New Truck Bed Accessories

[Lipi128]

Hey everyone!

Picked up a 21 Ram laramie night edition last night and I love the thing! Ive spent a few hours going over older posts about the bed liners and covers. Plan on getting a cover for the bed and using this mostly for home stuff (mulch, occasional 4x8 drywall, etc)

Couple of questions... for the liners I am getting quoted about 700 including taxes for Line-x and 500-575 pre-tx for rhino or bullet. Looks like dual liner and bedrug seem to be around the 450 mark as well. I see alot of ppl love bedrug but recent reviews online state that the quality has gone down (any recent buyers and thoughts?)

Second, for the bed cover... tri-fold vs retractable vs rolling... what do you prefer and why.. if you also have the brand you got or where you got it, that would be awesome!

Thanks everyone in advance!

 

[andymax]

I can offer some very fresh experience here...I bought a Laramie a couple months ago and have been modding it to suit my needs. First up was the bed. I had hoped to find one with the factory Spray In liner, but nope. I researched the hell out of this subject and decided the Bedrug was the best solution for for my needs. IT IS AWESOME. Just in the short time I've had it I've hauled yard waste, furniture, fishing stuff, normal household stuff, etc. It vacuums out so easily and looks factory fresh. Provides great comfort for my 55 year old knees and stuff doesn't slip around back there. There will be lots of folks suggesting spray in, and I would too, but it really depends on YOUR usage. Based on your description, I'd suggest Bedrug highly. If you're hauling firewood and gravel every week then a spray-in and a rubber mat are perfect. Got my Bedrug off of AutoAnything.com for 389+tax. ( If you search their website for a particular thing and don't buy it immediately, they will email you promos, sales, etc that "magically" match the things you searched...in my experience anyway). There are two negatives: first, the tailgate portion and bed portion is all one piece, so there is a thinner section of material attaching the two sections. It creates a tighter fit when you close the tailgate, often resulting in a "tailgate open" warning. So you just have to close the tailgate with a little bit more oomph. Secondly, between the added pressure on the tailgate latches and the friction added from the tonneau cover I'd say once in five times the tailgate won't fall all the way open when you open with your keyfob or from inside the cab. It unlatches, but just doesn't fall open. If it's not obvious, neither of these are very significant and the benefits FAR, FAR outweigh them. I honestly have yet to experience a truly negative thing with the Bedrug.

Regarding bed covers...again, I researched the hell out of them. Although I would have preferred a hard cover my budget said soft cover. Here were my findings...I'm sure others will have a different take, but again, it's based on THEIR usage.

Rollups - personally, I just don't like the look, and the potential for flapping in the wind, reliance on velcro, etc. Also the mounting rails usually protrude into the bed which does not work for me.

Retractable - many of them look good, but in general they also have a rail that protrudes into the bed space. Again, this just doesn't work for me. I want to load and secure larger items/motorcycles directly against the bed sides/front. I'd have to remove the rails a lot I think. No thanks. Also, in the TONS of reviews I read...way too many talk about them not keeping even average rain out.

Fold up - So I went with an Extang Trifecta soft trifold. I had one on my last truck and it lasted a long time. I tried a couple similar, but cheaper offshore versions...returned them immediately (thanks Amazon). For me, this one is the best compromise between price ($400ish), looks and usefulness. I'm not in love with the fit, I think it's too short by about an inch overall, but it does seal and keep water/dust out. No, it's not perfect, but the only time I get any water in the bed is in the car wash or if I power wash, and even then it's minimal. Also, and this is key for me...it is STUPID EASY to uninstall/reinstall when you need to...not so with many other covers. Also, on the rare occasion when I run down the highway with the top folded up it stays put and doesn't flop around at all (just make sure the straps are tight). I did run a 1/4" thick weather strip along the front bed rail...for some reason RAM put plastic bedrails on the sides, but not the front, so the weather strip fills the gap to make a flush mounting surface around the bed.

I'm sure many will offer differing opinions on the above, but I offered my opinions based on my experience and research. Yours and other's results may vary.

Oh, and a few other suggestions:
If you need a phone mount...I LOVE this one...just make sure you pick correctly depending on your Uconnect screen size: Phone Mounts — CourseMS (coursemotorsports.com)

Also, I didn't like that the Extang cover doesn't cover over the bedrail stake holes, so I get these as well...really like them.
Amazon.com: ES ENGINEERED BY SCHILDMEIER Stake Pocket Covers 2019-2021 Ram (Set 0f 2): Automotive

And I find this amazingly useful and it stows away so perfectly:
Genuine Mopar Ram Bed Step - 82215289AH | RamsAreUs

I also added Husky mudflaps, Mopar rubber floor mats and Mopar power running boards. I cannot say enough good things about all three.


Hope this was of some help to you. Good luck with your new truck!

 

[Lipi128]

Thanks Andymax!! This is all the info I was looking for! I’ll def be looking into the bedrug based on your recommendation. I’ll need to look into your bed cover as well.

Ive already ordered the rubber mats and I’m falling into the “trap” of maybe I need a center organizer or a phone mount... so I can’t wait to see these other suggestions you made.

Thanks again!!

 

[Burla]

Line X period, it will protect the bed forever. You can always bed rug over it, it depends on how you use your truck. Water gets under bed rug, it does not get under linex. I dig bed rug, I used to use my trucks to camp a lot, sleep in the back, great idea. However, these days I use my truck as a truck, shovel rocks out of etc. Never a scratch in my linex, shoveling dirt and rocks out of the bed any given week.

Linex'd 4 trucks now, never a regret, and now I also linex trim pieces. Nerf's and grill, maybe some day I do rockers and back bumper.

 

[abnfdc]

I'm getting my truck Line-Xed Monday for $599. I had my 01 Rhino Lined as that was the closest dealer. I have no concerns with either brand. I'm still putting a rubber bed mat down so as to limit things sliding around and also to provide additional protection for the bed.

I'll probably buy an Access Roll Up tonnaeu cover next month. I'm not doing the retractable stuff as it takes up a huge amount of bed space, I'm not doing the trifold as you're stuck with a giant ass chunk of tonneau cover laying against the cab when you need the bed. I've had great luck with Access roll up covers in previous Dodges and I had an Access Literider(their cheapest) last 12 years on my Tacoma-four of those years were parked outside in a NW state that gets a lot of snow. I'll have to look at a solution for the stake holes, but that should be an easy solution.

 

[Lipi128]

I actually got a quote today from Rhino that I’m going to take it to them. They quoted me at 500 and all others in the area (bullet liners) were 575 and the closest linex quoted me at 700 after taxes. Probs doing the rhino and then a bedrug down the line or a matt.

 

[Burla]

I'd make sure it is the right rhino, the line x clone, they have like many types. If it is the old rhino, the stuff is pure junk, my brother got it in his truck and regretted it ever since. It has "more grip", but it fades in a month and rips up. I hear rhino has a line x clone, I'd opt for that one. Mind you the reason why rhino even added options for coatings was because the saw how good line x is, lol. You get what you pay for.

 

[Burla]

Another line x clone is FMJ liner, I ran that in my old ram, no regrets, just like line x but sometimes you can get them to put on a thick coat for like 50 bucks, depends on the shop. FMJ is usually always cheaper.

Since it is independent if you are interested look at shops that sell camper shells, all the ones around here spray fmj.

 

[Southern Ram]

I got a line x liner and it’s holding up great. Glad I spent the money to do it because it’s worth it. I think I paid about 570. They are a little pricey but worth every penny.