Bed Rack + Ideas for holding more camping gear!

[voltron24]

Hey folks, I'm sorry if this is somewhere else that I didnt find it...but this past weekend, we went on a 4 day "camping" trip, which by camping, i mean glamping lite (meaning we bring our own tents and mats lol). With a family of 4, the lightning was completely packed and I had maybe one or two bags also in the back seat. I've got a 22 Platinum with a Bestwyll Electric Tonneau on it that has the T Slots.

My gear:

1 Exped Queen Mat
2 Exped single mats
4 sleeping bags (they're standard REI ones)
1 husky 12 gallon waterproof storage bin (for all the dishes/smores stuff/etc)
2 Nemo Moonlite tiny chairs which conveniently fit in the frunk drain area lol
3 DoD Outdoors Sugoi Chairs
2 Rumpl blankets
1 jackery v2 1500 (this is being replaced by the ecoflow delta 3 plus)
1 igloo cf40 (this is being replaced by the ecoflow classic 55L)
3 Cotopaxi Alpa 42L bags
1 Osprey 90L bag
1 snow peak IGT table bag
1 snow peak BBQ box
1 Naturehike Village 13 8 person tent
Some odds and ends (lights, snacks, etc)

I was glad it all fit, but the down side was that i didnt have many hard sided bins for the campsite (it did rain 1.5 days, not heavy but still) and with me getting a bigger fridge, i really need to figure out how I'm going to lug my existing, and probably more stuff. as I'm still "new" to learning more about the truck and camping, I thought I'd ask for some thoughts and suggestions!

So I've been looking at three options:

Leitner ACS: https://www.leitnerdesigns.com/products/acs-forged-tonneau-rack-only-ford
Kuat IBEX: https://kuat.com/products/ibex
Thule: https://www.ford.com/product/racks-...ck-for-embark-ls-tonneaubed-cover-p2916886023

Options 1&2 are pretty cool, but they seem to be more for off roading/roof top tents, neither of which I'll be doing. I like the storage pods of the Leitner, but I worry that even the XL won't be big enough to get the big things out of my bed (tent, queen mattress) and they're also currently out of stock anyhow. I like the Molle panel look, but I can't think of many things that I'm going to attach to them. I don't need an axe, I don't need a gas tank, maybe a propane tank?...but what other things are people hooking to these? I'd also like it if i could close out the back (almost like a topper) so that I could just lay some bags/gear on top of the tonneau or even storage bins.

Option 3, the Thule is more standard and would just require me to get a cargo box that i could load at least the tent and maybe a couple mats/sleeping bags/clothes bags out of the bed so i can fit 2-3 more husky 20 gallon bins.

I like the look of the racks above better, but cant figure out how i would functionally use them/take full advantage so appreciate any advice!

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[Highpi]

Would a hitch mount cargo carrier be enough?

 

[voltron24]

it could be but i think i prefer something over the bed, thanks for the idea tho now I'll spend the night looking at those and comparing ha!

 

[bryce]

Not sure what you are doing with your truck bed on other days, but my concern would be whether the cross bars on the racks are moveable. The Thule bars are mobile, and can be moved forward when you need tall bed access. Not sure about the other options, which do look cool, but might limit your taller truck-stuff bed access.

 

[LSUT1GER]

Here's another option:

https://realtruck.com/p/elevate-rac...PBWkXCxBh1jQWq_ul8xAq3xTK-a5lSZxoCTugQAvD_BwE

 

[LSUT1GER]

Also, check this out....

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...ls-round-2-on-realtruck-com-4-13-4-30✨.36092/

 

[jobofly79]

Billie bars rack with Roam boxes mounted to them.

 

[hikinbengal]

Here is my setup. I use Rhino Racks bars and quick release mounts over my bed with a Thule Cargo box. I'm able to carry a full camping set for 5 adults in my truck.

 

[voltron24]

Not sure what you are doing with your truck bed on other days, but my concern would be whether the cross bars on the racks are moveable. The Thule bars are mobile, and can be moved forward when you need tall bed access. Not sure about the other options, which do look cool, but might limit your taller truck-stuff bed access.

haha you get me...looks super cool - but how do i functionally use it?! My buddy who I go camping with has a jeep gladiator and a full topper and he's trying to convince me that the Leitner/IBEX are the way to go.

Fortunately I dont really use my truck for tall things, most everything i need to lug around can fit under the tonneau and if not, won't be that much taller, tho in the near future i could see needing to get a couch. I did watch vids on the IBEX and a guy and his wife were able to easily lift it up so I dont think it'd be too bad (except when I decide last minute I want to go get something of course).

From what i have watched online, you can move any of the middle bars, but not the end ones for the racks. Sigh. I wish i could see these racks in person/test them out!

 

[voltron24]

Billie bars rack with Roam boxes mounted to them.

this is nice, how big are those roam boxes and whatcha got stored in em if you dont mind me asking?

 

[Dimitri]

.

I have been working on a similar solution for the last couple of years for camping and biking.
Resolution for my truck bed underneath the cover on top of the collapsed tent, is to hang Ridgid Brand toolbox, using their own wall, hanging system off of a a reinforced Molle panel system. The whole perimeter of the truck bed carries to medium stored boxes on the bulkhead wall, four small storage boxes over the wheel well incorporated into a holding table/solar panel holder, and two medium storage boxes hanging off the side inside the bed right next to the tailgate for our clothing that can be easily accessed with the tailgate open, but without having to unroll the tonneau cover. (sorry I don’t have a great picture of this entire set up).
Over the truck bedI have improvise a pair of Billy bars and Milwaukee packout storage attachment panels to create a bike rack and bike gear carrier accessible with the truck bed closed.
On the tailgate itself on the outside, I improvised a rack to hold to Ryobi link storage bins to hold our campfire starting Fire starting equipment and our canopy and pegs in case of rain.
I have also improvised the identical set up as a hitch rack system, which makes getting to the truck bed tent much easier but lengthens the truck significantly

 

[21st Century Truck]

For what it's worth, I am a huge fan of the Decked Drawers 2nd Gen setup. Apart from carrying tools, the Decked Drawers are also for carrying and storing camping and emergency tow gear securely on the truck at all times.

This lets our little teardrop trailer be just a double bed instead of a U-Haul when we're rolling. And with the Decked Drawers, the stuff is so organized that the setup and teardown time at camping sites is no time at all.

For the occasional extra cargo in the bed like Roam boxes or tables or etc., between the Decked's additional eight tiedown points on the raised bed surface, the bed walls' Ford Boxlinks and the optional Ford bull rings I added at the bed's box corners we have an infinite variety of ways to secure bulky stuff.

 

[Albern]

I've been down this road before and I realized for my set-up a topper might be the best solution.

Currently looking at an Alu Can Contour Canopy, which doubles the volume of lockable and weather resistant storage.
https://www.alu-cab.com/products/alu-cab-full-size-contour-canopy-2/

Only limitation is if I need a full open bed to haul items higher than the cab but I haven't encountered a need for that yet.

 

[Realtruck]

Did you land on one that you liked or works for your setup?

There's a couple that immediately come to mind for the camping adventurer, the top one being the RealTruck Go Rhino XRS Cross Bars. Slides right into the tonneau's T-slot rails, and these are weight rated for up to 600 static lbs so you can add cargo boxes or baskets to the cross bars for even more room. No fuss, no muss- just remove them when you're not using them and you have full access to the bed and tonneau as usual.

Similarly, there's the RealTruck Elevate Base Truck Rack, and these are key lockable for added security. Better weight ratings if you do plan to expand the storage space- 750 lbs. static, 500 lbs. on-road, 250 lbs. off-road. And naturally there's the RealTruck Elevate Truck Rack, which is height adjustable for even greater versatility.

 

[davel8257]

What about a camper shell covering the bed -- then add a rack / tie downs on top? W/O the tiedowns, the camper shell might even improve range and provide covered storage. internal shelving, racks could be added -- no end of DIY fun.

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