How We Built the Tunnel Tray: Several Years, Heaps of Prototypes, and a Free Ladder

It all started with a ladder found at the curb on trash day. Free, lightweight aluminum, and a little bat up, it was exactly what we needed to start experimenting with the Gear Tunnel utilization. That ladder was Prototype 1 and we’ve lost count of all the prototypes in between.

Three years later, the Tunnel Tray has become one of our most dialed-in pieces of hardware but it wasn’t a straight path. We tried everything: drawer slides that flexed like gymnasts, bracket designs that aged us prematurely, tray configurations that looked great but kept snagging our T-shirts. What we ended up with is what we wish existed in the first place: a low-profile, dual-access sliding tray that works every day, not just when you’re adventure-flexing for Instagram (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Let’s show you how we got there.

What We Wanted (and Refused to Compromise On)

There are several points that have driven our design from the beginning. We were trying to solve a problem and build something that met our own needs, that we hadn’t seen out there yet.

• We wanted access from both sides of the truck. Parking spaces vary, and you won’t always have access to open the same side of the Gear Tunnel
• We needed it to be flat and modular-friendly, most of our go-to-gear is made to sit flat, we need a tray that accommodates that, not a raised shape that forces us to store our gear all cattywompus
• It had to ride low enough that you could actually store gear above it and still close the tunnel doors without playing Tetris. Bonus if we can have usable space underneath it as well ;)
• And lastly, it had to be easy to install. No brackets that require a power drill, a level, and a minor in contortionism.
  

The Ladder Tray and Other Not-Quite-There Ideas

Prototype 1 was literally an old ladder combined with aluminum extrusions. The ladder slid into the extrusions, creating it’s own slide mechanism. It was stable and worked well with some plastic containers nestled into the rungs for storage. After a bit of use we realized two things:

1. It consumed a lot of usable space in the tunnel.
2. We needed a flatter surface for our gear to rest on.

Prototype 2 introduced the flat tray we new we needed. It was the base for a kitchen prototype,  snagged our clothes like crazy and didn’t provide options for anchoring anything other than the kitchen. With the desire for a more modular set-up we knew there was still work to do.

By Version 4, we had something that looked closer to a real product — but it still rode on generic Amazon drawer slides that extended only on one side, high profile. You’ve probably seen these before: bright yellow or blue levers. Although they provided a nice slide, they didn’t fulfill our need for the best tuned tray for your R1T. We scrapped them.

Slide Science: What We Tested and Rejected

We tried:

• The longest kitchen drawer runners we could find
• Strut channels
• Industrial extrusions
• Any slide substitute we could find

Some weren’t strong enough. Others rattled like a can of spray paint. And more than a few extended 18", then threw a tantrum. What we wanted was maximum extension of clean, quiet, dual-directional travel.

After a long search and talking to lots of custom slide sales people, we finally found the slides we were looking for. No plastic bits. Just smooth movement that feels like a drawer in a high-end toolbox.

Brackets, Prints, and A Descent Into Madness

You’ll never notice them, but the brackets took the most tries to get right.

Every single one was originally 3D printed, iterated dozens of times, and later fabricated from metal. Because they had to do a lot:

• Align perfectly with factory bolt holes
• Tuck in low and open enough to leave usable space under the tray
• Support quick, solo install and fast removal

We don’t usually track hours, but the bracket era alone probably deserves its own therapy journal. Originally planned as a small bracket on each end, we landed on a single, shelf-like bracket that stretches across the whole Gear Tunnel. It's clean, low-profile, and takes just minutes to install with no tools.

What Made the Cut

Here’s what survived round after round of prototypes:

• Powder-coated aluminum tray: strong, light, and flat
• Custom aluminum rails for clean motion
• Dual-sided pull-out with stops to keep things from slamming
• Mounting brackets that are rock solid and still leave room underneath
• Install takes less time than airing down your tires, only tool required is a screwdriver to attach the handle

No odd shape. No levels. No reaching into the tunnel pass-through port to align the tray. Just a sliding tray that feels like it should’ve shipped with the truck.

Built for Everyday Use and Some Not-So-Everyday Moments

Look, we like camping setups. We’ve built camping setups. But most days? You’re not boiling water on a trail somewhere. You’re hauling groceries. Loading kids sports gear. Digging for ratchet straps.

The Gear Glide isn’t designed for a single use case. It’s for everyday stuff plus the times you go full adventure goblin and need to haul your entire life into the woods.

It works because we built it backwards: daily utility first, then adapted for the rest.

Lessons from the Tunnel

• The “cheap and easy” parts usually aren’t
• Fancy-looking isn’t always practical
• Build in public: Show the versions that failed, they’re how we got better

Some of the parts we tested weren’t cheap. Some were. None of them were right, until they were. That’s what three years, a ladder, and a whole lot of parking lot fittings got us.