December 08, 2022 2 min read
Location: SLC
Nickname: Betty
Make & Model: 2019 Toyota 4Runner - Automatic
HEST products: HEST Camp Pillows
Critical dimensions for your bed platform:
Length: 82”
Width (at narrowest point):77”
Height: 48”
Is this your daily driver or getaway car?
Getaway.
On your average weekend adventure, what is the gear set up you bring with you? How did you navigate gear storage needs into your rig set up?
The shelving makes kitchen/food storage pretty easy, we essentially have a full kitchen back there. A second battery runs the fridge full time and charges electronics. Solar suitcase to charge the battery. Full bike toolbox, sleeping bags, HEST pillows, camp chairs, various rig related tools, beer fridge (aka cooler). Clothing storage is definitely the biggest challenge, and we don’t have an ideal setup in that regard, but it works. We each have a bag with bike gear, and another bag with “regular” clothing.
Any cool custom details you’re proud of?
We removed the rear bench seating and built a custom, folding, platform in the back. Gives us a lot more space to store gear, clothing, tools, chairs, etc. It has two folding panels so we can put the 3rd seat back in if we have another person with us.
The Trekboxx shelving system has two integrated camping tables that break down and hide under the shelving, not our doing but it’s such a smart design. Side note they were incredible to work with and super nice people, highly recommend.
Coolest place you’ve taken your rig to?
So many places in the Utah desert (Escalante, Moab, etc). Made it to the California redwoods this year and that was mind blowing, can’t wait to go back. The Gorge for concerts is amazing.
Any projects in the pipeline to get the truck even more adventure ready?
We feel pretty dialed at this point, it’s taken a few years to get here, but we know our setup really well now and like how it functions.
Biggest challenge in your build out?
Building out the rear platform to maximize storage space but still have it be functional to put the seat back in if needed. It was a fun project to design and pretty simple to build, but we went over a bunch of revisions before we got the design where we wanted it.
Tips for others looking to do the same to their vehicle?
Take your time planning and researching what you need/want. We did a lot of trips through various stages of the build and it helped us nail down what was important to us and what we did/didn’t really need.