Decked Truck Bed Storage System is Ready for Mid-Size Market
Unique storage system is the best thing to happen to trucks since the Raptor, and now it’s expanding to include mid-size trucks.
If you’re around trucks a lot, you see folks trying to keep things organized in all kinds of ways, from wooden draws to plastic dividers. Occasionally a company tries to come up with a solution for truck bed storage, but they always seem to have at least one compromise that’s a deal breaker: not being able to use the truck bed to actually haul large and heavy items any more.
Decked is a company that has attacked the problem of truck bed storage from every angle. They understand truck owners, and they understand we use our trucks for both work and play — sometimes both at the same time. They’ve focused on the key tenets of trucks: practicality, quality, strength, and durability. The even better news is that Decked is beginning to roll out its unique storage system for mid-sized trucks, too. The company is guaranteeing to ship no later than Oct. 31.
Real Solutions to Real Problems
Award-winning automotive journalist Manuel Carrillo III, who edits the popular auto sites Corvette Forum and 5Series, among others, had some words to say when he first reviewed the system.
“When I first saw Decked’s storage and organization system at their Los Angeles product unveiling, I wondered, ‘Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?’,” says Carrillo. “In the past, people had to either junkpile tools and supplies into their truck beds, or if they were clever, they’d hit up the Home Depot’s millworks section to craft storage systems themselves. The problem with home-built units, however, is that they look garish. Decked’s system blends right in with the truck bed. It’s like a bed liner with drawers, and it looks great.”
This low-profile toolbox system is made right here in the USA. It’s shaped individually to the area of each truck bed for a snug fit and attaches at each corner. Then, because Decked has thought of everything, there is no drilling required to attach the system.
Engineered to Last
The toolbox and heavy duty drawers smoothly slide out on ball bearings at waist height. On top of that, each drawer has a load capacity of 200 lb. Whether you use your truck for work, play, or both, that should be room to spare.
For strength, they build each system using 70 lb of high grade galvanized U.S steel for the sub-frame. Decked makes the skin using high-density polyethylene. The end result is a truck bed you can actually use. The new midsize version holds a 2000 lb payload, yet weighs just 210 lb.
A truck bed storage system like this needs to not just stand up to wear and tear. It also needs to stand up to the elements, so Decked has fully weatherproofed the system. Extreme heat and cold are not a problem either, and the materials used are chemical resistant. It’s truly something that matches all the qualities of an excellent truck. This doesn’t strike us as an accessary you put on the vehicle, it’s something that becomes part of it.
“Frisking my way through the array of cubbies, I could tell this setup was carefully engineered,” says Carrillo. “Even with an ATV sitting atop one of the storage systems that I tried out, the ball bearing drawers still opened elegantly as though they were holding heirloom cutlery. As someone who used to hop in and out of truck beds as much as 100 times a day to grab tools and supplies, I can tell this storage system is going to make hard-working folks’ lives easier.”
Working Hard and Playing Hard
A truck’s life is typically about work. However, when we first saw it, we instantly thought of fishing. We would also look at it for hunting as they couldn’t be purpose-made any better for rifles and shotguns.
In fact, it didn’t take long to realize the Decked truck bed storage system works for so many things outside of work. Mountain biking, ATVs, kayaking and other outdoor sports. It’s also a system that will make camping super convenient. For a covered truck bed, slip a mattress on top and you have an instant getaway vehicle for the weekend.
The Decked storage system, which runs a little over a grand, is already available for F-150 and Super Duty trucks, as well as Econoline and Transit vans. And since it’s also now available for the international version of the Ranger, it’s safe to assume that they’ll be ready for the U.S. relaunch of Ford’s mid-size pickup in 2019.
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