Solutions for small cargo items/groceries in bed.

[AngelPhoenix]

So what does everyone do for these scenarios? I will have plenty of instances where my bed will be packed with brush and branches, metal scrap, random junk, giveaway/donation stuff, furniture, etc. I will also have plenty where I will be transporting smaller items and/or groceries. For the latter, I will probably just end up using the foldup backseat most of the time, but I'd like to have the flexibility to use the bed if I want to.

I've looked at nets, bars, bars with nets, bed dividers, and this thing...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MXQRTC2/?coliid=I2HXXROXTACPLB&colid=2TL26TGGZT2CY&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Which seems pretty close to what I want but kind of overpriced for what it is. What do ya'll use? FYI I will not have the Bed Utility Group.

 

[GKIII]

In my last truck (a Nissan) I had a bed extender that I kept back there. When folded in it doubles as a small item containment area very well.

I will probably be doing the same with the RAM in the near future.

 

[CalvinC]

I use a couple of these, they’re great. Not permanent, movable, collapsible, lid keeps dust out. Grab the handles and carry all the groceries in at once.

Of course I have a tonneau cover so they don’t fly out when empty.

Really simple.

 

[Richard320]

My answer is unchanged. Later posts have some really good ideas, too. https://5thgenrams.com/community/threads/bed-storage-alternatives.16725/#post-227617

 

[piening2150]

I just cut a 2x6 I had laying around to fit in the slots stamped in the sides of the bed. I don't have small stuff back there often so I didn't get real fancy.

 

[AngelPhoenix]

I use a couple of these, they’re great. Not permanent, movable, collapsible, lid keeps dust out. Grab the handles and carry all the groceries in at once.

Of course I have a tonneau cover so they don’t fly out when empty.

Really simple.

Do you have a pic of these in your truck? How do they stay in place?

 

[Kicker]

I just cut a 2x6 I had laying around to fit in the slots stamped in the sides of the bed. I don't have small stuff back there often so I didn't get real fancy.

I did the same thing but with a 2X10 I had laying around. Probably worth more than that Amazon thing with the price of lumber and all!

 

[Sascwatch]

A piece of 2x8 cut to fit in the bed and some milk crates between it and the tailgate is what I use.

 

[CalvinC]

Do you have a pic of these in your truck? How do they stay in place?

I have a rubber bed mat, it never moves. Thought about tying it off somewhere but never needed. At least this particular one has some rubbery stuff on the bottom. It wouldn’t move on a spray liner, and probably not bare metal either.

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[Jim N]

A couple of these and a ratchet bar does the trick

Husky 55 Gallon Stackable Storage Bin in Black 232387 - The Home Depot

This ingenious HUSKY Tough Bin can be used to store anything from household maintenance supplies and power tools to sporting goods, shoes and boots. The heavy duty construction is perfect for neatly storing

www.homedepot.com

 

[AngelPhoenix]

Ya'll gave me so many good ideas, from wood planks to slide-outs, that now I don't know what to pick lol

 

[Redfour5]

So what does everyone do for these scenarios? I will have plenty of instances where my bed will be packed with brush and branches, metal scrap, random junk, giveaway/donation stuff, furniture, etc. I will also have plenty where I will be transporting smaller items and/or groceries. For the latter, I will probably just end up using the foldup backseat most of the time, but I'd like to have the flexibility to use the bed if I want to.

I've looked at nets, bars, bars with nets, bed dividers, and this thing...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MXQRTC2/?coliid=I2HXXROXTACPLB&colid=2TL26TGGZT2CY&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Which seems pretty close to what I want but kind of overpriced for what it is. What do ya'll use? FYI I will not have the Bed Utility Group.

In my 2015 shortbed with sprayed in bedliner and cheap tonneau, bungee cords did the trick. I primarily just used the two round hook areas at the bottom front of the bed to hook up various combinations of "bed control." I always had two or three on each side laying on the bottom. I could hook bungees up tight or hook up multiples for bigger items so they would wrap around the back keeping tension and preventing things from gravitating to the front where I couldn't reach them. On some things, I would hook one end of a bungee to the item and push it to the cab end...and use the bungee to pull it back out later. I could load a whole bed so I could get to various things filling the bed WITHOUT having to climb up. I've used the bungees to secure everything from tree cuttings to furniture tonneau off or on...

Now, I have the bed utility package, Ram boxes the multi-function tailgate and although ambivalent about them at first, I cannot say enough good about them after two months. I love them. the "barn doors" are amazing as you don't have to go over the tailgate to put things IN the bed. Like the 16 bags of mulch the other day. No "heaving." AND, you just quickly do the bed divider to limit "intrusion" toward the cab. Easy Easy Easy, AND with the "barn doors" I can get the divider almost all the way back to the cab WITHOUT climbing up and even if I do have to climb up, most of the time, I just used the space where the seven pin/license plate is but I've got the step also and that makes it like stairs up.

Yes, you lose a bit of bed, but you get pretty big lockable boxes as a form of compensation and I now have a few black boxes yellow tops to use in the garage. It might not be the best solution for many, but for MY NEEDS, it is all close to perfect. And a 4X8 sheet of OSB fits perfect with the tailgate open. I still use the bungees and the same old hook loops to secure that kind of thing that I always used. Of course this assumes you can afford a piece of OSB now days. I could have bought four two years ago for the price of one now. Oh, I still have a cheap tonneu cover (Truxsport)... Works great.

 

[Ldc2335]

1x10 doubled at the end. Painted with bedliner spray. Foam strip on the sides and bottom for quietness and a snug fit.

Not the most beautiful, but something to get me by until I decide a bed separator/extender is worth the money.

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[AngelPhoenix]

1x10 doubled at the end. Painted with bedliner spray. Foam strip on the sides and bottom for quietness and a snug fit.

Not the most beautiful, but something to get me by until I decide a bed separator/extender is worth the money.

Sent from my Galaxy S21 Ultra using Tapatalk

I'm increasingly leaning towards something simple and inexpensive like this. The one thing I really like about that big plastic L-shaped "shelf" I linked in my first post is that you can pull it, and in turn the stuff, out on to the tailgate.

The only other thing I've seen that has equivalent functionality are the bed slides, but they're much more expensive, and seem like pretty permanent residents once installed.

 

[Ldc2335]

I'm increasingly leaning towards something simple and inexpensive like this. The one thing I really like about that big plastic L-shaped "shelf" I linked in my first post is that you can pull it, and in turn the stuff, out on to the tailgate.

The only other thing I've seen that has equivalent functionality are the bed slides, but they're much more expensive, and seem like pretty permanent residents once installed.

If I did it again, I'd maybe use pvc board and/or prime the wood before the coating. The heat made the coating bubble up some. Guess it wasn't sticking to the wood very well. Some high build primer and flat black paint would have probably looked just as good and been cheaper. Plus this bedliner spray takes forever to dry.

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