Hi there, I saw your vid. I've been truck camping since the mid 80's. Here's what I've learned & I'll pass them on to you. 1) Get stuff you need at a camping store for backpacking. It's small, compact, & light weight. 2)Get splash guards for your truck. It'll help keep you & your rig clean. They work. I know. 3) When parking for the night, park headlong into the wind. That way if a storm comes you won't have to worry about a side wind ripping off your camper shell. Plus, if anything comes bouncing towards the truck, since you have a slimmer profile, it might miss you. If it does hit, the front of the truck is reinforced. 4) Use bug spray on the interior doors & windows/ screens openings to help keep bugs out. Use wasp & hornet spray around & on your tires to help keep critters out. Basically, all points of contact on the ground. 5) An inch is a lot of room. Learn how to stack & get used to sand & dirt. Use floor mats to put your shoes on too 6)Air out your sleeping area every morning or often. In an enclosed space the air gets stale & it will smell like feet & assholes. I know this from being in an 80 man berthing when I was in THE NAVY! 7)Use a small fan to circulate the air in your sleeping area. This will help prevent hot & cold spots from forming & help prevent condensation & mold & mildew from forming. I hope this helps. Great vid, thanks for sharing. Drive safe. 🤠
I like this. I was wondering what I can do for my 1964 F250 truck. I just lost my wife 1 month ago to cancer and have been considering getting out in nature among God's creative works to do some healing.
I lost my husband to cancer 3 years ago tomorrow, I'm starting this build today. He was a general contractor and if he is watching over me, he will be proud of me. He taught me a lot over 29 years and this build will show him I was listening to his teachings over the years. Thank you for this video it was very helpful and I like the fact I could remove easily. I can't wait to start.
Have been watching builds for back of my RV for months. This short, easy instruction was the perfect solution with some mods for my set up. Thank you!! I have no building experience and I’m sure I can do this!!
I've watched lots of videos about platforms/beds/drawers, and this is by far the most useful (for me anyway). I love the modular aspect of it. Thanks so much. I'd be interested in seeing how you do the drawers as well.
This is nearly PERFECT for what I have in mind for my truck. Except that I would not need a double sized bed platform. I would do a single bed and leave space for foot room and a narrow side storage cabinet with a flat shelf along the top and maybe a platform enclosed box at the back to allow for a 500 watt solar generator.
From a structural standpoint, it looks like you used a lot of unnecessary lumber there. You could have used the indents already molded into the Tacoma bed for the cross slats and then ran a single stringer (like a 2x8) down the middle for support. Would save a lot of weight! I then use those long plastic bins on each side of the stringer for drawers. Nice build though, these always end up being completely custom and unique to the user!!
Best idea I've seen yet. I needed a modular idea, fairly cheap and easy to build. Of course, from this main build one can tweak as needed for their purposes and desires. Spot on. Thank you so much for sharing, this has just saved serious $$$$$ in tents, awnings, etc. Excited to get this built for my truck this weekend. I know this is a 2020 build, and it is 2022, but still the best idea I've seen in 2 years of trying various tents, awnings, etc., and having to sell them. Storage looks to be easy as well, get some plastic tubs, notch them together with a piece of rope and slide them in and out. Perfect.
Yay!!! Thanks for keeping it simple! I too have been watching a lot of videos about building platforms for beds and drawers etc....... I wanted something I can do, with only a tiny bit of skill and something easy to take in and out. I can do this!!! : )
This is the type of setup I'm looking for. I need to be able to use my entire bed on the daily, but want something easy to store and easy to put in/take out when headed out. Awesome base to work with! 👍
Thanks for the video. I haven’t read all the comments, forgive me if someone already asked but I was wondering why you chose not to hang the right side support over the wheel well? Good job and making it removable!
Good idea! I don't want to lose my truck use ability. This can go in and out, genius! Plus, it is in pieces for easy load/unload, I really like the idea. Thanks.
Awesome design. I have a smaller bed so I went over the second wheel well instead of over just one. You can also use a couple extra slats on the top of the braces in between the Dow rods to make it even stronger. Also used spare plywood and made braces on each corner support. Thanks for the idea.
Hi Carol. We chose to do that to allow room for storage along the side of the bed. I can stash bags, lights etc on either side of the wheel well and also use the wheel well itself as a shelf. I've found that to be pretty useful so if I were to build it again I would do the same.
Seams like a good idea, but How does it hold together after you drive your truck over a bumpy road, Do you have to redo Jack, Leo and Geo again? Or it was never meant to be driven off road?
I'm just curious why you didn't put your right support all the way over the wheel well; and why you didn't make drawer slides for the left side. Some good ideas!
Hello and thanks! We wanted to leave room in front of and behind the right side wheel well for easy storage. I use the wheel well as a little shelf to sit things, and I like being able to access the other spaces while I'm in the bed. For the drawers - it was just a little easier to build that way, and I felt like I only needed one actual drawer. I use a sled on the left side and it works fine for me, but I could see a 2nd drawer being pretty useful too!
I built something similar for camping and the problem was the wood warped after I while I guess from the weather and also the wood smelled and when we were camping all we smelled was the wood, could not get rid of that smell
Nicely done. One could build on from there or stay as is. I'm looking for middle walk way. So a bed and very small cubard on the other side. But you got a very good set up. What kind of shell is that? Seems like nice head room.
Thanks! Ya you're totally right. I actually have another platform and smaller slats that I can use for a single bed layout, with space on the side. I just remove one of the braces and change the width of the two remaining. I love this shell - and I got lucky that it came with the truck when I bought it. It's a Leer high rise. Not sure if they make the exact model anymore, but it's kind of like their 122 model. Good luck with your build!
Why did you not use the last 8 inches (wheel well width) on the right side of the truck bed for the bed? I would like to build a system like this that I could configure in two different ways. One configuration would be for single person sleeping when I go hunting alone, the left half of truck bed would be used for my bed and the right side of the truck bed would be left empty so I could store my ice chest, game cart, bow case, and other hunting gear. The other configuration would be for a two person bed and it would take up most or all of the truck bed. I would use that when my wife and I go truck camping on vacations. Any suggestions on how to do the two different configurations?
I just like having some empty space on the sides to stash things while I'm in the bed. I actually did exactly what you're describing. All I had to do was cut different sized slats and different sized plywood tops. I took out the middle brace and slid the right one over to the center to fit. Voila, single bed for solo adventures and more storage space.
Was there any particular reason the passenger side support was against the wheelwell instead of over it like the driver side support? Was it so you can add a sliding drawer later?
good question - we chose to do that to allow room for storage along the side of the bed. I can stash bags, lights etc on either side of the wheel well and also use the wheel well itself as a shelf. I've found that to be pretty useful so if I were to build it again I would do the same.
Hello - you can use any kind of 1 x 4. I got these from home depot; I think they are douglas fir., maybe pine?. something like this would work just fine www.homedepot.com/p/2-in-x-4-in-x-12-ft-2-and-Better-Prime-Douglas-Fir-Larch-Lumber-2x4-12FT-2-KD-DOUG-FIR/204398858 (not sure why they say 2x on their site - the photo is of 1xs)
I've been looking at dozens of videos over the last couple months, and this is far and away the best setup I've seen. I love the modular design, but it is so well put together for sturdiness. This was very well though out. Did you make a custom mattress for the back to sleep on or do you just throw a queen/full size mattress back there?
Thank you! I ended up cutting a mattress topper to size. It worked out great. I found the 3" height to be about right if you get a decent quality topper.
Hi there, I saw your vid. I've been truck camping since the mid 80's. Here's what I've learned & I'll pass them on to you.
1) Get stuff you need at a camping store for backpacking. It's small, compact, & light weight.
2)Get splash guards for your truck. It'll help keep you & your rig clean. They work. I know.
3) When parking for the night, park headlong into the wind. That way if a storm comes you won't have to worry about a side wind ripping off your camper shell. Plus, if anything comes bouncing towards the truck, since you have a slimmer profile, it might miss you. If it does hit, the front of the truck is reinforced.
4) Use bug spray on the interior doors & windows/ screens openings to help keep bugs out. Use wasp & hornet spray around & on your tires to help keep critters out. Basically, all points of contact on the ground.
5) An inch is a lot of room. Learn how to stack & get used to sand & dirt. Use floor mats to put your shoes on too
6)Air out your sleeping area every morning or often. In an enclosed space the air gets stale & it will smell like feet & assholes. I know this from being in an 80 man berthing when I was in THE NAVY!
7)Use a small fan to circulate the air in your sleeping area. This will help prevent hot & cold spots from forming & help prevent condensation & mold & mildew from forming.
I hope this helps. Great vid, thanks for sharing. Drive safe. 🤠
Awesome good too know
I like this. I was wondering what I can do for my 1964 F250 truck. I just lost my wife 1 month ago to cancer and have been considering getting out in nature among God's creative works to do some healing.
Sorry for your loss, maybe some exploring can help you! Live life to your max, my friend.
❤️
I lost my husband to cancer 3 years ago tomorrow, I'm starting this build today. He was a general contractor and if he is watching over me, he will be proud of me. He taught me a lot over 29 years and this build will show him I was listening to his teachings over the years. Thank you for this video it was very helpful and I like the fact I could remove easily. I can't wait to start.
I wish you the best on your healing journey. God bless you!
Have been watching builds for back of my RV for months. This short, easy instruction was the perfect solution with some mods for my set up. Thank you!! I have no building experience and I’m sure I can do this!!
nice! thanks for sharing - good luck!
I've watched lots of videos about platforms/beds/drawers, and this is by far the most useful (for me anyway). I love the modular aspect of it. Thanks so much. I'd be interested in seeing how you do the drawers as well.
And a lot cheaper to make
NIce, nothing fancy, quick and very practical. Can't wait to do my own. Thank You .
Thanks for not making this 15 minutes long!
hah you're welcome!
This is nearly PERFECT for what I have in mind for my truck. Except that I would not need a double sized bed platform. I would do a single bed and leave space for foot room and a narrow side storage cabinet with a flat shelf along the top and maybe a platform enclosed box at the back to allow for a 500 watt solar generator.
Almost exactly what I was thinking, storage under with a level place for a mat, thanks.
Absolute epic build. Solid craftsmanship. With today’s prices on wood this may be slightly cheaper than a prefab bed drawer combo lol
From a structural standpoint, it looks like you used a lot of unnecessary lumber there. You could have used the indents already molded into the Tacoma bed for the cross slats and then ran a single stringer (like a 2x8) down the middle for support. Would save a lot of weight! I then use those long plastic bins on each side of the stringer for drawers. Nice build though, these always end up being completely custom and unique to the user!!
Just built one of these for my Chevy Colorado this weekend, and its great! I went with a narrower 30-inch width, and its very stable and sturdy.
Nice! Glad to hear it. I ended up making another version that was about that wide; great for solo trips. Have fun using it!
I like your approach to make it. Keep it simple. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Best idea I've seen yet. I needed a modular idea, fairly cheap and easy to build. Of course, from this main build one can tweak as needed for their purposes and desires. Spot on. Thank you so much for sharing, this has just saved serious $$$$$ in tents, awnings, etc. Excited to get this built for my truck this weekend. I know this is a 2020 build, and it is 2022, but still the best idea I've seen in 2 years of trying various tents, awnings, etc., and having to sell them. Storage looks to be easy as well, get some plastic tubs, notch them together with a piece of rope and slide them in and out. Perfect.
That makes me so happy to hear man! Exactly why I made the video. Best of luck with your build and adventures. thanks again!
You could get the fatigue matt
pieces that interlock and glue them to the plywood with contact cement spray from harbor freight
Yay!!! Thanks for keeping it simple! I too have been watching a lot of videos about building platforms for beds and drawers etc....... I wanted something I can do, with only a tiny bit of skill and something easy to take in and out. I can do this!!! : )
wohoo! thanks for the feedback and good luck!
This is the type of setup I'm looking for. I need to be able to use my entire bed on the daily, but want something easy to store and easy to put in/take out when headed out. Awesome base to work with! 👍
Simple but smart! I think even I could make one…so I’ll give it a try. Thanks for sharing your idea.👍
Sweet thank you. Going to be my project tomorrow hopefully it’s done in two days
Thanks for the video. I haven’t read all the comments, forgive me if someone already asked but I was wondering why you chose not to hang the right side support over the wheel well? Good job and making it removable!
CLEVER LAYOUT. THANKS FOR SHARING. STAY SAFE, HEALTHY & HAPPY.
Liked the dowel pin idea!
Good idea! I don't want to lose my truck use ability. This can go in and out, genius! Plus, it is in pieces for easy load/unload, I really like the idea. Thanks.
Thanks! I take it in and out frequently, so it's been really nice. Glad it was helpful!
This is a really simple and clever design, and I'm going to try it. Thank you for sharing!
Great idea! Thanks for sharing. Inspirational for sure
You could probably used thinner wood to reduce overall weight. Especially when you have a support run in the middle.
Nice video. With the plywood that thick do you need the cross slats? Just drill holes in the plywood to keep the supports in place.
I like the names you given your dowel pins.
This is absolutely the BEST platform build for a truck bed I have seen to date, thank you.
Thanks for the kind words - I'm so glad it was helpful!
Awesome design. I have a smaller bed so I went over the second wheel well instead of over just one. You can also use a couple extra slats on the top of the braces in between the Dow rods to make it even stronger. Also used spare plywood and made braces on each corner support. Thanks for the idea.
Now that is a great setup.
Hey Tyler- great build! Curious if you have a materials list?
This works a whole lot better if you have a bed liner. But this video is awesome thank you so much!
Thank you for the inspiration. Managed to make a very similar design with your help.
did you ever get around to doing the drawers? curious how they turned out/lessons learned, etc.
Nice design, thanks for sharing. Happy Holidays!
Very cool. I’m going to add to my 2000 taco
This is great. I'm curious. Why didnt you do the same on the right side ie over the wheel well?
Hi Carol. We chose to do that to allow room for storage along the side of the bed. I can stash bags, lights etc on either side of the wheel well and also use the wheel well itself as a shelf. I've found that to be pretty useful so if I were to build it again I would do the same.
@@tylerwilliams310 thx for taking the time to reply.
Sweet! Simple and useful
This is beautiful, I did a much more crude version of this a couple of weeks ago in my tacoma
Bro that is so cool. The simplest way explanation your awaome
Loved it
Thanks really simple easy setup
Seams like a good idea, but How does it hold together after you drive your truck over a bumpy road, Do you have to redo Jack, Leo and Geo again? Or it was never meant to be driven off road?
Did you make a video of finished bed?
Great! Can you buy that in a kit?
Wow your amazing...now why didnt it go all the way across...
Very cool. Awesome job.
This is an awesome build. Thanks for sharing
Wow I'm going to copy your idea love it
I'm just curious why you didn't put your right support all the way over the wheel well; and why you didn't make drawer slides for the left side. Some good ideas!
Hello and thanks! We wanted to leave room in front of and behind the right side wheel well for easy storage. I use the wheel well as a little shelf to sit things, and I like being able to access the other spaces while I'm in the bed. For the drawers - it was just a little easier to build that way, and I felt like I only needed one actual drawer. I use a sled on the left side and it works fine for me, but I could see a 2nd drawer being pretty useful too!
Cool....good ideas
Was, in fact, very helpful
Thank you man that's awesome. I'm on that step right now.
glad it was helpful - good luck with your build!
I built something similar for camping and the problem was the wood warped after I while I guess from the weather and also the wood smelled and when we were camping all we smelled was the wood, could not get rid of that smell
Nicely done. One could build on from there or stay as is. I'm looking for middle walk way. So a bed and very small cubard on the other side.
But you got a very good set up.
What kind of shell is that? Seems like nice head room.
Thanks! Ya you're totally right. I actually have another platform and smaller slats that I can use for a single bed layout, with space on the side. I just remove one of the braces and change the width of the two remaining.
I love this shell - and I got lucky that it came with the truck when I bought it. It's a Leer high rise. Not sure if they make the exact model anymore, but it's kind of like their 122 model.
Good luck with your build!
I like this pretty cool!
Why did you not use the last 8 inches (wheel well width) on the right side of the truck bed for the bed?
I would like to build a system like this that I could configure in two different ways. One configuration would be for single person sleeping when I go hunting alone, the left half of truck bed would be used for my bed and the right side of the truck bed would be left empty so I could store my ice chest, game cart, bow case, and other hunting gear. The other configuration would be for a two person bed and it would take up most or all of the truck bed. I would use that when my wife and I go truck camping on vacations. Any suggestions on how to do the two different configurations?
I just like having some empty space on the sides to stash things while I'm in the bed.
I actually did exactly what you're describing. All I had to do was cut different sized slats and different sized plywood tops. I took out the middle brace and slid the right one over to the center to fit. Voila, single bed for solo adventures and more storage space.
How long are those vertical 2x4s
used this for mine, thank you !
Thank you so much
Awesome 👍
where and how can I customize these wood structure
Was there any particular reason the passenger side support was against the wheelwell instead of over it like the driver side support? Was it so you can add a sliding drawer later?
good question - we chose to do that to allow room for storage along the side of the bed. I can stash bags, lights etc on either side of the wheel well and also use the wheel well itself as a shelf. I've found that to be pretty useful so if I were to build it again I would do the same.
Thanks very much
1x6 for drawer to slide on?
why did't you utilize the entire width of the bed?
What camper shell dos he have?
Amazing and simply..Thanks
Cool just what I need for my 20000 tacoma
What type wood are the slats?? 😎
Hello - you can use any kind of 1 x 4. I got these from home depot; I think they are douglas fir., maybe pine?. something like this would work just fine www.homedepot.com/p/2-in-x-4-in-x-12-ft-2-and-Better-Prime-Douglas-Fir-Larch-Lumber-2x4-12FT-2-KD-DOUG-FIR/204398858 (not sure why they say 2x on their site - the photo is of 1xs)
Hi there, can you publish the dimensions of wood pieces you used to complete this build?
Update on the drawers?
I've been looking at dozens of videos over the last couple months, and this is far and away the best setup I've seen. I love the modular design, but it is so well put together for sturdiness. This was very well though out. Did you make a custom mattress for the back to sleep on or do you just throw a queen/full size mattress back there?
Thank you! I ended up cutting a mattress topper to size. It worked out great. I found the 3" height to be about right if you get a decent quality topper.
List of the materials u used?
Waiting for next step
rad
Height does not end in H
IT is Nice work..! Not suitable for my old âge..i would need 2 bed .one on each Side and a wakway between to avoid passing over your spouse..thank you
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
better than spending $700 @ a topper store
Build me up me I will pay you
Not really helpful. Would like to see how the drawers are made
Aaron
Hey hottie!
Nothing holding the wood frame to the truck structure? If it wobble from side to side on rough terrain. How would those dowels fair?