Mod 20: Drawers Part 1 (Goose Gear Plate)

A solid storage system is something that I have been thinking about for quite some time. I tend to keep quite a bit of gear in my 4Runner on a normal day. And when we camp?….Well some people might call me a hoarder. But hey, I didn’t ask you.

When thinking out how I wanted to build a set of drawers for the rear of Po, I decided I want three major things. First, I wanted to keep weight down as much as possible since this is still my daily driver. Second, I wanted a system that would give me a “camp kitchen” type setup as cooking is one of my favorite parts of camping. And third, I wanted to build this in a way so that I could expand upon it in the future with another drawer or additional storage space as needed.

So I started doing some research and I came across Goose Gear. They are an overland storage solution shop that builds drawers, kitchens, seat-deletes and more for various types of vehicles including 4Runners, Jeeps, and Tacomas. I really liked their use of aluminum framing with wood drawers, but I was not a fan of their pricing! I am sure they produce some quality stuff, but at almost $3,000 for a full system, I figured I could DIY it.

Their use of aluminum framing got me thinking however, and I came across 8020.net, an online retailer that sells lightweight aluminum t-slot that would be perfect for the skeleton of a drawer system like this. And since Goose Gear themselves uses it, it must be compatible with their rear “plate system.” Instead of dealing with building a plate myself, arguably one of the most important, foundation pieces of this drawer build, I figured I would leave it to the pros and splurge.

This plate is Line-Xed wood with various rear supports and rivnuts preinstalled throughout the entire piece. It mounts to the floor of the 4Runner with a handful of bolts and should make mounting the drawers in here easy as pie.

Installation of the plate itself was equally as easy. You simply have to remove the factory tie-downs, remove the carpet, remove the piece of styrofoam, and bolt it in. I decided to take the time to lay down some Dynamat to sound deaden the rear and provide a little more protection to the body of the vehicle, but that is definitely an optional step. I also decided to reinstall the carpet when I put the Goose Gear plate in. I figured that it would lift the platform up a bit, but it would also provide some extra padding and sound-proofing for the now bare rear trunk area. With everything tightened down, this thing was good to go. I am super excited to have a great base plate for my drawer project, and I think the Goose Gear Plate is worth the money if you need a solid, flat starting surface for your future drawer projects.

(And yes, before you ask, the plate is a little bowed in the middle. Probably due to the Dynamat and carpet I installed under it, but it should flatten out nicely with the weight of some drawers on it!)

In the meantime, I have been doing some measuring and CAD work to come up with some designs on these drawers. I am trying out some various layouts and options, but I figured I would show you guys the sketches below.