Truck Bed Storage: Toolboxes, Drawers, Slides and Under Rail Boxes Compared

Decide what the bed is for

Storage that works for a contractor is wrong for someone who hauls a dirt bike twice a month. Answer two questions first: how much bed floor will you give up permanently, and do you need to reach gear from the ground or from inside the bed. That eliminates most of the category.

Crossover toolbox

The classic aluminum box that sits on the bed rails behind the cab. Capacity is large, ground access is excellent on both sides, and it installs in twenty minutes with J hooks and no drilling. Best value per cubic foot in the category.

The costs: it blocks the rear window, sits above the rails so you lose the flat load, and takes eight to twelve inches of bed length. Low profile versions clear the window on most trucks.

Crossover boxes work with most roll up and folding covers only if you buy a cover cut for a toolbox. Check that before you buy either one.

Side mount and chest boxes

Side mount boxes bolt along the inside of the bed rail and leave the middle of the bed open and flat. They are the right answer when you carry long material and still want secure tool storage. Capacity is lower and you reach in over the rail, which is a stretch on a lifted truck.

Chest boxes sit on the bed floor against the bulkhead and open upward. They hold the most weight, work with an open bed, and clear the rear window on most trucks, but they eat floor space and you have to climb in to get to them.

Bed slides and cargo decks

A slide is a platform on heavy duty bearings that rolls most of the bed out past the tailgate. The load comes to you instead of you crawling in. Capacity commonly runs 1,000 to 2,000 pounds, with a lock that holds position at full extension.

This is the best accessibility in the category. The trade offs are weight, usually 150 to 300 pounds of payload before you load anything, several inches of bed height, and a real price. Check that your cover clears the deck.

Drawer systems

Two or three long drawers in a frame that occupies the full bed. Everything is organized, lockable and reachable from the tailgate without climbing in, and the top of the unit becomes a flat load deck. Drawer systems are the choice for service trucks, overland builds and anyone carrying recovery gear or camera equipment.

They are the heaviest option and semi permanent. Removing one is an afternoon with a helper. Confirm drawer length against your bed length.

Under rail, wheel well and tailgate storage

Smaller units that use dead space. Wheel well boxes tuck beside the arch and hold straps, chains and recovery gear without touching the load floor. Under rail boxes hang below the rail. Tailgate organizers carry small tools and are the cheapest useful upgrade you can make. None carry much, but all leave the bed flat.

Check these before you buy

• Bed length, measured inside the bed. Storage part numbers are bed length specific.
• Cover compatibility. A cover cut for a toolbox is a different part number than a standard cover.
• Rail height and whether you have a factory cargo rail system or bed rail caps.
• Payload. Subtract the empty weight of the system from what your truck can legally carry.
• Fifth wheel or gooseneck hardware in the bed floor, which limits slides and drawers.

The short recommendation

Most storage for the money: crossover toolbox. Keep the bed flat for long loads: side mount boxes. Easiest access to heavy gear: bed slide. Best organization for a working truck: drawer system. Smallest budget, real improvement: wheel well and tailgate storage.

Send us your year, make, model, bed length and the cover you run, and we will confirm what fits together before you buy.