Welcome to the fifth entry in November’s Medium Mod Contest. One Medium Mod will be published in every Email Alert in November. At the end of the month, we’ll hold a reader vote to determine November’s winner. Click here for information about the 2023 Mod Contest, including how to enter.
Ralf Kintzel, Vernon, British Columbia
Truck Camper Wine Cellar
2005 Chevy Kodiak 5500
2018 Arctic Fox 1150
With this modification I wanted to store the most wine bottles possible, in the safest way possible, in my new wine cellar storage drawer.
The drawer I used is the only full-size drawer, and the biggest, in the Arctic Fox 1150. It’s located on the right as soon as you step into the camper, underneath the bench. It was a puzzle to get the most bottles in the least amount of space.
First, I took some leftover wood and cut out the contour of the bottles, and spaced them in the bottom of the drawer. To get the contour of the wine bottle, I took a used wine bottle, put it on a piece of paper, and drew a circle around it. Then I took half of the circle for the bottom of the bottle. I did the same with the top of the neck of the bottle.
Next, I transferred the paper onto a half-inch of wood and cut it out with a jigsaw. I did the same with the neck of the bottle. I spaced everything equally and put a backboard into the drawer so that it is nice and tidy.
Luckily, wine bottles are pretty much a standard size unless you buy some special bottles that are longer or bigger.
For the next step, I removed the drawer from the camper and reinforced the drawer bottom and the hardware with some extra wooden screws.
The wine bottle holders are secured with wood screws in place. I used 1 and 1.5-inch wood screws.
The bottom fits four bottles. On top of those, I added an anti-slip rubber layer from Walmart. This allows for the storage of an additional five bottles. To the left, I still have space for two or three bottles or cans, or whatever I like. There is enough room in that drawer for ten to twelve bottles and some cans that I can transport safe and sound.
This has been a wonderful modification. I installed this wine storage in the spring of 2023. I noticed over the summer and fall that the wine stays at the perfect temperature. It doesn’t heat up too much in the summer, and it’s not cold in the fall and winter. It’s the perfect location because the bottles stay where they are.
As a bonus, if you are sitting at your dinner table and run out of wine, you don’t even have to get up!
Materials Used:
Half-inch plywood
Wood screws
Jigsaw
Stain
It took me four to five hours to complete this modification and cost me $30. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is medium.
Disclaimer: The modifications above are submitted by Truck Camper Magazine readers. It is your responsibility to make sure that any do-it-yourself modification project you undertake is safe, effective, and legal for your situation.
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