Totally torn on short or long bed...

Long bed looks goofy at stock height, but the extra space in the bed is very nice. The short bed looks better stock height, easier to off-road, but that 5 foot bed fills up quick.

I could go either way honestly, but I buy my Toyotas used, so I was at the mercy of used inventory. The long bed guys tend to hang onto their trucks.

 

I kick myself every day for not getting a long bed. The 5 foot bed isn't horribly useful for moving big things.

 

Short bed is useless. If I couldn't get a long bed tacoma, I'd buy a ridgeline or a subaru.

 

With you on that.
I'm retired now and would like to discourage the notion that I'm willing to be a chauffeur.

The 6' bed on my AC is adequate, barely. I still haul stuff often enough that it matters.
The turning radius is no better, so far as I can tell, than the truck it replaced. A regular cab, 8' bed F-150.
The fact that my Tacoma is a little narrower helps some.
I'm thinking maneuverability in parking lots, etc, would be pretty lousy with the longer wheelbase of a DCLB.

But yeah, if you just gotta have a double cab, it's a dilemma.

 

This is false right here. You can park f350’s in cities. I’ve worked all over and never had issues parking full sized trucks (Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, calgary, Seattle, Phoenix, San Francisco, etc). Is it as easy as a smart car? No, but if you can’t back a truck into a parking stall you should not be driving a truck. Oh and it should go without saying, driving into parking spots is a Nono in pick ups, they swing super wide when backing up.

 

You can take a long bed thru some gruelling, tight trails, just like a short box. I do it all the time, amazed that people say this, when the vast majority on these forums, probably never take their trucks off fsr’s, yet have them completely kitted out for the apocalypse. Plus with the lb you can carry bigger items.

Agree on the pro, not worth the additional money, you can build a lot better truck for less.

 

I saw it mentioned, however if your decision is between a Pro and Off road, you only have 1 choice in a long bed..........they do not make a Pro in a long bed.

 

I went with long bed and access on my 2017 OR....95% of the time I am alone and I like the look and utility of the longer bed. I guess it’s all in what you prefer aesthetically speaking and what you plan using the truck for.

 

My only problem has been getting high centered and dinking by DS because of the LWB. That and not having lockers

 

Short beds are for short bus people

 

^ Do that ^

For a truck the size of the Tacoma bed size conversations are a bit of a circle jerk especially if the point of reference is a full size truck. The Tacoma struggles, regardless of bed size, to haul any big or heavy load. That's why I'm such a fanboy of a trailer.




Here's my trailer that I've had for 20+ years. In this case it's hauling a sod cutter and the cut sod to the dump. You can also see the two vertical 2x6's used to steady the front tire of my dirt bike. The sod cutter weighed 300 pounds and there would be no way for me to get it out of the truck bed by myself. The cut sod would have had the frame resting on the bump stops.

Buy whatever size bed looks best to your eye and a trailer with a ramp and you will be thanking me for the next 20+ years too. Even when I had a full size 1 ton dually the trailer was used for moving big, heavy, or awkward loads.

 

The driver or the passengers?

 

Yes

 

Yup done that a few times in Death Valley, but skids/sliders and a decent lift fix that. Granted i’ve Never been high centred, close though, usually just back up and take it a bit more on an angle.

There are limitations to the lb, but I have yet to find them.

 

Short bed? Long bed? Either way that gate is still down if you put bikes in the back.

I personally went with the short bed because of the shorter wheel base, manual tranny, and I believe a DCSB looks a lot better than a DCLB.

 

Dipshit^^^

 

That’s not true, I can load my bike diagonal and have the tailgate closed. Not an option with short bed. Not to mention the weight of my back wheel is on the bed and not the tailgate.

Enjoy your DCSB, I like both but my long bed is far more useful for me.

 

I try climbing big rocks and get HC.

 

I could live with either. Before I bought mine I was certain that I wanted a short bed. However, when I got to the dealership and had them park one of each next to each other I realized that to me the long bed looks normal and the short bed looks kinda goofy. It just looks too short. I honestly think splitting the difference and a 5 1/2 fit bed would look perfect. I went with the long bed and I dig it.

 

Allow me to provide you with an executive summary of the thread so far:

Long bed pros:
-More storage capacity
-Looks (subjective)
-You might be able to sleep in the bed with the tailgate up

Long bed cons:
-Bigger footprint for parking
-Larger turning radius, decreases maneuverability
-Higher cost
-Looks (subjective)