There are many reasons why we love a good old drawer system in our 4WD. One big one is they provide storage that is easily accessible. This means you don’t need to be arms deep, wasting time sorting through bags and boxes to grab what you need. They also keep things secure so when you hit a bump on your journey loose things won’t go flying around.
With many brands to choose from on the market, you may be wondering why ORS was the brand of choice for Pat in his most recent season of Pat Callinan’s 4×4 Adventures. We went into a bit of detail and discussed some of the reasons in ‘How to pick the right drawer system’. Such as they help you to save weight, they’re customisable and the latch system doesn’t compromise internal volume.
One other massive reason is their removable lining. Which Pat feels particularly grateful for after one trip when things went a little wrong! Best told by the man himself, check out what happened in Pat’s words below:
The smashed egg story
Traipsing through the hills of the Victorian High Country, we treated ourselves to a superb chicken Parmy (no, not Parma!) at the Dargo Hotel. This meant that by the time we landed in Melbourne for our day off, we hadn’t opened the ORS drawers in a couple of days. This in turn meant that the eggs that smashed had ample time to fester. With the help of some flies who had surreptitiously entered and laid some eggs which had now hatched into maggots. (Remind me to delete this story when it comes time to list the car on Carsales!)
The godawful stench entered the nasal passage and invoked the gag reflex to anyone within fifty yards. I was perplexed with how to clean it out, knowing full well that pulling out entire drawers can be problematic at best. On many occasions I’ve seen ball bearings go flying when it comes time for drawers to be reinstalled. So, I called up Graeme Jones from ORS for advice. I felt silly when he reminded me that the lining of the drawers is removable! Simply whip off the top poly clamps that hold the lining in place and take the entire lining out to wash.
Insta-legend Josh Leonard was the brave soldier who entered the Everest and did the dirty deed. Scrubbing until his knuckles were bloodied and broken (that last bit may be an exaggeration). We popped the lining near the heater overnight and it dried out by morning.
The next day, we hit the road again, smelling like roses. Had we had regular drawers, I doubt that we’d have been able to clean them or dry them so easily. But I suppose that kind of usability comes when your gear is designed by 4×4 enthusiasts.
Don’t think the removable lining could come in handy? Think again. You just never know when things will go sideways! But as Pat said, when gear is designed by outdoor enthusiasts your back is always covered as they seem to always think of everything. Have a similar story? Shoot us a message on socials, we’d love to hear what happened.
