Pick Up Trucks

[Jeffrey Walker]

So i’m in the market for a kayak, at first o wanted something ultra lightweight and portable but now i’m leaning towards getting a real rig, like a hobie PA 12.  

 

So my car lease is up and so i’m now thinking a pick up truck would be great to make transporting even easier 

 

however, in my current car,  small suv, i always have a few rods just in case i stumble upon a pond or something.  So having the internal storage is really handy and allows me to keep my stuff secure but always at the ready.

 

if i get a pick up truck, i’m going to lose that internal storage, as i’m not gonna have rods loose and free inside the bed of a truck. so i’m curious if anyone has a pickup and has this dilemma. 

 

i don’t see how a few 7ft bass rods are going to fit inside of even a 4 door pickup.  

[Darth-Baiter]

I put the butt of rods in passenger footwell and run the tips to the back corner of the drivers side.  7’3” rods.  This is in my access cab Tacoma.  Much smaller than a 4-door crew cab truck. 
 

all bets are off if I carry a passenger. 

[MN Fisher]

15 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

I put the butt of rods in passenger footwell and run the tips to the back corner of the drivers side.  7’3” rods.  This is in my access cab Tacoma.  Much smaller than a 4-door crew cab truck. 
 

all bets are off if I carry a passenger. 

My extended cab Silverado fits even my 7'6" rods....passenger floorboard to behind my head passing through the arm-rest slot.

[DaubsNU1]

My brother suggested getting a roll-top tonneau cover for my truck…while it’s not 100% secure, it does pretty good. My tailgate locks…people can’t see in…and have no idea valuable are under there.  Bonus, tonneau cover keeps rain and snow out. 

 

Kicking myself for not getting one sooner! 

 

Easy to keep 7 foot rods in my 6.5’ bed. Brother’s bed is shorter…no problems keeping rods in there all the time. 

 

Something to consider.  

[slonezp]

Real world problems. Where there's a will there's a way.

[Bruce424]

i store my rods in the passenger seat too.  and if someone has to sit there, then i open my rear slider window. slide the tips through there and  prop the rods on my center console

[TnRiver46]

I can fit 7 foot rod in a 2 door truck if I need to go in a store or something. If not just lay it in the bed 

[WRB]

Keep your SUV and get a trailer.

Tom

[Boomstick]

I put one of these diagonally across the bed of my truck. Definitely got my money's worth. Spinning rods and higher end rods ride in the cab from the passenger's floor to the rear seat roof.

[gimruis]

30 minutes ago, DaubsNU1 said:

My brother suggested getting a roll-top tonneau cover for my truck…while it’s not 100% secure, it does pretty good. My tailgate locks…people can’t see in…and have no idea valuable are under there.  Bonus, tonneau cover keeps rain and snow out. 

 

Kicking myself for not getting one sooner! 

 

Easy to keep 7 foot rods in my 6.5’ bed. Brother’s bed is shorter…no problems keeping rods in there all the time. 

 

Something to consider.  

This is me too. I will say that someone could knife through my roll up cover if they wanted to though. I’ve seen a hard tonneau version but you can’t roll it up to haul something taller. I have a 6 foot box so a 7+ foot rod will fit diagonally.

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

This is me too. I will say that someone could knife through my roll up cover if they wanted to though. I’ve seen a hard tonneau version but you can’t roll it up to haul something taller.

Another reason I like the full topper on my Silverado.

 

2 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I have a 6 foot box so a 7+ foot rod will fit diagonally.

6.5' bed on mine - I could lay an 8' rod diagonally in the bed if I needed to.

[GreenPig]

I can squeeze four 8' swimbait rigs in the cab of my crew cab Chevy. I slip the handles under the left rear passenger seat and the tips toward the front passenger windshield. 

[Deephaven]

Two cheap clothing racks and I have a rod rack in my Escalade/Yukon/Tahoe/Expedition.  Up above everything and can't be hurt.  No one will steal them either as they aren't visible.  Have carried 18 up there on a trip as well.  I did upgrade to a rod locker to carry them so the Escalade is going down the road, but it worked great for when I needed it.

[Trox]

1 hour ago, Jeffrey Walker said:

 

i don’t see how a few 7ft bass rods are going to fit inside of even a 4 door pickup.

oh, they fit. I've had 8ft rods in my 2017 crew cab dodge along with 10 or so shorter rods, but none less than 6'10". Your passenger may not appreciate it though ?

[casts_by_fly]

I fish alone and do what everyone else does from the passenger floorboard to behind the drivers seat.  I have rods up to 7’3” with no issues. It could do longer as well.

 

i typically have a spinning rod or two in the ram boxes along the bed for the ‘just in case’ stops.  I too have a hard tonneau cover which is nice. Doesn’t help if the boat is in the back. 
 

if you really want to have a solution, best bet is a full topper/cap on a 6.5’ bed. You can put the boat in and shut the glass.  Behind the glass you use the clothes rod trick and hang two clothes rods to suspend the rods on. A bungee strap ensures they can’t fall out. Then you have full passenger space if you want. 

[Sphynx]

Are you buying or leasing? If you can drop a rack in the back you can put a big piece of capped PVC on top and have your rods secured, Kayak either in the bed or also up top.

[Wprich]

4 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

I put the butt of rods in passenger footwell and run the tips to the back corner of the drivers side.  7’3” rods.  This is in my access cab Tacoma.  Much smaller than a 4-door crew cab truck. 
 

all bets are off if I carry a passenger. 

Same here got a double cab Tacoma footwell of passenger side to back corner of drivers longest rod is 7'5".  Carried a passenger last time out he just had to make do and scoot over some lol.

[padlin]

For short runs I fit the rods in the cab as specified above. For long term, I keep a couple 2 pc rods on the floor in the back seat.

 

One time I put a couple rods in the bed for a short ride, didn't think about the small cooler sliding around and breaking the tip on one. Never again.

[Craig P]

I had a 12' Hobie Outback some years back.  I was able to fit it the back of my Full Sized Truck Short Bed with a hitch rack.  I won't sugar coat it, it becomes a pain in the butt!  Now that was a Outback, if you're thinking about an even heavier Pro Angler, you'll hate yourself even more if hauling it in and out of the pickup bed.  I am going with what @WRB said, keep the SUV and get a trailer for the PA12.

 

FWIW, I can get a 7'-2" Pole in the bed of my short bed Ranger.  I just use a rod sleeve to protect them as there is a slight bend.  Works nicely.

[gimruis]

10 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Another reason I like the full topper on my Silverado.

Not a big topper guy.  I had one on my first truck, a Ford Ranger, many years ago.  It creates visibility issues and honestly I think they're kind of ugly.  They're heavy too, and a ***** to remove because they're made of fiberglass.  I can see the advantage of keeping items in there though, completely safe and locked up.

 

Most newer full size trucks come with crew cabs and the box is 5.5 foot length standard.  I think a lot of people use them as their "family" vehicle these days since big SUVs are like twice the cost of a truck.  In 2017 when I bought my F-150, the salesman also showed me an Expedition with similar miles.  It was literally twice the cost.  That conversation ended quickly.

[Deephaven]

7 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I think a lot of people use them as their "family" vehicle these days since big SUVs are like twice the cost of a truck.  In 2017 when I bought my F-150, the salesman also showed me an Expedition with similar miles.  It was literally twice the cost.  That conversation ended quickly.

Ford's website was down but I was curious as I find the SUV significantly more flexible than the truck.  On the Chev it is a 15% adder for that utility.  I have little ones I power around town though and when they have friends it makes a truck not as friendly.

 

To be fair those are base packages.  I added the 18" wheels to make the bodies comparable, but the Tahoe also has significantly more equipment on the inside I didn't add so the 15% isn't really fair.

[Jeffrey Walker]

Anyone transport a kayak inside an suv?

 

[MN Fisher]

25 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Not a big topper guy.  I had one on my first truck, a Ford Ranger, many years ago.  It creates visibility issues and honestly I think they're kind of ugly.

I've been driving with toppers since my WT-1500 that I bought new in 1998...only new vehicle I've ever owned.

 

I get comments about my 'SUV' as both trucks have had matching toppers, so they blend in. And taking them off isn't that bad. Two people can lift it off, which I've done when ferrying large objects...like when I helped a friend to move.

 

Ya, visibility is a little degraded, but on the Silverado that's mainly because all the windows other than the windshield and two front ones are smoked...if I had the money, I'd replace them all with clear.

[Gera]

Two piece rods? ?

[Bankc]

2 piece rods are your ticket.  Most of my rods are 2 piece from back when I only owned a pair of 2-door coupes.  2 piece rods are surprisingly good.  

 

6 minutes ago, Jeffrey Walker said:

Anyone transport a kayak inside an suv?

 

I've seen people do it.  But it's not common.  You have to tie down the hatchback and they typically stick out a long ways.  So you might need a truck bed extender to support it.  Plus they'll get your carpet muddy and wet.  And all of the other stuff in your trunk has a way to get out while you're driving.  Most people, myself included, put them on the roof rack with an SUV.