Long bed vs Short bed?

Of those that have recently purchased tacos.. which bed option did you go with? The long bed (73.5 inches) or the short bed (60 inches) .. I currently have a short bed f150 (roughly 65 inches I think) and am shopping for a Tacoma now.. looking for some pro's and con's? I do NOT do off-roading on trails or rock crawling and such.. spend most time on highway pavement or "off-roading" on the drive-on beach (soft sand) and some occasional mud. I do haul lumber occasionally, but mainly waterfowl hunt so in the winter have a good amount of gear/decoys/dog etc to stow. Thanks!

 

Short bed here, I went from a mid size SUV and so far have been okay with the 5 ft bed and tonneau cover. I do not do a lot of hauling though.

 

Long bed with a shell. I need to be able to sleep in mine.

 

It's really up to you, if you think you can fit your hunting gear in a short bed.
I don't like long beds, especially in a mid sized truck; that's why I bought mid sized. I use my bed nearly every time I use my truck, but for what I do, my gear fits fine in the short bed, with plenty of room left to spare.

 

Whats your sleeping set up? Post a pic? I have shell on my current truck and do love them, keeps everything nice and dry

 

I went short bed because I wanted Manual Trans, if you have really long items you can get a hitch extender, I recently needed a few sections of gutters and it worked perfectly.

 

Cool thanks. Yea it all comes down to preference of course. got anough room for all your guns and ammo?? lol --- I test drove a Taco this past weekend, and was NOT dissapointed with the feel of driving and the spaciousness of interioir, esp coming from a larger f150.

 

A Toyota bed mat, Thermarest luxury map, heavy Outfitter sleeping bag rated to 20 below and a couple of dogs. No sleeping platform. Works for me!

 

Absolutely LB. I needed it three times just last week. I would not have wasted my time with SB. But some people don't even use their beds, so totally current and future needs driven.

 

Yep! We just went to the long range in the rain yesterday!
Large pelican case with rifle, EZ up, large tote with gear (ammo, bags, etc), small cooler, muck boots, shooting mat, qualification flag. Guesstimating front 1/3 of my bed was still empty, and I had another few inches to slide stuff in the back. Point being; I didn't have to play gear Tetris to load
Of course dry clothes and snacks in the cab.

 

It all boils down to:

Haul people- double cab

Haul "stuff" - Access cab

Haul both - double cab long bed.

I would never own a truck with a 5' bed, and if I had to get something the size of a double cab long bed I would have just gotten an F150.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

Sounds like a great day!! Yea I do like the rear seat fold down configuration, makes a nice flat surface.

 

Yeah, it's definitely nice! My buddy and I went on our yearly hog hunt this summer, and we took my new Tacoma. The rear seat fold down was perfect!
For the road; we had our clothes and long guns in the cab for better security, and the bed open for coolers and the inevitable mess. We didn't leave the truck unattended, but it's still nice to have the guns more secure on a long trip, should we have an unplanned stop.

 

The only real downsides to a long bed are the longer wheelbase making your break over angle worse for off roading, and hard to maneuver in parking lots. If neither of these matter to you, then there’s nothing a long bed can’t do that a short bed can.

 

Don’t understand these people. If one has no need/use for a bed why get a truck?

 

Something to consider is the ride is different between the two models. The longbox does have a smoother ride on bumpy roads. The weight of the bigger box adds 240 lbs to the curb weight which equates to a slightly different fuel economy also. On the flip side the short box has a smaller maximum payload because of floor loading engineering if you carry heavy items. If you have a manual short box the difference in fuel economies can be eaten up with downshifting but then you save the brakes in the long term.

I had always driven older Toyota trucks with the longbox and in 2011 I picked up my first double cab manual with the short box. That was the only option if you wanted a manual transmission. I was initially pissed but looking back now, not once did the short box ever stop me. I hauled long lumber with the tailgate open and lumber over the roof secured to my roof rack. These days I have a trailer to haul stuff and a tonneau cover over the box. The towing capacity is 100lbs more in the short box. (not worth mentioning) It used to be 500lbs difference on the 2nd gens.

It comes down to aesthetics for most people. Some like the longer lines and others like the short compact look. If you are looking at the manual- lower MSRP.

 

OP, do you generally have multiple passengers? If not, maybe look at an Access Cab. AC has the long bed and same length as a Double Cab short bed. Whatever you buy, make sure it fits in your garage if that is a concern. Check out this thread on Access Cab dog platforms. I made one and it stays in the cab all the time because nobody but my dog rides back there.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/access-cab-dog-platform-udpate-pics.72761/

Happy shopping.

 

Short bed. I didn't buy a Taco to haul stuff.

 

My research shows the wheelbase is the same on all models. 127.4 inches.

I do agree with you- there's nothing a long bed can't do that short bed can or vice versa.

 

Double cab short bed vs double cab long bed? There’s no way the wheelbase is the same.