Overland Storage Drawers
- Storage for kitchen equipment
- Storage for offroad gear & tools
- Additional opportunity to mount 12v connections
- Pull out table for prepping and cooking
- Organisation
Early in 2021 we constructed our overland storage drawers system for the back of the Shogun. Complete with pull out table, 12 volt connection and compartments we’ve been using the system for a few months now utilising two under bed plastic storage boxes for our camping stove, clothes etc.
It’s not until you actually use something though that you realise that there could be improvements in its functionality which is why we’ve had some overland storage drawers built by the local carpenter.
The back of the Shogun has raised cargo storage factory fitted [not all Shogun/Montero/Pajero Sport models did]and this is used for tools, it is very handy for laying out flat all the gear such as recovery straps, spanner kits, jump starter, first aid kit etc.
The plywood frame is built with this in mind, the only problem is that to have two wooden storage drawers there can be no drawer runner system as that would mean compromising access to the factory fitted compartments in the boot floor.
As such we opted for the simple approach, not making the drawers too deep they simply pull out by hand without runners, the boot floor is carpeted and level enough for this to work although we did have to finish the drawers with additional sanding to make a snug fit and have a smoother action.
One benefit of a system like this is that we can now pull out the table further as the drawers [when pulled out] act as a support for the table top allowing more cooking and prep space.
Finish
Linseed oil as with the rest of the plywood build, 5 coats in total.
Plywood
We stayed with the 3/4″ [19mm] plywood as per the rest of the build, yes, it’s heavy but strength is what we were aiming for, with the correct joints in place [particularly at the front]this thicker plywood allows the pulling of the drawers out including the weight they hold without any fear of pulling the end of the drawer off.
Organising the drawers
Organising the drawers – the fun part… We asked the carpenter to make some dividers to give us separately as we didn’t know exactly how we were going to organise the contents of the drawers.
We figured kitchen equipment on one side and the stove on the other including spare gas bottles and also 5ltrs of spare diesel. Having the drawers fit snug under the table created more space than anticipated which is no bad thing, the longer the trip the more space you need.
Ultimately we reduced what we were carrying on top to now get stored underneath, configurations will obviously change over time but the more compact the storage is the less there is to ‘move’ around.
Resources
See how this drawer build is doing after 6 months of overlanding and also how we turned this system into a pull out bed platform.
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