Securing OEM Rail Tie Downs

So it's my fourth day being a new Tacoma (and pick up truck) owner and learning a lot of new things from the board. I do plan on buying a Tonneau cover, but options seem pretty limited right now so waiting for a quality cover to arrive that has reasonable water seal.

Until that happens, how do I secure items such as the OEM Tie Down Handles on the rail from theft with an open bed?

 

Sub'd

 

Take them off and put them in the cab.

Or run a cable through the D rings and through the cleat.

That's about it.

 

I see them attached all the time. No one steals them here

 

I'd just stow them inside the cab, possible in the storage area behind the back seats (that is, if you have the DC), or just keep them somewhere else in the cab.

 

This is exactly what I do, right next to the cheapo ratchet straps that I bought to go with them.

 

Man where do you you guys live? I would never even think about the tie downs being stolen out of the bed.

 

Same here or the bed mat. I had it just laying freely in my '11 with no worries. I've got a cover now so it's out of view, but I still wouldn't have had any worries otherwise.

 

Under the seat in the cab

 

Thanks. Totally forgot about those little storage bins below the rear seats.

 

If you are concerned about losing them ...and you do not move them around very much.... then just replace the big black "hand-crank" nut with a normal metric nut.... then the a-hole needs a wrench to loosen each one of them to get 'em off...!!

Cheers..