Storage layout?

[DosMars]

Does the gaucho have a similar bracing layout as the regular passenger back seat?
I'm asking because from that photo it looks like storing a speargun under there wouldn't be practical.

[1der]

Originally Posted by DosMars

Does the gaucho have a similar bracing layout as the regular passenger back seat?
I'm asking because from that photo it looks like storing a speargun under there wouldn't be practical.

The “legs” / bracing?? in the picture can be unbolted from the seat. My final plan is to have a metal frame welded together that is 54” wide x 21” deep and 11” high at the front and around 9.5” at the rear. The seat will sit atop that frame. The vertical supports on the welded frame will now be at the width of the seat. This will provide for 52” of open width under the seat.

[DosMars]

Gotcha, that sounds much more user friendly.

In the traditional gaucho, is the access also from the front? For some reason I pictured lifting up the seat so you can load from the top.

[1der]

Access to under the gaucho storage-
I have seen both. Mine will be just from the front since the seat will be converted (hinged) so it can be laid flat. I will likely just have a piece of material hanging down in front. I have found keeping this space flexible very useful. eg. - Covered Plastic bins, tool box, misc storage, etc. just depends on what we are doing.

[BrianW]

De-winterizing the van today, so thought I’d post a few pics of the rear storage in our SMB. Love these two floor-ceiling cabinets at the back of our van! They basically take advantage of the free extra length of the EB van. I adjusted the shelves a bit to fit Sterilite plastic bins, which act as drawers. When packing/unpacking for a trip we just take them into the house and pack them there. Super easy.

I’m thinking about rebuilding them this spring, with the idea to make them easily removable/modular to free up space for bikes when we go on shorter trips. My son is on a NICA youth MTB team and we do 4-5 race weekend overnights in the fall where it would be nice to have the bikes stored inside.

[MountainBikeRoamer]

BrianW --- dreamy layout you've got there!!!
Perfect use of those cheap Sterilite bins for easy/quick load-in/load-out!

A van you can load (and unload) easily/quickly is a van you'll take way more trips with. (Which is what it's all about....!)

[BrianW]

Thanks! It works really well for us. A nice thing about the rear cabinets is you can access them from inside or outside, making it easy to load-out or access our biking gear or hiking stuff at a trailhead.