5 ways to maximise your 4×4 storage space

We’ve all been on those camping trips where we leave the driveway with everything neat and organised, then over the preceding days or weeks, your carefully placed gear gets strewn about, and your 4X4 starts looking like a bad day in Baghdad.

The good news is that there are plenty of aftermarket products available to help you not only keep things tidy but also enable you to maximise the existing space so you can take everything you need with you. The bad news is that you’re never going to find that 10mm socket you lost when your toolbox lid popped open on that rough section of track. I’m sorry, it’s gone, Champion.

Anyway, here are 5 of our top pieces of storage gear on the market.

Drawers

Let’s start off with the most obvious and, arguably, the best piece of storage gear you can fit into any 4X4, wagon or ute: the twin drawer system. There are dozens of options available, and prices can vary wildly. Buyer beware, though; cheaper drawers are almost always a bad investment. Why? Because they scrimp on things like rollers, framework, and sheeting, they invariably weigh more and do not last.

Stick with a solid brand like 4WD Interiors and know you’re getting top-quality componentry – stainless roller runners, gal-steel construction for strength and corrosion protection, 6mm UV-stabilised carpet, etc. – and a set of drawers that will likely outlast your vehicle. Throw in a set of drawer dividers for extra organisation and a tie-down ring kit, and you’re ready for anything. We also like the roller floors, which make retrieving gear or beer miles easier.

MW Slide Out Kitchen & Pantry

If you’re like me, your camp kitchen consists of a ratty old gas cooker, a half-used roll of alfoil, a few damp paper plates, a chuck box full of old tomato sauce bottles, as well as some salt & pepper and a couple of moist towelettes that you weren’t quite sure what to do with after you last debased yourself at KFC.

However, it doesn’t have to be this way.

MW are more known for toolboxes than camping gear. However, they sell an aluminium and stainless kitchen that not only allows you to do your best Chef Ramsay impression but also gives you a place to store your cutlery, pantry items and pretty much anything that’s standing in between you and eating like a culinary rock star. It even includes the freaking kitchen sink!

It fits in most 4WD cargo areas or canopies and frees up boxes worth of space. It slides out on heavy-duty rollers and is designed and built to last in Australia. It ain’t cheap, but very few things worth having are.

Universal Door Pockets

Quite often, we’ve found it’s the little things that end up cluttering up the interior of your 4WD. Phone chargers, fuel receipts, keys, old shotgun shells (if you drive an old 40 Series, you know what I’m talking about) and every other piece of random junk that doesn’t really have a spot to be put in. This is where a couple of universal door pockets are a godsend.

Easy to install and a perfect place to store all sorts of stuff, from your darts to your sunnies. These are one of those additions that make you appreciate them every time they’re used.

SwingCase

You know that space behind the wheel arches in your dual-cab tray that’s about as useful as the number 9 on a microwave keypad? Well, the geniuses at SwingCase have taken that dead space and jammed a toolbox in there. Not only that, but the whole thing swings out over the tailgate for easy access, plus it fits under the tonneau cover when not in use, so your gear stays dry.

They’re lockable so you can store expensive stuff like tools in them, they hold up to 35kg of weight and you can quickly and easily detach the case from the hinge so you can take the whole show away from the vehicle if required.

The SwingCase is designed and built in the USA and is a straightforward DIY install that is backed by a 12-month warranty.

Top Shelf

While a larger roof console is fantastic for having a place to keep the dash and front seat areas neat and tidy, sometimes there just isn’t the room or the budget. That’s where 4WD Interior’s Top Shelf comes in.

What seems like a simple shelf across the leading edge of the interior’s roof lining is actually a brilliant use of otherwise wasted space. It incorporates your standard sun visors and upgrades your map lights to LED at the same time, as well as giving you easy access to things like books, service manuals, pens (never know when you’ll need one) and any number of other small items that can quickly become in-vehicle clutter.

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