Open vs enclosed truck bed

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PonoAdventures

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I used to run a tonneau. I know people swear by camper shells, but maybe it is just me, but I've never liked the look. I ended up with the Leitner and love it. Anything in the bed will get dusty, but everything in the bed is in a box. My fridge is in the cab and can still carry 4 people if needed. The Gearpods are expensive, but they work to keep all of my recovery gear and clothes dust free and dry.

C5ABAA58-4EC4-42EE-BC05-D34131ABAFC9_1_201_a.jpeg
 
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Lil Bear

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PonoAdventures said:
I used to run a tonneau. I know people swear by camper shells, but maybe it is just me, but I've never liked the look. I ended up with the Leitner and love it. Anything in the bed will get dusty, but everything in the bed is in a box. My fridge is in the cab and can still carry 4 people if needed. The Gearpods are expensive, but they work to keep all of my recovery gear and clothes dust free and dry.

View attachment 150838
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Love it!! If it wasn't for price, I'd love the Leitner system!
 
Rath

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Putting a cap on my truck was the second best thing I ever did to it. I love everything about it. Perfect for sleeping in, keeps cargo dry and clean, looks good (personal opinion, of course)

The pros far outweigh the cons in my use case. I'll never go back to open bed, not on my current truck anyways.
 
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MMc

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I had a thread that asked why people used a rack over a shell, I got a bunch of answers. I came to a couple of conclusions.
There are some very serious people that overland a lot. They have their rigs set up for the way they travel.
There are some folks that are very interested in looking like a Overlander.
There are some great souls that are new to overlanding and think you have to have particular stuff to overland.
There are overlanders that use their truck for chores and need to pull the rack because it's need as as a open bed.
Some guys just think that a shell makes them look old guy.

All good with me, it's your money and time. Go for it.

The rig I run now is set up for how I travel now, I go and post up, and play, drive. kayak, surf, fish, mt. bike, hike. My truck has a shell and a overhead rack for toys. The rack is like a lumber rack and isn't attached to the shell. When I get there I'll set up a camp that I can leave. I don't have drawers or anything fixed permanently.

I do like the relative safety, and cleanliness the shell offers. The camp is in cases in the garage ready to load. Setting up camp takes about 30 mins or so depending on how I am camping. I am not a RTT guy. I usually am out every month. I am thinking about running the southern part of the Pan American and will put a pop top for the 5 or 6 years I'll be on the road.

Think about what you are doing and how often. It's kinda like a 10 year old RV with 15000 miles on it, a lot of money and used much.
 
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Rath

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MMc said:
When I get there I'll set up a camp that I can leave. I don't have drawers or anything fixed permanently.
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Exactly how I do it too. I used to set up a tent, throw a tarp up as an awning, etc. Then my truck had it's sleeping platform in it, just a basic sheet of plywood on 2x3 wood legs. Easily removable when not out camping. But no setup on the truck itself that I have to take down if I wanna go hit a trail, or drive to a hole, etc. Really is the best way to do a multipurpose setup imo.

For winter I take the platform out as I don't winter camp. If I have to haul stuff, it takes 30 seconds to pull it out and toss in the shed.


My own issue, has been bears. Even with no food stored in the tent, they are just super curious and will get into them. I've gone through 3 cheap tents so far in 2 years. This is why I'm now building a trailer, and will use that at basecamp rather than a tent to store the essentials.
 
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bhayes423

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Lil Bear said:
Being that I am new to overlanding i am wondering about how best to use my truck. Now for me being a normal backpacker this is a serious quandary! I'm looking at a RCI rack system for my titan (xd). I like the looks of it and from what I've read it is a good universal style rack. But my serious question is...what the opinion on if you should run a covered sealed bed or just keep the truck bed open and available as usual?? I'm guessing that if left open then many of the options for storage and camping may be lost? Anyway what's y'alls thoughts? Thanks!
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I've got the RCI rack on my Tacoma and love it. I plan on adding a soft cover to help keep things protected from the elements. With a soft cover you can still unravel it with the rack on unlike a tri-fold. RCI makes brackets that will allow the rack to be mounted over a cover.
 
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Lil Bear

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Rath said:
Exactly how I do it too. I used to set up a tent, throw a tarp up as an awning, etc. Then my truck had it's sleeping platform in it, just a basic sheet of plywood on 2x3 wood legs. Easily removable when not out camping. But no setup on the truck itself that I have to take down if I wanna go hit a trail, or drive to a hole, etc. Really is the best way to do a multipurpose setup imo.

For winter I take the platform out as I don't winter camp. If I have to haul stuff, it takes 30 seconds to pull it out and toss in the shed.


My own issue, has been bears. Even with no food stored in the tent, they are just super curious and will get into them. I've gone through 3 cheap tents so far in 2 years. This is why I'm now building a trailer, and will use that at basecamp rather than a tent to store the essentials.
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Dang where are you at that the bears keep harassing you?? Lol
 
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I just got a truck and came from a 4Runner with a Eezi-Awn Blade on top of it. I decided, for budget reasons, to go with the 12" RCI rack for the Blade tent for now. I have had trucks with caps and covers before and will see how this works. I have a utility trailer from my 4Runner days so I won't need the truck to haul big things in. Plus it's easier to load big things on the trailer with it being much lower to the ground and it has a load gate .

All my camping gear is already in waterproof boxes. The boxes live in the garage and can be loaded in minutes. The Blade tent covers the whole bed so there will be minimal room to access the bed with the tailgate closed. The tailgate on the new truck can be locked so despite the openness of it things should be relatively secure from opportunists. Don't have the rack yet so we will see if this is actually going to work in the real world once I can get everything setup.
 
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AtlasBound

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Wallygator said:
I just got a truck and came from a 4Runner with a Eezi-Awn Blade on top of it. I decided, for budget reasons, to go with the 12" RCI rack for the Blade tent for now. I have had trucks with caps and covers before and will see how this works. I have a utility trailer from my 4Runner days so I won't need the truck to haul big things in. Plus it's easier to load big things on the trailer with it being much lower to the ground and it has a load gate .

All my camping gear is already in waterproof boxes. The boxes live in the garage and can be loaded in minutes. The Blade tent covers the whole bed so there will be minimal room to access the bed with the tailgate closed. The tailgate on the new truck can be locked so despite the openness of it things should be relatively secure from opportunists. Don't have the rack yet so we will see if this is actually going to work in the real world once I can get everything setup.
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What kind of waterproof storage boxes do you use? I've been searching for a storage solution. It doesn't have to be waterproof, just able to be secured with a lock.
 
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AtlasBound said:
What kind of waterproof storage boxes do you use? I've been searching for a storage solution. It doesn't have to be waterproof, just able to be secured with a lock.
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I should clarify they are probably not water proof as in you could submerge them but i have never had water in them from storms. I use Rigid Pro tool boxes found at the Home Depot. They lock together and while stored they stack on top of each other and you can wheel them around. Very handy and plenty of space for me. These 4 is what I have and they fit all my camp stuff.

RIDGID 22 in. Pro Tool Box, Black-222570 - The Home Depot

RIDGID 22 in. Pro Organizer, Black-222571 - The Home Depot

RIDGID 22 in. Pro Gear Cart Tool Box in Black-222573 - The Home Depot

RIDGID 22 in. Pro Box, Black-226036 - The Home Depot
 
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Inthewoods

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I run a camper to sleep in a dry and warm place. My rig is only for overlanding. I slept good this night with no heater.20190203_073022_HDR.jpg
I also run a 80's carpet kit / bed that I got for $150. The bed is the full length and width of the truck bed with compartments on the sides. IMG_20190704_133245388.jpg
I fold the bedding forward and everything is on top of the bed and my sliding out boxes with gear and food is behind the water bottles. I can carry what I want and it stays dry and clean.
 
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leeloo

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I use my pick up only for camping/travelling. If I have go somewhere far, sometime 2000 km, I drive for 12-14h and stop at a hotel, not in mood to setup a camp at night after all this driving and start quickly in the morning with the driving again.
So I have to have a secure place for the stuff I carry. I have an RTT so the shell must be strong enough to suport it.
I chose an aluminium one, made a by a south african company, Bushtech. If it is good enough for the roads and conditions in Africa, is good enough for me. Very strong frame, I saw a video where they put a Landcruiser 79 on top of it.. :)
Access is easy as the flaps open from all 3 sides on the full lenght, good dust and rain isolation, they can come with a special tailgate dust kit ( that will be the vulnerable spot after you install it )
On top you can go for roof bars like me or have a roof rack, comes with rails that can support almost any type of bars or legs for roof racks.
If you go for a canopy , and specially if you plan to put anything on top, make sure it can take the weight. Most standard fiberglass ones don't cut it. A not so easy to install steel frame is required for many of them to be able to use the roof. An aluminium one is a bit more expensive than a good quality fiberglass, but not my much. In Europe a good fiberglass canopy is arround 2800 euro, an aluminium one is aprox 3100, so not a huge difference.
The main limitation is what you can put in the bed of the truck if you use it for other things than camping, otherewise your stuff is more secure, dry and dust free.
 

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Lil Bear

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PonoAdventures said:
I used to run a tonneau. I know people swear by camper shells, but maybe it is just me, but I've never liked the look. I ended up with the Leitner and love it. Anything in the bed will get dusty, but everything in the bed is in a box. My fridge is in the cab and can still carry 4 people if needed. The Gearpods are expensive, but they work to keep all of my recovery gear and clothes dust free and dry.

View attachment 150838
Click to expand...
Loving that set up!! I do like the open back design with those racks and bed systems!
 
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