One of the most exciting aspects of our frame mounted camper is the additional storage we gain. By removing the truck bed and adding a lightweight aluminum frame, we have no bed rails to take up space. Storage boxes will fill that space.
If you are confused at this point, just click here and go back to the post that includes photos of how AT Overland built the frame for the chassis. After it was built, the camper was mounted firmly to the aluminum frame using 11 different attachment points. Here is more info on that process- click here. The boxes were made to bolt perfectly along the edge of the aluminum frame. 
The boxes are made of a fiberglass composite material. Strong, yet lightweight.
Once the material is cut to fit, it can be assembled and then tested in the space. 
It took a few tries to get the boxes to be exactly the right size to slide in to each opening. But once they fit, they were perfect!
Then the boxes went back for painting. Numerous thick coats of special paint were applied to provide a semi-glossy, durable, black finish. 
Then hardware was added. We used locking T-handles on each door for security. 
Once the boxes were fully assembled they were ready to be placed. They slid into the openings under the camper, along each side. This space is normally taken up be the bed rails of a truck. 
The boxes are three different sizes. Some have a specific storage purpose such as the batteries and the drinking water. I will explain each of those systems in a detailed post later. But four of the boxes are simply for storage. The center boxes are longer, for bigger items. At 45 inches long, we can even fit our inflatable stand-up paddle board and paddle in there! (opening of 41 inches)
The doors open outward and are suspended by two strong cables. This will allow each door to function as a table. This will hold a BBQ grill and also the tools for todays projects. When finished, the doors can lock independently and secure the items inside.
Here are a few additional photos of the boxes, in use by Mike.
In addition to the side boxes for storage (they’re yuge) we added a storage box in the back seat. Watch for the next blog post to learn how we removed the back seat, added a lot of storage and made that work for us!
Special thanks to the folks at AT Overland for their work on this rig! Click here to see their website and learn about some of the products they have available. AT Overland
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Juergen- I contacted WordPress and received this response. I would urge you to reach out to them using this email. Very helpful.
“Hi there,
Feel free to direct that person to email us at help@wordpress.com, so that we can look into their specific issue.
Your site looks great on my device (iPhone), so it’s possible that it’s just an issue with their device, or they prefer sites to look a particular way on mobile.
Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with!
Best,
Chris”
Juergen- Thanks for mentioning this. I will talk to WordPress and see whats up. It may be a setting, because the font looks okay on my mobile. But the log in thing is truly a hassle. Sorry!
Thanks for persisting and sending a comment. I love the suggestion on the handles. I have already twisted up a plastic bag that fell against a T-handle. Something less forgiving would have been a mess.
BTW: I find your site not very mobile friendly. The font is very small. And at the end I was asked to log into WordPress to post the comment. That meant: go into the hiding compartment of our camper, get the laptop out, boot it up – all to find ONE password I never need otherwise on my phone. 🙁
Great job. I always hated the concept of slide-in campers where you lose valuable storage space for the wheel arches in the truck bed. I thing I would add: build some protection around the locks on the inside of the boxes. We have similar locks on ours and on bad roads things move around, eventually jamming right against the locking lever – then you can’t turn the handle. Or you force it and damage what was blocking the lever’s movement.
We have a 84 VW camper, (2002 Subaru 2.5L) We’ve been on a few weekend outings with the Texas Vanagons group, and went to New Mexico / Colorado a month or so ago. Installing a Propex heater and the LP lines to a tank in the back, and Fridg.
Since attorneys on both sides told there respective parties the court battle would drag on for 8 to 10 years, he saw the light and moved the Concrete plant down the road.
What are your next destinations with the Truck/Camper??
Hey tc- We love the extra storage this system has provided. We still have some empty boxes! I think I will fill them with shoes, LOL!
Hey Ken! Great to hear from you. How goes the concrete-neighbor-battle? The steps came with this camper. They look like the ones by Tork-Lift or Glow-Step, but we can’t find a name on them anywhere. Sorry!
Keep watching, as we are going to build a back deck to use as a bumper and modify the steps a bit. Are you working on a camper?
HI, This is Ken from Dripping Springs, Tx. You stayed on our property a couple of winters ago (do you remember all the ice on your vehicle ??)
Anyway, l noticed the stairs in the back to get into the camper. (they look like they fold up?) Did you add these,? if so can l get a name / manufacturer to get some info on it. Thanks, Ken
Very nice job! Yeah, storage like that is why I miss having a flatbed for the camper. So much storage available.