DECKED Truck Bed Storage System Test and Review

patoz

Expedition Leader
Hey 'D' guys, it's good to hear from you!

I know there were a lot of guys looking for a drawer set in that size range, so that's great they're selling like that.

I'm still working on a final summary for the review, but between working on the ambulance and dodging hurricanes I've been pretty busy. Besides, every day it's delayed is another day of experience I gain with the unit I have.
 

dman93

Adventurer
Questions:
- For a 5' bed Tacoma, does the deck fit nose to tail or are then any gaps?
- Is drilling required, or do the J hooks use the factory tie downs?
- Are there tie down points on top of the deck, or would one have to use bed rail tie downs to secure gear on the deck?
Thanks.
 

Ovrlnd Rd

Adventurer
Questions:
- For a 5' bed Tacoma, does the deck fit nose to tail or are then any gaps?
- Is drilling required, or do the J hooks use the factory tie downs?
- Are there tie down points on top of the deck, or would one have to use bed rail tie downs to secure gear on the deck?
Thanks.

I can't speak specifically to the Tacoma or the new style but with my 5'6" Titan there's 1.5" gap between the deck and the tailgate. Not enough room to get your hand down to the drawer handle let alone open it.

There are holes in the Ammo Cans that the j-hooks go through to connect to the factory tie downs. On some models they have to provide an additional bracket that hooks to the tie down and then the j-hook

Again, just on mine, if you want tie down points on top of the deck you would need to get optional pieces. Since I have built in tracks along my bed rail I chose not to buy them.
 

patoz

Expedition Leader
Questions:
- For a 5' bed Tacoma, does the deck fit nose to tail or are then any gaps?
- Is drilling required, or do the J hooks use the factory tie downs?
- Are there tie down points on top of the deck, or would one have to use bed rail tie downs to secure gear on the deck?
Thanks.


dman93,

Since I have no experience with the new mid-size drawer units, you would probably be better off to ask your questions on the Decked thread for their guys to answer.

http://forum.expeditionportal.com/t...acoma-Colorado-Canyon-Frontier)-Now-Available!
 

Explorerinil

Observer
Sorry to bring up and old thread, but after reading this review I ordered a decked system from my truck. Now that you have had it for awhile, what’s your opinion? Mine should be here next week.
 

patoz

Expedition Leader
Guys, I apologize! I have my final summary about half written, but life has been getting in the way on every front, and most of it not very good.

I will try to get it done and posted as soon as I get a chance.
 

Explorerinil

Observer
I got my decked system today and got it put together. Shipping was super fast, box had no damage and the delivery company was awesome. Instructions were comical, and fair, their videos are the way to go and are much better than the instructions. Install was kind confusing because the drawers came partially assembled which threw me off, but it was not a problem. The only issue I encountered is the drawer rubber seals hit and come off evertime I shut the drawer, I feel this is not a decked issue but something I haven’t got adjusted on my end.

Overall impression: high quality, well built, worth the money and very well designed. I was going to build my own out of wood, and I’m sure glad I didn’t. I got all my gear in one drawer and the other is open for hunting stuff. Come deer season I’ll be sleeping on top of it.

I highly recommend this product to anyone, very impressed.
 

patoz

Expedition Leader
"The only issue I encountered is the drawer rubber seals hit and come off evertime I shut the drawer,..."

Is your deck bowed or sagging any at all? This will cause that problem if it's not straight. I've had a problem with mine which is sagging slightly over time, an if I have a heavy load sitting on top of the deck. The drawer still closes, but it does drag some.
 

Explorerinil

Observer
"The only issue I encountered is the drawer rubber seals hit and come off evertime I shut the drawer,..."

Is your deck bowed or sagging any at all? This will cause that problem if it's not straight. I've had a problem with mine which is sagging slightly over time, an if I have a heavy load sitting on top of the deck. The drawer still closes, but it does drag some.
Yeah it’s not dead level, I’m gonna look at it again today, thanks for the info.
 

Explorerinil

Observer
RE: rubber seals... they're manufactured around steel staples that form the U shape song the drawer edge, and that retain the shape and hold the seal onto the drawer. They seem to be made in long strips and cut to length. One of my seals had very, very sharp exposed points at the very end of it, and I didn't notice when I installed it. A few months later, a buddy of mine was loading the truck bed with the drawer open and caught his finger on the staple, making a big puncture hole and drawing a lot of blood.

I pulled the staple out of the seal with my Leatherman and alerted Decked. I'm guessing there's a staple every 1/2-3/4" in the seal. Take caution when installing these.
Good to know! I might just leave them off then, I don’t need that, plus I have a topper so water isn’t an issue.
 

Thestronk

New member
Any chance one of you guys with a topper installed with the decked system can give me a measurement of the space from the deck to the roof? Where I live I need to haul my trash to the dump in two or three smaller Roughneck cans and need to know if they will still fit. Thanks in advance.
 

patoz

Expedition Leader
Any chance one of you guys with a topper installed with the decked system can give me a measurement of the space from the deck to the roof? Where I live I need to haul my trash to the dump in two or three smaller Roughneck cans and need to know if they will still fit. Thanks in advance.

It is storming here and is supposed to be like this all weekend, so I can't measure mine right now. However, the system specs says the unit is 12" high, so just measure your topper height and subtract 12" from it. Unless your topper is identical to mine, measuring mine wouldn't give you anything accurate anyway.
 

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