Our Sleeping Platform Build in Dolores, our 2003 Toyota Tundra
Build philosophy: Light, nimble, functional, simple!
Based on several other vehicle builds we had developed, built and used over the years, we felt like we had a really good understanding of what we wanted in our build with Dolores. We knew that we wanted our build to be a bit more modular than some of our others. We wanted to do a sliding drawer that we would be able to perfectly fit our camp chef stove, all our dry pantry goods, plates, bowls, and other kitchen goods in. We also wanted some storage under the bed area for things like backpacks, fly fishing gear and the ability to transport our bikes inside as well whenever we wanted to do that.
Some of key considerations we had in mind while doing this build:
Balanced - offset the weight of the 26 gallon fuel tank
Simple - minimal moving parts
Strong - this truck will be subjected to steep and rough roads, reliability is key
Modular - ability to sleep one or two people with or without additional gear
Ability to still carry tall items, such as bikes
Aesthetically pleasing, we love seeing the natural wood grain!
So with all that in mind we built a system in the back that allowed that and also aided in balancing weight in the back.
For the whole build we used 3/4β maple plywood. We picked that material based off of it strength, availability, finish, and appearance. We love that beautiful grain of the wood. Especially when itβs covered with a clear coat. All of the joints are made with pocket screws, and for the most part they are all hidden. The only ones that are visible are the ones that hold down the top of the drawer compartment. We left those visible so that if in the future we want to remove that or change it in any the screws are more accessible and easy to remove.
A few photos of the completed system while on a camping trip this spring in Utah.