Great Chuckbox! Jonathan does nice work, I see why you keep him around. :sombrero:
If you really are going to look for a new topper, I would suggest one with "windoors" that flip up on both sides. With that feature on the topper, you won't need slides or drawers or drawers with lids that slide out. Can I play devil's advocate a little?
My biggest complaint about drawers and slideouts is the loss of the tailgate as a fulltime camp table. Anything on the tailgate must be moved when a drawer or slide out is opened. Kind of a pain when you already have dinner cooking on the tailgate. This also a minor annoyance with gear stashed in storage boxes under a sleeping deck. In addition, waking up in the middle of the night and needing something means crawling out of the truck, dropping the tailgate, pulling out drawers or boxes, digging through the gear, etc. It's even more fun in the rain.
I like having the tailgate free for a cookspace, mini-bar, BSing zone, etc. I attempted a slightly different solution prior to last years ExPo Rally, when I was sleeping in the back. I didn't get it finished properly in time, but it worked well enough to give full access to all of my gear without having to reshuffle everything or exposing my stuff to inclement weather or losing my tailgate as a fulltime table/seat.
Instead of drawers or slide outs, I built an L shaped box with hinged lids for access. With the toppers windoors, I was able to reach in the bed, open a lid and there was my trowel. If I woke up to rain, I simply lifted the lid and there was my stove and coffee. When opened to 90 degrees, the underside of the lid acted as a small prep table so if I had to, I could sit back there and make a sandwich or brew some coffee in nasty weather.
The L shaped box allowed for an open corner in the bed for oddball shaped gear, like my water container and chuckbox that wouldn't fit underneath the box. Whether sleeping in the back or in a tent, this just seemed easier because everything stayed in one place. I just had to remember where I put certain things, lift a lid and there it was. As a bonus, I was able to leave my Thermarest and bedroll layed out the whole trip.
Maybe bad weather camping isn't a primary concern in the beautiful southwest, but that system allowed me to be truly "self contained," and eliminated the constant reshuffling of gear. The windoors are key though, for accessing ones gear while standing outside the truck. But it made for a simple solution and even Mr. BajaTaco got a kick out of how easily I was able to set up camp and get to Happy Hour.
Regardless, I look forward to seeing what you two come up with as I'm sure you've spent a lot of time (in airports) giving this some serious consideration. Attached are a few pics of that box (and an icey interior I awoke to in Escalante) that I never did finish, but it gives a visual to this long diatribe.
:beer:
