Tight space storage ideas- with pics!

[zukrider]

the idea of this thread is a central location for space and weight saving storage ideas.


so with this specific forum, it is obvious that there is a common factor of small. with me being a Sami guy, i am very used to maximizing storage and still being happy with the results. Samurai's also need all the help they can get when it comes to weight!

so here is my pre-curser. I am a crawler guy. but in colorado, there are just as many, if not more, of the easy scenic trails. also, just 10 hours away is moab. and since my tenure started at this great forum, i have been planing a lot more "out there" trips for the future. plans as of now are the full rubicon, all of moab, the hammers, alaska, BC, and more pop up all the time. when? well who knows!

also, usually, my samurai is my DD. so obviously it must maintain drivability. so my mods are crawler aimed, but expo met!

my gear set.

Always:
-full size spare
-2 tarps
-hi lift jack
-25' chain with 2 hooks
-30' x 3" strap
-recovery kit-tree strap, snatch block, 2 clevis rings, gloves, winch remote, small chain.
-full tool kit (tools that I need, not enough for all!) helps save weight
-fluids-gallon of coolant, 2 qts oil, gallon of 90 wt, pint of brake fluid, empty coolant jug for waste fluids.
-spare parts-3-5 u joints, front d shaft, rear dshaft, one each extra slip yoke, bolts and nuts variety, rod ends, fuel pump, throttle cable, clutch cable.
-safety-ratchet straps, flares, gloves, funnels, hand warmers, tire plugs w/tools, maps, fire starter.
-12" subwoofer! gotta have tunes!
-clothing-2 coats-1 water resistant, one carhartt heavy work style, carhartt bibs, good winter gloves, beanie. (colorado has teen temps in summer at the higher elevation trails)
-etc....jumper cables, gallon of water, nutrition bars, small back pack, bungee cords, zipties, duct tape, electrical tape, first aid kit, 2 flash lights.


i kid you not, its all in this pic, and 98% behind the seats!

in this one, you can see my fancy led dome light!

on top of that, i have a rear bumper, with halfwidth swing out made from .250 wall 2 x 4. both sliders made from .250 wall. front bumper made from .250 wall. warn xd9000.

when i go wheelin close, i add at least another backpack with a change of clothes, water proof jacket, sunglasses, sunscreen, food, and more flashlight. camping adds typical gear, chairs, cooler with ice and drinks/food, cooking stuff, tent, blah blah blah.

as you can see, i fit it well. i just did the organizing yesterday, and still have more to fit, but thought it would be nice to see some other ingenuity.

tips i can share.
on my rear door, ill be securing my driveshafts with conduit mini's. like these

my shovel will get quick fist clamps on the rear door.

also, i will have 2 drop down "tables" in this area as well. one aluminum for a 2 burner stove, and 1 from a uhmw cutting board for prep. these will fit behind the shovel, and in "setup" mode, the shovel will come down for access.

so far, it is suiting needs, because i can gas up, get food and go. the over all setup will change though. i plan to get a 43qt fridge, which will require a smaller sub, so at that time i will completely redesign and attempt to shave some more weight. right now, the sub box is integral with the supprt structure of everything. in theory, i should be able to roll on my lid and nothing will move.


so please chime in with ideas and pics if you have them.

 

[tdesanto]

...so please chime in with ideas and pics if you have them.

For starters, I'd recommend the following:

1) make arrangements to carry more than a single gallon of water.
2) Lose the bungee cords for securing anything of any appreciable weight.

 

[chet]

fitting gear in a sammy is always fun! I would say loose the 12" sub box. that thing is huge! I mounted a 10" in a custom box over the pass wheelwell. that left the floor space open. I have also seen two small subs int he tailgate.

I also mounted a flat board to the floor with tie down hooks etc on it. made it much easier to tie down my load.

Plus I saw one tin top where the person made about a 10" cage that mounted up near the roof in a tintop for pillows, sleeping bags jackets etc.

 

[stevec]

Having owned my Samurai for 25 years now, I can appreciate your situation! I would ditto what both tdsanto and chet said - the subwoofer is personal preference, but it does take up a lot of space. The slipyokes should be the same for both front and rear driveshafts - I have the same (Trail Tough) extended slipyokes front and rear, and only bring one spare.

My Samurai is a softop, but I bought one of the last "Got Zuk" racks for it before he stopped making them. With a swing away on your rear bumper, you could make something similar, and give yourself a lot more storage.

 

[Toyotero]

I think that building/buying a drawer system would help you a lot with organization and security of your stored items.

 

[Desert Dan]

The boom box takes up as much or more space than your gear???

 

[zukrider]

you guys are off topic. i dont specifically need help myself, what i want in this thread is tips for all, that help use "wasted space". my sub isnt an issue at all. until i get the fridge, then i will downsize to make it work. im not at a loss for space. i have a rear swing out that can be "racked, as well as a 62" x 44" roof rack

@stevec, my slip yokes are not the same, so i carry a spare for each.

so lets see some pics of wasted space in use. when i still had inner fenders, all my fluids and quite a bit of smaller spare parts resided under the hood. but since they are gone now, it all goes in the cargo area.

any cool ideas like my conduit mini's? drawers work, but arent always ideal, plus there is a considerable amount of excess and unnecessary weight.

joe

 

[Squatchout]

I like your ideas for stashing stuff under the hood. I once saw a full size pick up with a large metal bike basket mounted in a corner under the hood. It held bottles of various engine fluids and under hood spares. It was snug under the closed hood so stuff didn't bounce out.

I agree with the above posters on the bungees. I see more of them everyday being used to hold yaks on roofs ect. NOT ME. Web cam straps are much stronger and safer. People lose eyes to bungee hooks at a rate you wouldn't believe. Too easy to have one snap back at you. Especially if you are tired and distracted.

 

[stevec]

Yes, there is a lot of useable storage space under the hood. Since most modified Samurai's are too tall for the stock jack (and most have a Hilift), the jack mount on the driver's side fender (cut the top bar off) is great for storing a toolbox or spare parts, mounting an air compressor, or storing anything else that isn't susceptible to heat. Also, you can look for an ammo can that'll fit there and bolt it down.

For using other "wasted space", i.e. the area in front of the rear fenderwells and the rear footwells, I usually store soft goods (i.e. sleeping bags, tent, clothes bag) there, as it easily compresses to fit. The other area is quite spacious considering the overall size of a Samurai, and also very "boxy", so it isn't too hard to fit a lot in there, especially in a hardtop.

A drawer system can add a lot of unneeded weight, but if using a fridge, put it on a slide, and then put some sort of shelf above it, one that covers that whole area behind the seats. Put the lighter stuff on top of the shelf to keep your COG low, especially stuff you can leave in camp (i.e. tent, chairs, campstove), so if you head out for the day you can see out your back window.

On my rig, the cooler on my rack was moved to the floor after the first day on the Rubicon, and the tent, chairs, and sleeping pads were put on the rack instead. That small change made a big difference on the trail, as it moved the weight lower, and over the rear axle instead of behind it. Now the cooler only goes on the rack when the kids are in the back seat.

On your rig I would be tempted to mount your hi lift on your roof rack, and put a rack or gas/water can mount on the swing-away. A hilift takes up almost no space mounted to the edge of the roof rack, but would be in the way of a rack on the swing-away.

you guys are off topic. i dont specifically need help myself, what i want in this thread is tips for all, that help use "wasted space". my sub isnt an issue at all.

I don't think the responses are off-topic at all. You want and like your sub, and it's your rig, so you make it work. For many, that big sub might be considered wasted space and excess weight. Also, it is mounted right in the prime storage location. Mounting one or two smaller ones, in boxes that mount in the space in front of the rear fenderwells, could give a person much better options for storage, and still allow them to keep the tunes.

 

[stevec]

Oh yeah, my Samurai is the silver one in post #3:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22121

You can see my rack, with the cooler and action packer in the left picture - fine on the street, but too much weight up high and behind the rear axle on a technical trail.

 

[zukrider]

I don't think the responses are off-topic at all. You want and like your sub, and it's your rig, so you make it work. For many, that big sub might be considered wasted space and excess weight. Also, it is mounted right in the prime storage location. Mounting one or two smaller ones, in boxes that mount in the space in front of the rear fenderwells, could give a person much better options for storage, and still allow them to keep the tunes.[/QUOTE]


i was leaning more toward, dont help me, help all! no worries though.

 

[mine_buck]

Nice rear bar and swing away there zukrider, did u make that urself??

I have a SWB 89 Jackaroo (Isuzu Trooper) and will need to do something similar.. Being a small vehicle storage is always a prob, especially when I want to carry a bit of prospecting gear as well..

Currently I have a roof rack and a rooftop tent and have built a rear draw system, but absolutely utilizing every bit of space and still keeping build designs simple can be hard.. I also have a car fridge mounted on top of the draws on a drop down slide..
_________________
1989 SWB Holden Jackaroo (Isuzu Trooper), 33" mud terrains, roof rack and rooftop tent, custom rear draws..
1986 Daihatsu Rocky trayback (Project in pieces!!)..

 

[mvbeggs]

... i have a rear swing out that can be "racked, as well as a 62" x 44" roof rack

I like the swingaway you built. How much weight will it support? I need to build something similar. Would you mind giving the details of the hinge mechanism? Looks like you used 1" solid round stock, drilled completely through the 2x4. Did you weld the round stock top and bottom, inside and out? Do you get much flex from the swing away? What keeps the swing away from popping off the top of the 1" pin? I can see some kind of latch, what did you use here?

Thanks...Mark

 

[zukrider]

the hinge is a 1 3/8" solid bar i picked up in a scrap pile. found a piece that slid over it perfectly, so that is the outside piece. my plans were to cut the solid 1/4" lower than the swings top, and tap it to bolt a cap on, then fill the void with grease. i feel it would have held 300# easily. i welded the top, the whole inside top to bottom.

the latch is a 5/8 hitch pin that floats in 2 washers, with a washer welded to the pin for the spring push on. works great!

sadly though, i just totalled my sami while flat towing it yesterday, so back to the drawing board!

 

[bftank]

sorry for your loss. what happened?