Fridge Slide/Storage Unit/Sleeping Platform Nacho Combo (1 Viewer)

[Mogwai]

Ohhhh... I was thinking you had drawers. Of course that makes sense now.

About getting 80... I goofed by 2 inches. This is a 78" mattress. But if you just move the front passenger seat forward a bit, you've got extra foot room. You don't fold the seats up against the front. You just fold them down. Even without drawers, if you have a few suitcases in back, you can do basically what I do with my drawers, and make them your continuous surface to the back of the front seats. I did that last summer on the way to Wisconsin, before my drawers went in.

This self-inflating mattress makes the gap a non-issue. As you can see from the photo, its full, 78 inch length still doesn't extend beyond the drawers, meaning there is another 4 inches or so back there. I have my Maxtrax in a bag between the drawers and seats. Otherwise, just cram something in there, or use a blowup mattress, and you won't even notice the gap.

View attachment 1413431

Man that looks comfy! I gotta figure something out. Seeing that makes me want to turn the ply wood I have in my garage into a make shift (temporary) platform I can put in and out before trips (like Moab).

I've got a couple 3.5" REI Camp Beds I picked up at their last annual sale, love them! Got the XL for myself and the regs for the wife. Normally when I crash in the truck I put down a 2" memory foam that I cut up to fit the profile of the back, it's not nearly as comfortable but super easy to setup and take down comparatively.

 

[Markuson]

Man that looks comfy! I gotta figure something out. Seeing that makes me want to turn the ply wood I have in my garage into a make shift (temporary) platform I can put in and out before trips (like Moab).

I've got a couple 3.5" REI Camp Beds I picked up at their last annual sale, love them! Got the XL for myself and the regs for the wife. Normally when I crash in the truck I put down a 2" memory foam that I cut up to fit the profile of the back, it's not nearly as comfortable but super easy to setup and take down comparatively.

Those REI beds are really similar to this one and probably a better deal. I would really encourage you to try a couple suitcases before plywood. If you have suitcases that are anywhere near typical size (like the ones they sell at Costco), they really do work great for single-side sleep. Or even plastic tubs about that height. The 3-4 inches of the blow-up mattresses like we have literally do away with any perception of protrusions, bumps or gaps. Might save you some fiddling... I dunno. Honestly, drawers are my absolute favorite expenditure on my LC (and 100 before it). Just makes so many things easier.

On the other hand, it might be nice to have a plywood layer you can easily slide luggage under...

 

[TRD Burglar]

Ok, I know it doesn't look like much progress, but here it is after several hours of fine tuning and fitting the fit kit.

Also, it's not pictured, but I finalized the sleeping platform. I ditched the two piece hinged design for a simpler one piece sliding design. When not needed it will be bolted to the top of the main box so it won't move around. When needed, it can be unbolted, slid forward and rebolted in the sleeping position. The cantilevered end will be supported by straps attached to the grab handles on the B-pilars.

I'm pleased with how it's going so far. Hopefully, I'll have it finished this week.

 

[TRD Burglar]

OK, I finally finished this thing. Sleeping for 2 may be a bit tight, but the rest of it turned out pretty good.

 

[sPaulp]

Looks awesome!

 

[mark71]

Well executed!

Are the four holes for handling the whole thing out of the truck? If so, nice touch.

Agree that using a solid piece for the second row is much easier than a hinged system. KISS.

 

[TRD Burglar]

Thanks. Yes, those are hand holes. With 2 people, It's fairly easy to carry and load. I should have put a 5th hole on the center divider. It would've made it a little easier to pull out.

 

[Markuson]

OK, I finally finished this thing. Sleeping for 2 may be a bit tight, but the rest of it turned out pretty good.

Gorgeous work! Wow! That's the first non-drawer solution I've seen that really looks practical.

Did you build the to match those boxes you already had? Such a perfect fit.

Nicely done!! I wish I was handy with wood like that...

 

[TRD Burglar]

Gorgeous work! Wow! That's the first non-drawer solution I've seen that really looks practical.

Did you build the to match those boxes you already had? Such a perfect fit.

Nicely done!! I wish I was handy with wood like that...

Thanks man, At the beginning of this project I had the fridge and 2 Wolf Packs. Measurements confirmed that I had room for 4, so I then designed the unit to hold everything. I got real lucky because not only were 2 stacked wolf packs the same height as the fridge/slide, the width of the fridge slide, the Wolf Packs and the thickness of the plywood, was a perfect fit between the wheel wells. I had <.2 inches to play with, which was just enough clearance to allow the packs to slide in and out easily.

 

[Markuson]

Thanks man, At the beginning of this project I had the fridge and 2 Wolf Packs. Measurements confirmed that I had room for 4, so I then designed the unit to hold everything. I got real lucky because not only were 2 stacked wolf packs the same height as the fridge/slide, the width of the fridge slide, the Wolf Packs and the thickness of the plywood, was a perfect fit between the wheel wells. I had <.2 inches to play with, which was just enough clearance to allow the packs to slide in and out easily.

That's very cool! -Pure joy when the numbers come out so perfectly like that.

 

[DomSmith]

@TRD Burglar-

Any chance you can re-link the photos?

 

[pribilof]

Came in here to see the combo fridge and nacho maker...I need some chips and queso on the trail.

 

[Markuson]

Came in here to see the combo fridge and nacho maker...I need some chips and queso on the trail.

Ha. Well I have a fridge, freezer and microwave in my Cruiser...so it is fully nacho capable.

 

[TRD Burglar]

H

@TRD Burglar-

Any chance you can re-link the photos?

Photos have been restored!

 

[Itsky]

Cool build and ideas here!

 

[Mogwai]

Hey B - how tall is the final product? And how much height is there between the top and bottom (the part the fridge fits into)? I'm still planning (in my head) and have a similar approach, but may incorporate one (or two) of these instead of the fridge freezer/slide out combo: DOMETIC COOLMATIC CD 30 | Dometic

Where does the piece that goes over the 2nd row seats get stored when the seats are in use? And how is it supported? I've been picturing building the framing out of t-slot extrusion and having something "slide" back to give you that flat platform. Also considering that point someone made above about needing to wiggle in to sleep, which is a concern of course if the height gets too tall. I'd also want many more points to anchor straps/tie downs but I think a couple t-slot rails on top could solve for that.

Lastly, after putting it to use for a while, what would you change?

 

[TRD Burglar]

Hey B - how tall is the final product? And how much height is there between the top and bottom (the part the fridge fits into)? I'm still planning (in my head) and have a similar approach, but may incorporate one (or two) of these instead of the fridge freezer/slide out combo: DOMETIC COOLMATIC CD 30 | Dometic

Where does the piece that goes over the 2nd row seats get stored when the seats are in use? And how is it supported? I've been picturing building the framing out of t-slot extrusion and having something "slide" back to give you that flat platform. Also considering that point someone made above about needing to wiggle in to sleep, which is a concern of course if the height gets too tall. I'd also want many more points to anchor straps/tie downs but I think a couple t-slot rails on top could solve for that.

Lastly, after putting it to use for a while, what would you change?

The overall height is just under 20", the fridge opening is 18.75". These dimensions are based on the Engle 60L fridge. I recently got a new fridge and the only one I could find that fit (besides Engle) was the 60L ARB Elements Fridge.

When not in use, the sleeping extension bolts to the top, although since I bought the Alu-Cab RTT, I have never needed to sleep on it, so I don't carry the extension around anymore.

Really the only thing I would do differently is use 12mm plywood instead of 15mm (save some weight) and I would consider building drawers instead of using Wolf Packs, I still may do this.

 

[grinchy]

: DOMETIC COOLMATIC CD 30 | Dometic

Remote compressor - interesting idea.

 

[Mogwai]

Remote compressor - interesting idea.

Yeah I've even considered buying just the remote compressor parts and building the "cooler" section directly into a larger, insulated drawer but I'm not sure (ok I'm sure it's not) worth the headache. And the remote mount option is nice since you can move it to dead space (in the wing area for example or in the void behind the 2nd row) not only to free up space for actual storage but to allow for better control over air intake/exhaust.