What kind of truck do you use?

[Howard94]

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.

 

[fmyth]

My Ram has a 5'7" bed. I travel from AZ to WY every year to hunt. I will often stay 2-4 weeks and always take a generator, 7cf deep freezer, 10x14 Kodiak tent, pop up shelter, cooler, 12v fridge and enough other stuff to make camp comfortable. I do haul quite a bit of stuff in the back seat area which is large in the crew cab trucks.

 

[180ls1]

You'll be fine and can always get a hitch hauler if needed. I've been using an SUV the past few years.

 

[intunegp]

You said everything fits in your current truck no problem but I'm guessing you don't have a ton of extra room since you're questioning it. I hunt about 6 hours from where I live and have never felt cramped with my 5.5 bed. We used to put three guys worth of stuff in a 6.5 foot bed before I got my truck.

Are you taking a bunch of stuff you rarely use/never need? Could you put more in the cab and less in the bed? Since you're not towing would you consider a cargo rack in the receiver? How about a topper so you can pile stuff above the bed rails?

 

[camelcluch]

I have had the 5.5’ bed and the 6.5’. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the short bed. You’re not saving anything and losing a bunch of space.

 

[Howard94]

My Ram has a 5'7" bed. I travel from AZ to WY every year to hunt. I will often stay 2-4 weeks and always take a generator, 7cf deep freezer, 10x14 Kodiak tent, pop up shelter, cooler, 12v fridge and enough other stuff to make camp comfortable. I do haul quite a bit of stuff in the back seat area which is large in the crew cab trucks.

I’m assuming you have a cap. Do you have a picture of everything loaded up.

 

[88man]

I had F 150s since 1995. Got a 250 in 2023 and it is an awesome truck so far. Pulls a 7000 lb 20foot trailer like its not even there from Pa to WY. My biggest issue is whe I use it as a grocery getter, but for on the road I love it.

 

[Howard94]

You said everything fits in your current truck no problem but I'm guessing you don't have a ton of extra room since you're questioning it. I hunt about 6 hours from where I live and have never felt cramped with my 5.5 bed. We used to put three guys worth of stuff in a 6.5 foot bed before I got my truck.

Are you taking a bunch of stuff you rarely use/never need? Could you put more in the cab and less in the bed? Since you're not towing would you consider a cargo rack in the receiver? How about a topper so you can pile stuff above the bed rails?

I always have extra I definitely overpack but leave a lot in the truck. Even going to our cabin on weekends 3 hours away to ride dirt bikes I fill up my bed. But I would more than likely get a cap.

Ive always been a, plan for the 10% of the time and deal with it 90% of the time kind of guy but I'm trying to change that. The super duty doesn’t really navigate tight trails very well either.

 

[Howard94]

I had F 150s since 1995. Got a 250 in 2023 and it is an awesome truck so far. Pulls a 7000 lb 20foot trailer like it’s not even there from Pa to WY. My biggest issue is whe I use it as a grocery getter, but for on the road I love it.

They certainly do pull good, but I don’t see myself dragging a trailer cross country.

 

[LCguy]

I have a Nissan Frontier. A shorter wheel base is better for the road conditions you might encounter hunting, in my opinion.

 

[z987k]

Usually if a 5.5ft bed works for you, an SUV would as well, since you likely don't use the bed for truck things. Then you have the added security of the SUV for your stuff. And SUV's are usually cheaper.
If you really do use the bed, you'll likely hate the 5.5ft bed.
I went from a 8ft to 6.5 last year and the amount of time I waste with extra trips has me looking already.

 

[spike camp]

I hate my 5’ bed, big mistake in my opinion.

 

[Dave_]

I have a 5' bed and shell on my tacoma. Only reason I don't like it is because I can't sleep in it with the tailgate up if it's raining.

A hitch hauler is always a good way to add additional space.

Otherwise my saying is: if I can't fit everything in my bed I'm probably bringing way too much crap. I tell everyone who hunts with me to try and keep it light b/c I want to hunt not fart around with camp.



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[Howard94]

Usually if a 5.5ft bed works for you, an SUV would as well, since you likely don't use the bed for truck things. Then you have the added security of the SUV for your stuff. And SUV's are usually cheaper.
If you really do use the bed, you'll likely hate the 5.5ft bed.
I went from a 8ft to 6.5 last year and the amount of time I waste with extra trips has me looking already.

I couldn't live with an suv. I use the bed way too much for things that wouldn’t fit. I’m also concerned with the payload of the f150. Granted I’ve never really weighed what I have in the bed but just last week I brought home 10 full sheets plus 2 partials of 5/8x4x10 type x drywall that would probably be pushing it in the f150. I could just use the flat bed but it’s not always convenient.

 

[DESERT ED]

Had a 13 F150 with the 5.5 bed. Loved everything except that tiny bed! Now I have a 14 F350 with the 6.75 bed. Love it except the dismal gas mileage. I would look for a F150 with the 6.75 foot bed.

 

[Sand Wrench]

Switching from coolers to kill bags will really help with your space issue. There is a good thread about them. https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/large-soft-cooler-kill-bag.327045/

 

[IAm_Not_Lost]

Nissan Frontier. Solar on the camper shell, aux battery, DC fridge, plenty of space for gear in the five foot bed. You’ll be fine man!

Love having a narrower truck. Can go way more places than a full size truck can.

 

[keystone112]

My Ranger has a 6 foot bed. If it were any shorter it wouldn’t work for me. Sometimes you just need more than 5 1/2 feet.

 

[fmyth]

I’m assuming you have a cap. Do you have a picture of everything loaded up.

Yes I have the base model ARE cap. I do not have a pic showing what's inside.

 

[WaWox]

I can fit clothing, camping gear (lightweight backpacking gear, not a huge wall tent), food, a pelican gun case, and three huge coolers that comfortably fit ice and an *entire* deboned bull elk (guide quote: "are you really scraping the between-the-rib meat out now? I am starting to feel bad for the coyotes"), hunting backpack, a variety of emergency and roadside tools, basic butchery gear, etc etc, for an 18h drive and a week of hunting into a 2017 subaru forester.

If it's an enclosed bed you won't have a problem. Or just trade in for a forester