[mtnbound]

I have been thinking about ways to organize stuff while out camping for the past year or so. I want to keep it light, removable and just simple. Needs to hold a few plastic storage bins, cooking stuff, stove and gas.

My intent here was really to put into form what i have in my head. to keep it light and simple i wanted to use wood, but not plywood as its too heavy. Ended up going with just 1x2"s and 1x4"s, glue and a nail gun.

it did turn out pretty light, and I think its strong enough, but i may find a way to make it alittle more sturdy.

Also I have to sort out how I'm going to secure it down to the floor rails.

A major consideration was having it only take up half of the back, leaving enough room for me to sleep on passenger side.

cooler and backpack will go in in front of the wooden rack, behind the driver seat.

here it is:

 

[mtnbound]

Thought at this point is to drill some holes in the bottom boards and get bolts and washers to go through that into the tie down rail. I can do 2 or maybe 3.

 

[Brunnie]

Also I have to sort out how I'm going to secure it down to the floor rails.

So get some unistrut spring nuts and put them in the rails, then drill through the boards and put bolts in the holes and screwed into the springnuts.

 

[mtnbound]

I used to keep the stove in the large bin, but that was a hassle. this should be much easier to set up and stow.

 

[GreyDuck]

That rack looks great! Nice job!

 

[maxgralph]

That looks great. Nice work!

 

[outback97]

it did turn out pretty light, and I think its strong enough, but i may find a way to make it a little more sturdy.

Looks good!

To make it sturdier without adding a lot of weight, you could add some diagonal or cross bracing to the side(s). It's impressive how much strength that can add.

 

[mtnbound]

Looks good!

To make it sturdier without adding a lot of weight, you could add some diagonal or cross bracing to the side(s). It's impressive how much strength that can add.

Yes! great idea! thanks.

I think this was a good start, I may end up doing a 2.0 version that is made alittle stronger and with a little more strategy. I literally threw this together from no plans, just using the back of my X and the bins as guides.

Im thinking what may work better is making several pieces that then fit together. so the two sides, the bottom, the top, the middle and then some good diagonal bracing on the sides. I also might try using more screws, they hold stuff together much tighter than nails, I just have to be careful not to split the wood.

I spent about $27 on the wood to build this first one, so it would probably cost about the same to do it again. still not bad and maybe worth it. I may just go with 1x4's, it will be a little stronger and not much more weight really, maybe i can even cut down on the # of pieces used vs the 1x2's and keep the weight almost the same.

I have it loaded all up in the back of my X right now, just driving around with it a few days to see how its holding up while i think about a revision.

 

[outback97]

I definitely prefer using screws instead of nails on the wood projects I've done. Predrilling holes can help a lot with preventing the lumber from splitting.

Good idea to try it out, see how it works, then either stick with it as is or improve what you don't like.

You could also try a thin plywood sheet for one of the sides, maybe put some holes into it and strap some MOLLE pouches to it for storage of small items on the side of your cargo rack.

Make sure to bolt it down, the cargo track seems like the best option for that.

 

[mtnbound]

This is that I have as far as securing it down:

Finding the right legth and shape bolts has been difficult as they need to be juust the right lenght. you can only tighten them down so far due to them bottoming out on the floor rails. I have since this picture added a few more spacers on top so that i can get alittle right clamp before hitting the bottom.

with three of these and the foam strips strategically placed, it seems to stay in place pretty well. not sure how well it'd fair in a rollover, I suspect either the wood or the rails might fail.

I cant really figure out a way to get it to connect to the other side rail without interfereing with the sleeping space. I thought about using a very thin piece of plywood, but how much strength would that actually give it? I could run two pieces of 1x over there but that may be uncofortable.

 

[Brunnie]

I have it loaded all up in the back of my X right now, just driving around with it a few days to see how its holding up while i think about a revision.

Take the time to get your rig weighed at a CAT Scale. I found that loaded with all our stuff and a full tank of gas we were 500lbs heavier on the back axle. What I need to do is put just the cabinet and fridge in and see how much all that weighs and where the weight is distributed.

 

[mtnbound]

Ok so I was going to start over with an entirely new design, but decided to just improve the existing one. I removed a few pieces that were at straight 90 degree angles not doing much for strength and replaced them with some 45 ish angled bracing pieces that really make it much sturdier especially at the top. I also got some longer 2" brad nails and added a bunch more so it all just holds together alittle tighter. also added 2 straight pieces across the front that really help.
front, when facing it form the rear of the hatch:

right side:

rear, hen facing from the hatch opening"

left side( next to driver side wheel well)

doesnt look the best, but it works!