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Many caravanners like to be able leave their van parked safely to go exploring in the vehicle alone. Anthony Kilner has discovered a storage solution that allows caravan owners to make the most of their vehicle while touring and for around town use.

Words and photography by Anthony Kilner

Having spent a fair amount of time travelling and talking to caravan owners around the country, I’m always interested in seeing and discussing the various storage system setups they use. There are a surprising number of tourers who will happily tow their van around to great locations then leave the van in storage for a week or longer to go off-road and explore.

This scenario creates a real test for many vanners as it means the back of the fourby must be a second home on wheels independent from the spacious comfort of the van. In what I regard as one of the best products that has come onto the market in recent years, the fully removable Quickslide storage system offers a practical solution to packing that second home.

The Quickslide system can be fitted into the back of any fourby, ute or wagon, and has its own trolley that the owner simply wheels up to the unit and after undoing four knob-style bolts, pushes the unit onto the trolley and wheels it away, fridge, cargo barrier, drawers and all!

The obvious benefit of this easy removal is that the back of the wagon can be utilised for everyday use, when large items need to be carried in the back, or fitted ready for a touring trip around the country. While other storage systems can be removed, it does take a bit of effort and muscle to get them out. The trolley option in conjunction with the quick release knobs of the Quickslide do away with all the grunting and groaning.

Another major benefit to the Quickslide unit is that it can be tailor made to meet individual needs. Michael Cooper in Melbourne helped me out with my 100 Series Cruiser.

Anthony’s Custom Build
Like many tourers out there, I built a storage system myself for my old 80 Series Cruiser and used it for years, so I had a firm idea of what I wanted in the 100 Series. Jane also had her thoughts on what we required from a storage system which included catering for our Rottie, Ella, so that we could take her out and about in comfort. Our brief to Michael wasn’t an easy one and gave him a fair challenge. We wanted a removable drawer on one side if possible with a flat board for Ella to travel on without being caught in the rails of the main unit. The cargo barrier had to remain in place to stop her from getting into the back seat with the kids as well.

The drawers had to be deep enough to house food, tools and the like, and be as long as possible because travelling with five of us creates a storage nightmare on long Outback forays. The other point with the drawers was to somehow provide easy access to the back of the draw as some units are hard to get into. The side pods had to allow a clear path to the pockets in the back of the Cruiser where the jack and tools are kept and of course, we wanted to ensure every last bit of space was used.

We also needed some sort of table to handle lunches and a blanket rack to house pillows, jackets and the like up high as these items tend to be bulky rather than heavy.

A fridge protector around the fridge would be handy, and having it slide out on rollers instead of pulling the whole drawer top out was definitely our preference.

Now it was up to Michael to meet the challenge!

Quickslide Drawing Board
Michael makes a range of standard bolt in type storage units for various vehicle models which are quickly and easily fitted. However, a custom built unit requires a bit more effort from both the owner and Michael to get right. I’ve gotta say that our unit with all its mods is fantastic and well worth the extra time and work.

The custom process starts with a visit to SCS 4WD Centre in Braeside, Victoria, Michael’s base, and the measuring begins. This can take an hour or so as it’s at this stage that Michael fills out an extensive list of details on the vehicle, suspension height at the rear and what the owner wants as far as a system goes.

Then Michael gets to work on detailed drawings then builds the system to spec. When this is completed the vehicle is left at SCS for the better part of a day while Michael does the first fitting. This is where any anomalies are ironed out and the tracks are fitted in readiness for the final product to slide into place. Once the test fit is completed, Michael sets about producing the finished work, including carpet, powder coating and any fiddly trimming bits.

The final step involves showing the owner how to fit and remove the unit using the optional trolley. This includes going through how everything works, even down to any wiring that might have been done to the vehicle for items such as external fan and power for the fridge if they have been built into the unit.

Manufactured Tough For Reliability
Getting into the nitty gritty of our system starts with the drawers which are manufactured from 1.2mm galvanised steel with 110kg rated drawer slides. The drawers are fully welded, covered with marine grade carpet and pull out with handles that can be mounted for left or right handed people. Locks are fitted to store things safely inside the drawers as well. Large gaps are provided on the drawers to make sliding them in and out easy if no handles are used, although I reckon you’ve gotta have’em.

The top of the unit, including hinged side flaps, is manufactured from marine ply, and covered in marine grade carpet for durability and protection against the weather. The false floor dog panel which replaces the removable left hand drawer is also made from the same stuff.

The side rails bolt into the floor utilising existing bolt holes and are manufactured from aluminium with a carpet finish. The slide out table is located under the right hand drawer, which is a carpeted gal sheet on runners and is a very practical use of space.

The blanket rack, fridge protector and cargo barrier are removable in sections if need be. These are constructed from gal steel mesh with 12mm rod frames and powder coated for a neat finish. Rated at 120kgs and manufactured from 2mm gal steel the fridge slide is easy to use with an in and out solid lock system and four heavy duty tie down points to secure the fridge in place. These units will handle most 40L or smaller fridges on the market. Larger slides can also be manufactured to suit virtually any size fridge.

In The Field In
most cases, the standard unit can be removed within minutes. Our custom design takes longer, however we have everything we wanted included so that’s not an issue. The left hand removable drawer takes only minutes to get out but does require manoeuvring a drawer around 30kgs in weight so it isn’t the easiest thing to do and is best handled by two people. The space created is awesome for the dog, but it’s also good for carrying long items with the back seat down and large things too.

Our unit was finished just prior to Easter this year and a trip to the High Country was the first real test. There’s not much to say really, the unit performed faultlessly. We managed to get enough tools, food and clothing for three people easily in the back. The stove and stove fuel were packed away safely in a drawer instead of being stored in the back semi-loose, everything was easy to get to and we didn’t even have to do a mid trip re-pack! Overall, Jane, Ella and I are rapt with the Quickslide unit. After a test run, there are a few little things in our system that we want to modify, but it still far surpassed what I built and used in the 80 Series. And to say we are impressed doesn’t do it justice!