The main truck bed storage options
It helps to see what each option does before committing to one.
| Toolbox | Totes and bins | Sliding tray | DECKED drawers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organized | Yes, for tools | Poorly | Somewhat | Yes |
| Weatherproof | Yes | Varies | No | Yes |
| Secure | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Bed stays usable | Front is lost | Floor is lost | Floor is lost | Yes, new load floor on top |
| Cost | $ | $ | $$ | $$$ |
Traditional truck toolboxes
The classic cross-bed toolbox is still a good solution for many work trucks. It is simple, secure, and puts frequent-use tools within easy reach.
The cost is space. A cross-bed box claims the front of the bed and makes anything stored under or behind it hard to reach. If you carry a modest set of tools, that trade is fine. If you are organizing a whole bed, keep reading. Our truck tool box guide compares the box styles in detail.
Storage totes and bins
Plastic totes are the cheapest truck bed organizer, and they are flexible. They are also the fastest way to turn your bed into a game of Tetris: they slide, they stack, and the item you need is always in the bottom container. Good for occasional hauling, poor as a permanent system.
Sliding bed trays
A sliding tray solves the reach problem. Instead of climbing in after cargo at the front of the bed, the platform slides out to you. For heavy equipment and coolers this works well, and DECKED’s CargoGlide integrates a slide into a larger storage setup.
Drawer systems
Drawer systems put storage under a raised deck instead of on the bed floor. Gear stays organized below while the top stays open for cargo. This is the category DECKED leads.
What a DECKED Drawer System is
The DECKED Drawer System is a vehicle-specific platform built around two full-length drawers under a heavy-duty deck. Frequently used equipment rides in the drawers, organized and reachable from the tailgate. Cargo rides on top.
The construction is the point: high-impact polymer over a steel subframe, made in America, and backed by DECKED’s limited lifetime warranty for the original purchaser. On full-size trucks the deck is rated to 2,000 pounds; midsize systems carry 1,000. Each drawer holds a few hundred pounds of tools without sagging.
Why we like DECKED for Colorado trucks
Colorado trucks do a little of everything. One weekend the bed carries tools, the next it is skis, bikes, or hunting gear, and then a camper goes on the hitch and the bed fills with leveling blocks, hoses, and electrical equipment. A permanent system has to handle all of it. Four reasons DECKED does:
You keep your truck bed
The drawers take the lower portion of the bed and give you a new load floor on top. Compare that to a large toolbox, which subtracts bed space permanently. You organize underneath and still haul on top.
Your gear stays organized
Open a drawer from the tailgate and your equipment is where you left it, instead of buried under two totes behind the cab. A common Colorado setup puts tools, recovery gear, and towing equipment in one drawer, and camping, emergency, and everyday supplies in the other. The layout is yours to decide.
Weatherproof storage matters here
Snow, rain, dust, road grime, and mag chloride are unkind to expensive tools. DECKED drawers are weatherproof, which for contractors, hunters, and anyone who keeps equipment in the truck year-round beats open bed storage by a wide margin.
Your equipment stays out of sight
Gear visible in an open bed invites trouble. Inside the drawers it is hidden, and with the tailgate locked the drawers cannot be pulled open. Optional drawer locks add another layer.
What does a DECKED system cost?
DECKED publishes its pricing: drawer systems start around $1,500 for full-size trucks, somewhat less for midsize, before accessories and installation. That is real money next to a $400 toolbox, and worth it only if you will use what it does (more on that below).
We quote the installed price for your specific truck, bed length, and configuration.
The honest drawbacks
No product review is complete without them.
The system weighs roughly 200 pounds before you load it, which comes out of your payload. You lose bed depth: the deck raises your floor about a foot, so tall cargo has less headroom, especially under a tonneau cover or cap. And it costs several times what a toolbox does.
If you rarely carry anything in your bed, none of that buys you much. DECKED earns its price on trucks that work.
DECKED plus CargoGlide
Our favorite configuration pairs the drawers with DECKED’s CargoGlide slide. Drawers handle the small equipment below; the slide brings the upper deck’s cargo out to meet you instead of making you climb for it. Depending on configuration, CargoGlide extends 75% or 100% of bed length with ratings up to 2,200 pounds. For contractors loading heavy equipment daily, the combination changes how the truck works.
What owners actually store
Two owners can run the same system completely differently.
Contractors organize power tools, hand tools, hardware, batteries, and job-site supplies. Towing and RV owners keep hitch equipment, electrical adapters, straps, chocks, and leveling gear in one place, which is worth a lot at a dark campsite; our towing accessories guide covers that side of the build. Campers and overlanders load recovery equipment, cook kits, lights, and first-aid. Hunters and anglers separate boots, tackle, and clothing from the rest of the cargo. And everyday trucks hold groceries, sports equipment, tie-downs, and the emergency kit that otherwise rattles around the cab.
Pairing DECKED with an enclosed cap? Our SmartCap comparison covers our favorite bed combination: drawers below, stainless cap above.
Common questions
What does a DECKED system cost?
Does DECKED have competitors?
Can you use DECKED with a tonneau cover?
Is DECKED worth it?
DECKED sales and installation in Arvada, Colorado
Ride N’ Shine Automotive is a DECKED dealer and installer in Arvada, serving the Denver metro and the Front Range. We confirm the right system for your truck, order it, install it, and can build out the rest of the truck around how you use it: tonneau covers, bed racks, toolboxes, running boards, air bags and load support, hitches and towing equipment, lift and leveling kits, and wheels and tires. One shop, one plan, instead of accessories pieced together from four places.
Whether you drive an F-150 or Super Duty, Silverado, Sierra, Ram, Tacoma, or Tundra, bring us the truck, or tell us the year, make, model, and bed length, and we will tell you exactly what fits. Choosing a cover for the top? Start with our tonneau cover guide.