Here’s a sleeping platform/drawer system build thread to help others with their designs, just like others helped me. For reference, I’m certainly no expert woodworker and I don’t have a lot of fancy tools, but I generally enjoy learning and figuring things out and am really happy with the end result. Detailed build info below. Happy to answer any questions. Enjoy!
After purchasing my 2009 Double Cab Long Bed Tacoma at the end of last year, I decided I wanted to be able to use the bed to store camp gear and sleep in when I didn’t want to fuss with putting up a tent. After perusing some build threads on various sites, I started to come up with a plan of how I wanted my system to function. The first thing I did was measure the truck bed and try to figure out what gear I might want to store and fit into the drawer system and other compartments. It wasn’t an exhaustive list but I tried to roughly measure all the bigger stuff I currently use or might purchase in the future. I then did a rough first design of the compartments and how the camp gear would fit (best I could do was just using a crude Excel file with square shape cells for a grid).
I later found a cool free program called LibreCAD to do a more precise layout. I’ve done some CAD work in a past life but forgotten most of what I learned. I got the fundamentals of LibreCAD down and managed to create layers for each of the various components of the platform/storage system. You can turn layers on and off to easily design each part of the system. I wasn’t sure the CAD design would be worth the effort at the start, but in the end it was super helpful to have as a reference along the way. I redesigned and iterated as I built and it helped to have a digital record and place to make note of changes.
Before I made any cuts I wanted to make sure I would have enough plywood. I used a decent grade of birch (?) plywood from Home Depot – ¾ inch for the verticals and the top platform, and ½ inch for the drawer itself and any base pieces sitting on the truck bed. The wood wasn’t cheap, so I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t need a third sheet of the ¾ inch. It was tight, and it meant my cuts along the way had to be true to maintain straight edges, but it worked out great in the end. I ended up using most of the 2 sheets of ¾ inch and about a sheet and a quarter of the ½ inch. I contemplated getting a higher grade of plywood from a dedicated lumberyard, but in the end the Home Depot wood was adequate quality and cheaper.
The first cut. I don’t have a table saw or fancy wood shop, so I made do with a circular saw and took my time. The trick of using a few sacrificial 2x2s and working on the floor worked really well. For almost all the long straight cuts I clamped a second piece of plywood along the cut line as a guide. That was a bit of a pain and took time (especially when the straight edge is an 8x4 sheet of wood), but definitely helped keep my cuts true. Because I was trying to minimize wood use, I had to cut each corner free with a handsaw to avoid cut marks in the adjacent pieces.
One of my helpers checking my freehand radius on the back corner of the floor of the drawer cabinet.
The floor of the drawer cabinet in place on the drivers side with the two cabinet verticals resting in place to test the fit.
Here are my two helpers getting ready to make some holes for the Kreg joints for the first time, as well as install the drawer slides onto the drawer cabinet verticals. I hadn’t used a Kreg tool before, but it was the bomb!
Building the drawer cabinet. The drawer slides were super spendy but super heavy duty. I went with “Drawer slide, Full Extension, 60 Inch, Heavy Duty, 500 Pounds Capacity, Zinc” by Hettich, bought through Amazon. They were over $200 but I felt that the “don’t’ worry about it” load rating made sense (I had visions of both my kids jumping up and down on a fully loaded and extended drawer). The longest they make is 5’ whereas the drawer is 6’, so that means it doesn’t pull out the whole way, but that’s not a huge problem for access. It did cause mounting the drawer to be a bit tricky though. I went with proper slides over other solutions like square stock and roller bearings because they gained me ~3/4 inch on the drawer width, and that was actually a critical amount to allow me to fit all the gear in where I wanted it to go. Plus a bit less work to fabricate/install, and they have an auto-stop so you don’t have to figure out how to stop the drawer pulling all the way out and falling on your foot.
Starting the build of the drawer itself. The kreg joints were working great. You just have to be careful about the settings and the screw length depending on whether you are connecting ¾ to ¾, ¾ to ½, or ½ to ½. I tried to position all the joints so they would generally be hidden in use.
Test fitting some camp kitchen gear in the drawer. The height of the drawer was determined ultimately by the top of the platform sitting on top of the rails in the truck bed. It was easiest to use that rail build-wise, and also was about the right balance of space in the drawer versus headroom when sleeping on the platform. The bottom of the drawer was the only place in the build I used wood glue, just in case the weight of the gear wanted to pull the kreg screws out of the drawer sides. Probably overkill since I generally tended to use more kreg screws than I needed.
The moment of truth. Checking the fit of the drawer in the drawer cabinet. It fit great – within about 1/16th tolerance or so. Not bad with a circular saw and limited woodworking skills!
Varnishing the drawer. All pieces of the build got at least 2 coats of poly. Anything that might be sitting in water or have longer exposure in the event of water in the bed got 3 or more coats. I used Varathane water-based exterior semi-gloss. Nice to work with and looked good. Pro tip: If you wrap your paintbrush in clingfilm and keep it in the fridge, you can go for weeks without cleaning it!
With the drawer cabinet built, it was time to work on the sleeping platform. Here I am doing a test fit. I already had plans to change out my topper shell from a cab height to a mid rise, and this first lay down on the platform confirmed that plan. I’ve since managed to make that switch, and it does make a big difference. It’s still no 30 foot RV though.
The drivers side platform top with hatch locations cut out and carpet in place. I bought automotive trunk liner by the yard from yourautotrim.com. Great stuff – inexpensive and easy to work with. It has a bit of give so you can mold it into corners. Recommended. The carpet was installed with 3M Super 77 adhesive and staples on the back side.
Similar to the ¾ inch ply, I mapped out the cuts on the carpet since I only had a limited amount and wanted to avoid running out of whole pieces.
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One of the hatches with the hinge being fitted. I took my time figuring out what sort of hinge to use (or whether to even bother with hinges), but in the end went with “Aluminum 3/4" Double Offset Hinge, Rv, Marine, Cabinetry, Boat Folding Seat” by Vintech, bought through amazon. I liked that the double offset allows the ply to be “seated” in the hinge and therefore take a lot of weight. With a regular piano hinge, you’d be relying on the screws going into the edge of the plywood which is a weak connection and I had concerns about it holding my weight. I used one 48” and one 36” length in the end, and cut them to the size needed with a hacksaw. You need to drill the hole positions yourself. Doing that and then countersinking them is a bit of a pain, but it does mean you get the holes exactly where you want them. Again, I went overboard with how many screws I used on the hinges, but some of them were in positions where they could have 200 pounds kneeling directly on them, and I wanted them to hold firm. Screws are cheaper than busted platforms!
Hatch installed in the platform top. The hinge edge is slightly proud of the top, but you can’t avoid that with these style hinges that allow the hatch to fully open on itself. I knew I’d be sleeping on the platform so tried to position the hinge locations as much to the sides of the truck bed as possible. Now they’re in, I don’t think you’d actually feel the hinges through a camp pad.
The finished platform top for the drivers side with the three hatches in place.
With the platform top ready to install, it was time to finish up the drawer cabinet and get everything assembled. Here we are installing a long wooden rail piece to support the sections of platform that will go over the open cavity area. I didn’t want to see screw heads, so I screwed from inside the drawer cabinet. This picture also shows my first screw-up – I had made Kreg holes at regular intervals along the top of the drawer cabinet verticals to later connect the platform, but I forgot about the large hatch location. So, I have a few Kreg holes that remain unused and are visible when you open the hatch. Oh well – a nice reminder that we’re all human.
I warped my brain a bit figuring through the necessary sequence of connecting everything. In the end I installed the platform top onto the drawer cabinet verticals before installing the drawer. A 90 degree driver bit adapter came in very handy for that, along with a rubber neck, long arms, and several post-install Advil. Then the drawer got installed using sawhorses and shims, with the screw holes predrilled. Another moment of truth and I was stoked when it all slid easily with no binding or rubbing. Success! Here’s the stove in the location it will be stored and then used in. The tailgate becomes the camp kitchen counter.
Drawer closed up. At this point it doesn’t yet have the finished drawer face in place, or the latch. For the hatches, I installed simple cut up pieces of old webbing straps to make pulls. Simple, cheap, and can’t be felt under the camp pad when you lay on them.
The whole system is attached to the truck in four places. At the cab end of the bed, I used the large bolts that connect the bed to the truck frame. They are long enough to allow them to go through the plywood floor of the storage units to hold the front end of the system in place. At the tailgate end, I used simple turnbuckles connected to the tie-downs. That means the whole system can come out with just two turnbuckles and two bolts in a few minutes. The turnbuckles worked out great. I was a bit worried that they would prevent easy use of the cubbies behind the wheel wells, but so far that hasn’t been a problem, especially with the hatches above.
I wasn’t sure about this but now I have it, I love it. The BedRug Tailgate Mat
BMY05TG means that you don’t kill your knees every time you get in and out of the truck and it’s a warm and cozy place to sit. Super easy install (it just goes on top of the corrugated factory panel and under the plastic lip portion). I think it was about $50.$60 BMY05TG Bedrug Tailgate Mat | 2005 - 2023 Toyota Tacoma , Charcoal Grey, 1 pc. | BMY05TG
Time to figure out how to get the latch installed and working. I bought the “
Buyers Products L3885 Standard Flush Latch (Latch,Flush Std.Lk Ss W/Ll71 Cyl&Key)” product on amazon for about $24. I like how it functions now it’s installed, but it was a bit tricky to get into place. This picture shows the cutout and notch that was needed. I used a drill, jigsaw, and router to get the shape right. Not the prettiest end result, but it’s hidden unless the drawer is open.
The latch installed with the front face of the drawer also in place (just visible).
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For the strike plate thing, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I waited until the latch was installed to see what would work. I thought maybe I’d be able to notch out the wood above, but the latch wasn’t high enough to allow that. In the end I found an old strike plate from a screen door in a parts drawer and it was a perfect fit with a bit of cutting. Super solid!
The finished drivers side section with drawer face and latch in place. I used some Kreg screws with the square head for a bit of added security.
Time to work on the passenger side. These pieces will become a storage box at the cab end of the bed. I made another screw up here – didn’t think through the connections carefully enough and ended up drilling one too many sets of kreg holes for one of the corners. Thankfully once again the mistake isn’t visible unless you’re looking for it with the hatch open.
Building out the storage box. The corner clamp that I use once in a blue moon came in handy for this project.
Coming together nicely. I used a little precision adjustable square that can measure angles for the two angle cuts, and got them to within a degree with the angled blade on the circular saw. Maybe more by luck than judgement.
Crazy solid just with the kreg screws. A few of the screw tips popped through on the angled joints so we filed them down flush.
Test fit of the storage box.
Here’s where I use the big OEM bed bolts to hold down the floor of the storage system.
Working on the top of the platform for the passenger side. This photo shows the shaping that’s required on the tailgate end.
Cutting out the carpet for the rest of the platform top. I used chalk and marked which side to glue since the nap on each side was very slightly different.
Passenger side platform top coming along, with hatches test fit into place.
Installing the vertical support for the passenger side platform top. Once again I drilled kreg holes where a hatch will go and they aren’t needed. You’d think I would have learnt that lesson already, eh?
I was a bit worried about the bottom of the vertical piece getting kicked during use and pulling out from the platform top, or the torque on the turnbuckle distorting the joint. That wasn’t a problem on the drivers side since it’s screwed to the floor of the drawer cabinet. But on this side, it is unsupported. So, I used a few of these “L” brackets to provide some extra support. I would have liked longer ones but couldn’t find the right size, so I doubled them up. They did seem to improve the strength of the joint.
Fitting the other side rail to support the platform over the cavity area. I had to notch out for the back of the u-bolt bracket that’s holding the turnbuckle in place.
Screwing the rail support in place from the back side. You can see all 4 “L” brackets in this photo. Once you get further towards the cab they aren’t needed because the vertical piece is against the wheel well and can’t be pushed in.
More hinges for the passenger side hatches. I cut this one a bit of an odd shape to provide a bit of extra reinforcement to a very thin section of the platform top. Probably overkill.
Test fit of the storage box. Also you can see here where the bottom of the vertical section makes a drop to accommodate a ridge in the truck bed.
Hatch hinge installation. I used Spax screws and really liked the way they self tap and hold firm.
More hatches being installed by my talented support team. You can just about see that extension piece providing a bit of reinforcement to the plywood.
Passenger side section ready for install.
The finished product! Drawer open and working great. Super happy! One thing that didn’t work out how I wanted was that I can’t fit my Coleman gas lantern in its storage box in the drawer. It’s about ¼ inch too fat. That’s just the luck of the drawer (ha! get it?) with the rail height in the bed. If I hadn’t used a floor for the drawer cabinet, I would have been able to have a taller drawer and fit it in. But, then the cabinet wouldn’t have been as strong.
Hatches open and platform sections all on the floor. I almost fixed the small portion of the platform near the cab in place, but then I figured I might want to put a bike or something else long and tall in the truck and maybe having it removable would be helpful. So, now it can be moved to the floor with the other pieces.
The Plano Sportsman Trunk fits a treat, as will coolers, camp chairs, and other large/bulky items.
This is dog mode. We have a 100 pound Swiss Mountain dog and it’s nice for her to be able to easily stand up and turn around. The carpeted floor with the platform sections in the low position provides grip and comfort for her.
This is picnic mode for my kids. One each side with feet underneath, sitting on carpeted sections. They love it.
This is sleeping mode and general use mode. Skis, snowboards, and other long/wet/muddy items go underneath out of sight (the space next to the storage box near the cab is sized to the width of a snowboard nose). Earlier in the build I wasn’t sure whether I would do one large piece of moveable platform, but went with the three smaller sections for versatility. Really glad I did. Easier to move around and can be taken out and used for other purposes around camp. All the removable platform pieces are (by luck perhaps) a nice snug fit, as are the hatches, and I don’t think things would move much in the event of a crash. Getting nailed by flying plywood isn’t high on my bucket list. I have noodled on a way to secure them into the verticals, but haven’t totally figured out a solution for that yet that would still allow them to be lowered, slid back and forth, and sit flush. Perhaps something will come to me.
Recovery gear storage.
Recovery boards ended up fitting neatly above the platform with a simple strap, and hatches can still be accessed. If they get muddy or I need more sleeping room, they can go on the roof rack, but I generally prefer them out of sight inside.
Ditto on the shovel and axe, here in their final position. I made the attachment out of a few scrap hurricane straps I had lying around, plus two rail mounts and four quick fists. They (luckily!) tuck in nicely behind the cubby openings. I did have to splash out on a new shovel with flatter than typical face though.
Here’s the total cost of the system. It added up to more than I would have wanted, but this is pretty much everything down to the screws. The big ticket items were the Baltic birch plywood and drawer slides. While the cost is starting to approach the four figure arena of a prefab system like Decked, I do think my system is more functional for my needs. And, it’s made with love from me and my kids and was satisfying to figure out and get built.
It’s now spring in Colorado and we’re ready to put this baby to use in the backcountry. I hope this post helps others figure out their own builds. Let me know if you have any questions!
