Composite material vehicle cargo compartment construct

A vehicle cargo construct comprising:

• a floor having an exterior surface and an oppositely opposed interior surface;
• a plurality of side wall panels extending from said floor, each of said plurality of side wall panels having an exterior surface and an oppositely opposed interior surface;
• and
• an end wall panel extending from said floor between said plurality of side wall panels, said end wall panel having an exterior surface and an oppositely opposed interior surface;
• each of said floor, said plurality of side wall panels, and said end wall panel being formed of a composite sandwich panel material comprising an open area core defining a plurality of pores disposed between a backing sheet and a surface sheet formed of a sheet molding composition (SMC) reinforced with unidirectional fibers wherein the backing sheet is wrapped around the open area core and joined to the surface sheet along all edges of the composite sandwich material with an elastomeric gasket therebetween to fully enclose the open area core and inhibit moisture from entering an interior of the composite sandwich material.