Hello Keyne:
I'd say that EarthCruisers have a lot of storage under the bed - you just don't have to move the bed to get to it! The main difference is whether you need wide shallow storage (ATW GW) or narrower deeper storage (EC). We have two long drawers (one behind the other) under the bed. Heidi's clothes go in the front (immediately accessible) while stuff that we'll use later goes in the rear (you remove the front drawer to get to the rear). My clothes go in the bottom aft drawer below the sink. Some food and cooking goes in the drawer above that, and general handy-to-have-at-hand stuff in the top aft drawer. Forward of those three drawers are another three, just aft of the fridge. Top of those has small cooking stuff, eating utensils, lighters, etc. Below that is the middle forward drawer that has pots & pans, MSR Reactor stove for quick cooking (water for coffee, oatmeal, etc.), more food, etc. The bottom forward drawer has some truck stuff, battery chargers for electronics and a battery vacuum (don't let my minimal camping buddies see this). Down gear that we don't want stuffed goes in light storage bags on the bed (moved about when we sleep or left on our feet if it's cold and we want the window at the foot of the bed open). Under the driver's side settee in the aft locker is dog food, some camera gear, a collapsible jack stand (Bogert Safe Jack) some first aid stuff, etc. Forward of that locker is a locker with the inverter & solar controller - we don't stow anything there, but we've thought of a tray to use about 4 gallons of space there.
Below the passenger side settee the forward locker has deep storage (our dog's bed is above and so getting into that drawer requires negotiations and a bit of effort). Maps, books, camera gear that we'll use later, chocolate that Heidi wants to hide from me, etc. goes there. The locker just aft of that contains the furnace and water heater - we stow nothing there although there is some space available.
The major stowage is in the two exterior lockers under the bed. These are enormous. The passenger side holds two Zarges aluminum boxes - one with truck tools, the other with food for later in the trip. A box of fluids (DEF and engine oil), a tool roll, the dog ramp so he can get up into the house with his old legs, a small table we use out side, a collapsible bucket, hose for washing down and another for filling water tanks, a pair of boots or two, and a large Katanaboy folding saw here.
Between the passenger side and driver's side exterior lockers is storage that runs the width of the house, We store our two outside chairs, the "cheater bar" for loosening lug nuts, and Heidi's trekking poles there. The driver's side locker holds recovery gear (shackles, snatch blocks, and recovery lines / tree slings) all stowed in flat containers. The plow for our PullPal hangs from the roof of that locker and takes up no space at all. The rest of that locker can take two full backpacks, or the inflatable kayak and a backpack with the packraft plus some climbing or canyoneering gear and another pair or two of boots/shoes.
Behind the rear wheels are two lower lockers. The passenger side houses the air compressor, a long handled hatchet, the manual crank for the awning (emergency gear if the motor packs up) and the manual crank for lowering the spare tires. The driver's side carries two sand mats, the lug nut extended socket, a rock hammer, a webbing tree strap, and stakes for guy lines for the awning or the sand mats.
Slightly above the rear bumper and extending forward are two long shallow "tray lockers", one on each side designed to take a set of Maxtraxs each (we carry two sets), we also carry a full sized axe in one of those lockers. Directly behind the rear bumper is a simple holder for a full sized shovel that goes across the trucks beam but completely out of sight and out of the way.
We carry the folding shaft of the PullPal on the front bumper behind the bulbar.
This spring we worked with EC and Aluminess on the design and fabrication of an additional storage locker that can replace one of the spare tire carriers on the rear bumper. Right now we carry a folding Snow Peak fire tray and grill there along with fire wood. We've decided that if we want two spares and that box, we'll carry one of the spares on the roof rack above the cab. That sounds inaccessible, but actually we can haul it up there with a line and a snatch block pretty easily - even if there isn't a tree available!
In the cab we carry a small tool roll with the wrenches and screw drivers we use most, all the electronics, current maps, tire gauge, Staun deflators, canteens, etc.
Finally we have three small Zarges boxes that we carry under the dinette. These usually have our library, some additional camera gear, dog paraphernalia, etc. They are easily moved about as we reconfigure space at different times of the day.
Our strategy has been to keep all the storage configurable via containers within the lockers and other spaces rather than doing built in "sub storage" systems. While that gives us some additional latitude, it does mean we might not remember where something is! We try to have everything within straight-sided light weight boxes so it isn't a hassle to get at whatever is in the back of a locker - just move the box in front. We try to keep the boxes small so they don't get too heavy. We have a small folding step that Heidi can use to get up high enough to rummage around in the back of the lockers if she wants, that step stows in a small exterior space below the house door and above the electric steps.
I've probably forgotten something, but that's the basic layout!
Howard
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