Truck Bed Mats -- 3 Tips

Pickup truck bed mats do several things well. Any truck needs protection for the bed. Otherwise hauling takes it toll and before long your truck shows wear and tear. That damage can lead to real trouble down the road.

There are several choices for truck bed protection. Mats are so cheap, it's easy to think another choice might be better. Here's how mats may be the best liner for your vehicle.

Real hauling?

For light duty hauling almost any liner will do. For rough hauling though you need a heavy duty liner. By rough hauling I mean anything like hauling a few concrete blocks or even a load of firewood. Either of these will likely lead to permanent scratches and even dents in your expensive bed.

A simple, cheap heavy rubber mat can take just about any abuse you pile on it. These rubber mats are so tough you probably won't need but one. You'll never wear it out. If you do, just slip it out and slip another one in.

Another cheap workhorse of a mat is the reversible mat with rubber on one side and carpet on the other. Now carpet isn't the choice for greasy, dirty loads, but for cushioning and a non-skid surface it can't be beat.

What about weather?

Rubber will stand any weather. Just make sure the bed drains stay open. The last thing you want is water standing under a bed liner. That's a prime spot for rust to start. Don't need that for sure.

Carpet mats also can take the weather. But an even better application for carpet is under a tonneau cover or pickup cap. That's the perfect application for carpet.

But why not a bed liner?

What about a spray on bed liner? No doubt a professional spray on liner is a great way to protect a bed. Here' the thing though.

Who wants to spend all that money and then have to worry about gouging and tearing the liner material. You thought it was guaranteed? It's actually repairable, but that doesn't mean you can't tear it all up. Who needs that?

For really heavy hauling a rubber mat may even beat a spray on bed liner.

See, a heavy mat makes sense even if you have a better looking spray liner. Slip in the cheap mat for hauling jobs and sacrifice that mat to protect the spray liner.

For heavy duty hauling, a bed mat is hard to beat for truck bed protection. Mats are cheap and work for any load in any weather.