DIY Overland Kitchen Build for my Subaru Forester

[@alexross4062]

I love it! People forget how quickly these builds can get expensive- a set of drawer slides can suddenly be $200 a pair for a setup like this, I love how you kept it minimalist!

[@mikecoleman4628]

What I got from this video which is more important to me than the details on the kitchen (which is impressive) was a look at how you use your ingenuity to solve little problems during your build (like not having a table saw to rip the drawers).

[@wanderantics2898]

I love it that You are not presenting Yourself as a pro handyman, but are straight about being an amateur and also showing little mistakes and some moments of not thinking. That makes the video much more lively and fun and also shows You being a confident person (Y) I also love the finished product. Good job :)

[@softroadingthewest]

Haha, honestly my biggest fear is that someone will emulate my unskilled projects and then be disappointed with the end results, LOL, so I always want it to be clear I don't know what the heck I'm doing. :-) Thanks for watching!

[@alexanderweaver4838]

Don, you used the word "amateurish" but I would trust you doing a job for me. I love how you took your time and when mistakes were made you learned from them. Unfortunately, my '17 Jeep Compass has a spare tire compartment towards the rear end of the cargo floor which is spacious enough to store a large amount of gear along with the spare; including folding snow shovel, folding military survival shovel, couple of Silky saws, survival kits (fire and dedicated survival), recovery gear, portable battery jumper, recovery strap, car cleaning kit, etc. My recovery tracks are mounted underneath the roof top cargo basket. After watching your Gazelle T3 video I ordered one from Amazon ($230 after taxes) and will have it on Friday, just in time for the governor's pardon and get outta jail declaration. I'm excited to use it as my Coleman is a little too small even being a two person tent. I enjoyed this DIY and it gave me a couple storage ideas. BTW I saw the short photo of one of your camp set ups and that's how I set up as well. The space between the tent door and the end of my Jeep is covered by an Aqua Quest 10X10 tarp helping to keep the tent clean and dry, easy access to gear in the vehicle, space for my table, chair, stove and UCO fire/BBQ pit. Flooring is provided with a 9X7 tatami mat I bought at Walmart for $25. I also use a privacy tent on one side of the Jeep for a porta-potti and shower set up. This was a great set up during a heavy rainstorm just before lock down.

[@softroadingthewest]

That spacious spare tire compartment carrying all that gear doesn't sound unfortunate to me! :-) I have my DIY awning mounted to the rear of my car to provide protection to the kitchen and yeah, it's perfect to set the door of the tent up underneath the outer edge for a complete living space out of the rain or snow. Even just on a cold night with no precipitation, I find it's a touch less chilly in that space. My car load-in is so maxed out though now that I'm not sure I can squeeze another item in there. A commenter on the tent video suggested a moving blanket for the floor...I might give that a try, as I usually pack an extra thick blanket on cold camping trips anyway, so I could replace that with a moving blanket to use on the floor, and it would serve double-duty as an emergency extra layer if my sleeping bag wasn't cutting it to keep me warm. Thanks for watching and commenting, much appreciated! :-)

[@nicktantillo9973]

9 Hours into my build based off of this and it's going swimmingly! Thanks, dude!

[@MrCujo1]

As a 3rd gen Forester owner, and a soft-roader, your page is specially applicable to me. You continually give me inspiration on how to set up the car for me and Mrs. Cujo...And you seem like one helluva great guy. We ESPECIALLY like the budget conscious, and imaginative ways you find the solutions for your needs, because that is our world also. No shame in not being a master woodworker -- you have done the research and what you are doing is working great! Well done and kudos on you for moving forward. Keep up the good work -- Stay safe, wash your hands, and hope to see you on the trail someday if you ever come to Georgia. :) Also - because you mentioned it, adding a bit to strengthen the stove opening is a good idea. Look for a piece of aluminium angle that will span the opening plus a few inches on each end. Wrap the angle over the top edge of the side of the drawer and have it drop down over the side. (perhaps inside the drawer if open/close clearance is an issue) -- Alternate method would be to put the angle on the inside bottom with plenty of extra metal on each end of the opening, but I personally believe that the top approach would be better. Pre-drill, add your screws, and it should be a huge help. Also-Also --- I am a huge fan on not spending money on drawer slides, so, if you want the drawer slides to work a lil' smoother, rub in a healthy application of paste furniture wax to the friction surfaces of the cooler slide, the floor of the main box, and the bottom of the big drawer. Cheers and keep up the fantastic work !!

[@softroadingthewest]

I did rub paraffin wax on all the wood-on-wood sliding bits...I knew I forgot to mention something! Thanks for the suggestions on the drawer reinforcement. I was picturing some kind of flat metal strapping and hadn't thought of using angled metal...that's a better idea for sure, I think that would be stronger. Thank you!

[@VKSgtSLaughter]

I totally agree Cujo! I have the same Forester love watching these adventures and DIYs!

[@adrianbanks4487]

How difficult is it if you need to access your spare tyre given the draws over the boot space?

[@kaimcguire5086]

Adrian Banks the whole build is removable without tools so it’s probably not too bad.

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

@@VKSgtSLaughter the things he does apply to more than just other Subaru’s. I have a Ram 1500 crew cab with the short bed and a camper shell over it. I find a lot of what he’s doing applies to my build as well. I built my own false deck with two really long drawers that are basically 1/2 the width of the bed minus the wheel wells. I didn’t want to spend the atrocious amount of money that 5’ft drawer slides cost so I ordered this particular kind of hard plastic that has a special rating that I cant think if right now lol but it makes the plastic slide super slick over any surface. It has to do with the way the molecules are so dense that there’s no friction when it slides back and forth. I’ll track down the invoice and come back here to post it in a couple of days. This stuff is amazing and its super thin with no moving parts yet it slides like a greased pig at the county fair! lol maybe better! lol Anyways, my point is most everything he is showing is what I did to my truck before I found his channel way back when he only had a few hundred subs lol. Now he’s all big and important lol but he never forgets the little guys like us lol.

[@foresterboy2011]

Also stop apologising for your tiny mistakes or amateur abilities. What you create is perfect for the use it's about to see. When money is not in its plenty then likes of you and I and many others do the best with the pennies we have. Keep doing exactly what you're doing brother, its spot on...

[@lovedogsontheloose]

Freaking genius. I'm not handy in the slightest, but I spend a lot of time on the road in my Forester and lately I've been searching for buildouts to get some new ideas. Your buildout is brilliant. Also, as a photographer, I chuckled at your use of the old tripod leg. Also brilliant. Thanks for sharing.

[@woolengrappler]

Idk how you’re able to overland without spending $10,000 on a kitchen set up. You’re crazy!

[@softroadingthewest]

LOL :-)

[@AdaptorDieChannel]

Hey brother, I really appreciate your videos! In this one, I specifically really appreciate how you show your mistakes when doing the work. I am NOT a "handyman" or good at any kind of woodworking AT ALL. Watching your videos gives me confidence that I can do this, even though I am not "an expert". Keep up the great work!

[@owenparker6651]

You've got a nice build coming along... To make your water pump quieter, undo the screws holding it to the sleep platform, cut an old (or new) mousepad to the right size to cover the area of the (usually) four screws and then screw the pump back up with the mousepad portion between it and the sleep platform. That will help with the pump vibration/motor noise for pretty cheap. You can also get some foam pipe insulation for the water lines which will help if they are vibrating as well and will also help protect them from extreme heat/cold. Thanks for sharing your designs and processes...

[@brodykent876]

First off, really enjoyed this video! I drive a Tacoma and not a Forester, and yet I still watched the entire video, just enjoying the craftsmanship and creativity. Some of your ideas regarding workarounds, such as using the speed square to make straight cuts without a table saw were pretty ingenious. Overall, I think I enjoyed watching because I really respected your humility; and yet, I found it simultaneously a little uncalled for - it's kindof funny how those who have humility tend to lack confidence. Sometimes it seems that confidence is lacking in those who deserve it the most. I really hope that you can read these comments and experience a boost to your confidence as this is a fantastic, clever, and impressively functional build. A thought I had on that 12v pump that I figured I'd offer as a suggestion. If you have any of the camping mat that you cut off to fit the platform left over you might cut a small square to put under the pump, between the pump and the wood. If you screw down the pump with the camp mat in between the wood and the pump it may give just that little bit of padding to stave off noise from the vibrations, and wouldn't even be very visible from beneath the pump. Thank you for sharing and good luck on your adventures!

[@softroadingthewest]

Thank you for the kind words. I watch a lot of How To videos on KZbin made by truly skilled craftsmen/women, and my work looks truly amateurish in comparison, so sometimes I feel a little silly putting my projects on KZbin. Plus, invariably, some people take inspiration from my stuff and build their own and do a 100% better job than mine was, haha. I just want people to understand that I'm always winging it and don't necessarily know the best ways to accomplish various tasks. I ultimately did exactly that with the pump...I used some leftover camping mat as a cushion between the pump and the wood, and in fact I also constructed a little "box" of the same foam to enclose the pump as well. It did help knock the noise down a notch, though I could never really get it quiet enough to run at 6am while co-campers were still sleeping. I finally started just making sure to fill my coffeepot with water before going to bed so I could brew my morning joe without waking anyone up. :-)

[@GreenWyverex88]

So, I keep forgetting to comment on this video. I ended up making a pull out camp kitchen like this one with a bed on top for our little one. I did it a little over a year ago and it has held up great and been so useful! Thank you so much for this video, it helped me visualize how to make what we needed and how it looked completed.

[@OptimalLM]

Got to this channel months ago when I had a Forester. Traded it in for an F150 and still love this channel. Can’t wait to be able to get back out camping!

[@softroadingthewest]

I couldn't agree more, I'm itching to get out. Have fun with the Ford, and thanks for watching, much appreciated!

[@drawfark]

I really appreciate this video because the most important thing is to understand how to do the work around towards achieving the goal using the tools that you actually have at hand. You have to fling yourself out there in order to learn.

[@MataH1]

That's great thanks! Good to see your hesitations and caution, that makes us feel home! 😄

[@davegriffiths5962]

I'm always impressed by your improvements to functionality! I like that you've retained the possibility of 'hard' camping where predators could be an issue.

[@lhalloran94]

Best DIY Forester kitchen build I've ever seen. Great job!

[@yongwoo1020]

Thank you for being so conscientious when designing your video.

[@iancharless]

Great showmanship. Really didn't miss a bit. A little of pros and cons and that's a fair review. Awesome job

[@joedeal8802]

That is a great build. Very entertaining. I’m actually building drawers for my platform tomorrow!! Thanks for the great ideas!!

[@jamesellsworth9673]

On to the second video: even BETTER GOOD IDEAS! These are great refinements.

[@simonbroddle754]

We've always found that submersible pumps tend to be quieter as they tend to be further away and are "buried" in water. The smallest Whale moves over 10l/min and the largest over 15 which I think is enough. We've only used them in caravan's though. We've then found the inline filters work really well and would fasten to the side of your platform.

[@jeffreytyson3994]

Nice work .Cheap ,recyclable and really well thought out. I'll be copying that .One tip though , invest in a couple of saw horses. You won't regret it .

[@HeyElliott]

This is a very nice setup! I'm inspired! I've got such a simple platform in my Rav right now, and been wanting to upgrade to something much more functional like this. Chers!

[@therootedprogress]

Love how u kept that third seat so u could fit everyone. You Lucy and Collin! 🙂 Great setup!

[@softroadingthewest]

I'm definitely in trouble, however, if any of us ever acquires an S.O. LOL

[@countrycraftsman5110]

Looks good. Building things like your kitchen is so very rewarding. It looks to me like you usesed space very well with your build. Organisation is the one of the many key to happiness.

[@swidahooverlanding2867]

Yup! Looks like something I would do. I built a sleeping platform in my Jeep last fall. Came out pretty good, but is a bit tight and only for the times I can not take the trailer. Thanks for sharing, George.

[@softroadingthewest]

Yeah, I didn't even like sleeping in there with my old, much lower platform. I would really have to be motivated not to set up the tent to actually use this to sleep. Nice to have the option though, and hopefully Lucie will put it to use.

[@claytevebaugh1100]

That tripod leg hack is perfect! I was going to buy an adjustable sliding door security bar.

[@ShiftN2XTR]

You did GREAT! While using the circular saw, I would have forgotten about those screws too! LOL

[@theperksofally]

YESSS I NEEDED THIS VIDEO SO MUCH! THANK YOU! cant wait to totally convert my forester !!!!!!!

[@softroadingthewest]

Good luck with your build! :-)

[@cowelk]

I am very late seeing this video but it is timeless. I see a couple of things that I can use for my Wrangler. The ice chest slide out idea would be perfect for me. I keep my ice chest in the Jeep all the time so that when we go to the grocery store or overlanding I have a cooler to keep food cold. I use my Jeep for hunting and don't want the ice chest in it while I am camping for a week or two. It looks like I could remove the whole thing easily and save space for that elk I killed. Thanks for the ideas.

[@mukundakkoor4799]

Very practical l and creative solutions. For water pump being noisy, you can put them in a sound proof box and screw them to the board. May be it will be less noisy. Thanks for sharing.

[@Goburger]

The mechanism of the pump is good! I am camping in Japan but no one wears this. I am going to use it as an example!

[@VKSgtSLaughter]

ZIP TIES... can be used to mount your chargers to the mesh panel. Great explanation and video, thanks for sharing!

[@softroadingthewest]

I hadn't thought of using zip ties...that would keep it simple. I was thinking maybe I'd want something a little more modular/removable, as sometimes I need to charge these items at home. Mostly though these chargers do just stay in the car almost all the time so I don't risk heading out on a trip without them...they'd probably be fine permanently mounted.

[@mungabrown6543]

@@softroadingthewest Zip ties are the easiest thing to undo. Just cut the tie with some side cutters. Re mount using fresh zip ties.

[@softroadingthewest]

Yes, but I struggle with the idea of just throwing them away and using new ones each time. Granted, it probably wouldn't be very often. Admittedly, my chargers have been in the car for months, can't even remember the last time I needed to bring them in. :-)

[@VKSgtSLaughter]

@@softroadingthewest Here's an idea... What about the "velcro cable ties" that they use for cable/wire management when setting up a computer office? You could even get a bulk roll of double sided Velcro, the kind that sticks to itself, and cut them to the size you want. I use velcro in my Foz to stick work gloves and a med-kit to the carpeting in the backseat footwell. Works great!

[@softroadingthewest]

Sgt. SLaughter That’s a great idea!

[@daleannharsh8295]

This makes me want my Outback back! Good job. I've save this for future ref.

[@HenryHapp]

Thanks for putting this together! I like what you've put together for the kitchen and am glad that it's working well for you.

[@FUELISLANDGLADIATOR]

Dude those tires /drool super jelly I want those on my forester.

[@prakhargarg5308]

this is a cool build. For the water pump noise i recommend mounting the whole thing on rubber feet or a foam pad. it will prevent the vibration getting amplified by the box. An alternative would be to tape/glue/epoxy the pump to the water tank

[@JoeyRMarek]

Based my current CrossTrek build on your previous setup. Watching this and thinking I might be due for an update. Love your setups, some really clever stuff.

[@softroadingthewest]

Thanks, it's always a work in progress. Already tinkering with changes from THIS setup, haha. You just never quite know until you've used it for a while. :-) Thanks for watching!

[@susannichols4372]

OMG you are awesome, I love the creative problem solving. Your ingenuity is inspiring, yes I can build my kitchen!

[@softroadingthewest]

Yes you can!

[@Svaren]

You did great work on the carpet job. My only tip is to kinda jiggle the nailer or stapler in the carpet so that the nail is fully buried.

[@frank4fun64]

for an rookie, you do one hell of a job. well thought out, not rushed. great setup. Be well

[@nj4x4fever2]

Fantastic work. You did a great job on your build. I’m really impressed with your skills and the time you took to explain everything. Wish you and your family good health. Looking forward to your adventures. Your water system is a nice design too.

[@alexandrastevens8892]

Great functional vehicle that is easy to use and I absolutely love the pull out kitchen, hope you can cook 😀

[@softroadingthewest]

I'm no cordon bleu chef but I enjoy cooking. I have a compilation video of my favorite dinners I've cooked camp over the past couple of years: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6TLaZWsbcd9gsU

[@foresterboy2011]

Donald, just a tip when using a bigger drill bit for producing a counter sunk screw is to put drill in reverse so you dont go too far too soon into the wood. Hope this helps or spread the word to your friends...

[@softroadingthewest]

Oohh that's an excellent tip! Thank you!

[@nanadolphin]

This is the video I've been waiting for! I love your DIY videos

[@robbergstrom943]

Great build and tour! You can get four rubber feet with metal washer centers for $5 or so to isolate that water pump from the wood cabinet for quieter operation.

[@softroadingthewest]

Thanks! And yeah, I'm definitely going to add some extra isolation!

[@sandyschneider6792]

I am thinking this idea might work in my truck with adding a tent on top until I can buy a shell! If I make it to fit my Mazda it can be transferable to the truck as well! I might add hinges to lift the lids for personal convenience. You did an amazing job🥳 Thank you for the inspiration!

[@adampolselli597]

Outstanding work, Donald! I was thoroughly impressed with your craftsmanship and attention to detail. I'm looking forward to watching some overlanding videos with your new configuration in place!

[@softroadingthewest]

And I am looking forward to getting out there and filming them! Got this all done just in time for the stay at home order to kick in, LOL!

[@adampolselli597]

@@softroadingthewest It will be over soon enough (hopefully). I hope you and your family stay safe, my man!

[@kevinnorwood7355]

Glad you brought up that slope in the 3rd gen in my 01 it was flat not sure how or why it changed. But at least it gives you more storage space.

[@mikhailfong6234]

I really admire your craftmanship. Awesome job.

[@vibolbou5903]

Love the DIY stuff you've done and the kitchen setup looks great.

[@SSorgears]

Great DIY set-up for cooking in camp. I am looking at doing something similar in my CR-V... A suggestion to reinforce/stiffen the cut-out you made for the front of the stove: Get some 2"x 2" aluminum angle - a piece that is about 4"-5" longer than the opening. It is usually less than 1/8" thick at the edges.... If you don't have any room between the top of the drawer and the box top, or the side of the drawer and the inside of the box, you may have to do some filing or chiseling, but you can cut one side of the 2x2 Aluminum lengthwise down to the width of the drawer material, and if 2" is too much on the front of the stove, cut that as needed. Then a couple of screws through the aluminum and into the wood of the drawer should act as a good support under tension. A couple of small screws into the face of the drawer material may not hurt either.... Also, using a piece of that foam that you put under the carpet on top of the platform, you could mount the water pump against that, screwing through it into the side of the box. (A rubber washer under the top of the screw head may also isolate it a bit.) I doubt it will be real quiet, but it should dampen the noise some and make it at least a bit less harsh. Good luck!!!

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

Something to consider using as your building material instead of the plywood you chose. At your big box store such as Home Depot you can buy sheets of Birch plywood in 1/4 and 1/2 inch thickness. The main advantage to using that is it comes with both sides extra smooth so that 1 - you don’t have to worry about which side you are using and 2 - it looks absolutely amazing no matter which side is up. I used some of it to build hanging shelves that go from one wall all the way to the wall on the other side of a room supported my nice white “L” brackets and it looks terrific. So thats the plywood I used to build my box with kitchen slide out in my truck.

[@JT-hm2hx]

This is great inspiration I just came back from Utah and I'm trying to consolidate all my gear. I gotta figure out how to do this without sacrificing the rear seats for the dogs.

[@softroadingthewest]

I've seen some builds that just use the rear cargo space and wider drawers rather than long pullouts like this. With some ingenuity I'm sure it can be done!

[@redwoodriver1388]

Thank you so much for this super helpful DIY. I so appreciate your observations re: many details, including how to be mindful of what order to do certain steps! As a novice who hopes to do this for myself, this is very helpful for me to have you point these things out. I also appreciate how humble and honest you are about your process! Great job and a huge effort! Many thanks!

[@softroadingthewest]

Thanks for watching and good luck with the build! I'd highly recommend watching a few videos by actual competent people too, haha. I'm not 100% best practices here. :-)

[@meditaonline1]

wonderful job, I love your way of showing what you did, thank you!

[@dancartlidge5202]

For the water pump mounting....just put some sort of foam between the pump and the wood....probably best if it's in the form of washers. That should do the trick. Amazing setup, by the way!!

[@trijbijop]

Thanks so much for the video! When searching for these types of build videos, it's easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of unique and expensive tools some folks have. It's nice to see that you're making it work with the tools you have! Happy camping!

[@softroadingthewest]

I'd love to have all the tools, but ultimately I think it's also kind of a fun challenge to find ways to get things done with whatever's on hand. Thanks for watching!

[@jamesellsworth9673]

GOOD IDEAS! Forester is probably a better starting platform than OutBack these days.

[@VKSgtSLaughter]

BUNGEE CORDS... inside the vehicle can be very destructive. The metal hook/coil at the end can smash out a side window, your teeth, or an eye, if it gets loose and starts flying under all that tension. I slip a short piece of foam pipe insulation over the coiled part of the hook in case it slips loose, so it lessens the damage. Great video!

[@softroadingthewest]

That's a great idea!

[@VKSgtSLaughter]

@@softroadingthewest Thanks! My buddy learned the hard way when a bungee cord came loose in his Jeep and smashed out the side window. After "fixing" the window on the trail with duct tape he wrapped a wad of duct tape around the ends of the hook to keep it from happening again.

[@twodogsdave66]

Like people have mentioned, mount water pump on rubber. Build a small box to fit over the water pump to isolate noise, or hide the pump inside the box. Nice video and you build good. Only things I would do differently is put a sheet of wood on the very bottom (on top of the car carpet) paint it to match car and add those plastic strips for smoothness. Have a great day!

[@daveybernard1056]

6:41 Need to isolate the pump vibrations from the wooden sounding board. So, first, cut up some rectangular pieces of rubber bike inner tube and place in between the pump and wood. Maybe 2 layers will quiet it way down. Alternatively, thicker, softer foam like backpacker's foam pad. If this doesn't provide the desired easy fix, you will probably have to NOT rigidly screw the pump down to the wood. 12:41 Um, I think drywall screws are hard and brittle. I think you wanted deck screws.

[@joycetaylor3484]

Your set up is awesome really nicely done would work in any van or car thank you really nice you did a good job and I at 68 years old I could understand you and do for myself with help getting up there for tents and all

[@lilag3673]

Great walkthrough .. and 🤣🤣🤣her dance and silent boo 🤣🤣

[@FraserImageTV]

Add rubber to the mounting points of the small water pump and build a small box around it with insulation in it to help muff the sound .. just my suggestion :) ! Happy camping !

[@ToddSwagerty]

Agreed; rubber washers or standoffs for mounting the pump will go a long way, adding a sound box with insulation will go even further.

[@srgtrane]

For the water pump, go to your local subaru dealer and ask for some floor mat grommets, perfect size for the application and soft enough to dampen the noise of the pump, love the setup, giving me ideas for my 2010 Fozzy XT

[@debslifesimplified6406]

Make a little insulated box to go around the water pump, It should eliminate the noise quite a bit. Great design.

[@matbagnall3304]

Also add rubber washers/spacers between the pump and the mounting point. This is done on boats and works great

[@lindabarker7142]

The carpet looks good, love the paper towels, good that you have a backseat available so Colin can go too. Counntersinking bits are available, not too expensive and you'll use it all the time. Great project. I want a rear kitchen for my van, but I can't make something like that work. I'm planning a counter that fits between the 2 back doors when open. I worked out an "awning" that fits over the back doors for cover/shade (its really a waterproof crib mattress pad). I hope camping opens up soon. Take care.

[@nixonrivera884]

Nice work, i like your ideas of not spending much money, keep it simple and even reciclyng some material, keep the great ideas coming, i will use some of your ideas in my proyect, i believe that having an alternative place to sleep will give you some piece of mind in this time and age were nothing is wranted anymore. Thanks for the ideas

[@indiaoverland2846]

Hey bro , plenty of things to learn from you . Best wishes from India 👍👍🏵

[@russellherberg2213]

Hey Donald, try to get/make rubber washers for the pump feet; one one each side of the foot (8 total), between the feet and wood, one between the feet and screw head. That'll dampen the pumps vibrations, so the plywood doesn't "drum" as loud.

[@rjwofford2669]

you can put a little magnet and plate on the kicker for your counter top. it will keep it from flopping around. Great build! I'm planning out mine now. trying to figure out a way to keep both back seats available when needed so I may build mine across the back in tear drop galley style.

[@softroadingthewest]

That's a great idea...I was trying to think of something for that and can't believe a magnet didn't occur to me! Good luck with your build!

[@FirstLightAdventures]

This is so cool man thank you for sharing. Inspiring as I have a forester myself!

[@caifan444]

Dude that water setup is 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@johnwyoder]

Simple but functional. I like it!

[@coreycrain4263]

Been looking at installing such a system in my outback. This is near exactly what I had sketched out / imagined! Great video and even better setup 🤩

[@softroadingthewest]

Nice, good luck with your build!

[@Environmenthrall]

You could get a small piece of neoprene or salvage an old mouse pad to dampen the sound of the 12v pump. I'd also suggest a braided sheath or long piece of heat shrink tubing for the cables for durability. I like the ingenuity of that water system. For the tube inside the water tank, you could add a check valve so the water supply is uninterrupted between pump activations.

[@offroadxplorer]

Amazing job, especially given it was cut with just a circular saw (that is some serious dedication)! A couple of suggestions... If you cut the full length of the drawer boards for height first, then to length it would help the heights match better. I would look into securing the drawer box to the vehicle in one or two spots (child anchor tethers?) to prevent it from becoming a projectile in a crash. If I was building this I may try to attach an extra piece of carpet into the bottom of the cubby accessible from the front to finish it off nicer and prevent things from sliding.

[@softroadingthewest]

Haha, I actually had a whole segment where I talked about why I didn't rip the lumber for the drawer sides first, but the video was so long, it just felt like a little too much of me just blathering on, so I edited it out. But basically, lacking a table saw, I didn't have a safe, sturdy way to set up that long of a cut. At least, not that I could come up with, that felt satisfactory to me. I thought about hitting up a buddy who does have a table saw, but decided to stick with making do with what I had on hand, which I imagine to be the situation for other low-budget DIYers like me. Mr. Palm Sander did a fair job of kinda sorta leveling things back out, LOL. The box is fairly well penned in and I don't think it can move much, even in a rollover, but I agree it would be wise to anchor it in some way. I've added that to my list of refinements to make. I wanted to carpet the inside of that cubby, but ended up not having a big enough scrap. So I might line it with some kind of foam rubber or something, mostly to stop stuff from sliding, which, you are right, it definitely wants to do. :-) In retrospect I wish I had left a little lip or sill across the bottom front of that opening just to help pen stuff in. Might still add a little "fence" of some sort across there. Thanks for watching and for the detailed feedback, much appreciated!

[@his.purpose]

I love it! I was in the process of Designing a box to fit for bins inside and have it extend to make a bed option. After see your video, I think I may be just doing the the box and drawer system. The cooler slide is a great idea! Excellent design and implementation.

[@monikastep5711]

Thank you for sharing:) You have gotten my "wheels" spinning on how I can incorporate a similar set-up in my VW Tiguan. Ohhh I'm so thrilled I came across your video. Thanks again and happy adventuring!

[@softroadingthewest]

Best of luck with your build! :-)

[@christianbagley9462]

Great DIY set up, your videos are always fun to watch. Thank you for sharing and keep em coming.

[@saranstrokecyclist4776]

Thanks for the tip, great job and I will start to make my own.

[@Gerberous]

VERY much appreciate the walkthrough first.

[@megathadon7670]

Great setup. Awesome video. Rubber washers should deaden some of that noise from pump. 👍🏽

[@yakityyob]

Excellent presentation!

[@iandavis1355]

We use this "mattress" combo for tenting...a yoga mat with a thing self inflating air pad on top. It adds almost 3" of thickness but man is it comfortable.

[@sandyschneider6792]

Thank you for sharing! I love your build and the photo bomb😍😜

[@b_dard]

Considering taking your build as insperation for my Honda Fit

[@VanRy4377]

Maybe for the pump you could wrap some insulation around it to help with the noise? Love the new build video!

[@friarbuck640]

Nicely done, I'm thinking I might have glued down the center but that may not be the right way either. Cool build!

[@softroadingthewest]

I admit it pretty much never occurs to me to use glue for anything. I'm sure you're right that it would be beneficial. I guess one advantage to not using any is that I can pretty easily disassemble all of this if I need to reconfigure or completely repurpose the materials. Some of the wood in here is on its third or fourth use. :-)

[@Jeff-gt2xu]

nice job. That really looks good. Suggestion for the noise mitigation on the pump. Use some rubber grommets or sheet rubber between the pump and box. This will separate the vibration of the pump from the box.

[@bruceyyyyy]

Thoughts on Pump: Move it to the unused (?) spare tire well. Maybe in an insulated/carpeted box there. You could also move the water tank there but you would have to find a donut shaped one. ... Seriously what's down there? Easier idea: Rubber isolated washers and bolts so it's at least not using the drawer as a subwoofer box. Thoughts on build: It's good. I like the simplicity. I've fallen in love with pocket hole screws (you will too if you use them) for super strong and easy wood connections. That and a dado blade will make professional level drawers in a couple of minutes. I'm kind of to the point that pocket holes is all I'll use on regular 'function over form' builds.

[@softroadingthewest]

My spare tire well is currently occupied by my spare tire. :-) The feet of the pump are actually made entirely of rubber, but clearly I'm going to need to add an extra layer of isolation. I'm also thinking of adding some kind of little foam-lined box or something to cover the pump itself. If I wanted to get really fancy, I could probably manage to install it inside the front (non-drawer) area of the box, but...meh...that's more complicated plumbing than I care to undertake. This is still way better than pressurizing with the compressor. I had to Google pocket hole screws. Nifty.

[@jnlambe]

@@softroadingthewest Do you have to remove the entire build in order to access that spare tire well? Also, thanks for this video! I'm feeling really inspired to get started on my own Subaru kitchen!

[@NVBL42]

Looks good, but I’d really add a second hinge on that top opening. It’ll go crooked over time otherwise.

[@softroadingthewest]

You're certainly right...intially, two felt like overkill, but I wish I had just done it. I suspect that will happen at some point. :-)

[@falkenvir]

A beautiful kitchen setup👍

[@petermaher1259]

Great video Mate, keep them coming, stay safe.

[@Svaren]

Sweet build! Something that may help with the noise of the water pump is to mount it on some dense foam. Then I would also add some insulation to the pipe where it may rattle against the car or platform. Most of the noise comes from the pipe rattling. You may even consider building a little box around the pump.

[@MattCookOregon]

The propane tank makes me nervous, they always do. Jesus thats a badass build. Now we do the cross trek just like that. But like "yo dogg I heard you like gold mines, so I got you a fully functioning dredge put on top of your car!"

[@softroadingthewest]

LOLOL...who knows, that might pull views. I have had people encourage me to include actual gold mining in my excursions...I mean, like, tell me I should be literally panning for gold because it would bring more viewers. I dunno, I think dangerous propane tank practices would be more likely to go viral.

[@danhohman]

Fantastic job on this one! I’m amazed at what you’re able to accomplish with the minimum of tools. I sure enjoyed the detail you showed us and the explanations of why you built parts the way you did. Thank you!

[@softroadingthewest]

Thanks Dan!