What kind of truck do you use?

[RusticRiver]

5 ft bed in my Jeep gladiator mojave. Tight fit for coolers and totes but I make it work. I hunt out of my backpack and use foot power so I'm sure that makes a difference as well. Granted, my back seat is loaded up too but I'm still happy with the Jeep once I get up into the mountain trails. Its narrow and can crawl over horribly rough roads. It's basically a high end side-by-side with all the bells.

 

[Fogalo]

I used to have a short box 1500 gmc… upgraded to a standard box 2500 gmc. Will never go back. Always have a topper. The extra power, space, and ground clearance is worth poor mpgs

 

[Marshfly]

I really like the larger 36 gal tank on my F150 for that reason. With an extra fuel jug or two, can make that last a long long time with out refueling during a hunt

Range is pretty much the primary reason I traded my gas Power Wagon for a Diesel F350. And this truck is probably getting a 58 gallon replacement tank before too long.

Second or third the opinion on range being important criteria. I missed that buying the last truck, a 2009 GMC 2500HD with the 6.0 gas. I wrongly assumed the 2009 had the 36 gal tank like I was used to in the 2011 model, but nope it has a criminally small 26 gallon. That is a lot of gas stops pulling a trailer.

That's terrible. You should look into if you can easily swap to the larger tank. I bet it's an easy swap.

 

[rodney482]

My little 4x4 Mariner sleep system

 

[8mille]

This is gonna be a little long winded so bear with me, but I promise it’ll all tie into elk hunting.

So I’m thinking about trading in my truck. It’s a 23 F250 gas with the 6’9” bed. I’m looking at a 16 F150 crew cab short bed with 70,000 miles. I’ve got a lot of equity in my truck and could basically walk away from the deal with a paid off truck with plenty of life left.

My question is dealing with the 5 1/2 foot bed, hauling all of the gear from Michigan going out west without a trailer. I can fit everything in my current truck no problem, but I’m gonna be losing almost a foot and a half on the bed length. Have any of you downsized to a smaller bed and regretted it?

If you’ve got pictures of your trucks loaded up post them up so I can see. Thank you.

Used to have full size bed. Went down to a
6.5. I can’t imagine any smaller would be better. But I have friends that use the smaller bed and manage whthey need to.

 

[BoatsNGoats]

8 foot beds with toppers sallow more gear than I ever thought

 

[midwestcowboy]

you could make due with a shorter bed by building a drawer or a platform to separate/organize gear while still having a flat platform up top to sleep on or hold bigger items.

 

[DLIP]

I understand the appeal of the bigger truck as I’d love to make the move from a half to a 3/4 ton.

That said, a short bed will be more than enough space for anything you need. Even more so if you put a topper on it.

If the choice was between a debt free 3/4 ton and a debt free half ton, I’d pick the 3/4 ton. But I personally would only drive what I could own free and clear even if that means going with the smaller vehicle.

 

[z987k]

That said, a short bed will be more than enough space for anything you need. Even more so if you put a topper on it.

This and like it keeps getting said. Does no one use their truck bed for truck things?
Sheets of plywood, half yard of gravel or dirt, full of dirty nasty things, couple dirt bikes? Hose it out?

If a topper works for you full time, so would an SUV.

 

[TSAMP]

This and like it keeps getting said. Does no one use their truck bed for truck things?
Sheets of plywood, half yard of gravel or dirt, full of dirty nasty things, couple dirt bikes? Hose it out?

If a topper works for you full time, so would an SUV.

I routinely load pallets of things with a fork truck without removing my topper. Couch, bed, all without removing it. It's very rare I need to remove it. About the only time It messes me up is if im hauling firewood. I can't just toss it over the bed rail now. I have to crawl in and stack it neatly. Not that big of a deal.

That said, I wouldn't want to do that stuff in an SUV

 

[DLIP]

This and like it keeps getting said. Does no one use their truck bed for truck things?
Sheets of plywood, half yard of gravel or dirt, full of dirty nasty things, couple dirt bikes? Hose it out?

If a topper works for you full time, so would an SUV.

First off, I don’t use a topper. I use a Tri-fold bed cover that I can take on and off in a few minutes. That said, having a topper and doing “truck things” aren’t mutually exclusive.

Toppers can be added and removed as needed.

SUV’s are awesome. We love our 4Runner. But it’s not a truck and OP isn’t asking about SUV’s.

 

[z987k]

But it’s not a truck and OP isn’t asking about SUV’s.

Exactly. And why he shouldn't get a 5.5ft bed.

 

[fmyth]

This and like it keeps getting said. Does no one use their truck bed for truck things?
Sheets of plywood, half yard of gravel or dirt, full of dirty nasty things, couple dirt bikes? Hose it out?

If a topper works for you full time, so would an SUV.

I know its hard for some people to understand but some of us buy trucks with short beds because they work better for our intended purpose. If I'm the one writing a check for 60 or 70k I will be buying what works best for me. There is no SUV built in the last 5 years that can do what this truck has done. I use my Ram 1500 truck as my daily transportation, to tow my 30' toy hauler during my summer long trips to the mountains with my wife, to haul all of my gear to WY each fall for my hunts and to tow my UTV on a trailer. My tow capacity is 11,250lb and my 5'7' bed with the topper has been sufficient for the last 5 years. When I need to haul nasty things like taking landscaping debris to the dump I simply use my UTV trailer. As a bonus the 1500 CC is much easier to park in modern parking lots, fits on trails my Power Wagon would not and only occasionally requires a 3pt turn where my PW would require a 4 or 5 pt turn. I did hose it out after hauling this bull, and a cow back home after a 3 week trip covering 4k miles of which a 1,000 miles was on 2 track and forest service roads.

 

[TheHammer]

I use to haul the enclosed. It’s great to have once you’re out there but the 20+hr tow both ways isn’t fun. Now I run it solo and there is plenty of room. The cab is mostly empty. I do not hesitate to sleep back there either. You can see all my gear in the 2 pics and it’s probably overkill. Each year I bring less and less. I’ve owned plenty of diesel trucks with 8ft beds. All were over kill for what the duty requires.

 

[Howard94]

First off, I don’t use a topper. I use a Tri-fold bed cover that I can take on and off in a few minutes. That said, having a topper and doing “truck things” aren’t mutually exclusive.

Toppers can be added and removed as needed.

SUV’s are awesome. We love our 4Runner. But it’s not a truck and OP isn’t asking about SUV’s.

I have been eyeing those diamondback tonneau covers store important things under it and anything else strapped to the top.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

I had the 5.5’ bed for 20 years. Now have a 23 150 fx4 w/ 6.5’. My main gripe about the truck is the ride height so I put coilovers on it and an add a leaf in back. Also using the decked storage w/ a leer 180 topper. The 3.5 l ecoboost is impressive.

 

[TSAMP]

I had the 5.5’ bed for 20 years. Now have a 23 150 fx4 w/ 6.5’. My main gripe about the truck is the ride height so I put coilovers on it and an add a leaf in back. Also using the decked storage w/ a leer 180 topper. The 3.5 l ecoboost is impressive.

Until you tow with it.

 

[Pony Soldier]

It all depends on your life and its demands. Over the years I have had a number of 3/4 tons - gas and diesel. The gas rigs didn't have enough power and the mileage sucked.

My current rig is a one ton diesel with an 8 ft box. It provides enough power to pull heavy trailers over mtn passes and a heavy enough suspension to support a truck camper and full loads of wood with wood racks.

The 8ft box fits my rubber raft in the fall with a shell and when I lived on the road it had enough room to sleep in and carry my kitchen and work gear.

I rarely have anyone with me and wish that instead of a crew cab, it had a smaller flat floored storage area behind the front seat for secure equipment placement.

I think the rig needs are mostly dictated by where you live and what you do. In the rural west, 1 ton, 4x4, diesel pickups are more common than smaller pickups.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

Until you tow with it.

No plans to tow much. If I had I’d have bought a bigger truck.

 

[Howard94]

No plans to tow much. If I had I’d have bought a bigger truck.

If you did I wouldn’t worry, It tows great for a half ton.