Weird(?) Truck Bed Storage Question

[Gotta_Travel]

Howdy everyone! I have darn near all the “startup supplies” for my unit that I hope will be delivered in early November. I now would like to organize everything that won’t be stored in the AS into bins that will be kept in the bed of my truck. I am NOT looking for a bed slide or drawers, just simple, well built plastic bins designed to fit an f-150 short bed. If there is no such thing, then I’ll just hit up the container store or wally world with closest fit but I thought it would be worth checking with this well informed audience first![emoji6]

Thanks in advance!
Phil

[Mollysdad]

I've been very pleased with the Rubbermade "Action Packers".
Only consider the 24 gallon size. Hard to find. (Sportsmen's Warehouse?) Pricey, but they seem to be bulletproof, water tight against rain, Rain doesn't puddle on top, lockable, and just the right size.
I added a rope handle with mine so I could snag it with boathook when I couldn't reach it.

[ITSNO60]

The black ones with yellow lids are great, they come in various sizes and they are stackable. Sold at Home Depot. I've used them for years in my F-350 with topper, 3 across on a shelf I built then 3 more underneath. Carpet on the floor keeps them from sliding around.

[Gotta_Travel]

So it looks like no custom made. [emoji22]
Thanks for the advice shared!

[ITSNO60]

There are some custom made boxes that fit around the wheel wells but I can't find them right now, I do remember they were very expensive, almost $200 each if I recall. They fasten in so you can't slide them out with a hook like regular totes. You didn't say if you will have a cover or a topper.

edit: here they are, looks like they swing out for access: https://realtruck.com/p/undercover-s...hoCOqUQAvD_BwE

[dnas]

We use the black ones with yellow lids as well. Plus the husband made a template of where the bins sit in out of plywood. So where the bins sit, is cut out, the rest is the sheet of plywood. In that way they are locked into the bed of the truck, by sitting in the holes of the plywood and don't slide around.

[Justinhb]

I always liked the action packer, but I didn't like not being able to see inside, since I carry five in the bed...I have been happy with these...

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Project-Sou...ote/1003068984

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by Gotta_Travel

Howdy everyone! I have darn near all the “startup supplies” for my unit that I hope will be delivered in early November. I now would like to organize everything that won’t be stored in the AS into bins that will be kept in the bed of my truck. I am NOT looking for a bed slide or drawers, just simple, well built plastic bins designed to fit an f-150 short bed. If there is no such thing, then I’ll just hit up the container store or wally world with closest fit but I thought it would be worth checking with this well informed audience first![emoji6]

Thanks in advance!
Phil

You never shared what size AS you have on order; first question may be, is your F150 have enough "payload" to carry your "stuff"? Anyway, when I had my F150 towing my 25' AS's, I used 2 of those black plastic bins with the yellow tops from HD or Costco. They have water tight lids, pretty sturdy, easy to lift in/out of bed, and large enough to store camp gear. I now have the 28'AS and like most of us here on the Forum, I learned that I was carrying around a lot of "stuff" I didn't need/use. Now we are down to using only 1 of those bins; in it I store a Coleman 2 burner propane grill, a single propane canister grill, couple plastic table cloths, hot grill mittens, tent stakes, and a couple propane canisters; still have room for more items....The other "stuff" I carry won't fit; this includes a Webber Q grill, an Outland propane firepit, a 12x12 Clam popup Gazebo, small tool box, 8"x8"x12" wood block (with handle) for front jack, Honda propane 2200 generator, 20# portable propane bottle in metal milk crate, and 2 plastic milk crates; one holds my lub's, hitch up braker bar, gloves and the other with my longer propane hoses. Also carry 65qt cooler (beer and wine), 2 camping "guest chairs" and a portable folding table which we seldom use.

My F150's payload would not hold all this extra weight with my 25's tongue weights; but I was not knowledgeable about payload limits for few years till I started following the Forum. Heck, I was even carrying couple kayaks back then...Fortunately, today I have an F250 and payload is fine for our use. Key is not overloading with junk. Hope this helps.

[grwalk]

Mike crates work great for me. They are stackable and you can see what’s inside of them.

[Indiclouds]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

You never shared what size AS you have on order; first question may be, is your F150 have enough "payload" to carry your "stuff"? Anyway, when I had my F150 towing my 25' AS's, I used 2 of those black plastic bins with the yellow tops from HD or Costco. They have water tight lids, pretty sturdy, easy to lift in/out of bed, and large enough to store camp gear. I now have the 28'AS and like most of us here on the Forum, I learned that I was carrying around a lot of "stuff" I didn't need/use. Now we are down to using only 1 of those bins; in it I store a Coleman 2 burner propane grill, a single propane canister grill, couple plastic table cloths, hot grill mittens, tent stakes, and a couple propane canisters; still have room for more items....The other "stuff" I carry won't fit; this includes a Webber Q grill, an Outland propane firepit, a 12x12 Clam popup Gazebo, small tool box, 8"x8"x12" wood block (with handle) for front jack, Honda propane 2200 generator, 20# portable propane bottle in metal milk crate, and 2 plastic milk crates; one holds my lub's, hitch up braker bar, gloves and the other with my longer propane hoses. Also carry 65qt cooler (beer and wine), 2 camping "guest chairs" and a portable folding table which we seldom use.

My F150's payload would not hold all this extra weight with my 25's tongue weights; but I was not knowledgeable about payload limits for few years till I started following the Forum. Heck, I was even carrying couple kayaks back then...Fortunately, today I have an F250 and payload is fine for our use. Key is not overloading with junk. Hope this helps.

I too am leaning towards the F150 for my 25-ftr. How did you manage during those few years of being not knowledgeable?

[AldeanFan]

The black with yellow lids are great, but even better are the same ones from Canadian Tire because they have blue lids that match my awning lol.
I have at least ten that are used for various things, I don’t travel with all of them, I can select the ones I need depending on the trip such as boondocking vs park camping.

[Krikati]

Originally Posted by ITSNO60

The black ones with yellow lids are great, they come in various sizes and they are stackable. Sold at Home Depot. I've used them for years in my F-350 with topper, 3 across on a shelf I built then 3 more underneath. Carpet on the floor keeps them from sliding around.

I've been using them for years. Even shipped stuff overseas in them by airfreight. They are tough. The lids do catch water. You can lock them by using zip ties though holes provided in the lids.

[SilverFire]

There are lots of great rolling bin boxes to organize in your truck bed. Check height clearance under your tonneau cover or whatever you have. I picked up different models at a local farm supply store. They have 4" diameter wheels and a sliding handle to maximize storage versus a slide-out bed organizer at a fraction of the cost. I keep my Honda and propane lines in one, firepit and kindling in another, a microwave and toaster in another, and a biomass stove and cookware in a fourth box. It leaves a center storage area for my chairs, extra water containers, and more in my short bed. I see Walmart lists one for $74. Some of the Rubbermaid and others were too tall. I think mine are 21" tall.




Regards, SilverFire

[SilverFire]

Tactix:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tactix-2-...l-Box/53017097

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tactix-2-...l-Box/53017097

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

I've been very pleased with the Rubbermade "Action Packers".
Only consider the 24 gallon size. Hard to find. (Sportsmen's Warehouse?) Pricey, but they seem to be bulletproof, water tight against rain, Rain doesn't puddle on top, lockable, and just the right size.
I added a rope handle with mine so I could snag it with boathook when I couldn't reach it.

Like this idea. Are they waterproof? With/without the handle? WAIT, I have a van now. Nevermind. Another poster suggested clear tubs, but I will paint easy-to read labels with white or pink nail polish... easy to remove when needed.

Are these tall enough and sturdy enough to sit on too? (14 years of tossed out camping chairs.)

[Fungus]

Originally Posted by Indiclouds

I too am leaning towards the F150 for my 25-ftr. How did you manage during those few years of being not knowledgeable?

First two trips out with my F-150 max tow, 3.5L Ecoboost, 1610# payload, Roadmaster active suspension, etc., pulling a 2017 25FB, the truck was overloaded by 300#. The tongue of the 25FB lightly loaded for camping plus full fresh water is more than 1000#.

Leave lots of stuff at home. Don't boondock where you need the generator. Move most of the remaining e gear the center of the trailer. At every campsite, move gear out of the trailer to the truck bed then back when hitting the road. Step on/over the gear in the trailer at rest stops if you need something out of the fridge or need to use the head. The heavier gear is not kind to the floor of the trailer, so pad it. If you carry a generator, you can carry it in the trailer as long as it's propane fueled. A ProPride/Hensley hitch (generally considered the best for anti-sway) will use up more payload than other hitches.

If you go the F-150 route, buy one that is mostly stripped down...no sunroof, lower trim levels (nothing higher than a Lariat). Skip the 4x4 unless you think you'll need it (much debate about this). Skip the jacked up FX4 off-road package. If you end up with FX4, I think you'll also get the off-road tires. The Ecoboost paired with 10-speed transmission is a nice truck. Weigh it at a CAT or ag scale to make sure you don't exceed axle loads, GVWR, etc. Don't load gear in the back of the trailer to get some extra payload (by slightly lifting the tongue) because it will introduce instability and probably porpoising.

A lot of people make the F-150 work for their situations. It is a capable truck if handled/loaded carefully. Much of the payload issue comes down to how you intend to use it. Long trips generally require more gear, and therefore, more payload capacity than near-home trips. Plenty of threads on this.

Whatever you end up with, order the towing mirrors. The Fords don't come with them standard, even the max-tow package (go figure). Max out the GVWR, too. The backup assist is nice on paper but I found it iffy in practice so I don't use it.

FD - I towed the 25FB with the 2020 F-150 for 5000 miles. Traded the F-150 for a 2022 F-250 with nearly 3000# of payload capacity. Order date to delivery date of the F-250 was < 60 calendar days.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

One "feature" of truck bed storage is dust. Spend some time here or there driving around and you find the entire back of the truck is more than a tad dirty. The simple boxes (yellow top or whatever) don't do a great job of keeping out the dust. This may or may not matter for this or that item. (getting the bottle jack dusty probably isn't that big a deal).

Whatever you do for containers, consider how you will get them out. We carry a "boat hook" to grab them.

https://www.amazon.com/Star-Brite-Te...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

is one of *many* examples.

Bob

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by Indiclouds

I too am leaning towards the F150 for my 25-ftr. How did you manage during those few years of being not knowledgeable?

I actually didn't understand how important payload limits are. I had an incident years earlier with my Expididition where we ended up being sued along with Ford. Insurance guys first checked payload of passengers and gear to see if overloaded. I should have learned from that but didn't pay attention. With the F150, I stopped carrying kayaks and offloaded most all cargo. Still was over by 200lbs. Sold AS, got F250 with 2200payload...no more concerns.

[rickmc]

Head to Costco and buy those black containers with yellow snap lids. About $10 each. I’ve got six of them in the bed of my Denali 2500.

[Buckless]

Tractor supply has has hard plastic boxes with lock (not what you askes for) that I like in the tool box department worth looking at.

They do have a line of truck tool boxes