Choosing a Storage System for Your Truck Bed
Organizing your pickup truck’s bed might seem like a never-ending puzzle. It’s always temping to just leave gear loose and deal with it later. But too much of this piling will quickly turn your truck into a chaotic mess, and the constant jostling when driving is enough to annoy anyone!
Without proper storage and protection, it’s easy to damage both your gear and truck. Keeping items in place and making them easy to access is the best thing any truck owner can do. If you’re tired of digging around for the toolbox or that missing glove, upgrade to a truck storage system!
Types of Truck Bed Storage Solutions
Stabilizer bars and dividers are the simplest tools to organize your truck bed. Bars or dividers connect to the sides of the bed and prevent boxes, containers, and other bulky objects from shifting around. You can also hang a net or other organizing product from a divider to create extra storage.
Cargo cases and nets attach to the bed walls or dividing bars and keep items in a certain area of the truck. These are great for holding groceries, recreational equipment, beach gear, and other loose items. If you’re sick of the kids’ soccer balls constantly bouncing around in the back, grab a net!
Slide-out bed trays run the full length of the truck bed and create a ton of organization options. Store your hand tools, fishing and hunting gear, and sporting equipment in easily-accessible drawers. Sturdy storage trays can hold upwards of 2,000 pounds on top, allowing you to transport large items without blocking access to the drawers.
Gun safes are crucial for anyone transporting firearms. There’s a huge list of things that can go wrong when guns are left unsecured, including children playing with them, someone stealing them, becoming hazards during a car accident, and causing legal trouble when crossing state lines. Gun safes for trucks range from small locking holders to full bed drawers.
Toolbox systems keep work supplies organized in a truck bed. They come in many different sizes and can have a low profile, lock into the bed’s sides, rest on top of the frame, or fit snugly into the entire back space. The “floating” toolbox systems are ideal for large storage needs because you can slide other items underneath.
Factors to Consider for Truck Bed Storage
Purpose and bed size: Are you looking for a simple method to keep your snowboard and ice fishing gear from sliding around? Or do you need a full bed’s worth of storage plus room to stick the dirt bike on top? Your storage goals and truck size will dictate almost everything when buying organizing products. Before purchasing, make sure you’ve selected the right option to fit your truck’s make, model, and year so you don’t have to return something too big to fit in your truck!
Portable or permanent solution: Do you want a storage box that’s mounted permanently to the truck’s side or one that can be easily moved around? There are many levels of truck storage portability, so consider what types of activities you’ll be doing in the future and how the organizing products can help. Some options require permanent bed modifications like drilling holes, so read instructions of specific products carefully before buying.
Safety: One of the most important parts of owning a truck is understanding how to protect your gear from thieves. Always factor in keeping your things safe with a locking storage solution. Depending on how much gear you need to protect, decide how much of the bed should be open space vs. secure storage space.
Material: If you’re going to be constantly stacking bulky items on top of one another, make sure any organizing products can support this weight. You will also want to protect all gear from the elements, including wind, rain, and snow. You don’t want to find out the hard way that the carwash was stronger than your storage unit!
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There are many storage solutions for every pickup truck, and we will continue to expand our collection to bring you the best options. Sign up for email updates and we’ll deliver them to your inbox!
Last updated: 7/27/2022