Anyone regret going long bed or short bed?

Just wondering and trying to get opinions from some people with real world experience. I bought a long bed. I'm a DIYer all the way and I definitely use my truck as a "truck". I now have the opportunity on a really good deal on a short bed with more options. I haul drywall, lumber, metal pipe, soil, gravel and the occasional motorcycle, so yeah, you can say I use the bed space. My only thought/ concern is: "Am I really going to miss the extra foot of bed space?" I'm ok with things hanging a little off the tailgate as long as it's not a safety concern and things are strapped down properly. Usually when I haul bigger items, my tailgate is down anyway, so I figure no big deal. Thoughts?

 

To me, the short bed is too short. My dirtbike just fits into the back of my long bed when I swing the back of my bike into one of the corners to close the tailgate. Can't go wrong with extra space if you ask me.

 

I like the longbed for what I use my truck for, mostly work, hauling buckets and sacks of stuff. With the toolbox in the bed, a short bed would be too small for me. Just my $0.02

 

Short bed works for the random projects I do around my parents house. If I had to move lumber and drywall, I would definitely want a long bed.

 

I like the idea of a toolbox in the bed, but never liked that it took up so much space. I won't be adding a toolbox, so it will all be empty space. Anyone with a short bed out there haul anything other than a cooler to the beach? Pics please if you got 'em.

 

Something tells me though, as soon as I pull the trigger on a short bed, I'm going to find a deal too good to pass up for a toolbox on TW. Why do you take my money?

 

I have a short bed and when we got our dog pen, no pics, it was a 10 x10x6 pen. It came in 4 sections that were that size. Needless to say it was interesting getting it in the bed and strapping it down. We made it work and with two straps it stayed in there with no problem. The long bed would have made it better though honestly. If I was going to be hauling wood and drywall and things like that often I'd stay with the long bed. I now have a small Kobalt tool box in there. No way that pen would have fit if that was on it at the time. Knocks about a foot more off the size of the bed but there is room under the toolbox to slide things like wood under it. I've got a couple of pics with the toolbox on if you're curious how big it is and about how much space it takes up.

 

I haul drywall, 8' boards, ect in my DCSB all the time. Never had an issue. I leave the tail gate up, put my 8' lumber on the bottom, then layer the drywall, plywood, ect on top of it. I haven't found anything I can't haul yet. I've hauled a bunch of drywall, ect 150 miles with no problems.

Do I wish I had a long bed? No another little bit of bed isn't going to let me haul an 8' sheet of drywall without some over hang.

The best thing for hauling those items? A full size 8' bed truck. Makes it so much easier.

 

I found my TB local on CL for $80. washed it and plastidipped it, good as new

 

I know. I came from an F150 to the taco and I miss having the full size bed where I wouldn't have to angle my load and full sheets can lay flat on the bed floor. I had to go with a smaller truck for a myriad of other reasons so now my only choice is a mini 5' bed or keep the 6 footer. If I could find a truck with all the options I wanted in a long bed, it would be a no brainer. For now I was just wondering because I have this deal on the table and I'm strongly considering it.

 

I do a fair amount of DIY home improvement projects and haul drywall and plywood and other odd items. The short bed gets the job done, though not nearly as gracefully as my 6' bed did. I just carry a bunch of ratcheting straps. Nearly anything you carry in a 6' bed with the tailgate closed will fit within the footprint of the 5' bed with the tailgate down and a strap across the back. Putting a tool box in a long bed essentially makes it the same usable depth as a short bed. There is no room for a tool box in a short bed if you actually plan on using it. The short bed also has a more maneuverable 40' turning circle compared to the 44' of the long bed.

 

The short bed is good for shortboards and mid-lengths. Not so much for longboards

 

I miss the capacity and overall look from my previous DCLB.
But now love easy U-turns and not tripping VSC in my current DCSB.

 

No ragrets. Not even a letter.

 

My DCSB has been fine for most of what I use it for-- hauling mountain bikes, helping friends move around town, occasional load of garden topsoil or hardware store trips...BUT, if I could do it again, I would definitely go with a long bed. I do quite a bit of camping for about 6 months of the year. I definitely prefer to backpack in the mountains, but sometimes car camping is more convenient or even necessary following an after-work drive to a trailhead for an early morning departure or something like that. So I bought a Bestop topper and built a wooden platform in the bed, but that 5' bed just isn't long enough for me as a 6' human. It's okay when I'm by myself, but add in a dog + girlfriend and it's a little tight. I would probably not buy a truck with a <6' bed again.

 

They are both short beds. One is short, and the other one is really short. What amount of short are you willing to deal with?

 

haha I feel your pain in this department. I usually put my 9' in at an angle so that more of it sits in the bed.

 

Haha I'm sure, it was crazy how much shorter it made the bed feel. The longboard was the 'guest' board.

Now all boards are under 6' and I just throw in the back seat at an angle

 

You know what I'm sayin'?

I could probably get away with a short bed except in winter when I occasionally throw my snowmobile in the bed. It would suck with a short bed. Long bed is already too short.

 

For DIY and general capability as a truck first and foremost, I was willing to sacrifice an e-locker and manual transmission to have the DC and the LB. This is the first auto I have ownded in 33 years of driving. It's not that much longer, and the backup cam helps for the last few inches parallel parking in urban environments...and even in front of the house.

I helped my BIL wrestle my old table saw and other stuff into this DCSB, and it was a PITA. He has been a carpenter all his life, had various trucks. He just traded it in for a DCLB.