Featured here: the Keeper Keeper Adjustable Ratcheting Cargo Bar, 40-70 in.
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How we know:Owner-report-verifiedSpec-verifiedWhat these mean
Ideas lists in this category are usually a slideshow of products. This one is ordered by cost and each entry says what it takes away as well as what it gives, because every bed storage decision is a trade and pretending otherwise is how people end up with a bed they cannot use.
The three best ideas here are the three cheapest: use the wheel-well void, use the under-seat void, and brace the load. Together they cost very little and they fix most of what is wrong with a work bed.
1. Use the wheel-well void
The space beside each wheel well is dead on every pickup. Nothing stacks into it, no cargo uses it, and it will fit a narrow drawer cabinet or a swing-out case.
Gives: lockable storage at zero cost in usable bed space.
Takes: nothing. This is the free lunch.
Watch: depth is limited — about eight inches on a drawer cabinet.
2. Use the under-seat void
Dry, hidden, inside a locked cab, and it holds nothing from the factory. Recovery straps, a tool roll, a first aid kit, documents and — critically — cordless batteries.
Gives: the best storage location in the vehicle.
Takes: rear footwell space.
Watch: generic boxes rock on the floor ribs and rattle; model-specific ones do not. Cab organizers.
3. Brace the load
A ratcheting cargo bar against the tailgate. Cheapest item on this site and the one that stops the bed becoming a pile.
Gives: everything stays where you put it.
Takes: nothing, except marks on a bare painted bed.
Watch: no gap between bar and load. A gap is travel.
4. Run both bed rails
Two side boxes instead of one crossover: hand tools on the driver's side, consumables on the passenger side. The whole bed floor stays clear, which matters enormously if you haul flat loads.
Gives: organization plus a completely usable floor.
Takes: both rails, which means no tonneau cover and no bed rack.
A 40-70 in ratcheting bar that braces across the bed and holds a load against the tailgate. It is the cheapest piece of kit on this site and it stops more rattling, sliding and scratched paint than anything else you can buy for the money.
Who should skip it. It is a brace, not a wall. It does not partition the bed into compartments and it will not hold a heavy load on its own.
Build
7.8
Capacity
6.8
Install
9.8
Day-to-day access
9.4
Value
9.6
What works
+Costs less than a tank of fuel
+Ratchet tension holds without tools
+Stores flat behind the seat when not in use
What does not
−Keeps a load in place; does not compartmentalize the bed
A swing-out case that mounts in the wheel-well void and rotates out over the tailgate. It takes zero bed floor and zero rail space, which on a 5 ft Tacoma bed is the only acceptable answer.
Who should skip it. It holds what a milk crate holds. This is a case for straps, a jack handle and a tool roll — not a tool box.
Build
8.4
Weather seal
8.2
Security
7.4
Bed usability
9.8
Value
8.2
What works
+Uses space that is otherwise completely wasted
+Swings out over the tailgate — no climbing in
+Leaves the bed floor and both rails free for a cover or a rack
Five shallow drawers in a narrow sidebed cabinet. This is the box that stops you digging through a bucket for the right screw, and it mounts in the wasted space alongside the wheel well.
Who should skip it. Shallow drawers mean small parts only. Nothing bigger than a cordless drill goes in here, so it is a companion box, not the box.
Build
7.4
Capacity
6.6
Install
8.4
Day-to-day access
9.4
Value
8.8
What works
+Five separated drawers end the bucket-of-fasteners problem
+Fits the narrow dead space beside a wheel well
+Lockable as a unit
What does not
−Small-parts capacity only
−Drawers will rattle loose fasteners on rough roads
A 72 x 13 x 16 in aluminum topsider that bolts along the bed rail and leaves the floor completely clear. For anyone who hauls sheet goods or a pallet, this is the right shape of tool box and a crossover is the wrong one.
Who should skip it. It consumes rail space, so a tonneau cover and a bed rack both get complicated. If a cover is non-negotiable, go crossover and give up the floor instead.
Build
9.0
Weather seal
8.4
Security
8.2
Bed usability
9.6
Value
7.6
What works
+Bed floor stays completely usable
+Long and shallow suits hand tools and cordless kits better than a deep well
+Buyers parts and latches are stocked everywhere
What does not
−Requires drilling the bed rail on most trucks
−Blocks a tonneau cover and most bed racks
−One box covers one side only — pairs get expensive
Two full-length weather-sealed drawers under a load-bearing deck. You keep the whole bed floor on top and gain two drawers you can reach from the tailgate without climbing in, which is the single biggest day-to-day change you can make to a work truck.
Who should skip it. It raises your bed floor by the height of the drawer module, so you lose vertical space and the ability to carry a full-height pallet. If you haul bulk more than tools, this is the wrong buy.
Build
9.4
Capacity
8.2
Install
8.8
Day-to-day access
9.8
Value
7.0
What works
+Drawers are reachable from the tailgate — no climbing into the bed
+Deck surface stays usable for cargo on top
+Weather-sealed drawers keep tools dry in an open bed
+No-drill installation on the factory cleat system
What does not
−The most expensive item in this category by a wide margin
−Raises the bed floor and costs you vertical capacity
−Very heavy — payload matters if you also tow
−Sold per bed length; ordering the wrong one means a return freight bill
Two 60 in strips, 180 LEDs, with a waterproof switch, blade fuse and a two-way splitter in the box. It is a complete hard-wired kit rather than a strip and a prayer, which is why this is the one to buy.
Who should skip it. It is a wiring job. If you are not comfortable running a fused feed and finding a switch location, buy a rechargeable magnetic light instead.
Build
8.0
Capacity
8.4
Install
7.0
Day-to-day access
9.4
Value
9.4
What works
+Complete kit — fuse and switch included, not sold separately
+Two strips light both sides properly
+Stated warranty, which most strip kits do not carry
What does not
−Requires wiring into the truck
−Adhesive mounting needs a clean, dry surface to last
−Strip LEDs are directional — aim matters more than brightness
Beds with a full-length tool box blocking the rail
6. One box, one tote, one bag
Not a product — a system. Everything that must lock goes in the box; consumables go in a labeled tote; straps and chain go in a bag that lives in one place. Three containers rather than general storage.
Gives: everything has a place, which is the only thing that keeps a bed organized.
Takes: discipline.
Watch: more than three containers and the system collapses.
7. A slide-out tray, then a decision
A cheap polyethylene tray ends the climbing into the bulkhead for very little money, and within a month it tells you whether reach is your real problem.
Gives: reach, and an answer to the drawer-system question.
The best bed storage available and the most expensive, with the clearest trade-off.
Gives: reach, organization, sealing and locking, all at once.
Takes: vertical bed capacity permanently, plus payload.
Watch: if you haul tall cargo, this is the wrong purchase. Is DECKED worth it?
Picking two or three
You do not need eight. The combination that suits most work trucks is: brace the load, use both voids (wheel well and under seat), light it, and add one locking box. That is four items, a modest total, and a bed that works.
The full sequenced build for a truck starting from nothing is in contractor truck setup.
Questions people actually ask
What are the best truck bed storage ideas?
The three cheapest are the three best: use the dead wheel-well void for a narrow drawer cabinet or swing case, use the under-seat void in the cab, and brace the load with a ratcheting cargo bar. Together they cost very little and fix most of what is wrong with a work bed.
Should I build my own truck bed drawers?
We would not. Plywood swells, home-made slides bind, and within a couple of years you have a damp box that will not open. A cheap slide-out tray plus a locking box beats a home-built drawer unit on every axis including cost over three years.
Is it better to run two side boxes or one crossover box?
Two side boxes if you haul flat loads, because the whole bed floor stays clear and you get hand tools one side and consumables the other. One crossover if you want a tonneau cover or a bed rack, because side boxes occupy both rails.
What is the single best storage spot on a pickup?
The under-seat void in a crew cab. It is dry, hidden, inside a locked vehicle, holds nothing from the factory, and costs you only rear footwell space. Batteries, documents and recovery gear all belong there rather than in the bed.
How many storage containers should a work bed have?
Three: one locking box for anything with resale value, one tote for consumables, one bag for straps and chain. More than three and the system collapses into general storage, which is the thing you were trying to escape.
Last reviewed October 5, 2026. Think a figure here is wrong? Tell us at contact@toolboxandtruck.com and we will check it, fix it and date the correction — see our editorial policy.
