Planning storage for the back of my Suburban

[Kharn]

We have a teardrop camper, so this season we just piled everything that wouldn't fit into the back of the Suburban. That solution was horrible because the easy-up canopies and dog cage ended up on the bottom of the pile and they are the things we need first (dog sleeps in her cage in her own tent, she snores and farts way too much to be with us ) when making camp. The dog also enjoyed riding on the second row seat, but with our family gaining a member soon, she has to move into her cage and the gear can't just bounce around anymore.

Here's what I'm thinking to organize our gear a bit better, while still being possible to remove so I can haul drywall or plywood on occasion:







I intend to keep it in the truck when we're not camping, but with the cooler, propane, & water jugs removed and the dog cage folded flat so I can see out the rear window. The only problem is of the six tie-down points on the floor (four intended for the third row and two cargo points at the rear door, they're the six black dots on the overhead view), only one of the forward points is not blocked by the two canopies. I'm planning to use a turnbuckle to tie down to that point, but I think I'll need another point somewhere else to make sure the thing doesn't wiggle all over the place. Any suggestions?

I also drew this up ending to use Accuride 3308 slides, which are lock in/out dis-connectable slides rated for 127lb per pair, so they should be able to handle the ~60lbs of water, propane, and drawer, but, I can't find anywhere that sells single pairs, only 5+ pairs. Does anyone have an idea? McMaster doesn't seem to carry the particular model.

 

[rayra]

20sq' of steel floor behind the 2nd row seats, plus the steel sides behind the plastic interior trim. You can add more d-rings just about anywhere. You can even do it blind, using lag screws, taking some care in placement and drilling, be aware of what's on the other side. But bolts and broad fender washers would be better, since when you really need a D-ring, you really need it to hold under stress / accident.
And just take care that the spots you choose wont interfere with re-installation of the 3rd row seat.

I'm working on adding tie down points right behind the 2nd row seats, and every 1' rearward, for a planned cargo net / wall. Rather than lashing things to to floor I'll just be putting up a net to protect passengers and make its placement adjustable to suit however much (or little) cargo there is. My lower connections will likely be eyebolts protruding thru the plastic sidewalls, anchored to the steel panels behind them. I'm putting in an 7-8" deep storage platform / drawer setup and want the tie downs above that level so they are available even with the storage platform removed.

 

[Kharn]

When I looked the jack/tools compartment I only saw metal down at the very bottom, like a 1" high piece holding the plastic wheel well in place.

Another thought I had was to put a piece of wood or metal across the bottom of the canopy area on my box, remove the d-ring underneath it and put two bolts into the nut plates. I could also build a box to go under the plastic tool bin, put a door facing the 40% seat (I have the 60/40 bench) so it could store the miscellaneous stuff that doesn't fit in the bin (trailer ball, ratchet straps, first aid kit; plus it could have a lip and footman loops to secure the bin), and a turnbuckle going to that seat attachment point, then bolt the two boxes together. That would give me three attachment points.

My truck is an '02 as well.

 

[rayra]

should work well. It's a lot of room to fill.

I presumed I'd put the eye bolts along the top edge of the wheel well tub. At worst I'd put a tubular piece of steel along the sides behind the plastic trim panels, anchor it to the wheel well or interior skin however necessary, then put the eyebolts thru it.

I'm stripping out a 10yr-old defunct ceiling- and floor-mounted entertainment system out of the 2nd row area in the next week or two, a lot of the wiring goes thru the driver side C-pillar. As part of removing that trim I'm going to pull that whole driver side cargo panel to see how things are and add the eyebolts. I'll take a bunch of pics and notes when I do. I'm pretty sure there's some good room to install eyebolts or d-rings along the wheel well tub area. I'll post that stuff in here, too.