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The 3rd gen 4Runner is a famous camping, offroad and overland vehicle. It has Toyota reliability, its nimbler than a comparable Land Cruiser or Tacoma due to its smaller size, and of course; it has great looks.

Leslie – 3rd Gen 4Runner

Even with all these pros listed, some argue that the smaller size of the 3rd gen 4Runner could prove troublesome for those looking to set camp inside the vehicle. After all, not everyone can afford an expensive roof top tent, and pitching a normal ground tent is not overland-y enough.

So, How Can You Sleep in a 3rd Gen 4Runner?

With a little (or a lot) of engineering and skills, you could make yourself a sleeping and storage platform. One that holds all your recovery gear, all your cooking stuff, and where you can also sleep.

While browsing YouTube, i found the coolest example of a sleeping and storage platform for a 3rd gen 4Runner. Ryan Napoleon is the creator, and he put together the video below to showcase his invention.

Lets break down some of the awesome features of this system.

What’s Inside?

This system has a couple obvious features, and others that you wouldn’t really know unless you watched the video.

10″ Subwoofer Amplifier

Hidden storage/subwoofer air overflow Side wing cubbies Dual drawers Dual cutting board/work stations Outlet door

A 10″ subwoofer resides inside, towards the passenger side. Directly above it there is an open space that allows air pushed from the subwoofer to flow, producing great bass. In the half and fully extended modes, this space becomes a handy hidden storage with a door secured by Velcro straps.

10″ Subwoofer

Hidden Storage

There are sliding drawers that can be covered with a cutting board to produce a speedy workstation or cooking space. The sides have cubbies for all the recovery gear you would need, and all the way in the back passenger side we can find the “useless” door for the back outlet.

Dual Drawers

Side Wing Cubbies

Just FYI, that useless door was my favorite part. I could already imagine my OCD episodes over the pinched wire coming out of the side wing cubby.

“Useless” Outlet Door

It Has 3 Main Modes of Use

The more compact use mode, has the first and second row of seats in stock form. You get full use of the drawers and side cubbies, and there is no ill effect to the functioning of the subwoofer.

Short Mode

The second mode folds down the second row, and extends a middle section over them. This reveals the hidden storage, and provides a decent sleeping area. Ryan calls 80″ (6’8″) of diagonal space is available in this configuration; last time i checked most people where under 6′ feet tall. That leaves you with tons of extra space.

Medium Mode

You could also have the system completely extended. With the driver and passenger seat folded forward, and no seat bottoms for the second row, a third piece is folded out and propped with its own legs.

Full Mode

So, Can You Sleep in a 3rd Gen 4Runner? – Yes.

This shows it is not only possible to sleep in a 3rd gen 4Runner; you could also be comfortable, and bring a bunch of stuff along in an organized manner. You just have to put some thought, heart and lots of plywood into it. I wish i could have Ryan build a similar setup for my Land Cruiser, as i embark in a more mobile lifestyle in the next couple months.

Thank you for reading! if you have any questions please leave a comment below, or contact me here! You may contact Ryan by leaving a comment on his video.

Don’t forget to subscribe to his channel so that he continues to put out great content!