Pardon me if this was covered before, but I did go through the first 21 pages of this forum and did not find it covered.

I just purchased a 2013 F150 XLT Screw and loving it. Right out of the gate I purchased a rubber mat to go on the bed only. I'm an avid camper and heavily involved in Scouting so I'm always packing and unpacking gear. Ultimately I would like to get a camper shell, but don't have the money for it right now.

Anyway, here's my question, I was going to get another rubber mat for the tailgate to protect it from sliding gear on and off, coolers, chairs, etc. but I'm not sure if that's the best option. I looked at the DIY roll on kit where you would paint it with hurculiner, or something like that, but then why stop at just the tailgate and do the whole truck. Then I looked at just a plastic liner for the whole truck then put my already purchased rubber bed mat on top of it, but not sure if plastic is the way to go. So, I'm looking for pro's and con's to each. Maybe someone did the DIY paint kit and have some thoughts to share.

Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions on how to preserve my bed and tailgate.

 

welcome
i think its prefernce (sp)
personally i like drop in plastic liners they look cleaner and easy to clean IMO

some companies make a slide out tray to go in the bed for your gear

seem to range from 300-1200 depending on load ratinga nd such

 

Two words. Bed Rug. I could see sleeping on it with nothing more than a sleeping bag.

Great protection for gear. Unless you are using a truck as work vehicle I don't see why this wouldn't be a perfect solution. As a bonus where you're done with the truck you could pull it out and move to next one, or resell it and recoup some of your investment.



and apparently 13f150plat knows where to get them cheap...

 

How does it or how will it last against rain, weather, etc.? Mold issues? Cleanup from maybe a firewood run, etc.?

 

i do actually
shoot me a message id be happy to trun you on to my connection

 

my thought exactly ..
id think firewood and rain would not be best friends with the rug.maybe a liner yes.. or a spray on yes.. but i cants ee it with the rug

 

I had just the rubber mat in my last 2 Dodges and the tailgate and wheel wells do show wear. This Ford it had the plastic liner installed by the dealer already. While it does provide better protection for the inside of the bed I really hate how things slide around. I put the mat from the Dodge in on top of it to help this from happening. I wouldn't go with a rubber mat on the tailgate as it will keep things from sliding which can be a PITA when loading and unloading. Had this truck not had the liner in it already I would go with a hard plastic on the tailgate, similar to what comes with a plastic drop in liner and the rubber mat in the bed for how I use the truck. Knowing what all you are hauling with scouts, tents, backpacks, canoe paddles and other stuff, the plastic drop in liner may be your best option for the most protection.

 

http://www.monstaliner.com/

I just got done rolling mine on this morning. I got some touch ups to do and I will post a pics up later today of it. I had it on my old Jeep, and it took a beating doing some rock crawling, but the liner never cracked or anything. Cost me $160 shipped to my door.

 

Found the full drop in and tailgate plastic liner online for $169, might just go that route and put the bed mat on top of it.

 

Rain runs right through it and it still feels dry to the touch. It looks and feels like carpet but its actually a plastic material. The foam on the back adds nice padding and keeps the bed safe.

Dirt, wood, rocks, they claim you can still use however I've only had mine in a week so I can't comment. I have ran a vacuum on it to clean out the cottonwood before I put the top on it and it worked great.

Again going off claims on the website it won't stain and resists oil, chemicals, but I have not used in that fashion.