Overland Camping Storage System With Base Plates, Cabinet Modules & More! A Premium, Durable Setup Made Specifically For GFC – Custom Made In America
There are storage systems, and then there’s Goose Gear. Now, I don’t mean to talk down on anyone, or the different drawers and options out there. But if there was one company that seems to have poured their existence into building the highest quality storage – Goose Gear definitely stands above, in more ways than one.
If you’ve never heard of them before, you’ve come to the right place. With decades of manufacturing experience, Goose Gear shifted focus years ago to building off-road and overland storage. You may have seen their products on XOverland builds, or one of the dealers they have around the country.
More recently, they dove heavily into the camper space, and built several camper-specific systems tailored to work with your camping setup. Buying a camper is one thing, getting it’s function dialed in to support it is another. Let’s take a look at what they’ve come up with.
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Company Highlight
A family owned business for three generations, spanning over 60 years, Goose Gear was built on a successful laminate manufacturing company. Using the latest tech, including CNC machining, Goose Gear products are made to set a standard in storage.
So where did the name come from? Brian Fulton, the CEO, named the business for his daughter, Aislinn “Goose” Fulton. Now older, Aislinn plays a key role within the team in sales and marketing.
Now, they don’t only make products for truck beds. They also covered SUVs and other interior setups, like seat deletes.
Having admired them from a distance over the years, I was finally in a position to get my hands on a system to add the final piece to my GFC camper. Let’s dive in.
Shipping & Unboxing
Once you order your system, you can expect to wait about 5-6 weeks before your items ship. Many components are built to order.
My system was pretty large, and was shipped via freight. It showed up on one of the biggest boxes I’ve ever gotten, and we’ve seen our fair share of shipments.
The box arrived in great condition, without damage and on time.
Once I opened the box, I started to appreciate their attention to detail. The items were incredibly secure, with loads of shipping and packing materials, all tightly secured down.
Once you invest in something like this, the last thing you want to deal with is damaged product. Having experienced, and also heard good things, I can’t speak highly enough of the process. Hats off to Goose Gear.
Once I got all the pieces out of the box, I continued to see the extent of protection. Each individual piece is carefully wrapped several times. This makes the unboxing tedious, but that’s not a complaint. Just a sign of covering your bases as far as damage goes. Many freight companies are notorious for not treating shipments well, and that is largely combated with a job well done on Goose Gear’s part.
Base Plate
The foundation for the system are the base plates. Built with high quality plywood, and finished in a sealed, textured finish, the presentation is very nice. For shipping purposes, the Tacoma bed plate is split into two pieces that are bolted together.
Looking at the back of the plates, you can see the T-nuts hammered into the platform. These nuts are what allows the modules, slides, etc. to connect securely to the plates.
This part is sold on its own, so if you simply need to create a flat surface that gives you the option to easily add your accessories, you can.
The entire base plate is secured through the bed, using existing holes and a few that need to be drilled. Above, you can see the underside of my bed, where one of the bolts can be seen sticking through.
Mounting Modules, Cabinets & Fridge Slides
For my setup, on the driver’s side, I chose a combination of the front utility module, and a rear single drawer module (seen above). Not only does the module have top hatch access, there is a full length sliding drawer. There are a few options to mix and match these modules.
Each module secures to the T-nuts I previously showed. You can see the inside of the drawer module above.
Behind the single drawer module sits the front utility module. It’s bolted to the base plate, as well as the drawer for ultimate stability.
Above, a quick glance at the passenger’s side module. These basically create a hatch accessible area around the wheel wells.
And towards the rear of the passenger’s side, I added a Goose Gear Solo Fridge Slide with the optional cutting board.
The slide mounts similarly to the base plate system.
Sleep Deck Panel
An optional accessory, the sleep deck panels bridge the “aisle” between the cabinets. Two of them are perfectly nestled between the front utility modules.
It might be neat to order full cabinets for the front and rear, without the fridge slide, and order 4 panels to create an entirely flat raised platform for more square footage. It would also allow someone to lay down a mattress and sleep in the bed. Might be better (for me) to run that setup, add a full rear seat delete to the cab, and store the fridge there instead. Just thinking out loud…
Initial Impressions
I’ve had friends and neighbors around this system from the very first day I got it. The consistent reaction is – wow! Even people who wouldn’t consider or don’t have much experience with off-roading can see the utility it provides. There’s no denying how it presents due to the quality construction.
I’m still working on figuring out the perfect place for all my gear. But keeping the bed organized has already dramatically changed how I store everything. Instead of flying around the back, with random bags and boxes, I now have dedicated spots for everything.
Is all of this necessary? Of course it’s not. The same thing can be said for my camper – you could just sleep in a tent. But time, speed, and organization are all things that make off-roading trips easier and more enjoyable. We often run into situations that slow us down, whether they be recoveries or late starts. Having a good system in place means we set up and break down quickly. And that’s worth quite a bit in my book.
Campers are a great base to start with. I’ve spent a while deciding exactly how I wanted to dial mine in. Looking forward to continuing to grow into this setup.
Final Thoughts
I’ve spent a couple months testing and using this setup. It continues to impress me, and I always have a smile on my face when I open the bed.
In a future post, I’ll dive deeper into the components and a longer term review. But for now, I can’t say enough good things about the experience, and the ultimate function now built into my bed. Stay tuned for more!
On a related note, check out my post – GFC camper gear and accessories.
