Utility and Style: Silverado Bed Accessories

Accessorizing the bed of a truck is a pretty straight forward concept. Rather than explaining the potential reasons to upgrade the bed, we can let the accessories do the talking. Below is a list of popular upgrades that are made to the bed of a Silverado with a brief rundown of their function. 

The bed of the truck is a harsh environment and anything delicate has the risk of sliding around on the painted surface; potentially damaging the bed or the cargo. Bed mats and carpet liners provide a finish to keep the bed and the cargo safe. 

A rubber bed mat or a carpeted finish isn’t the best choice for all people. Bed liners are a hard plastic liner that keeps the bed safe from scratches dents and dings and can make it easier to pull heavy parts across the bottom of the bed.

From the factory, a Silverado will have anchoring points located in the front and rear of the bed. These points make it easy to secure cargo in the bed to keep it from sliding around while driving; they do have their limitations though. Tie down rails can be installed to the inside of the bed which run the length of the bed giving you a wide range of points to anchor tie downs to. 

Much like tie down rails, bed side rails will run the length of the bed but they will run on top of the bed running from stake pocket hole to stake pocket hole. These rails are meant to keep the top of the bed safe from getting dinged up as cargo is loaded and unloaded. In the proper configuration, they can also be used as tie-down anchors.

Secure storage of tools and equipment is highly desirable. Tool boxes for the bed of a truck come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Not only do they keep your tools safe but they also offer an organized location for you to keep them while leaving a large amount of the bed open for cargo. 

The bed can be a low lit area that makes it hard to see the contents during the night. Bed lights can be installed, so even in the dark you can easily look through your cargo. 

Bed drawers are a step above the standard tool box. These are large boxes that span the surface area of the bed offering a storage area on top with drawers that hold any equipment you deem worthy of keeping out of the elements. 

Keeping cargo in the bed is one thing but coverage of the bed is another. There are many reasons you would want to keep the bed safe from the elements and there are two primary ways of doing so; that’s with the use of tonneau covers and caps.

Bed/Tonneau Covers: A tonneau cover is a flat vinyl or aluminum cover that installs flush over the top of the bed. This coverage offers maximum protection of the contents of the bed while keeping a streamlined look to the truck. 

Caps: A cap for the bed of a Silverado does all the same thing as a tonneau cover but offers more room to hold large cargo. Because of a roofline that matches that of the cabin, you can keep cargo that sides higher than the bed sides safe from the elements.

Each bed upgrade is going to serve its purpose best in a particular environment. That means to get the best results; you will need to set your bed up appropriately. 

You can get creative and veer off from what others are suggesting but there are upgrades that are proven to serve a particular community well. 

Off-Road: For off-road purposes, you will want to keep as much of the bed open as possible to incorporate the storage of full-size tires jacks and other equipment you may need to rely on while off-road. That said, a basic toolbox and cap can be real life-savers.  

Towing: With a towing rig, a large portion of your bed will likely be dedicated to the fifth wheel hitch. That means caps and tonneau covers can only be used a portion of the time. Toolboxes are a great storage solution for towing equipment but will also need to be sized properly so they don’t interfere with the hitch. 

Camping/Hunting/Overlanding: Camping hunting and overlanding are all very different recreational activities but they will all share a lot in common when it comes to setting the bed up appropriately. A combination of a cap and bed drawers are the perfect way to provide safe dry storage for food, clothes, and equipment while leaving a wide area of the bed open for sleeping and storage of other necessities. 

Work: A work truck is a truly open canvas. A toolbox is always a must for keeping tools and equipment. Otherwise, workers will know what mods will help them and a combination of almost all of the discussed upgrades can be used.