Ive been thinking a lot about storage lately. I took the Roam 83l off the roof for a few reasons. I felt it acted like a wind sail and was pushing me around on windy days. It was also not super convenient to access and I had to take it off to move the 4runner in the garage for detailing or maintenance. So the Roam box, as great as it is, has been unceremoniously living in the cargo area which introduces its own set of problems. Its just barley too wide to fit side to side, so I have to keep it in lengthwise which involves putting one of the rear seats down. So once a week I alternate the seats so they dont get weird indentions. I considered taking it out but I know as soon as I do ill need something in it. SO whats the alternative?

For me it was a cargo storage box. Being a very organized person this is something ive wanted for a long time. I love the idea of having the flexibility to store items and still have space for items on top. Im less thrilled about the price tag, some systems push $2k but I still contacted a few builders. There wasnt one that I felt met all my needs and discussions of custom builds fell through. I briefly did some research about DIY builds but honestly they all look…well DIY. I had visions of what it should look like and I was struggling to find it.

We recently took a trip to central Texas and we got flooded in. That left plenty of time for the wheels in my head to spin and put a plan together. It all started with some plans from etsy. They were honestly perfect, they had the sides that make it look custom fitted and the flaps on top for additional storage. I bought the plans thinking it would would a solid start and after reading though the parts list and instructions It felt very doable and at fist estimate would only cost about $700, a far cry from other more expensive builds that I would still have to assemble after delivery. So flooded in out “vacation” cabin I set out to amazon to start putting together my shopping list and begin what would becoming my most ambitious 4runner project yet.

A quick word on the shopping list. If you chose to use the plans, and I recommend them, I wished it had links to the materials. Maybe im a overthinking (I am, 100% a overthinker) but I always find myself questioning do I need a 3 inch piano hinge or will 1.5 work. Zinc or stainless screws? Will the 265lb drawer slides work or do I need the 500lb? so Ill include my personal shopping list at the end of this post. This is what I used and confirmed it works. Some are more expensive that the price listed in the instructions and I chose them based off quality or some other reason.

My first step was a trip to home depot for some plywood. Once I got it home I began cutting the parts. I chose to not follow the cut instructions because I didn’t like how it was laid out. Yes it would fit on a sheet of plywood but the cuts didnt make sense to me so I did my own thing. I also dont have a table saw, so I got this circular saw track to make perfectly straight cuts. Results were mixed. It was very involved to measure, mark, place the track, clamp it down, cut, then repeat what felt like hundreds of times. Some of the cuts are weird, like the saw cut through at a angle. I also ran into a issue about halfway through where I realized the track didnt take into account the blade width resulting in measurements being 1/16-1/8th off. Not the end of the world but also not how I wanted to start this off. I also found myself wishing I bought a router for the rabbet joints. I figured the track and circular saw were good enough and I could clean up the joints with a chisel…and it worked but was very tedious. All in all it took 7 hours to make all the cuts and be ready to move on to sanding and prep.