Truck bed slides are amazing tools for storing items in the back of your truck as you drive around. A good bed slide will make storage much easier as you can slide everything out for easy access to every section of the trunk. Additionally, these trays can improve safety as loading won’t strain your body because you no longer need to stretch to navigate around your truck. But many people worry about the efficiency and usefulness of truck bed slides in their cargo vans. Here’s what you should know.

Made to Your Model

Sliding trays aren’t one size fits all, and each tray is only meant for one specific vehicle model. This means that each tray will fit your vehicle’s exact needs as long as it’s the correct tray for your model. So, your cargo van will work perfectly with a good sliding trunk tray.

Is It Efficient?

While the tray might fit inside your vehicle, there’s still the question of the benefits of using these bed slides for your cargo van. However, these trays are very beneficial for anyone who uses their van to store items. By pulling out the contents of your van, you can easily load and unload items without hurting yourself by overstretching. Additionally, it’s very efficient as you can load your van up quickly and fit more inside the space simultaneously.

Is It Cost-Effective?

A custom truck bed slide will more than double the usable storage volume in your van because it doesn’t leave any dead space for getting in and out like traditional shelving storage systems. This means you can purchase a standard-length van with a standard roof height instead of upgrading to a longer, taller, and more expensive van. Finally, because you can carry more, it eliminates inefficient and costly trips back to the warehouse to pick up supplies or items to deliver like you would with a standard cargo van.

Custom Truck Bed Slides

The most significant reason to utilize these truck slides in your van is that you can customize them with us to create the tray that’ll fit your needs. Not only do you have a tray that fits your van, but you can also add whatever storage solutions you need to make the most of your space. That includes things like mounted shelving or heavy-duty drawer slides for trucks. We can help you add anything you need to make your van as useful as possible.

These are the reasons why your cargo van will benefit from utilizing a good truck bed slide. The extra safety for you and anyone using the vehicle should be a huge draw, and you’ll save money because of it. Additionally, you can fit a lot more into your vehicle because of the slide out tray, so you get a lot more use out of your cargo van.

Getting the most out of a truck bed is important for many workers and pickup truck owners. Even though a bed already provides a lot of additional space, properly utilizing it is difficult, and you’ll often need even more space than you have. But if you push your organization to the extreme using these tips, you can get even more from your pickup truck bed.

Focus on Space Utilization

The first step is to maximize the space you already have in your truck bed. Every upgrade and decision you make for your truck should enhance the space you have. This means investing in upgrades that make storage easy and learning the tricks that help you avoid wasted space.

Follow Packing Rules

Before you even look at upgrades, you should first learn how to pack things into your truck bed so you don’t waste any space. Just putting things in the back of your truck will waste a lot of space and can even be dangerous. So learn these best practices for packing things away.

Stack Heavy and Large Items on the Bottom

Place anything heavy on the truck bed with nothing underneath it. You can stack items on top of each other, but the bottom item on any stack should be the biggest and heaviest. This will prevent sliding and tipping and make organization easier, as you can maneuver items around easily.

Aftermarket Modifications

If, after implementing the basic packing rules, you still need more space in your truck bed, you can look for aftermarket modifications. These modifications change your vehicle in different ways. This section will focus on mods to help you make the most of your truck’s storage space.

Slide-Out Trays

These bed modifications sit on top of your truck’s bed, acting as a new type of floor. You can slide these trays out of the vehicle to easily load and unload all your items. These tools are great for efficiently storing anything you want, as you can easily reach every part of your storage. You can even get custom sliding trunk trays capable of holding thousands of pounds, even welders, air compressors and generators, while sliding fully out of your truck for easy access.

Mounted Boxes

Another great tool for storing items is mounted boxes that attach to your truck bed. These boxes are useful for storing anything small or fragile, as they don’t move and can protect their contents while you drive. You can even get lockbox versions to add another layer of protection to your valuable gear and items.

Mounted Drawers

If you’re looking for ways to maximize storage while protecting your items, mounted drawers are a great option. These drawers help you utilize all the space available and give you the perfect place to put small and important items. It’s also much easier to stay organized when you efficiently store items in a drawer.

Add More Storage Space

Another modification you can get is extra storage space for your vehicle. While the other mods focus on utilizing the space you already have, these mods seek to create more usable space by converting areas of your vehicle. Here are a few examples and how they can benefit you.

Undercarriage Drawers

Under the bed of your truck, there is a bit of room between the frame, tires, and ground. You can add a series of drawers to your truck’s undercarriage to utilize that space for storage. This won’t work for every vehicle, and it may work better if you also buy a lift kit for your truck.

Under-Seat Storage Options

You can also convert the space under the front seats to offer more storage. There’s a lot of space under your seats, but it takes the right type of modifications to make it usable for storage. Under-seat storage is a great place for your most common tools, as you’ll always have easy access to them.

Utilize the Sides

While there isn’t much space on the sides of your truck bed, you can still utilize it to carry items without taking up space in your truck bed. You can add drawers or a tool rack, which will be perfect for efficiently storing your gear in one space.

Dedicated Spots

When it comes to some of the best hacks for organizing your truck bed, dedicating spots in your vehicle to specific items is one of the best tricks. If you’re just putting things away as they come to you, items won’t always fit as they should. Dedicating space to each piece of gear means you’ll always have the room you think you do and know where each item is when you need it.

Bundle Things Together

Whenever you store items in your truck, you should look for ways to combine them into one pile. For example, find tools that you can tie together or stack papers to create one solid pile of paper. These are much easier to store when they’re one solid object, as you can easily find them again later and dedicate space to these items.

Tie Things Down

You should always tie down items in your truck bed so they don’t shift around as you drive. This movement can be dangerous for anyone operating the vehicle and can damage the items. You should tie down any piles or stacks you create, which also means you can stack the items higher.

Use Boxes

A great hack to organize your pickup truck bed easily and efficiently is to use boxes to keep all your gear and items in one place. Boxes are simple ways of bundling items and easily organizing a space. It’s easy to stack boxes and organize your space around the square boxes rather than fight with the odd shapes of the items within.

Start at the Back

When loading your truck bed, you should always start at the sides and back of the bed. This will help you organize your bed and maximize the space you can use. It’s best practice to create a space that’s easy to navigate and unload while wasting as little space as possible.

These are the methods you should use when you load and organize your truck. These methods will help you utilize all your space and keep you safe from shifting objects during travel. That’s why it’s so important to follow these rules and tips.

Many truck fleets use trucks with diesel engines to carry items and workers around. Nowadays, however, there’s a competitor for these trucks: the electric truck. But are electric trucks good replacements for normal work trucks?

Worries About Electric Trucks

Some people worry that electric trucks don’t have the same storage space as other work trucks, but that’s not true if the truck is well-designed. Furthermore, you can utilize vehicle trunk organizers and other modifications to really make the most of the space in your vehicle.

Another common worry about electric trucks is that they don’t have as high of a towing capacity. However, this is only true for certain models of electric trucks, as many can tow upwards of 12,000 pounds.

Lastly, while electric trucks may have a more limited driving range compared to diesel trucks, the introduction of more charging stations around the country has helped address this worry.

Why Make the Switch?

So, what’s the benefit of switching your fleet over to electric? Electric trucks are more fuel efficient, saving you money in the long run. Additionally, they need fewer repairs, reducing downtime and costs associated with owning and operating work trucks. And while the pricing is currently similar, as technology improves, the cost difference will eventually favor electric trucks and make them a more economical option.

The Trucking Future

While electric trucks are still not popular choices for many fleets, they may eventually overtake the current standard because of their total cost-of-ownership savings. Even if you don’t want to make the change yet, many experts predict that electric trucks will be more-than-viable options for work vehicles by the 2030s. For the future, you should consider keeping your eye out to make this change.

Making the switch to electric trucks may seem costly, but you’ll make your money back over time and help the environment by lowering your carbon footprint. That’s why so many industries are making the switch over to electric systems and equipment.

Your work truck can be the most important part of your operation as it carries all your other tools and equipment. That’s why the space and storage of your truck are so important for your business and efficiency. Here are some tips you can use to help you maximize your storage space in your work truck.

Before You Load

The first step to organizing your truck is to work on your plan before you even put anything into the truck. In this section, we’ll talk about some steps you can take to make it easier to use all the space in your vehicle and haul everything possible in one go.

Downsize What You Bring

One of the things you can try is going through all the equipment and things you’re bringing with you on your work truck and deciding if it actually belongs or if you should remove it. You should try to only bring the things you’ll need for the job so you can make room for all the necessities.

Section Off Spaces

One effective trick you can use is dividing the space to designate the storage area from the driver’s area. This will help you efficiently store all your items and equipment without getting in the space of the driver. This is a necessary part of planning out your work truck storage for the safety of your driver and the efficiency of storage.

Incorporate Additional Lighting

Lighting is important for good storage, as it improves worker safety and helps you navigate the space. A well-lit storage space will improve productivity and make it easier for you to store things in your work truck. Look for small lighting modifications you can incorporate into your work truck without eating up a lot of your space.

Upgrading Your Storage

After you go through the first few tips, you can do a lot more to improve the storage and organization of your work truck. The big thing you can do is improve your storage with aftermarket modifications that you install into your vehicle. There are many different types of storage modifications, and this section will cover a lot of the popular options.

Storage Solutions

These modifications are some of the most common and useful for augmenting your work truck storage. These storage solutions can help you organize your space by giving you places to store things without the items sliding around while you drive.

Cases and Boxes

Every truck can benefit from installing new boxes into their vehicle, as it helps control your storage space and protects your gear at the same time. From toolboxes to just normal cardboard boxes, you can add various boxes and cases to best fit your storage needs.

Mounted Shelving and Drawers

Another common solution a lot of trucks use is drawers and shelving, as they give you the perfect place to put your items and equipment. These drawers and shelves can make organization easy as they provide an easy place to put all your items inside your truck. That way, you don’t need to worry about anything shifting around as you drive.

Additional Storage

Sometimes, it’s better if you can add more storage to your vehicle rather than just organizing your storage. That’s why a lot of aftermarket modifications add that additional storage by attaching to the body of your truck. Here’s a look at some of the most popular options for this kind of mod.

Underbelly and Side Boxes

Most trucks have a lot of blank space on their body underneath the truck bed and on either side of it. These modifications attach to those empty spaces to give you another place to store items. These boxes can be perfect for quick access to tools and really make storage a lot easier for a work truck.

Truck Racks

A lot of trucks can use truck racks to help with storing more items on the outside of the vehicle. These racks mount onto the body and give you a place to attach whatever items you want to your truck. However, certain cities and states have laws regarding what you can store on these racks so check local laws.

Unique Solutions

These modifications don’t quite fit into the other categories because they perform a lot of additional features for your vehicle outside storage and can make storage a lot easier for specific things. Here’s a look at some powerful organization tools you can use for your truck.

Bed Tray

A truck bed sliding tray is a great tool for improving your storage and helping you organize your space. These bed trays slide out of the truck bed and can carry all your equipment. This makes it easy to utilize all the space in your truck and improves efficiency, as you can easily access all your gear as well. You can even get custom bed trays that have various storage solutions built right in to make adding storage simple.

Tool Racks

Sometimes, it’s really hard to find a space to store a tool in your work truck—but a tool rack can help you find the perfect space. These racks are perfect for holding tools safely and can mount on the sides of your truck to maximize the space in your vehicle.

Rules for Storing things

The last of the tips that can help you organize your storage space is about how you should store items in your truck. Both for the safety of your workers and for space utilization, these tips should help you maximize your work truck space.

Designate Items

You should always put items in the same place every time you go to store items in your truck. This will make it easy to find, and you’ll always know if you’ll have the space to carry your equipment with you. If you just put things away randomly, you’ll find that you don’t always have the room, as you aren’t efficiently using the space.

Heavy and Large on Bottom

You should always put heavy items on the bottom, so they don’t slide or tip when you’re driving. Putting heavy items high up means they can fall on you when being unloaded or do damage to other items if they shift around while driving.

Keep Your Truck Clean

You should always keep your truck space clean, never storing trash in your truck and cleaning it out frequently. This will help you keep your space clear of all your equipment and prevent the buildup of random items that clutter the space.

Prioritize Safety

Finally, the last but most important tip is that all your organization should take safety into account. The health and safety of your workers should be your top priority, and your organization should reflect that. Look for modifications that help with safety and implement practices that improve worker safety around work truck storage.

Following these tips will help you get more efficiency out of your workers and should help you bring all your vital gear along with you on your jobs. A work truck is a vital part of a business, and ensuring that it performs as you need is important for your success.

If you want a reliable vehicle you can count on in various workplace scenarios, you’ll need a truck to help you get the job done. You might wonder, though, whether a gas or diesel is a better work truck. Let’s look at the pros and cons of each to help you decide.

Gas Truck: Pros and Cons

In terms of acceleration, gas trucks work better than diesel ones. Their parts make them light and easy to maneuver. They also have the propensity to cost less by comparison. Fuel doesn’t cost as much upfront, too, and gas stations are virtually everywhere, so you won’t have to worry about accessibility.

Despite having a respectable carrying capacity in the cargo bed, gas trucks can’t tow as hefty a load as diesel trucks. Also, gas engines don’t typically last as long as diesel ones, though they’re generally easier to repair. Consider the importance of longevity and how often you’ll drive your vehicle before purchasing.

Diesel Truck: Pros and Cons

Diesel trucks come packed with power. Many people who love diesel trucks praise their ability to tow heavy loads. While the fuel cost seems higher, initially, diesel trucks get more miles to the gallon, which can come in handy if your work requires regular long-distance driving.

Conversely, diesel trucks can’t accelerate as quickly as their gas-powered counterparts. If you tend to drive down busy highways, you may find a diesel truck somewhat inconvenient when trying to merge or change lanes. However, this won’t interfere with your work if you frequent country roads.

Conclusion

So, which is better for a work truck: gas or diesel? We assert that the type you pick largely depends on your needs. If you have long commutes and need to haul heavy loads, a diesel truck is best for you. Alternatively, you should pick gas for your work truck if you’re doing local jobs and largely concern yourself with what’s in your cargo bed.

Extendobed wants to equip your work truck with everything you need. We offer a large selection of aluminum storage trunks to help your vehicle stay organized. This helpful piece of equipment extends past your vehicle’s taillights and can support up to 3,000 pounds, so you don’t have to worry about running out of storage. Get a quote from our team today.

Tailgating is a lot of fun, no matter who you are. The food is great, and the company is even better. But hosting a party is a lot harder than many people think because you need a lot of gear and supplies to make it a success. Here are 10 supplies you need for a game day tailgate with your friends.

Food and Cooking

Food is vital for any tailgate, and you can’t forget it. You’ll need some way to cook everything, so bring a charcoal grill. You’ll also need cooking utensils and meats that grill well. Look for sausages and burgers as mains.

1. Charcoal grill
2. Cooking tools
3. Meats for the grill

Parking Lot Comfort

While food is very important, so is the means to sit and enjoy yourselves at the party. A good tailgating party will have folding chairs and a tent to provide a good seating area. Additionally, you’ll need a way of carrying all this gear, which is where vehicle slide-out trays come in handy, both to carry everything and to create more places to sit if necessary. A custom slide out designed specifically for tailgating is ideal as you can have space set aside for ice chests, BBQs, refrigerators, chairs, tables, pop-up tents and even mounting walls for big screen TVs. Extendobed can design a tailgating slide out unit specifically to meet your needs and there is no cost for the design work.

1. Tents and chairs
2. Extra storage

Party Entertainment

No party can survive a lack of entertainment, and counting on good conversation or the game won’t cut it. Bring speakers for some good music and outdoor games so people can stay active while waiting for the game to start.

1. Speakers
2. Games for the outdoors

Drinks

Three of the 10 important supplies for game-day tailgating relate to drinks because they’re that important. Make sure you bring some of your best drinks for everyone to try. Additionally, it’s important to stay hydrated, so water and other non-alcoholic beverages will help people stay refreshed. Finally, you’ll want a cooler to keep everything cold.

1. Alcoholic drinks
2. Hydrating drinks
3. Cooler

These things will help you have a great time at your tailgating party and are perfect for any group. Just bringing the right supplies will help put your party on the right path and make it a memorable time.

Fishing is a lot of fun and can be a great way to relax and enjoy yourself and the company of others. However, it takes a lot of preparation and gear to make one of these trips a success. Here’s a deeper look at the necessary things you should take on every fishing trip.

Fishing Rod With Reel

The most important thing you should bring with you on a fishing trip is the rod you need to catch the fish! Without a good fishing rod and reel, you can’t expect to catch much during your time on the water.

Your Fishing Lines

Along that same line of thought, it’s important that you bring along fishing lines to pair with your rod. You should bring more than one as the line can break, and you don’t want that incident to end your trip early. Additionally, you can bring several types of lines to catch different types of fish.

Fishing Tackle Box

A tackle box is a necessity when you need to repair and replace any lines or handle sudden issues with your fishing rod. You can’t skip out on bringing this if you plan to fish for an extended length of time.

Fishing Net

One of the more difficult parts of hooking a fish is pulling it those last few inches out of the water. That’s why a fishing net can vastly improve your fishing experience. These nets can help you bring in fish that you already have on the line and complete your catch with ease.

Long Pliers

Getting a hook out of the fish once you have it out of the water is difficult and can even be dangerous. That’s why bringing along a set of long nose pliers can really help, as you can remove the hook from a fish without risking an injury.

Fish Harvesting Tools

You should bring harvesting tools and gear when you plan on bringing back the fish you catch. Cleaning them on site will save you time and effort in the long run. Additionally, you’ll need things like an ice box to keep your catch fresh during the journey back home.

Fishing License

Before you go fishing, you should always ensure that you fish within legal boundaries, which likely requires a local fishing license. Many areas require fishing licenses, especially if you intend to remove the fish, so ensure you have one before your trip that covers the right date.

Different Lures

Whether you use live bait or fly-fishing techniques, you need different lures to best match the fishing conditions and target fish. This can take a lot of knowledge and commitment, but doing it well will greatly increase your chances of catching the fish you want.

Fishing Clothes

You can’t bring the same clothes you wear every day, as they won’t stand up to the rough conditions of fishing. Plus, you’ll need a lot of special gear to comfortably fish at your own pace. Here’s a list of the clothes you should look to bring on your trip.

Bring Layers

The weather is always unpredictable when it comes to fishing, which is why bringing clothes you can layer on or take off as needed is smart for an outdoor fishing adventure. This is truer for long trips, as the weather and temperature will change as the day passes.

Waterproof Boots

Fishing means you’ll be by a lot of water and likely get your feet wet. Wet feet are uncomfortable and dangerous if unattended, so waterproof boots can really be a lifesaver. Keep your feet dry to ensure the trip goes smoothly.

Wading Outfit

Some people love fishing by wading into the water, which can be effective. However, it’s best if you can stay dry when doing this. A wading outfit helps you stay dry when fishing in the water, allowing you to stay in place longer and allow fish to acclimate to your presence.

Change of Clothes

Even if you’re careful when fishing, things can go wrong, leaving you dirty and wet. Rather than suffer through it as you fish and drive back home, a change of clothes can be the perfect way to recover. It’s wise to always pack more clothes to change into.

Other Gear

There are still plenty more items that will make your trip a success. If you’re having trouble fitting your gear into your truck, you can always use space organizer modifications, such as vehicle slide-out trays. Once you make more room in your vehicle, consider bringing these crucial items along with you.

Sun Protection

The sun is a huge problem for many anglers as it constantly beats down on people as they fish. One way to help alleviate these issues is with sun protection, such as a cream or sunscreen that defends you from UV rays.

Local Map

Going out to a natural space is necessary for fishing, but it can be easy to lose your way. Bringing a physical map of the area can help keep you on track, especially if you can’t get service for your GPS. You can also investigate the area before arriving to find ideal fishing spots or public decks.

First Aid Kit

No one can predict what’ll happen when it comes to a trip, and being ready for anything can save your life. A first aid kit can help you treat many injuries until you can reach a medical professional. Even if you’re a seasoned fishing veteran, it’s always smart to bring medical care along.

Insect Repellent

Bugs love to be near water, especially mosquitoes, which is why bug repellent is a necessary item for a good fishing trip. Using a high-quality repellent can prevent numerous bug bites that can distract you from the task at hand.

Food for Your Trip

Fishing can exhaust a person, which is why packing food is crucial to enjoying those long fishing trips. From good snacks to good traveling meals, you can really have a fun time and partake in the food you like with friends.

These are the major things every fishing trip may need to have a successful trip. Keep in mind that you’ll still need to rely on your own skill and knowledge to put these things to good use! However, these essentials will help you reach your goals and make the most of your time on the water.