When storing things in your truck, you might feel that you need more room. But getting a whole new truck just for a bit of extra storage isn’t worth it. The real trick is to learn how to get the most out of your truck bed to maximize the space you already have. There are several ways to accomplish this. Many people add on additional storage or adjust their organization methods. Here are some of the exact ways you can better utilize your truck bed for storage.
You Can Stack
One simple change you can try is to stack the things you’re storing. When you are placing objects in the truck, there’s often lots of air space left over. Don’t be afraid to stack your things to use up that space, as long as you’re smart about it and don’t stack things that can break easily without proper protection.
Heavy To Light
When it comes to stacking things, you want to be sure you’re doing it correctly. One of the biggest risks to stacking is falling or sliding objects as you drive. This possibility is something you must take into account. The best strategy to limit this problem is to stack heavy things on the bottom and lighter objects on top. This should help limit the damage of sliding objects.
Dedicate Spots
When looking into your truck bed’s storage, you should try to keep everything in the same place. Tools or things you commonly carry should have a spot they always stay in. This will help you plan your space better and keep things orderly.
Lighting
Numerous truck beds don’t have enough lights to provide good sight for loading and unloading items. This fact can cause many problems, as it’s hard to navigate a space you can’t see. Invest in lighting that can reveal the whole truck bed and provide you with a clear field of vision no matter the conditions.
Think of Unloading
You can solve lots of problems with truck bed storage by planning around the unloading process. Items should be easy to unload and safe to carry. Proper organization isn’t just about filling up your truck bed; it’s also about having the ability to take things out quickly. Once you have a system that’s easy to unload, you’ll find that it’s also easy to store items efficiently as well.
Frequently Used Things
When planning where items should go, look for anything you use often. You should dedicate a convenient place for these tools that’s easy to reach even when the truck bed is full. This way, you won’t need to unload things just to take out something you use often. Many people use door storage for items like this.
Cargo Ties
Items will move during transportation, and this can lead to many injuries or damaged products or the vehicle itself. One way to prevent this is to invest in cargo ties. These ropes or straps will hold down your items and prevent them from sliding. The best way to use them is to tie down any item with two different ropes.
Cargo Nets
Cargo nets have the same purpose as cargo ties, but they’re better for holding many items at once and are useful in conjunction with cargo ties. You usually only need one cargo net, as they’re wide and can cover lots of space.
Boxes
Adding boxes is a great way to help organize your space usage. Smaller items take up a lot of space when loose in a truck bed. They spread out, and you can’t stack objects on top of them as easily as you can with big items. Boxes help hold these smaller items together and limit the amount of room they can take up.
Drawers
Drawers are very similar to boxes because their purpose is also to hold smaller items. However, they don’t take up nearly as much room as stray boxes. They’re also much easier to load and unload because they slide out and give great access to the items they hold.
Sidewall Racks
Another aftermarket modification that many people add to their vehicle is a wall rack. These are basically racks or boards that can hold tools and equipment. As they sit off the floor, they help you maximize the space you use to carry these tools.
Additional Racks
Just like wall racks, you can add various kinds of additional racks to hold whatever you need. Many people already have ceiling racks in their vehicles. These are ideal for securing anything that can hang or tie with cords that you wrap around the racks. Using them also frees up plenty of room for all your other goods and things you need to carry.
Storage Organizer
A storage organizer is a larger investment for your storage space. But it’s well worth it if you need to utilize your truck bed better. These organizers take up most of your truck space but add various storage options. You’ll get things like extra drawers or specific places to hold your specialized tools. They can slide out from your truck bed, giving you easy access to all your storage space. A storage organizer also aids in speeding up the loading and unloading process while increasing the safety of anyone who uses the truck bed, as you no longer need to climb in to load items.
Slide Out Trays
Slide out trays are similar to storage organizers, but they’re flat platforms instead of full organizers. They’re valuable for storing lots of large equipment. A good truck bed slide out tray will enable your workers to carry massive loads—up to 3000 pounds—without worrying about weight distribution. They should also extend past the taillights (at least 110 percent ), giving you the best access to the storage area without needing to twist or climb to handle the equipment.
These tips on how to get the most out of your truck bed will help raise the speed at which you can load and unload your truck bed, promote safety, and increase the amount you can carry in your truck bed. All it takes is a bit of planning and proper organization of your truck bed to get some great results.
