- 51 minutes ago
Patrick Botticelli meets Chad from drawersystems.com at Overland Expo East for a tour of three clever overland rigs that blend SUV practicality with camper van features. The standout build is Chad’s Land Rover LR4 daily driver, fitted with a modular drawer system that turns the cargo area into a micro-camper with a 12V fridge, induction cooktop, pressurized water, lithium batteries, and off-road storage.
The tour also covers an Ineos Grenadier with an Alu-Cab top and a Toyota 4Runner build that mirrors the same setup in a different platform. Along the way, Chad explains how the systems are tailored to each vehicle, can be set up in about 10 minutes, and still let the SUV function as a family vehicle during the week. It’s a practical look at SUV camper conversions, overlanding accessories, and turn-key weekend camping builds.
Created for viewers searching for overland rig tours, SUV camper conversion ideas, Land Rover LR4 builds, Ineos Grenadier setups, Toyota 4Runner overland builds, modular drawer systems, and micro-camper inspiration. It also fits searches for van life crossover builds, off-grid camping gear, and practical overland travel setups.
The tour also covers an Ineos Grenadier with an Alu-Cab top and a Toyota 4Runner build that mirrors the same setup in a different platform. Along the way, Chad explains how the systems are tailored to each vehicle, can be set up in about 10 minutes, and still let the SUV function as a family vehicle during the week. It’s a practical look at SUV camper conversions, overlanding accessories, and turn-key weekend camping builds.
Created for viewers searching for overland rig tours, SUV camper conversion ideas, Land Rover LR4 builds, Ineos Grenadier setups, Toyota 4Runner overland builds, modular drawer systems, and micro-camper inspiration. It also fits searches for van life crossover builds, off-grid camping gear, and practical overland travel setups.
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TravelTranscript
00:00In my case, two weeks on the road living out of this, different spot every day.
00:04It's great because you have all the features of a van, but it's a little different layout, right?
00:10This is Patrick with New Jersey's Outdoor Adventures YouTube channel here at Overland Expo East.
00:15And I just bumped into Chad with DrawerSystems.com.
00:18He's going to give us a tour of three Overland rigs with some van life crossovers.
00:23And these things are pretty cool. So join us for the tour.
00:27Hey, Patrick. Nice to finally meet you.
00:30Guys, my name is Chad with DrawerSystems.com.
00:32And I build all types of drawer systems for Overland rigs or just daily drivers.
00:38This actually is my daily driver. It's a Land Rover LR4.
00:42And the nice thing about these systems that I build is you can actually drive around during the day
00:48and then go out on the weekends and, you know, take your family out, do a couple day trip.
00:52And you have all the amenities that you would in a, you know, in a camper build.
00:57Behind me, this is kind of my flagship system.
01:00This is the all-in, we'll call it the all-in-one.
01:02This has a 12-volt refrigerator, drawer style.
01:07So it keeps, it allows you to have all your luggage and things up here.
01:11I just started using this EVA foam mat.
01:15You'd find this in luxury center console boats on the floor.
01:19So it's like a deck material.
01:21And then from the van life industry, we have the recessed L-Track system to tie all your gear down.
01:28So this keeps it from sliding.
01:29This keeps it from rolling around in the back.
01:31And then if you notice here, this is actually from the marine industry.
01:36So this is a boat hatch.
01:38And then in this is a six-gallon water tank.
01:40So I have on-demand six-gallon water with me at all times.
01:46And with a marine pump over here on the left-hand side, flip a switch.
01:54And you got pressurized water at camp.
01:56And it really makes it good for a weekend thing.
01:59So you take the kids to the beach or the dog to the dog park.
02:02You can hose them down before they get back into the car.
02:06So this system is made with three-quarter inch cabinet grade birch plywood.
02:10And it's coated with four coats of Raptor liner.
02:13So it gives you that really tough, durable.
02:15And it's, you know, it's a cool-looking look to it.
02:17But it's really, really tough.
02:18On the inside drawers, these are made with half-inch birch plywood.
02:23So even though this is a big system, it doesn't weigh a lot.
02:27Generally, they weigh anywhere from 90 to this case in about 250 pounds all in.
02:32And you'll see why later on with all the extra stuff that's in the back of this.
02:37These come fully assembled.
02:38I ship anywhere in the lower 48 states.
02:41It'll come on a pallet.
02:42And it's actually very easy to install with minimal work on your car.
02:49Also, this being the all-in, this is, I would say, the top system that I sell.
02:53But from an entry-level standpoint, there's a lot of different options.
02:57You can just go two drawers, no electrical, no extra stuff.
03:01It's almost like a menu in a restaurant where you have a la carte features that you can add in.
03:06So, again, the outlets are optional.
03:09The water system's optional.
03:12A or B air compressor, that's an option.
03:14Not everyone's going to have that, you know.
03:16So, the way I say it is, you know, each build is tailored to each individual customer that comes through.
03:23They have a different vehicle and a different need.
03:25So, my need is kind of all of it and also to showcase and test for you guys how long
03:31the battery is going to last,
03:32how well the fridge does, how good is the water system.
03:35And, like, for example, here in the kitchen part, this is also a new feature I just added.
03:43So, this is the smallest induction cooktop that I could find and it's about the size of a MacBook.
03:49So, we have a really simple way to cook.
03:53You know, as long as you have enough power, and in my case, we have two 100 amp hour lithium
03:57batteries with a 2,000 watt inverter.
03:59This will run off of about a 1,500 watt inverter, and it's great because I can make eggs in
04:05the morning and only use about 3% of the battery.
04:08And plugs right in here, and it doesn't take up any of my prep table space.
04:13This is something, again, this is an a la carte option.
04:16People opt for a bamboo countertop.
04:18You might want birch.
04:19We could even source a custom wood solution for it.
04:23And then over here on these drawers, these are, it's like your pantry.
04:27So, you got all your pots and pans, you know, your soaps.
04:30And then up top, you got to have a good spice rack.
04:34So, we've got salt, pepper, honey, cinnamon, whatever you need to get going.
04:38And then over here, left-hand side, this is your power meter.
04:43A couple USB ports, 12-volt port, turn the inverter on and off.
04:48And then moving on over to this side.
04:55So, this is kind of like the heart of the whole system.
04:58And the all-in-one has it all included.
05:01So, when it ships to you, it's going to come with all of this.
05:05So, let me show you that.
05:09So, the cool part about these designs also is that I try to incorporate it so you can still use
05:13the back seats.
05:14And it still functions like a regular family vehicle.
05:17In this case, I'm on a big trip.
05:19So, I took out the middle seat.
05:21I added a second fridge.
05:23This, I use for all, you know, a lot of food.
05:26Give you a spark in the water there.
05:28You look thirsty.
05:29And it's great, too, because I'm driving down the road.
05:32Reach back, grab a water, and keep going.
05:35And then, when you put the seats down, you can see all the electrical.
05:40This is what makes it the all-in-one.
05:42So, it comes all pre-wired like this.
05:44Some people, some customers, don't want all of this stuff.
05:47So, what I'll do in that case is say, all right, let's design it around a Jackery or an EcoFlow
05:52or, you know, portable power station.
05:54I'll create a cubby that it will sit in and replace of the batteries.
05:59And then, you can take that in and out as you need.
06:02In this case, I wanted to showcase kind of all the gadgets.
06:06So, we have Blue Sea marine-grade fuses over here.
06:10So, you have your negative bus bar.
06:12This is your shunt.
06:14So, this is how I can actually read the battery system and see what the charge is.
06:19This is pretty cool.
06:20I just added this.
06:21This is the Victron BlueSmart charger.
06:24Hey.
06:25Hey, guys.
06:27And this is your shore power.
06:28So, I got 30 amps going in here with a simple extension cord.
06:32So, if you get to a campground, you want to plug in or at your house in your garage and
06:36pre-charge everything before a trip, this is a great, great addition.
06:41Then, we have two 100-amp hour lithium batteries powering the whole thing.
06:46200-amp circuit breaker to easily turn the system off if you need to with a single switch.
06:52Single ARB air compressor because I do a lot of off-roading and you got to go air up and
06:57air down the tires frequently.
06:59I wanted it here just to have it accessible.
07:03Got more USB outlets, 12-volt outlets.
07:07And then, behind it is the RedArc BC to DC charge controller.
07:11So, this will take the power from my alternator and charge the lithium batteries while I'm driving.
07:17But then, the great part about that is as soon as I turn the car off, then I'm not draining
07:24my car battery.
07:25I'm totally separate, right?
07:26No risk of killing the car battery.
07:29And then, over here tucked in on the side, you can't really see it, but it's a 2,000-watt
07:35Renegy inverter tucked in there.
07:38So, I'm trying to utilize every single inch of space that I can to maximize what you can fit into
07:45the build.
07:47This is just a net to keep us protected.
07:49You know, I found this for a Jeep.
07:50Like, again, you know, you can kind of use things that aren't out of the box decided for it.
07:55Then, we have the ratchet strap tie-down system.
07:59So, when you receive this, you get the four ratchet straps if your car has the tie-down points.
08:07And then, you would have to run an Anderson connector, sorry, like a six-gauge cable from your engine to
08:13the back with an Anderson connector.
08:16Or, if you don't have that system, then all it is, slide the system in, ratchet strap it down, and
08:23take off on the trail.
08:24I can get this whole thing out in about 15 minutes.
08:27Obviously, I've done it a ton of times.
08:30You can just take the drawers out, take the fridge out.
08:33What it does is it makes it lighter, grab a buddy, get a table, slide it out the back, put
08:38it on a table in the garage, and I still have the third-row seats in here.
08:42When my mom comes into town and we're not doing this stuff, I can take this out pretty easily, and
08:47it becomes just a normal SUV again.
08:50So, up top is the James Baroud tent, and that's how I sleep, right?
08:54Climb up on top.
08:57So, we'll set the ladder up.
08:59And right here, you're going to notice this.
09:01So, this is actually just a quick deploy changing room.
09:04So, this is changing room slash shower slash bathroom area.
09:08I put a little port-a-potty down here.
09:10And then I put the ladder up in between, and I have an awning that comes out.
09:14So, I can actually get up and down if it's bad weather, and I'm not getting rained on.
09:35So, the nice thing about this tent is I got a lot of headroom here.
09:39I'm a little over 6'1", so I'm not a particularly small guy.
09:44And I have just enough room, you know, head to feet where I'm not kind of hitting both sides.
09:50And this is actually their smallest version tent.
09:54So, I got this one because my roof is a little narrow.
09:57You kind of come in here.
09:58And the cool thing about this, there's window 360 view all the way around.
10:06And then, you know, at the show, I can put all the gear up here that I don't want people
10:11to see.
10:14So, yeah, again, weekend warrior type thing.
10:17This whole piece comes off really quickly.
10:20This would be like a spare tire trash bag.
10:24You can use it to put your trash, firewood, tools.
10:26We have the Starlink mount up here.
10:29And then, this is a strap system, which I found on Jeep forums and Jeep websites.
10:35And ended up making this bracket here for the traction boards.
10:38So, if you get stuck in the mud or whatever when you're off-roading, you take it off, put it
10:43under the tire, and you can get out.
10:45And then, over on the side, you have the shovel and the axe.
10:50It's great to have.
10:51You know, don't always need it, but it kind of looks cool, and it's great to have if you do.
10:58Up top, we have a 270-degree awning.
11:00And this one, this is really nice because it swings all the way around.
11:05So, in bad weather or sun or rain or whatever, I can still cook here, and I'm not getting soaked.
11:12And it makes a nice little living area when you're outside because, obviously, I'm not spending time in the vehicle.
11:20Focus on this.
11:21Yeah, so this is great.
11:23This is a sea sucker system for the iPad, and I can either mount it on the side window or
11:29under the hatch.
11:30So, if you want to watch movie night or put a football game on and tailgate, you put the iPad
11:36over here or put it right here.
11:37You sit underneath.
11:39Let's check out this.
11:40This is an Ineos Grenadier with the Alucab top.
11:44Built this.
11:46So, I built this as a micro camper for the Alucab.
11:51So, again, different vehicle, different customer, different needs.
11:57And the design was be able to sleep one person down here or sit in here in bad weather.
12:04He can cook directly on top here.
12:07He could use his laptop.
12:08And then at night, he can climb in up to the top.
12:11So, really nice little system here.
12:14This also has a six-gallon water tank built in, full power, and then has a Dometic refrigerator facing forward.
12:23So, if you go in this side here, you'll see the little Dometic passenger could, again, you're driving down the
12:29road, reach back, grab a soda.
12:31You don't have to stop driving to get a water or a soda.
12:36Then, the last rig I have at the show, we have an amazing Toyota 4Runner.
12:41It's my buddy, Simon.
12:43He goes by Simon 4Runner.
12:45And he has a different style James Baroud tent up top with the James Baroud shower room and awning.
12:54Unbelievable build, this thing.
12:55So, what we did with this is he loved my setup.
12:57And we just, it's a mirror image of my setup in a Toyota.
13:03So, you can see what it looks like in a different vehicle.
13:06And it's the same, virtually the same type of build.
13:10Complete with a 12-volt refrigerator, two lithium batteries.
13:14Mentioned the water tank, 2,000-watt inverter, the air compressor, and the onboard water.
13:20So, yeah, thanks for watching this tour.
13:22If you're still here and you want some more info about any of the stuff that I do, check out
13:27drawersystems.com.
13:28There's a lot of pictures there.
13:30There's a lot of different builds, a lot of vehicles.
13:33I've done about a half a dozen van builds as well.
13:36So, if you want to see some of those pictures, they're on the website.
13:39Lead time right now is about seven to eight weeks on projects.
13:42If it's custom, I have a shop down in Miami, Florida.
13:46You can bring the shop, whether it's a van or an SUV, I can fit it in the shop.
13:50The basic drawers will start around $18.50.
13:53And then they go up from there based on the features and amenities that you put into it.
13:58I love the fact that it's a turnkey camper.
14:00Convert your normal, everyday SUV into a camper, overland vehicle for weekend getaways.
14:07Or, you know, you could go out for a week or a month.
14:09In my case, two weeks on the road living out of this, different spot every day, you know, two different
14:15shows.
14:16And it's great.
14:17It's great because you have all the features of a van, but it's a little different layout, right?
14:26It's a little bit different, a little more work, right?
14:28I have to set up a little bit more, but I can get to some really cool spots and down
14:33some really cool trails because of the size, right?
14:36The size of the SUV.
14:37Well, I appreciate the opportunity to showcase you on the show.
14:41And this is an overland show, so everything here requires some setup, right?
14:45Correct, correct.
14:46It's not just a turnkey camper to go to a campground.
14:49People that buy this type of stuff want to go somewhere other than a campground.
14:53And actually, that's a good point.
14:55I didn't touch on that, but this entire setup, the tent, the awning, I could be cooking in 30 seconds
15:01of being at camp, right?
15:03Slide this out, plug that in.
15:04And the whole setup is like 10 minutes.
15:06So I can have my entire camp set up in 10 minutes or less.
15:10And that's one of the things.
15:12It's like the race to see who can set up the fastest and who can pack down the fastest.
15:16And that's kind of what we're trying to do here is make it so all of your stuff is accessible.
15:21You know where everything is.
15:23It goes back in the same spot, and then you can go the next day, hit the trail, and just
15:27keep going.
15:28I'll put that link in the description, and also I'll tag your YouTube channel.
15:32This is Patrick from New Jersey's Outdoor Adventures YouTube channel.
15:35See you next time.
15:36Thanks, Patrick.