Hey Folks, wanted to share some innovative products that are popular in the Jeep space and expanding to Toyota / Lexus: storage drawers, 3rd row delete cargo plates, and fridge slide / kitchens by American Adventure Lab (AAL). Based in St. George Utah, AAL is Veteran owned and makes everything in house. Stop by and say hi if you’re in the area; the laser cutting table in particular is a sight to see!
Product wise, I feel there are three key elements which distinguish AAL and made me choose them over competitors for my GX460:
Cargo Plate
Drawers
AAL offers drawers in several different dimensions. Mine are 11”H x 20.25"W x 35"L externally. This size uses all the space between the rear hatch the 2nd row seat backs, while still allowing the second row to recline a reasonable amount. The Victory4x4 drawers I was considering seemed to not be nearly long enough for our cargo area and leave at least a foot of gap between the drawer backs and 2nd row backs.
I love this system, but there's always room for improvement. AAL is interested in collecting community feedback to continue making these products even better. I'm going to keep this post updated with that feedback, as well as AAL's perspective.
Base Plate Feedback
1. @ypyun had issues with the hardware provided, which led to having to modify the skeleton pieces underneath. (Comments: The tolerances are tight and getting all the holes aligned was a challenge, but I was able to do so without any modifications. I'll coordinate with ypyun and AAL to hopefully get this taken care of.)
2. Several folks have said they'd like the plate to extend farther into the wing areas behind the rear wheel wells. (Comments: This is something AAL and I discussed during prototyping. Their intention was to ensure the OE end caps (filling that area when 3rd row is still installed) could still be used, but they are open to extending the wings.)
Drawer Feedback
1. A slightly shorter external drawer height (1-2") may still provide ample storage space while better leveling with the folded 2nd row seats for those sleeping inside the car. The lower height would also allow the drawers to be a little bit longer to reduce the gap between drawer back and seat back even further. (Comments: AAL is definitely interested in refining dimensions.)
Product wise, I feel there are three key elements which distinguish AAL and made me choose them over competitors for my GX460:
- Modularity - All AAL products are built with a standardized mounting / attachment system that allows components to be arranged in different configurations like legos. Changing configurations can be done in minutes.
- Fully aluminum construction - Most other systems on the market are composed partially or fully of wood. Aluminum has no concerns with rust, warping, or mold. Relative to wood, aluminum also allows use of thinner structural panels so that a greater percentage of overall product space is available for storage.
- No drilling or nutserts
Cargo Plate
- Steel skeleton for strength that ties into factory bolt holes, zero drilling required
- Two fully aluminum surface plates - No rust, warpage, or mold. Easy to wipe clean.
- Modular pattern cut into the plate surface makes it easy to attach drawers, fridge slides, or tie down points wherever needed.
- Variety of color options are available for powder coating.
Drawers
AAL offers drawers in several different dimensions. Mine are 11”H x 20.25"W x 35"L externally. This size uses all the space between the rear hatch the 2nd row seat backs, while still allowing the second row to recline a reasonable amount. The Victory4x4 drawers I was considering seemed to not be nearly long enough for our cargo area and leave at least a foot of gap between the drawer backs and 2nd row backs.
- Fully Aluminum - No rust, warpage, or mold. Easy to wipe clean.
- No Rattles - I have taken these on multi-day trips to Elephant Hill, Lockhart Basin, and White Rim in Moab and they are quiet. (That said, hard objects stored loosely in the drawer will bounce around and rattle. Pack wisely.)
- Three adjustable storage panels included with each drawer - Easy organization to fit a variety of gear sizes
- Optional locks
- Variety of color options are available for powder coating
- Modularity - Can be used side by side or stacked vertically on each other
- Slides in lock in and out, supporting 250 pounds each
I love this system, but there's always room for improvement. AAL is interested in collecting community feedback to continue making these products even better. I'm going to keep this post updated with that feedback, as well as AAL's perspective.
Base Plate Feedback
1. @ypyun had issues with the hardware provided, which led to having to modify the skeleton pieces underneath. (Comments: The tolerances are tight and getting all the holes aligned was a challenge, but I was able to do so without any modifications. I'll coordinate with ypyun and AAL to hopefully get this taken care of.)
2. Several folks have said they'd like the plate to extend farther into the wing areas behind the rear wheel wells. (Comments: This is something AAL and I discussed during prototyping. Their intention was to ensure the OE end caps (filling that area when 3rd row is still installed) could still be used, but they are open to extending the wings.)
Drawer Feedback
1. A slightly shorter external drawer height (1-2") may still provide ample storage space while better leveling with the folded 2nd row seats for those sleeping inside the car. The lower height would also allow the drawers to be a little bit longer to reduce the gap between drawer back and seat back even further. (Comments: AAL is definitely interested in refining dimensions.)
