Best Winter Cargo Drawers: Ford Ranger, Bronco & Tacoma

Winter cargo drawers are the fastest way to turn a truck bed or SUV cargo area into a secure, weatherproof gear station — and for the 4x4s people actually take into the snow, ARB's Outback Solutions system is the benchmark. When you are chasing powder to the mountains or breaking a trail after a storm, loose gear becomes a problem: recovery boards slide, tow straps tangle, and a hard stop on ice turns a toolbox into a projectile. A vehicle-specific ARB cargo drawer kit locks everything down, keeps it out of the road-salt slush, and gives you a flat, finished load floor to stack a cooler or fridge on. At NLP Performance, we build winter-ready rigs from our shop in Tampa, FL and ship them to customers heading into real snow country every fall — here is how the Ford Ranger, Ford Bronco and Toyota Tacoma drawer kits stack up.

Why Cargo Drawers Are a Winter Gear Game-Changer

A cargo drawer system solves the three problems that wreck winter road trips: loose gear, corrosion, and theft. In an emergency stop on packed snow or ice, unsecured cargo keeps moving — a 20 lb recovery kit sliding forward is a safety hazard. ARB's Outback Solutions drawers bolt to the vehicle and lock your load in place with an anti-rollback system and slam-shut latches, so nothing shifts when the traction disappears.

The second enemy is winter road salt. Chloride-based de-icer is aggressive, and gear tossed in an open bed gets coated in corrosive slush. A sealed, carpeted steel drawer keeps tools, straps and electronics out of the spray, and ARB's stainless steel runners resist the grit and salt that seize up cheaper slides. The third win is security: at a trailhead or a packed ski-resort lot, a lockable steel drawer is a far better deterrent than a soft bag on the back seat.

There is a practical bonus, too. A roller floor sits just 5.5 in (140 mm) off the vehicle floor and gives you a flat, slide-out surface — far easier to load a 12V fridge or a case of supplies onto than a traditional steel fridge slide. For winter overlanders and ski-trip families, that flat deck is the difference between an organized rig and a chaotic pile of gear.

How the ARB Outback Solutions Drawer System Works

The ARB Outback Solutions system is a modular storage platform built from three module types — roller drawers, roller floors, and vehicle-specific fitting kits — that combine into more than 200 configurations, all backed by a two-year warranty. A roller drawer is an enclosed, lockable steel box; a roller floor is a low-profile slide-out tray that doubles as a flat load deck; and the fitting kit is the carpeted, precision-cut hardware that bolts the assembly into your exact vehicle and fills the gaps with finished side floors.

Construction is where these earn the price. ARB rates each roller drawer to 165 lb (75 kg) and the roller floor to 330 lb (150 kg) of evenly distributed load. The drawers ride on stainless steel runners, lock open with an anti-rollback system, and stay shut on washboard trails thanks to slam-shut latches and anti-rattle hardware. The complete kits are crash-tested and compliant to ADR and AS/NZS safety standards — the same reason they hold gear so securely in a winter panic stop. Every carpeted surface is UV-stable, so it does not fade or get brittle in the cold.

The 3 Best ARB Cargo Drawer Setups for Winter Rigs

We picked one vehicle-specific kit for each of the three most popular winter 4x4 platforms our customers build: the mid-size Ford Ranger, the Ford Bronco, and the Toyota Tacoma. All three are the same crash-tested Outback Solutions hardware — the difference is the fitting kit and how much usable storage each rig gives you.

1. ARB Ford Ranger SuperCrew Double Cargo Drawer Kit (Top Pick)

This is the setup we reach for first. The Ranger kit pairs a fixed-top drawer with a roller-top drawer plus a Ranger-specific fitting kit (part arbMA19FKEK) and carpeted side floors, so the whole load area finishes flat and factory-clean. Each drawer holds an internal 49 in x 17 in x 10 in of gear — enough to split recovery gear on one side and tools, chains and cold-weather kit on the other. It is built for a dual-cab Ranger running a truck cap, canopy or tonneau, which is exactly how a winter overlander should be set up to keep snow and salt off the load. At around $2,900, it is the most expensive kit here, but you are getting two crash-tested drawers, not one.

2. ARB Ford Bronco 4-Door R/Drawer Kit

The Bronco kit is purpose-built for the four-door's rear cargo area and adds 3.74 cubic feet of secure storage. It uses a single Outback Solutions drawer with a sliding top plus side storage on either side that still retains access to the factory wheel-arch cubbies — a smart touch that keeps your jack and tools reachable. Precision-cut carpeted side floors with removable lids and stainless steel locking tabs fill the space around the drawer to create one flat, finished cargo deck. For a Bronco owner running to the mountains, it is the cleanest way to keep traction boards, gloves, chains and a first-aid kit sorted and locked. Fitment covers 2021-2023 four-door Broncos across every trim, including the Everglades, Wildtrak and Raptor.

3. ARB Roller Drawer & Roller Floor for the Toyota Tacoma

If your winter rig is a Tacoma, this drawer-and-floor combo is the value pick at around $1,700. It pairs a single 49 in x 17 in x 10 in internal roller drawer with a roller floor that sits just 5.5 in off the bed and slides out to hold a 12V fridge or a heavy tool box. ARB lists it for the 2016-2023 Toyota Tacoma; add the Tacoma-specific fitting kit and side floors to finish the install. The roller floor's flat top is genuinely useful on a ski trip — it is far easier to set groceries, boots or a duffel on than a bare steel fridge slide, and it keeps the heavy stuff low and out of the way.

ARB Cargo Drawer Comparison: Ranger vs Bronco vs Tacoma

All three kits share the same crash-tested Outback Solutions hardware, stainless runners and two-year warranty. The decision comes down to your vehicle, how much storage you need, and budget. Here is the head-to-head.

Which ARB Drawer Fits Your Winter Build?

Choose the Ford Ranger double drawer kit if you want the most secure storage and run a capped or tonneau-covered bed — two lockable drawers let you separate wet recovery gear from tools and electronics, and it is the only kit here with dual crash-tested drawers. Pick the Bronco kit if you drive a four-door Bronco and want a factory-clean cargo deck that keeps the wheel-arch storage usable; its 3.74 cubic feet and side bins are ideal for a ski-weekend load. Go with the Tacoma roller drawer and floor if you want ARB build quality at the lowest entry price and value that low, flat fridge-slide surface for winter trips.

Whichever platform you run, pair the drawer with the right winter recovery kit: traction boards, a rated tow strap, and a set of chains stored where you can reach them fast. Browse our full range of truck bed and cargo accessories and roof racks to finish the build.

Winterizing Your Cargo Setup: Salt, Gear and Security

A drawer system is only as good as how you pack it for winter. Keep your recovery gear — traction boards, a tow strap, D-rings and gloves — in one dedicated drawer so you can deploy it fast when you are stuck in snow, without unloading the whole rig. Store anything moisture-sensitive (jump packs, first-aid kits, spare electronics) in the sealed drawer rather than an open bed, where road-salt slush will find it.

Even with a sealed steel drawer, rinse gear that comes back caked in de-icer — chloride keeps corroding metal long after it dries. Use the flat roller-floor top for a 12V fridge or a bin of trip supplies, and keep the heavy items low to protect your center of gravity on slick roads. Finally, lock the drawers at every stop: a packed trailhead or resort lot is exactly where a lockable steel box beats a bag on the seat.

Installation: What to Expect

Most ARB Outback Solutions drawer kits are a bolt-in install that takes roughly 2 to 4 hours with hand tools. The vehicle-specific fitting kit and carpeted side floors are pre-cut to your platform, so the drawer indexes to factory mounting points; some fitments call for minor drilling to secure the base. The complete Ranger and Bronco kits include everything you need — drawer(s), fitting kit and side floors — while the Tacoma roller drawer and floor combo needs the matching Tacoma fitting kit to finish. If you would rather have it done right, our Tampa, FL team can spec and build the complete setup before it ships.