rear cargo area - full drawers or simple shelf

[paceman]

hi all,

starting to look into the rear storage area of the pajero...

have two options that i am considering:

full drifta drawer setup
simple storage shelf, with tubs underneath

both options allow me to access the third seat storage area under the cargo floor (which i want to do), so that is OK with both solutions.

wanting to get feedback from users of both, and particularly those who made a similar decision...

i am leaning toward drawers, but am open to other opinions...

[GeoffA]

Have you checked your rear axle capacity and current load?
How much weight are you planning to carry, including tow ball weight?
How much spare capacity do you have?

Drawers add a bit of weight in themselves.

The lightest solution may be your best option.

 

[paceman]

Have you checked your rear axle capacity and current load?
How much weight are you planning to carry, including tow ball weight?
How much spare capacity do you have?

Drawers add a bit of weight in themselves.

The lightest solution may be your best option.

 

rear axle capacity?  not sure what you mean...

i would have thought adding drawers wouldn't affect the axle strength?

weight will be fridge, plus normal travelling luggage, bags, etc...

spare capacity?  not sure what you mean here either...

we have a soft floor camper, but the drawers/shelf will be in the paj all the time...

to be honest, i haven't done a towball weight measurement with the camper in a long time, and we've added and removed different items from our kit, so may have to ddo that again, regardless...

the pajero has upgraded springs and suspension from the previous owner, who towed a caravan, so hopefully that helps...

[Desert lover]

Hi There.  We have a GU patrol and have gone for a very simple half shelf.  This allows us to store various shaped items/boxes/tubs etc more easily than having drawers.  I felt at the time that having draws would take up additional space just in the building of them and then there is also the weight of the materials. Now we can slide the crate/s under the shelf with food stuffs, additional bits and pieces (oils/parts etc). On top of the shelf and strapped down is our compressor (arb type in the grey box) so it is always easily accessible and also soft items like clothes bags.  Between the shelf and the back of the vehicle we have a full width, full height area for bigger items but we have created a removeable bench on which sits the smaller Waeco fridge - strapped down for travel.  The removeable bench allows a space underneath for longer items to sit transverse in the vehicle.  We are happy with our set up and it came about after a number of years of frustrating packing and accessing items.... 
Good Luck with your decision.

[paceman]

Hi There.  We have a GU patrol and have gone for a very simple half shelf.  This allows us to store various shaped items/boxes/tubs etc more easily than having drawers.  I felt at the time that having draws would take up additional space just in the building of them and then there is also the weight of the materials. Now we can slide the crate/s under the shelf with food stuffs, additional bits and pieces (oils/parts etc). On top of the shelf and strapped down is our compressor (arb type in the grey box) so it is always easily accessible and also soft items like clothes bags.  Between the shelf and the back of the vehicle we have a full width, full height area for bigger items but we have created a removeable bench on which sits the smaller Waeco fridge - strapped down for travel.  The removeable bench allows a space underneath for longer items to sit transverse in the vehicle.  We are happy with our set up and it came about after a number of years of frustrating packing and accessing items.... 
Good Luck with your decision.

an interesting setup, by the sounds...

you don't happen to have a pic, do you?

[GeoffA]

I started with a shelf/plastic tub setup in my Pajero, and modified it to fit into the Patrol. Worked well for a few years.

I progressed to drawers when I got some at a good price. Drawers are more convenient than a shelf/tub arrangement, but the available storage space is impacted in comparison.

In order to free up some rear axle capacity, I may be going back to a shelf/tub. Time will tell...

 

[paceman]

I started with a shelf/plastic tub setup in my Pajero, and modified it to fit into the Patrol. Worked well for a few years.

I progressed to drawers when I got some at a good price. Drawers are more convenient than a shelf/tub arrangement, but the available storage space is impacted in comparison.

In order to free up some rear axle capacity, I may be going back to a shelf/tub. Time will tell...

 

one reason i am looking at the drifta drawers is that they seem to have more space, because of the teflon runners, rather than traditional slides...

[MarkVS]

I have a Pajero and put a Drifta system (2 drawers with MSA drop fridge slide) in, that had floor holes for access to the underneath that I stored stuff in. You had to pull the drawer out to access the cavity.

In my new car, I am going for Drifta single drawer, and flat fridge slide next to it. That way, I still have access to underneath area, and easy access to stuff, in the drawer, and plastic box stuff on top of that.
GroffA and I have talked about just running a flat floor, with plastic boxes on top and access to the underfloor cavity.
I like the idea, but also,like having a drawer on top to get easy access to important/frequently used items. (Recovery gear, air pump etc).
The underfloor access hatch, will have things  on top of it no matter what you do.......so to access it, you have to remove stuff. If you have stuff in plastic tubs on top, you still have to find it.
I like the ease that comes with having an easy access single drawer...and that doesn’t add much weight.
Infrequent items (eg. Spare parts etc) I put underneath in the ‘well’ area.

Mark VS

[GeoffA]

rear axle capacity?  not sure what you mean...
....
spare capacity?  not sure what you mean here either...
....
to be honest, i haven't done a towball weight measurement with the camper in a long time, and we've added and removed different items from our kit, so may have to do that again, regardless...
....

Mitsubishi will have maximum allowable axle capacities. It is illegal to exceed them, and they are being checked.

It would pay to load up and hook up with what you have and visit a weighbridge.

 

[Alan Loy]

Started with a shelf that allowed me to put the tent in last, This was a game changer!  Later added a fridge slide and bought tubs that fitted the space.  Worked well and weighted little.  It also stood up to the pounding of corrugations.

New tug I've built some draws for the canopy seems much easier but I have much more space and only used them twice so far.

[paceman]

I have a Pajero and put a Drifta system (2 drawers with MSA drop fridge slide) in, that had floor holes for access to the underneath that I stored stuff in. You had to pull the drawer out to access the cavity.

In my new car, I am going for Drifta single drawer, and flat fridge slide next to it. That way, I still have access to underneath area, and easy access to stuff, in the drawer, and plastic box stuff on top of that.

Mark VS

were you happy with the original two drawer setup in your pajero?

with your new arrangement, do you have to remove the drawers and slide to get access to the under floor storage area?  do they sit on a false floor?

is this the new one you have:

https://www.drifta.com.au/wagon-2-drawer-table-fridge-package/

[D4D]

I'll preface this with I have drawers in my Prado. Whilst drawers are great, they are expensive, waste space, inflexible, heavy and restrict your ability to use space for other things. If you have only one vehicle and use the wagon space for other things a couple of spacecases and custom storage unit is the go. Whatever storage containers you use make sure they have straight sides and don't waste space.

[paceman]

i did a bit more looking and am impressed with this unit...

can use the fridge when needed, but have the option of the flat space, when not...

[paceman]

this is the shelf i am interested in...

[wilson79]

I ended up making my own draws, I wanted to keep the third row seats in as we do use them. And only use the draws when we are traveling. (however I haven't taken them out for 6mths now). I also wanted to use my 95ltr fridge freezer and no one had a  system that could accommodate this size fridge and leave the seats in.

Ended up with a fridge slide with pull out table to suit the fridge and two draws stacked ontop of each other. Can fit all my tools in the bottom one including compressor and the top one for bits and pieces..

[edz]

My .02c worth ..Rear draws add a lot of exra  unneeded weight .
KISS /  keep it light and adaptable principal, basic decent shelf, QTY Of countersunk tie downs spaced all over the deck , portable / stackable  storage boxes of varying size as needed to go on top of the shelf .. Can be altered and placed / removed as needed to maximise space for different requirements . under low deck a 3 or 6mm ply slide tray on poly sliders for essential items always carried /  recovery / tools spares etc ..

[Craig Tomkinson]

Hi Paceman, I am not a fan of permanent shelf's or draw units the extra weight you are carrying around all the time just sucks the fuel in my old 80, I love a simple couple of 40lt and 6olt tubes that I can take right out or put in, And when touring with the wife and 3 adult boys and 12 year old daughter I have to watch out for my GVM of 2960kg all the time so weight is critical I just have a lite 55lt fridge and one box of spares and a small bag of spanners, and one small socket set, and a few other lite boxs in the back, But then when fishing with my mate up north I can put in my 100lt Trailblazer freezer and a 60lt box of recovery gear my tool box and a heap of empty fuel containers, I love been able to cut a load of fire wood and clean out the 4wd back and go touring 10 minutes later, to me draws are to restrictive, Craig 

[wilson79]

A couple of pictures below, I do agree with previous comments, They are heavy total weight for my set up is just over 50kgs

[Bird]

did a bit more looking and am impressed with this unit...
can use the fridge when needed, but have the option of the flat space, when not...

Yea thats not a bad idea.
Loss of space for most of the year when not travelling is a loser for most storage systems.

They are heavy total weight for my set up is just over 50kgs

Weight and space is why mine is removable - takes me few mins to undo 8x small allen bolts and then slide it out and store in shed.

Sheet of ply permanently bolted to floor, and then some L brackets to bolt it down into captive nuts in the ply sheet (you can just see the L bracket on the left side of the upright)

[paceman]

Yea thats not a bad idea.
Loss of space for most of the year when not travelling is a loser for most storage systems.

Weight and space is why mine is removable - takes me few mins to undo 8x small allen bolts and then slide it out and store in shed.

the loss of space isn't a huge consideration as that space doesn't get used to it's full capacity, unless we travel.

that's why i don't mind the drawers... but the second drifta option i showed is probably my first pick now... if i go that way...

i also really like the inbuilt table option... don't have to worry about taking a folding table separately...

having somewhere to secure the fridge and keep our chairs and an esky for day trips is a big consideration.

plus a permanent space for recovery gear and compressor...

[rossm]

I bought a secondhand prado a few years ago with the standard Black Widow layout of two drawers side by side and a fridge slide on left.
Quality items but heavy and not the most space efficient as slides take a lot of space. But they will never break.
I added a centre divider and top shelf. It is beyond painful having to deal  with stuff falling into fridge space when it is moved and top shelf makes use of space over fridge,
If I was starting afresh I would go something like Paceman showed from drifta.
I am 185cm  and a fridge on  top of a drawer is just ok for me. Lower would be much better.

[HEM19X]

Here, mine from the courier..

Home made.

[paul.o]

Go the drawers. I have  a DIY set the same that you are looking at. I am going to give them a bit of a refurb, which includes a similar modular configuration. Tubs still take up space (I use some on top of the drawer at times) and need to be secured, and the Drifta drawers aren't that heavy compared to steel ones, I don't reckon. And with the Drifta ones you get a sweet table that has its own home!

Buy right buy once!

[loanrangie]

i did a bit more looking and am impressed with this unit...

can use the fridge when needed, but have the option of the flat space, when not...

thats a good setup but i would have inverted the fridge tray to lower it 20-25mm if that clears the tailgate.

[Desert lover]

an interesting setup, by the sounds...

you don't happen to have a pic, do you?

I could probably manage to take one but have never had any success posting them...Will pm you when done and if you wish I could email or sms to you.
Cheers