Truck Vault, Decked or similar

[Chris84]

Any one have a Truck Vault, Decked or DIY version? Is it as useful as you thought it would be? Run it with a cap/topper also? Any negatives you’ve come across?

 

[blackdog]

I'm curious about this as well. Looked into a Decked system for my Tundra but with no canopy and them not being rated as 'waterproof' and living in western Oregon, I didn't think that seemed like a good combination to store expensive guns and hunting/camping gear. After that, I didn't really look into the other manufacturers for whatever reason.

 

[Bcaulder]

Also interested. Plan is for a decked system and a shell. Would love to see feedback on usefulness and review.

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[sndmn11]

If you have a topper the Cap Pack is pretty rad. https://www.cap-pack.com/

I had a DIY system in my old truck and it was functional. I never thought about it until I experienced it, but it ended up getting filthy in the crevices and then in the drawers and the space under the top in between the drawers with hair, blood, mud, etc. So if you do go through with a bottom system, think about how one might clean it etc.

That pain in the ass prompted me to find the Cap Pack.

 

[colersu22]

My father in laws truck came with a decked system and a tonnoue cover. He did t have the decked system in for long since it is one of those nice to have items sometimes but not all the time since it o my makes the bed depth about 6-9” so not ideal for hauling anything.

 

[cmmiller53]

I had a decked system in my Tacoma with no topper and absolutely loved it. Owned it an entire Colorado winter and I never had water intrusion in the drawers. I have since sold the truck.

I could throw my bow, in there, lock it and forget about it. I also kept all of my snowboarding gear in a drawer all season and never had to worry about it. Emergency straps and tie downs fit great in the side ammo cans. And I would use one of the cans like a cooler to hold water and beer etc.

My only complaint is that you lose most of your bed height because of the drawer, but I just combatted this by strapping taller things down that I normally wouldn’t have to.

I would put a decked system in any truck I own in the future.


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[Freestone]

Currently run the Decked in my tundra. I have a tonneau cover that stays open most of the time. I love it and have never had water in the drawers. With the way it is assembled, i think the only way you’d get water in the drawer would be leaving the open in a rain storm.


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[slowelk]

I have had a decked in my ram 1/2-ton for the past two years both with and without a topper. I camp and hunt out of the back of my truck quite a bit, and I am not handy enough to build anything of a quality that I'd want to rely on.

The good: I need was initially born out of being tired of unloading and reloading gear so I could sleep in the back of my truck, this definitely solved that. I had a bed rug and a headliner on my topper, the decked fit in with the sides of the bed rug still installed, and with all that insulation it made for a really cozy place to sleep. The system is sturdy and well thought out. I have removed the topper and power washed the top of the decked and had no water get into the boxes.

The not so good: If you don't have a high topper, you can no longer sit-up in the back of the truck, it's laying only. You can no longer pack more than one bicycle because even with the front wheel removed, a bike is too tall to fit, so you'll need a hitch mount. The back third of the drawer is sort of hard to access, but it's not that big of a deal. The biggest drawback is the inability to haul large/awkward objects in the bed, so I got a trailer to remedy that.

This truck is not my daily driver, I call it "activities truck", and it primarily sits in the garage until it's time to venture out, so I can't say how the system holds up to daily wear and tear, but it has served its purpose for me.

 

[JWP58]

I've been looking at the bed drawer options. Truck vaults are very expensive (2k +), and the decked drawers are just expensive (at 1k). I wonder what the weight difference is. I'm sure the decked system is lighter since its polymer.

 

[Bcaulder]

If you have a topper the Cap Pack is pretty rad. https://www.cap-pack.com/

I had a DIY system in my old truck and it was functional. I never thought about it until I experienced it, but it ended up getting filthy in the crevices and then in the drawers and the space under the top in between the drawers with hair, blood, mud, etc. So if you do go through with a bottom system, think about how one might clean it etc.

That pain in the ass prompted me to find the Cap Pack.

Very interesting system. Is loud in the videos. Is yours loud as well?

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[BadDogPSD]

I have a Decked in my F350. It's a nice unit, well made and useful storage. The drawers do not pull a the way out, so the front +/-1/4th of the drawers have limited use.
As others have mentioned, you do lose quite a bit of your bed depth as the Decked units are close to a foot deep.
I really wanted a Truck Vault, but couldn't justify the cost.
I can't use my dog crates now that I installed a camper shell... so I'll probably end up selling the Decked system.

 

[sndmn11]

Very interesting system. Is loud in the videos. Is yours loud as well?

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I wouldn't say so at all. I am assuming you are talking about the second video with the guy who has the Falcon jersey? Mine sounds nothing like that and I think that was just a really good directional microphone. The third video with the guy that has the Toyota jersey and 50 hats in the drawer as well as the fourth one with the buck in the bed are fair representations of the noise the bearings make. If you went slow you could be quieter than opening and closing your doors.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I built my own and used roll on bed liner over it. Extremely functional. You don’t have to have draw slides, just use finishing paste wax on the bottom of the draws and the well slide well. I will eventually go to the decked system, but so far the wood has held up to the elements for a two years now. I say two years I have camper shell on half the year

 

[Pn8hall]

I built an 8ft long DIY version and have been using it for at least 10 years with a camper shell. Super simple to build. I used 3/4" plywood to make essentially a 4x8 box with 2 drawer openings. On the inside bottom piece I laminated some pieces of formica laminate for the drawers to slide on. I then made 2 8ft long drawers out of 3/4" plywood and used 1/2" plywood in the drawers to make organizers and fastened them with finishing screws. The trick is I put a 1/4" x 1 1/2" piece of oak on the bottom of the drawers for runners. Periodically put paste wax on the runners and as far in the drawer box as I can reach on the formica. I have them loaded with probably 300 lbs plus of tools and can slide the drawers in and out with ease. I can open the drawer all the way and the drawers will self support itself as long as you dont pull the drawer completely out of the box it will pivot sort of between the tailgate and the box and just sit there. Not sure if that makes sense or not. Can't tell you how many people have seen them and rave about them. Its such a simple build even with no carpentry experience. Its all straight cuts. Just make sure you glue and screw it all together with the exception of the bottom piece to the box. Just screw that piece so you can replace the formica if needed. I have only had to replace a small section of formica after 10 years though. If you want some pics let me know.

 

[MikeG]

I have a Decked system in my f-150 with a shell. I love it. I'm fine with giving up a little height for not having crap rolling around loose in the bed. I do have a couple other trucks and many trailers if I need to move bigger items.

 

[Tod osier]

I built an 8ft long DIY version and have been using it for at least 10 years with a camper shell. Super simple to build. I used 3/4" plywood to make essentially a 4x8 box with 2 drawer openings. On the inside bottom piece I laminated some pieces of formica laminate for the drawers to slide on. I then made 2 8ft long drawers out of 3/4" plywood and used 1/2" plywood in the drawers to make organizers and fastened them with finishing screws. The trick is I put a 1/4" x 1 1/2" piece of oak on the bottom of the drawers for runners. Periodically put paste wax on the runners and as far in the drawer box as I can reach on the formica. I have them loaded with probably 300 lbs plus of tools and can slide the drawers in and out with ease. I can open the drawer all the way and the drawers will self support itself as long as you dont pull the drawer completely out of the box it will pivot sort of between the tailgate and the box and just sit there. Not sure if that makes sense or not. Can't tell you how many people have seen them and rave about them. Its such a simple build even with no carpentry experience. Its all straight cuts. Just make sure you glue and screw it all together with the exception of the bottom piece to the box. Just screw that piece so you can replace the formica if needed. I have only had to replace a small section of formica after 10 years though. If you want some pics let me know.

Thanks for the description, I’ve been considering building one. I watched some videos and was thinking that for my needs there was no way I’d need ball bearing rollers. Good to have a confirmation on the design. Formica is a great idea, I was thinking some uhmw runners, but waxed wood on Formica sounds great.

 

[Fitzwho]

I ran a Decked system in my Ram 2500 for 4 years. It came to about an inch from the tailgate. The only way anything got wet in it was if I was in a prolonged fog. I took it through car washes with paper in the drawers to check it and they were never wet, maybe slightly damp at the worst. I wouldn't have kept guns in there for extended periods for sure... I live in west Texas, so dust was more an issue, and it would get in the drawers. For me it was awesome. It was occasionally a hindrance, but more often than not it was the best thing I did to the truck. I could have found some heavy weatherstripping to close that 1" gap and make it more waterproof, but I never felt the need.

If I wanted a totally weatherproof system that I could have customized to keep guns directly in, there's no doubting the Truck Vault system. But $1200 for a Decked System on the top end and $4500 for the weatherproof Truck Vault was my deciding factor.

I bought my Titan XD with a tonneau already installed. I thought about getting another Decked system, but there would have been 4-5" between the tailgate and the front of the drawers. That had me question it. So far I like the Tonneau.

 

[NeedleCrook]

I’ve got a ram 1500 with the decked drawers that I work out of, and I’ve had it about 3 1/2 years. I’m an electrical contractor and carry a lot of tools and I’m in and out of the drawers countless times everyday. I have had a couple issues as far as longevity and I’ll post some pictures of it. But even with those, it’s a great system. I carry far beyond the weight limit- which is probably why it’s broken a little on me. I also have a bedslide mounted on top of the decked. I had to add airbags because of all the weight. I do have a topper so I can’t speak to the weather tightness of it. But it is very handy. You can’t pull out the back third but it’s still accessible if you load it up right.

From the pictures you can see where it tore on the back where the wheels roll, I’ve been meaning to pull it apart and reinforce it with a piece of 1/8 steel just haven’t. And the other handle tore from grabbing it. Like I said, I carry a lot of weight.

 

[Pn8hall]

A few pics of my DIY version

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[Chris84]

Thanks for the pics & opinions guys. Kinda leaning toward making a DIY plywood version, that or nothing.

I can get UHMW from work, so I can use that for slides/glides, but that Formica is a good idea.

For the guys that have made their own - did you make it all out of plywood or 2x lumber for the vertical supports & drawer sides? Have seen both ways.