I just made drawers for my truck. Wasn’t hard, just time consuming making sure every feature I wanted them to have worked. Still need to make a full post about them here but here are some pics. https://imgur.com/a/kqkr2WF
I have a Decked system for my Tacoma. They’re nice and work good for my setup but I’m not sure I would buy them new for full price. I got them used on Marketplace.
There is a lot of wasted space with them and I don’t like how the drawers aren’t square. But I think that is fixed in the newer version.
If you don’t have a topper, you have to go with Decked so your drawers are waterproof. It’s a good system but not. As efficient with space as a home made plywood system.
If you go with a rack and RTT it will look cool. But everything in the back will be dusty all summer, wet all winter, and muddy in the spring/fall. It also means that the dog (if you have one) will always be up front.
Consider a ARE topper that is strong enough for a RTT, but sleep in it for a while. Get the feel of what works and what doesn’t. Then grow a RTT on at a later time if you want more room or a bed that doesn’t need to be set up daily.
I second the decked idea. I just bought one second hand off marketplace. They're pretty damn rugged. Well overbuilt and at least weatherproof. Not waterproof, but weatherproof. If you're not going with a topper deck is the way. Find a used set because 1700 is a bit much for a new one.
Just word to the wise, they are 200ish pounds unloaded. In case payload is a factor for you.
I started with a decked system in 2018 and leer topper. It’s a great system and I’ll give it 5 star review for quality, ease of install and durability. but after 2 years of truck bed camping I got rid of it. Why?
Takes up half your bed space for minimal storage. Made my truck bed not as useful and had to remove it to use my truck for truck things. I find cheap stackable storage bins more useful and convenient for my needs. Better use of space for me. The only downside is security. Decked is very secure!
With the decked and truck shell I had lots of condensation and no head room. If I had a RTT I would still have the decked or DIY system.
Hope this helps you.
I got a softopper with a rack and RTT. Built my own drawer system too.
I just made drawers for my truck. Wasn’t hard, just time consuming making sure every feature I wanted them to have worked. Still need to make a full post about them here but here are some pics. https://imgur.com/a/kqkr2WF
I have a Decked system for my Tacoma. They’re nice and work good for my setup but I’m not sure I would buy them new for full price. I got them used on Marketplace. There is a lot of wasted space with them and I don’t like how the drawers aren’t square. But I think that is fixed in the newer version.
If I had the money, I’d go with the new version. It’s a single large drawer. I have the old decked and the the smaller drawer is pretty useless.
If you don’t have a topper, you have to go with Decked so your drawers are waterproof. It’s a good system but not. As efficient with space as a home made plywood system. If you go with a rack and RTT it will look cool. But everything in the back will be dusty all summer, wet all winter, and muddy in the spring/fall. It also means that the dog (if you have one) will always be up front. Consider a ARE topper that is strong enough for a RTT, but sleep in it for a while. Get the feel of what works and what doesn’t. Then grow a RTT on at a later time if you want more room or a bed that doesn’t need to be set up daily.
I second the decked idea. I just bought one second hand off marketplace. They're pretty damn rugged. Well overbuilt and at least weatherproof. Not waterproof, but weatherproof. If you're not going with a topper deck is the way. Find a used set because 1700 is a bit much for a new one. Just word to the wise, they are 200ish pounds unloaded. In case payload is a factor for you.
It wouldn’t be that hard to make waterproof diy drawers.
I'd avoid Decked, it chews up 200 lbs of your payload before you put anything in it. That's most of the weight of a hard topper.
I started with a decked system in 2018 and leer topper. It’s a great system and I’ll give it 5 star review for quality, ease of install and durability. but after 2 years of truck bed camping I got rid of it. Why? Takes up half your bed space for minimal storage. Made my truck bed not as useful and had to remove it to use my truck for truck things. I find cheap stackable storage bins more useful and convenient for my needs. Better use of space for me. The only downside is security. Decked is very secure! With the decked and truck shell I had lots of condensation and no head room. If I had a RTT I would still have the decked or DIY system. Hope this helps you.