This might give you some ideas

[MrNoodly]

This is a build-out of a pickup truck bed, but similar things could be (and have been) done with a van.

http://izismile.com/2014/10/06/a_diy_truck_conversion_that_is_perfect_for_25_pics.html

 

[66788]

Yep, that will work out well in the pouring rain. Not.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

The use of skateboard bearings is ingenious. Thanks for posting that link.

Regards
John

ps: 66788, not sure what you mean, the final pictures showed a cap over the bed?

 

[SoulRaven]

That’s a lot of work and extra weight for such little usable space.

I just cut one sheet of ¾ plywood and one sheet of 1” foam board to 40”x68” for my bed and this cap is now the Rolling Aluminum Tent ®.

The huge rear door keeps the rain off the tailgate area AKA patio with alfresco dining and a $5 12x8 tarp adds a vestibule for privacy (shower area) and wind/rain.

 

[Patrick46]

His workmanship is really nice, but I too didn't care for the design.

like, why did he mount the lights on the bottom of the canopy door, when his pillow is up at the front?? Is he gonna read with his feet??

Sure, when the gate is up it'll light up his workspace, but I still would have put one on the top rail of the canopy, and the other at the head of the bed.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

That’s a lot of work and extra weight for such little usable space.

I just cut one sheet of ¾ plywood and one sheet of 1” foam board to 40”x68” for my bed and this cap is now the Rolling Aluminum Tent ®.

There's a certain amount of truth to what you say. But keep in mind that one size rarely fits all.

I like the fact that his design allows access to everything without having to unload totes or crawl into the truck to find something. That convenience factor can be more important to some people (like me) than the extra weight or the actual storage volume.

Too, the design principal he used can be adapted to other purposes. Both Arb and Engel sell slides for their portable fridges - for ridiculous amounts of money, several hundred dollars. I can use his idea to easily and cheaply design my own for one, or for a heavy tool box. Lots of possibilities.

Regards
John

 

[highdesertranger]

I did like the slide for the storage. my last truck had a similar set up minus the slide. it worked really well. highdesertranger

 

[Reducto]

The lights are likely there so he can see inside the drawer when it's extended. I'm planning on adding lights to my rear hatch and under my hood as well.

 

[66788]

ps: 66788, not sure what you mean, the final pictures showed a cap over the bed?

I mean standing out in the rain, pulling the drawer out to get items from inside is a bad idea. Access from the inside is better IMHO.

 

[MrNoodly]

How bad the idea is depends on the general climate. Bad idea in, say, Seattle. Not a bad idea in, like, Death Valley.

 

[LeeRevell]

He could rig a tarp over the rear of the roof extending back, covering the slide-out.
Not the way I would do a truck camper, but to each their own.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Also, rather than using it to store stuff you need everyday access to, an underbed drawer could be used to store stuff like tools, spare belts and hoses, tire chains, recovery gear, oil and atf, maybe a HiLift jack, etc.

Given the weight of some of that, I would probably build it as TWO long narrow drawers with a center support/divider.

Regards
John

 

[MrNoodly]

With a van, such a drawer wouldn't need to slide out the back. You could have one that slides out the side. In fact, commercial van outfitters make a similar thing for heavy equipment.

And the roller mechanism could be applied to things other than big drawers. For example, you could have a roof-mounted panel that slides out for an overhang. That overhang could have attachment points or hatches on the bottom side to hold supplies so you wouldn't need to climb up to access a roof rack. You could have double-deck solar panels, the upper one sliding to the side -- or both sides -- to uncover lower panels. Like I said, the truck in the article might give you some IDEAS. But the only idea some people had was to find fault.

 

[LeeRevell]

If a van had a rear-mounted bed, a slide out could be on the floor under it accessible from outside the backdoors, with a storage area above it accessible from inside the van.