Meet Irwin Lizarzaburu - the proprietor at Overlander Woodworks in Orange County.
Yes Lizarzabaru (just like it sounds). It’s an easy enough name to pronounce if you take one syllable at a time.
… Irwin’s ancestry is Basque, but his family is from Peru.
How do I know this? … because in meeting Irwin at his shop in Anaheim, California, and conceptualizing a “NEW” and unique “BLACK EDITION” heavy duty drawer build for my GX 550 OT+, we spoke for a solid 90+ minutes …. And not just about available features, for my GX, but also what I do with my rig in my daily routine, and beyond those requisite tasks, we discussed my wildest applications of how I would use my GX: my “dream adventures.”
I was referred to Irwin at Overlander Woodworks by NoNameX, one of the veterans of the GX Forum who continues to push the limits of how a GX 550 can be outfitted, and beyond this … where it can go.
Member Profile: A morning with NonameX - a GX 550 build with all the stops removed - full write up and pics to follow.
Irwin’s shop is different than other drawer builders, as he doesn’t have a fancy website, nor the over head of a large office staff. Irwin is both creative genius and master craftsman behind each of his builds.
If you choose to have a custom GX Overlander Woodworks Drawer System build, Irwin is someone who will not just take the requisite time to build a signature drawer system for you, but he will also take the time to get to know you personally. But there is a deeper reason as to WHY???
By getting to know his customers and their specific needs and interests: whether they be commercial business requiring making daily deliveries, shuttling children, fishing, camping, surfing, climbing, rock crawling, this data helps Irwin guide clients to select surfaces and features that will best suit their specific application.
And the cool part is that if your build needs to be tweaked to accommodate new tasks, or (as was the case with one unfortunate client) your rig gets swallowed by the high tide camping on a Mexican beach, Irwin is there to disassemble and rebuild, and even upgrade your build specifically to YOUR needs.
Take for example one client who is an avid surfer. Irwin steered him away from carpeted surfaces due to sand getting ground into carpet, and being a torture to remove. For an off-duty police officer, Irwin created special hidden compartments to house a locked firearm.
Irwin shared that some of his clients have a very specific build in mind, with intricate details. For these, owners Irwin serves as a “partner” and assures that details are followed meticulously.
At his current pace, a drawer build will take Irwin between 4-6 weeks, at a price point that is at the lower end of the market standard, for a finished product that is of a higher end in build quality, using premium materials.
On my limited review of several drawer systems on the market, I came to the conclusion when factoring price point, product customization, and proximity (California), there was no better option.
Irwin has been in the business for a decade and started Overlander Woodworks 6 years ago. Irwin’s quality, creative designs, and commitment to his clients has resulted in over 500 drawer system builds since opening his shop.
So Irwin sounds like the perfect go to!! Simple answer “yes he is..” BUT… only if you plan to deliver your GX to his doorstep for meticulous measurement, and in shop installation.
So if you reside in New York, Phoenix, Colorado, Irwin is NOT your guy (unless driving to Anaheim, California is in the cards.) Irwin by his own admission is very directed to working on LOCAL PROJECTS ONLY. He specifically closed his website because he was getting a buzz of contacts from owners on the east coast, which was for him burdensome. Currently, Irwin’s business is ALL word of mouth.
Irwin is NOT the big box large production manufacturer. And he isn’t looking to build his business in that direction.
If you want a high quality drawer build, customized to your rig, that you DON’T have to install yourself, AND if you live within reasonable distance of Anaheim which allows you to make two trips (a project conceptualization visit, and a second 2-3 hour installation visit), then Irwin is your guy.
In my case, I drove 250 miles, met with Irwin, and put together the conceptual renderings for what I’ve dubbed the GX Overtrail Plus “Black Edition” Drawer System.
4-6 more weeks and I will have some pictures and a personal perspective on Irwin’s new custom build for my 2026 GX.
More to follow: Emed out.
Yes Lizarzabaru (just like it sounds). It’s an easy enough name to pronounce if you take one syllable at a time.
… Irwin’s ancestry is Basque, but his family is from Peru.How do I know this? … because in meeting Irwin at his shop in Anaheim, California, and conceptualizing a “NEW” and unique “BLACK EDITION” heavy duty drawer build for my GX 550 OT+, we spoke for a solid 90+ minutes …. And not just about available features, for my GX, but also what I do with my rig in my daily routine, and beyond those requisite tasks, we discussed my wildest applications of how I would use my GX: my “dream adventures.”
I was referred to Irwin at Overlander Woodworks by NoNameX, one of the veterans of the GX Forum who continues to push the limits of how a GX 550 can be outfitted, and beyond this … where it can go.
Member Profile: A morning with NonameX - a GX 550 build with all the stops removed - full write up and pics to follow.
Irwin’s shop is different than other drawer builders, as he doesn’t have a fancy website, nor the over head of a large office staff. Irwin is both creative genius and master craftsman behind each of his builds.
If you choose to have a custom GX Overlander Woodworks Drawer System build, Irwin is someone who will not just take the requisite time to build a signature drawer system for you, but he will also take the time to get to know you personally. But there is a deeper reason as to WHY???
By getting to know his customers and their specific needs and interests: whether they be commercial business requiring making daily deliveries, shuttling children, fishing, camping, surfing, climbing, rock crawling, this data helps Irwin guide clients to select surfaces and features that will best suit their specific application.
And the cool part is that if your build needs to be tweaked to accommodate new tasks, or (as was the case with one unfortunate client) your rig gets swallowed by the high tide camping on a Mexican beach, Irwin is there to disassemble and rebuild, and even upgrade your build specifically to YOUR needs.
Take for example one client who is an avid surfer. Irwin steered him away from carpeted surfaces due to sand getting ground into carpet, and being a torture to remove. For an off-duty police officer, Irwin created special hidden compartments to house a locked firearm.
Irwin shared that some of his clients have a very specific build in mind, with intricate details. For these, owners Irwin serves as a “partner” and assures that details are followed meticulously.
At his current pace, a drawer build will take Irwin between 4-6 weeks, at a price point that is at the lower end of the market standard, for a finished product that is of a higher end in build quality, using premium materials.
On my limited review of several drawer systems on the market, I came to the conclusion when factoring price point, product customization, and proximity (California), there was no better option.
Irwin has been in the business for a decade and started Overlander Woodworks 6 years ago. Irwin’s quality, creative designs, and commitment to his clients has resulted in over 500 drawer system builds since opening his shop.
So Irwin sounds like the perfect go to!! Simple answer “yes he is..” BUT… only if you plan to deliver your GX to his doorstep for meticulous measurement, and in shop installation.
So if you reside in New York, Phoenix, Colorado, Irwin is NOT your guy (unless driving to Anaheim, California is in the cards.) Irwin by his own admission is very directed to working on LOCAL PROJECTS ONLY. He specifically closed his website because he was getting a buzz of contacts from owners on the east coast, which was for him burdensome. Currently, Irwin’s business is ALL word of mouth.
Irwin is NOT the big box large production manufacturer. And he isn’t looking to build his business in that direction.
If you want a high quality drawer build, customized to your rig, that you DON’T have to install yourself, AND if you live within reasonable distance of Anaheim which allows you to make two trips (a project conceptualization visit, and a second 2-3 hour installation visit), then Irwin is your guy.
In my case, I drove 250 miles, met with Irwin, and put together the conceptual renderings for what I’ve dubbed the GX Overtrail Plus “Black Edition” Drawer System.
4-6 more weeks and I will have some pictures and a personal perspective on Irwin’s new custom build for my 2026 GX.
More to follow: Emed out.
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