How would you build the bed area of a LB Tacoma?

[Eric3187]

I currently have a 2013 DCLB tacoma with a roof level camper shell, i am going to be living out of the back of my truck while finishing up school in colorado.

How would you build the bed of the truck for long term living?

I do have a 63qt Edgestar fridge now and would like to utilize that but i do know it will eat up a ton of space.

are there any bed platforms that work better than others?

I will likely be pulling out the back seat storage bins to get most use out of that space, so all the tools/recovery gear and similar items will be back there so no need to consider bed storage space for those.


I've seen various threads showing pictures and a few youtube videos but they seem more suited for 2-3 day camping trips and not every day useage

 

[washington taco]

I would put the fridge up front in the back seat. It eats a lot of space especially a 63QT. Consider you will want a space to take shoes off and put on while completely closed up in back. The front portion could be completely for storage for items not used often. Make the other half the full length of the bed for your sleep platform.

 

[washington taco]

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/125912-Tacoma-bed-kit-builds?p=1576145#post1576145

This is my current set up. In the winter when I sleep in back I don't use my fridge and pull the left drawer completely out for foot space taking of and putting on shoes. The right drawer stays in all the time with recovery gear and tools. The drawers are on 5' slide and are rated to 300 lbs in a mobile application.

 

[Adventurous]

If you don't need the backseats and can stand to lose them for this period of time go ahead and chuck those too while you are at it. Removing the backseats and the storage bins will give you a ton of usable space back. I am going that route this upcoming season and will be fabricating a platform for the back with tie downs to hold stuff/dogs. To me, the ideal setup in your case would be to do that in combination with a bed length set of drawers/platform for the bed with a mattress on top.

 

[Eric3187]

I just might have to pull the double seat side out and leave it at my parents house while i finish school, that would free up a ton of space. Had not thought about going that route.

 

[Clawhammer]

I don't have pictures handy (I'll take some if the weather ever cooperates) but I built a very simple sleeping platform in the bed of my truck using 1/2" plywood and three or four 1x12" (shelving) boards. I ran one 1x12" along the wall of the bed against the cab and then screwed the the other 3 board into it perpendicular (like how you build stud walls before you stand them up), sort of like subflooring and floor joists.

This had a couple advantages such as, with a little beveling, the boards sat down in the groves of my bedliner keeping it from moving around too much. The biggest advantage though, was that milk crates just fit under the sleeping platform (and I had a ton of these laying around). I pack my gear into the crates and slide the crates under the platform. Obviously put the stuff you use most often toward the tailgate and do yourself a huge favor and take a long pole and put a hook on the end. That'll let you pull gear out that's up near the cab.

I have hinged trapdoor sections in the front corners of the bed to take advantage of the empty space in front of the wheel wells. One is big enough for a couple tool boxes and/or some recovery gear, the other is just big enough for water bottles and snacks and such and that's handy in the night. Originally, I built one of the back corners near the tail gate with a big hinged section that I could flip up and set my cooler in the back. After a lot of testing, I think the cooler (or fridge in your case) should go in the backseat and that's what I always do now. That lets me have my bedding all laid out (covered with a shipping blanket or something to keep dust off) at all time. That means all my gear is hidden and as a bonus I can pull over and sleep anywhere.

I got some of my lumber and a big long piano hinge from the local Habitat ReStore (cut the hinge with a cutoff wheel to make the lengths I needed) for next to nothing. I also snagged some "L" and "T" brackets that I used to reinforce areas like where the "floor joist" meet the "subfloor." I also got some turnbuckles and eye screws and installed these in the corners of the platform to sort of strap it down to the truck.... but the eye bolts kept pulling out and the turnbuckles kept vibrating loose so I just run without them. Yeah, it's a little less secured, but it hasn't been enough of a problem for me to worry about it.

I took a lot of inspriration from this guy http://www.bajataco.com/Camper1.html so you might want to check that out. Hope that helps!

 

[Adventurous]

I just might have to pull the double seat side out and leave it at my parents house while i finish school, that would free up a ton of space. Had not thought about going that route.

When I removed my back seats the double side was attached to the single side in some fashion. As I was removing both I never bothered to investigate how or if it was able to be separated. Just FYI.

 

[Eric3187]

yeah they just share the middle bracket, the seat back can be unbolted from that bracket and still utilize the single seat, although it would only be out for 9 months or so, so it might be worth while to pull the them all out and build clothing drawers or something.