2018 Tundra Interior Storage

2018 Tundra Interior Storage

One of the first items I wanted to tackle with our new 2018 Tundra Build (See our Fall 2019 issue for full details) was interior storage. 

Our family of 4, plus a dog, ends up taking a lot of room in the cab of the truck. Add my standard load of Ham, CB, tools, survival kit, first aid kit, and various items in the console... and we quickly have a disorganized mess. We also generally roll with multiple iPads/tablets for mapping, so they all need their own charger and mount. 

The first call I made was to Earl at ESP Truck Accessories to get some under seat storage going. Earl makes several versions of under seat storage for both Tundra and Tacoma. For us, the basic plastic bin version works perfect. ESP Truck Accessories Plastic Under Seat Storage 

Tundra CrewMax Underseat storage

The back seats hold our 10+ year molle panels & bags from Springtail Solutions. This setup has been in every TCT build going back to the original FJC TRD SE, and they're still holding up great. 

Tundra CrewMax Molle storage

Victory 4x4 side panels for the center console came well packaged, and are finished in a durable powder coat finish. They installed in a snap with the include hardware. While these are Molle compatible, our main use is for comm gear and an emergency knife, plus whatever I find to attach in the future. Essential kit for our mountain adventures. 

Tundra CrewMax Console Rack

As we did with the last Tundra (TCT Explorer), I wanted to have plenty of little bins for the middle console. This console organizer from Amazon is custom made for the Tundra and slides together very easily. 

Tundra CrewMax console organizer storage

We bought this truck lightly used, and it already had a console tray installed. IMHO this type of tray is a critical addition for interior storage. I found a similar version here: MX Auto Accessories - Center Console Organizer 

Tundra CrewMax console tray

To mount the backseat iPads, I found a great fully-adjustable headrest on Amazon that has worked out quite well. They provide the perfect angle for the children to keep track of where we are when out on an adventure.
When we do allow the occasional in-car movie, the kid-friendly BlueTooth headphones are rechargeable and have plenty of battery life. 

Tundra CrewMax headrest tablet mount

Main comm comes from the trusty Yaesu FTM-400XD on a ProClip Mount. Our APRS position is reported every 3 minutes, perfect for multi-truck adventures and for others to keep tabs on us when in the backcountry. Even though it's rarely used, the CB is still installed in the truck, attached to the Victory 4x4 console rack. 

Tundra CrewMax ham radio mount

While my iPhone is still the primary Nav device, I run a windshield mounted Android tablet when on the trail. Perhaps I should look into a tablet-style dash NAV replacement?

Tundra CrewMax dashboard navigation

BONUS

For the bed of the truck, we needed something relatively small that can still hold recovery gear and basic tools. We found this Undercover Sidebox on Amazon, and it fits the bill perfectly. It's available for the driver or passenger side, installs in minutes, and doesn't take up much bed space.

Tundra CrewMax bed storage box

For more details on our new Tundra Build, see the full coverage in the Fall 2019 issue.