Bed Molle Comparisons? Pros & cons.

Just for clarification, I cut the clamps. You could probably do it with a hacksaw.

 

I just got these for my truck too. For anyone looking at the RC panels, one thing that isn’t too clear in this picture is that the side panels do not go all the way to the front of the bed. Not an issue for me, but take a good look at the pics before you order so you don’t get a surprise.

 

All pro has one also

 

You cant go wrong with the molle panels from RC. They’re made in the USA, don’t interfere with OEM config, well constructed, easy to install, and REALLY affordable.

 

Did you get the full set or just one side of the bed? Looking for just a cabside panel bc I can only find the full combo set from rough country

 

Rough Country Cab Side Modular Bed Mounting System for 05-22 Tacoma - 73101

Amazon.com: Rough Country Cab Side Modular Bed Mounting System for 05-21 Tacoma - 73101 : Rough Country: Automotive

 

I own the set from Victory 4x4 and the set from CaliRaised. It's also worth noting that I have the Matt Gecko LEDs installed on the side and cab bed rails and run an RSI SmartCap. 21' OR, so no cubby on the left side. I had to drill two holes into the bed, which wasn't an ordeal, but does take a second person.

Victory:
These mount using the mounting holes intended for the bed rails using brackets that slide behind the rails. I didn't measure them, but they're probably 1/4-3/8" thick. This didn't cause any problems with the RSI SmartCap mounting bracket alignment. I was worried that it would, but it didn't. On the sides, I didn't run into any interference with the Matt Gecko LED strips. The rear panel did interfere with the Matt Gecko LED strip which was attached to the bottom of the bed rail. The Victory brackets sit firmly against the bottom of the rail in the cutout in the bed, which would not fit with the LED strip, installed. If I was installing the molle panels first, I could probably have found a workaround, but I had the LEDs first. LED strip lights are cheap, so I wouldn't let that be a deciding factor. These have cutouts for the factory bed lights. I don't have those, but if you do, FYI.

CaliRaised: (Special note: when I ordered, I couldn't find the rear panel on CR's website, so I only got the sides. Since that time, I've seen it, but I ended up going with another solution for the rear/cab)
These attach to brackets you slide into the bed rails. If you have a lot of existing mods using that channel, this can range from a pain in the ass to a dealbreaker. This was a problem for me when I was running a bed rack and a Waterport, but the Waterport and the RSI SmartCap didn't work well together, so I avoided that problem. There was no interference with the Matt Gecko LEDs. These do not have cutouts for the factory bed lights. I don't have those, but if you do, FYI.

Strength Comparison:
I'm sure there are differences; however, for my use case, and likely yours, I don't think it matters. Both have held my gear, including a 48" Hi-Lift, while off-roading. I'm sure there's some nuance between the mounting points, but I don't expect to encounter either is the normal course of things, and if I did, I assume either would fail in that situation; they're both relying on the strength of those T30 Torx screws into the bed.

Notes:
I bought the Victory panels first because I like their logo which is cut out of the panel. Their side panel has 2 square holes cut into it for carriage bolts intended to mount a Hi-Lift. Those two holes are relatively close together and I didn't a similarly aligned hole on the other end of the panel. It was likely strong enough to hold the Hi-Lift, as-is, but I wasn't happy with it. The conflict with the LED strips opened the door to me trying a different panel and this pushed me through it. The CaliRaised panels have slots which can be used in conjunction with carriage bolts, which is how I have the lift mounted now, with 3 mounting points.

My shovel, axe, and Maxtrax are all a bit too long to mount comfortable to the cab panel without mounting them high up on the panel. I ended up using the Rago Bed Rail Modular Accessory Mount because when I inevitable change my gear setup, I can use them on the rear or side channels. Conclusion:
CaliRaised worked better for me, but the Victory panels were more than sufficient. If I was happy with two mounting points for my Hi-Lift, and not so shallow (again, great logo, Victory), I'd probably order the Rough Country panels instead, due to cost. I really don't think there is a wrong answer here.

If you're in VA and like the Victory Panels, message me.

 

I got the full set.

 

Haven’t read anything but here’s my experiences. Had Cali raised first, tbh not much was available at the time and it worked with my fiberglass canopy with no other rail attachments used. Switched to a rsi canopy and added a oem divider so I took out the Cali panels because now the divider would be further limited on adjustments. Looked into behind the rail mounted panels and of the available options I could find there really was only 1 clear winner. Didn’t care for victory for 2 reasons- I don’t have a light pre cutout in my 18 so I didn’t want my panel to have one and I didn’t care for the logo in the panel. Didn’t care for rc because of the odd hex cutouts (didn’t match with the rsi door panels) and I didn’t like the logo in the panel.

the last was builtright- “normal” cutouts, no bed light cutout and the logo is a small metal plate riveted to the panel and looks clean. That was my winner. Picture was mainly taken to show not to remove endcaps completely when accessing the rail bolts because you can’t just slide them back in. I had to finger it up through the cutouts and it was kind of a pain. I had about 1/4” clearance for the ends of the divider prior to the behind the rail panel and wasn’t sure if I’d have to cut the ends down a bit but it had just enough to still fit in place.

 

Are there any of these compatible with OEM bed lighting?

 

Maybe this one...
https://www.victory4x4.com/product/VT23RMP-PC.html

Some pros and cons for each depending on your needs/configurations. I'm going to have to read through this thread again in the morning.

 

Thanks. Looking at the website, it does not look like it is compatible.

 

• Compatible with flush mount Toyota LED bed light kit (2020+ version Toyota PN:
  $60 PT857-35200 Toyota Genuine 2020 & Newer Tacoma Led Bed Light/Lighting Kit PT857-35200
  PT857-35200)*

edit: Not compatible with the surface mount Toyota Bed Lighting Kit (00016-34187, 00016-34089,

$155 PT948-35160 Genuine Toyota 2016-2019 Tacoma LED Bed Lighting Kit

PT948-35160, and similar.)

 

All of this is subjective, if it works for you it works.
I do like the aesthetics and I don't really have anything mounted to them full time. For me it's more of an overflow setup where I can easily keep stuff secure and out of the cab.

I ended up with the Builtright Industries for 2 reasons.

1. They mount behind the bed rail, so they take up no room on the rail itself. Big plus for me as I want to be able to freely slide anything that is tied down whenever I want. These also do not get in the way of the front tie downs on the interior bed.

2. The pieces are solid built/bent.What I mean by that is in comparison to the other brands that will bolt in behind the bedrail. Some of those other brands require you to bolt the mounting hardware to the Molle panel, then bolt that behind the bedrail. The Builtright Industries panels are one piece, no bolting mounting hardware to it. In comparison, that seems much stronger to me than the mounting options on some of the other kits. I have not held the other kits in my hands so my comparison is from internets sleuthing only, so take that as you will.

Here is my install video on the panels incase you are bored on the toilet this morning.

https://youtu.be/pmGboa_pnws

 

I was debating between the Victory and CaliRaised. Both seemed very good quality and I ultimately went with CaliRaised, but I'm sure I would've been just as happy with the Victory one too.

I also have a Bakflip MX4 tonneau cover.
The 2 work great together and I am happy with the results, however I'm curious to see if anyone had a better solution for the drain tubes blocking the sections shown in my photo:

I was initially hoping that the tubes can fit between the molle panel and the front wall of the bed on top and routing the bottom end through one of the holes on the bottom, but there isn't enough clearance to do so. I guess I can still try this route by changing to smaller/thinner drain tubes and see if I can make it fit in between.

Anyone else running the same/similar set up and thought of a good solution for this?

 

Where did you get these from?

 

https://www.bayareametalfab.com/Tacoma-Bed-Mounted-Accessory-Mount_p_92.html

 

Thanks. About to order some. Is this a made to order shop or on the shelf product? How are you liking yours? Cheers

 

Anyone have thoughts on the rough country one against the cab: will it be happy under a cab rail track?
I also have MattGecko leds running around the track so Builtright is out for me
Thanks

 

Mine shipped pretty quickly so I imagine he has a few on the shelf. I don't have mine installed at the moment because I went back to a Decked system but they worked fine when I was using them. BAMF has good quality products.