]

To tap the t-slot material, chuck the tap into a drill and tap away. Use Tap Magic as a lube. I work with this stuff all the time and we always power tap. Also some anti seize on all the bolts will keep the stainless steel bolts from reacting to the aluminum.

[@donmontalvo1]

Wow awesome effort. I just bought an IronMan4x4 twin drawer set up (900mm). I haven't unpacked it yet (227LB palatte shipment). After watching one of your videos, I realize I need a platform to put it on. Then once the platform and twin drawers are set up, I'll add the fridge slide (Dometic CFX3 35). Learning a lot from you, thank you.

[@johngray7006]

Everyone needs a friend like Marco!!! Wished I lived closer..lol

[@jordi011170]

Thanks!

[@TrailRecon]

Thank you so much!!!!

[@sandiegooffroadcustom5193]

T-Slot is used extensively in solar panel installation and comes in many different sizes and contours. It’s available at many solar supply and commercial electrical supply houses. Along with the different brackets and finish pieces. Nice job, B-rad

[@overlandventures5924]

80/20 has wire mesh panels like the drawer side plastic and they fit the 10 series profile with easy clips. Nice work.

[@jeffodriscoll3971]

Or you could take a piece of the hdpe and a drill and perforate it so the fridge can breathe.

[@lostgriz]

80/20 is super easy to work with and this is a great use of it with a simple project. Lots of opportunity to refine this, but looks good.

[@toddhoffmaster6057]

Pegboard would be a sturdy solution to the back of the frig area. Wire sounds great but can be damaged if something were to fall on it or get crushed between the seats and the storage system.

[@MrClay57]

I've used the T-slot material in the past, great stuff. 30 years as a machinist, done many things. I know tapping by hand will work on your wrist. lol Looked fun to make and looks great. Using button head screws are nice but using them the hex size changes. Nice to standardize everything, less tools needed. 😉

[@johnp9807]

Can’t wait to hear your long term opinions regarding the drawer refrigerator. It looks like there is room to wrap it in one inch rigid foam to increase efficiency.

[@UtahNick71]

I'm building a sleeping platform and that drawer fridge would be perfect to fit under it.

[@Shoeless_DA]

Currently designing a t slot platform bike rack for my trailer hitch. It's like being a kid again with an erector set!

[@MrWinger1951]

Total cost is important to know or was $600 the final tally?

[@mannyechaluce3814]

each of thos 80/20 alluminum bar is expensive. a four foot is 40 bucks..

[@ThunderCat19D]

You should soruce out a vinyl wrap that matches the wood to cover the fridge

[@TrailRecon]

That's actually something I'm considering!

[@FerrariLamborghini24]

@@TrailRecon where did you get all the materials and everything to build your drawer setup

[@reconliving]

Take a look at the material used for Wrangler grill inserts for the fridge drawer opening. And consider stick on motion lights for Inside of drawers. They're small discs that are bright. Overall great job.

[@cchenoweth9131]

Looks like a good system. I'm going to to use the building material to put drawers were my back seat is on my 3500 4x4 diesel. I did the extreme off-road as a younger man now over 60 and I still dirt CAMP but I use my truck as a base camp and use my feet to sen everything I use to drive by.

[@OVRLNDX]

This video turned out pretty awesome brother! These where fun times for sure!

[@TrailRecon]

Couldn't have done it without you!!! Thank you so much... now let's get out of the shop and go do some camping!

[@OVRLNDX]

@@TrailRecon Definitely man! lets get to use that drawer system!

[@colbymcdonald9072]

Brad, your a GOD! I get so much out of your channel, I have an idea for my own drawer system in my ute that will be a bit similar, but this video has just given me loads of ideas, cheers!

[@sspence65]

adhesive LED strips inside the drawers would be a nice touch,

[@black_widow_overland]

Why not pop rivet the latches on instead of self tappers? Same with the handles?

[@SBulldog2727]

I thought the same thing.

[@sinjin667]

Great design Brad , Definitely gave me some ideas. Like how you didn't just throw some compartments / draws together , you put the time and money in to make a quality storage system .

[@Chazmox]

Just put an order in for 8020. Looking at the HDPE panels. Not sure if to go for the 1/8 inch or the 1/4 inch. Strength vs. weight...

[@edgarbaron2561]

could this be used as a sleeping base if it were jist one level of drawers...also what is the cost??? I have felt lined my fun safes in a light tan material, that might serve as a good interior material

[@Heavy.hemi510]

My day is always better with a new video from Brad

[@TrailRecon]

Right on! Thank you!

[@bustabeatgeorge]

Dude that’s genius!!!! I’m going to have to make my own and also make a video but for the Tacoma! Keep up the great work 🤙🏻

[@ericschmidt3759]

The love of your labor genuinely shines through. Very nice, thank you for sharing.

[@anicetopontillas8121]

Every thought about sharing your build with 80/20 Inc so others can build their own drawers? Do you have a list of items so I can build my own system in my Jeep JK?

[@walterpoquioma]

Hi I quickly glanced at the comments and didn’t see any links... did you share or could you please share a link to the square fridge? Love it! Nice built by the way.

[@iahphotog1463]

80/20 Inc. is the way to go for extruded aluminum like this. I have a large slide out fridge side using their slides, and three drawers next to it designed for my JKU. Just over $250 for everything. Some cost savings since I’m not using fancy corner pieces or flat faces, but I’m ok with that.

[@jonathane8585]

What is your current payload weight? How are your suspension/joints holding up?

[@TrailRecon]

My Jeep is heavy, haven't weighed it. The new suspension is dialed in perfectly!

[@tacticalant3841]

Great build! FYI, taps are cheap, if you have several, so you are always working with a sharp one, you can chuck them in your drill and power tap those ends. That looks to be maybe 3/8 HDPE on the top? How is it for strength as a platform? My system will be a little shorter so we can sit on it.

[@RichDurantPDX]

Can you give us a source for the locking latch that you have at the corner of the drawer? Thanks!

[@jailbreakoverlander]

very nice job, I built my first set out of wood and it worked, my set Im working on now I weleded the frame and made drawers from wood.

[@johnnymula2305]

after seeing how much labor, and expense of all the product. it seems to me that a premade system you buy is worth any extra expense. would you build one again? or would you recommend just purchasing?

[@logipunk]

Any chance that you can point us to where is the best way to get those parts , and a list of the once you have used for your project.

[@dexterx9862]

I think this is the right material and thinking of building something similar, but I was thinking of using the larger profile size e.g. 40mm * 160mm and use the aluminium as the structure instead of having to create one, what do you think?

[@mup8661]

How'd you mount it to the vehicle? Did you screw it to the body of the Jeep?

[@Plazaaz]

@trailrecon Did you ever consider doing one big upper drawer? Could have had support under it and down the middle, and even could have divided the inside down the middle too, for a similar effect.

[@DavidBrown-lh9to]

Hello. Now that you have been using it for over a year now, what would you do different if at all?

[@mwjii]

Thank God For MARCO,awesome friend.

[@Tony3deee]

Save the wrists and elbows and power tap. Clamp the part, tap in the drill motor, make sure it's lubed, power in on slow, reverse and power out. i've done it and it works pretty fast.

[@TrailRecon]

So the reason for not using a drill is in Marco's experience he has had several taps break inside the aluminum profile when using a drill. A little oil and lots of elbow grease and we never had any issues.

[@Tony3deee]

Thanks for the response. I love watching your channel. I made the Air-down tool(3/8 hose and quick disconnects at the tires) and am very happy with it, especially airing up. On power tapping. I think you should try it again. Use a 2 flute tap to give the chips a bit more room and drive in 1/3, back out, 2/3 , back out, then full depth. We use a fair amount of the 8020 around work. 2 others and myself have managed to not break any taps with many, many holes tapped . Also, make sure your drill has a break when you let go of the trigger (most cordless do, I have an old corded Milwaukee that doesn’t and it try’s to twist off your wrist even after letting go of the trigger) and even take the clutch off of “drill” and give it a little slip for added anti breakage insurance.

[@joegenshlea4605]

Hi Brad. Well now you've got me all fired up to make a drawer system! What type of material is used for the drawer siding and bottoms and where did you buy it? Cheers!

[@petermiddo]

I'm wondering how this went, long term. Was the 80/20 up to the task? Did it require tightening or remanufacturing? Would it last for making a bed out of in a project vehicle Im looking at getting? (I'm 6ft2in, 280lbs, dog is 55lbs, and the wife, if ever she joins us, is another 100lbs.)

[@luchaDor]

Are you still powering the fridge with your goalzero? If so, is that now in the middle seat somewhere?

[@TrailRecon]

Only when I'm staying in one place for multiple days, otherwise it's just powered off my Jeep battery.

[@jacman619]

You have a great friend and trail buddy in Marco! Excellent work on your storage system Brad and thank you for sharing once again!

[@TrailRecon]

Marco is the best kind of friend!

[@MichaelSmith-dg6tc]

Where can I find the drill jig that you use? Did I miss that in the video?

[@timweimar8768]

Looks great Brad!! Marco is so much more than an awesome chef!! Can't wait to see it at expo, thanks for sharing!!

[@johnbell3660]

Excellent video. Where did you get the rounded extrusion and the nice rounded 3 way corners from? I can only seem to find square 3way corners and they're definitely not as cool

[@yanglu9555]

I really like your setup Brad. Can you share where you purchase the materials (Home Depot, Lowe's, Harbor Freight)? It would be great to do some DIY stuff for my vehicle.

[@SBulldog2727]

On the Refrigerator backing plate, look at some HVAC intake grills. That way you can have it accessible to remove dust build up, that"ll help to keep it running efficiently. Looks great sir. 😁👍🇺🇸 OlllllllO

[@SBulldog2727]

An HVAC grill would look a lot cleaner than chicken or rabbit wire. You can bend the louvers to allow for more circulation. Black it out for esthetics.

[@cole33333333]

Nice. maybe LED lighting in the draws.

[@TrailRecon]

That's and idea I've been considering, something down the road potentially.

[@michaelyankasky5656]

I got LED strip lights from eBay that were waterproof about 12" long

[@dalemcbride7299]

Is there a list of sites to get the materials from???? It look really cool.

[@1111Overland]

I didn’t see the top being secured to the sport bars at all... do you think it needs that? Wondering how “shaky” it will become fully loaded, on the trail, and if that extra support at the top would prevent early failure...

[@TrailRecon]

Are you referring to the top platform? It's secured with bolts and silicone.... everything is solid on this storage system.

[@1111Overland]

Didn’t mean any disrespect at all... just thought that, on extreme angle and big bumps it might put stress on those bolts in your bottom plate unless it was also secured at the top to the roll bars... I’m sure you and Marco did a great job.

[@matthewhatton3637]

Good info. Still thinking of where I need to put my deep cell batteries/ power inverter. Then I got to think up some drawer system 🤔

[@GoatOffroad]

Love when you and Marco get together 😍 Shhhh, don’t tell my Boo but I have a KZbin crush on Marco 💜. Been awesome to watch the build! Taking notes and learning a lot. 🐞IIII🐞

[@TitaniumFryCook]

Hi Brad. Curious if you feel you need the larger latches considering you added the secondary latches in the corner of each drawer. Could you get by just with the ones in the corner?

[@Badjak]

Looks Great, Brad! Very informative. I had a ton of questions in my mind after your first video regarding the storage system. I think you've answered them all in this video.

[@kevindeibler346]

Random question how does the fridge draw on power when vehicle isn't running im thinking about getting one but that is one of the things i have been thinking about

[@MattsGarageMiscDIY]

Curious to see more detail on the drawer fridge, including how you are powering it. I’d like to build one into my XJ potentially.

[@underabigsky]

Dometic CD series. It’s been 6 months since you asked. Though, if other folks want to know...

[@deanharris2240]

Did you use 10-Series or 15-Series? Just starting the design phase for a similar build in my suburban.

[@kblaine123]

Wanted to say Hello. Your VIDS are so well done....content, editing, video capture....just a complete pleasure to watch. Hope nothing but the best for this channel, it deserves MAJOR sponsors and a huge audience !

[@TrailRecon]

You are too kind, thank you so much!

[@t0m33r5]

router out under the rh drawer so you can take out the drawer and access your storage underneath

[@tonywong2464]

What size is the panels? thickness?

[@chuckzechman7390]

Awesome build. The T-Slot materials is super professional looking and very strong. Appreciate you and Marco's team work also. I shared a photo with you at the Moab meet and greet of my DIY cargo management system I did and for the most part it worked really well on our epic Moab trip to EJS from PA. The biggest challenge, securing the bags and stuff on the top of the system. Putting down the carpeting and anchor system will be a big help. God Bless and Safe Travels!

[@hooptybug]

Would you share your measurements of everything? I'd love to make a drawer system similar to yours.

[@happyyou321]

You should have some air filter application to your slider fridge it will extend the life of it

[@Tribby3Adventures]

Scrolled through the first 75 or so comments or so and didn’t see the question I had after watching this... how did you secure the drawer system to the inside of your Jeep. Not safe to trust just the unit’s weight/gravity.

[@guypinto1061]

Hi Brad. I have been looking forward to this since you mentioned that it was in the works. Did you keep track of all the pieces needed as well as measurements of the aluminum pieces? :) Thanks

[@TrailRecon]

Sorry, we did't do a full parts list, it just would have added too much time to the already very custom lengthy build.

[@DUMBLIESCOM]

Thanks, this is a huge help in getting ready for our van build. Planning is where it is at.

[@mariocaruso4049]

What type of “tension” pull is that you used on the drawers to stop the rattle?

[@danielchang5592]

Where or how did you make the handle/latches for the drawers?? Awesome Build!!

[@joeysoxsful]

What is the black panel you used called

[@djp1234]

Is that 4040 size T slot?

[@cgnightengale]

Great project! Did you consider using aluminum rivets rather than Allen screws/self-tapping hex screws? They might give you an even more clean look with no risk of rattling loose.

[@1966cambo]

If you do this again, use your cordless drill to run the tap for threading

[@Jeffalegre]

Hey brad, love what you and Marco did with the storage system you built for the back of your jeep. Looking at doing something like this for my hummer h3 as there aren’t many storage solutions out there for that vehicle. I’m in SD also so any leads on where to purchase the TSlot material and any pointers would be appreciated. Thanks again, Jeff.

[@cmiddleton9849]

What thickness hdpe or ply did you use on the base. I dont think i caught that info

[@Banzaci]

Hi, what stand 8020 for?

[@mattsynth]

Nice, I would go with a 2 low profile drawers so I can still use the back for storage on top.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

Has anyone tried building a periscope system system to let you see out the back even if you have a fully packed jeep.

[@job.herrera]

Where do you get the Tslot?

[@mesdimo3]

What’s that red thing in the left bar in the trunk ? Propane gas?

[@TrailRecon]

CO2 Power Tank

[@cristiansharp6541]

Hi Brad, this is a really helpful video. I'm wondering what drawer slides you guys used? It's awesome that they are compatible with 8020. Do you have a link or model number that could point me in the correct direction for building my own 8020 drawers? Thanks :)

[@michaelyankasky5656]

I used waterproof cases for my work vehicle and built a rack very close to what he did but built it around pelican cases I got from a FB page "Go boxes rack mounts and more" and I like his idea of the frame material but it is hard to find without buying quantity

[@shahabesmaeilnejad2859]

Do you mind sharing the links of the items you bought?

[@scottxb]

Brad - are you still happy with the Dometic drawer fridge after all this time?

[@TrailRecon]

It's a good drawer and the versatility is nice. If you don't need a large capacity fridge, it's not a bad option.

[@tonyftlaud5256]

Great build, Have you considered using a soffit vent for the rear. Inexpensive and would give a very neat finished look while providing ventilation.

[@TrailRecon]

I haven't but will have to look into it, thank you.

[@ryanjones9562]

I am designing a similar system for a cj8. Reading the dometic manual it says you need to keep all sides clear 50mm (2") and not to conceal it in any compartment with minimal air flow. Have you had any issues with this in you drawer system?

[@ThisKid216]

Awesome design! I recently built something like this out of plywood that is very functional. However, i have not found a latch system to keep it quite on the trails/driving. Could you share a link to where you got yours?? Thank you!

[@anicetopontillas8121]

What's the drawer module setup??