A pickup truck is one of the most useful, versatile vehicles you can own. You can pretty much go anywhere and do anything with a great truck. While the bed of your pickup makes it possible to carry a ton of gear, without some kind of cargo management system, that stuff just rattles around in the open bed space. Loose gear is a serious problem - the gear can get damaged, it can damage your truck, or it may even be lifted by thieves. Plus, unorganized gear in the bed of your truck makes life harder than it needs to be; that disorganized mess isn't doing you any favors.
A great truck bed storage system can fix all that.
Benefits of Truck Bed Storage
When we talk about truck bed storage, we're talking about more than just a toolbox, though toolboxes are certainly one option. We're talking about carefully planned storage solutions that are crafted to protect and manage the specific types of items your truck is carrying. We hinted at the benefits of installing such solutions above, but they're worth mentioning again.
Organization
If you don't have a storage system, chances are, the back of your truck attracts clutter. And that clutter makes it hard to find what you need when you need it. Good truck bed storage stops the searching.
Containment
Without storage solutions, tools roll from side to side, and light items may fly out of the vehicle altogether. But that's not all; if you have tools banging around in the back of your pickup, they will scratch and dent the bed and leave your vehicle exposed to rust and corrosion. Effective truck bed storage keeps items secure, so they don't get damaged, and neither does your truck.
Protection
Items stored out in the open in a truck bed can be damaged by rain, snow, wind, dust, and even heat. They're also susceptible to theft as almost nothing's easier for a thief than snatching a tool or two out of the back of an open pickup. If you want to keep your gear safe, you need a secure truck bed storage system.
How to Find the Right Truck Bed Storage
If you jump online looking for truck bed storage, you'll be inundated with thousands of options. It won't take long to feel completely overwhelmed, and the chances of spending a lot of money just to bring home the wrong solution are high.
There are several approaches to finding the best storage solution. We've got lots of ideas, and the team at Chandler Truck Accessories would love to brainstorm about what will work best for you, so please give us a call. In the meantime, consider these two things: your truck and cargo needs and the available options.
Your Truck and Cargo Needs
Your Truck
It's a good idea to have a general idea of your truck's measurements before you start shopping to help you narrow your search. Once you land on a potential solution, you'll want to pin down your measurements more precisely and our team is ready to help with that.
Your Cargo
Having a clear picture of the cargo you'll be hauling is essential for two reasons.
First, you need to make sure the truck bed storage solution is big—or small—enough to accommodate your items. Smaller items need different storage than larger ones to provide the containment, organization, and security you're after.
Second, you need to make sure that your storage container leaves enough space for anything else you may want to bring along. For example, if you're an avid 4-wheeler, you'll want to make certain your truck bed has plenty of room for your ATV after you install an APEX gullwing toolbox. Or, if you're hauling lumber to a worksite, you'll want to be certain that your DECKD drawer system leaves room on top for everything else you need to bring along.
General Available Options
Toolboxes
Truck bed toolboxes come in all different shapes and sizes. In addition to standard toolboxes, you can find specialty storage solutions such as these:
- Gullwing. A gullwing toolbox is mounted at the bulkhead of the bed. The edges of the box rest atop the bed rails, and the body of the box drops into the body of the bed but doesn't usually touch the bed itself. The gullwing name refers to the fact that the box opens from both sides to give you easy access to the entire box. The APEX Gullwing from CTA is also compatible with a wide variety of APEX accessories, so you can customize the interior for the exact storage configuration you want.
- Underbody box. An underbody toolbox is mounted beneath the truck bed. You'll often see these on flatbed trucks mounted between the bulkhead and the rear tire, between the rear tire and the rear bumper, or sometimes even both. A CTA underbody box adds storage without taking up any otherwise usable space.
- Drawer system. A drawer system like the DECKED drawer system gives you two drawers the length of the truck bed plus a high-capacity deck system on top. This gives you lots of storage space in the drawers plus a full bed of storage above.
Toolboxes keep your gear in place and protect it from the weather. Regardless of what you choose, your storage needs to offer security features like locks and padlock rings, weatherproof materials, and high-quality, durable aluminum or steel construction.
Stabilizer Bars and Dividers
Stabilizer bars attach to the sides of your truck bed and provide a secure place for you to attach cargo or other organizing tools such as dividers or cargo nets. You can attach pockets to stabilizers to keep track of smaller items or use them to secure large items, but items will be exposed to the elements.
Tonneau Covers
A tonneau cover covers the entire bed of the truck, adding protection from weather and keeping your items out of sight. But a tonneau cover does nothing to keep your stuff from moving around in the bed when the truck is in motion.
Get the Storage You Need
Learn more about Chandler Truck Accessories by visiting our website or giving us a call today. We carry an exceptional collection of truck bed storage solutions so you can find exactly what you're looking for.