This is a crazy world that I have to resort to posting here...

1. The Growing Frustration with Overlanding Accessories
For something as simple as having a Hardshell Roof Top Tent or a mountain bike mounted on the bed of my brand new 2024 TRD Pro Tundra, I don't think I'm asking a lot, especially these days with all the "overlanders" out there driving up massive amounts of turnkey accessories and industries around this. However, with what look like purpose-built turnkey designs, I'm finding out that these tatted-up bearded bros have spent small fortunes, and put in the amount of time it takes to build a small city into customizing up the wazoo to get things right.

2. Disappointment with OEM Features on the 2024 TRD Pro Tundra
I bought a brand-new TRD Pro Tundra targeted to be high-end and off-road-ready, but it might as well be a 1960's Isuzu in the back end. No OEM rails available or offered, no slide-out tray standard (or offered), no storage standard (or offered)—just throw your stuff in the bed and let it roll around in there. Crawl in to get it, or strap it down like my dad did when hauling wood in the country. As if I’m some sort of rough-and-tough, gun-slinging, Tim-the-Toolman-Taylor, good ol’ boy? Noooope.

3. The Simple Need for Functionality and Security
I’m a simple man. I just want to maintain the OEM tonneau cover on the bed of my truck to keep the contents secure and dry. I’m not that guy that wants to display everything I have in big, burly, manly racks all over the outside of the truck—it cracks me up. The more I research, the more it looks like I need to spend $10k on a new cover, new racks, rails, mounts, blah blah.

4. Frustration with Compatibility Issues
I don’t think it’s too much to ask that all tonneau covers should either come with the ability to have rails on them or at the very least be compatible, no? Especially something like a Toyota Tundra! Hell, I can mount rack rails on a Honda Civic or a Subaru Impreza, so why not on the bed of an extremely popular truck known for off-road capabilities, while also protecting the things inside and not leaving it all wide open to the elements?

5. Seeking Simplicity Without Excessive Modifications
I don’t think it’s too much to ask to have a simple bed rail system that goes on or around the tonneau cover WITHOUT having to drill into metal or slice and dice my brand new truck. I also don’t want to have to completely tear out and relocate my brand-new truck's digital rearview camera! Like WTF? Am I asking too much? Maybe I’m not getting this "truck bro" thing, but there's gotta be a simple system out there—purpose-built—without me having to dedicate loads of time, money, tools, curses, and tears just to get a tent or mountain bike on my truck.

The ONLY thing I can find that will check all the boxes is the Tourtop cover—smartest thing I’ve ever seen, but extremely expensive and probably won’t get to me until the next millennia.

Halp, truck bros.

 

This almost seems like a troll post due to how much you’re picking on “overlander bros” and yet your supposed needs happen to overlap with those same people.

Bikes are easy. Lay it in the bed. Get a tailgate cover and drape it over the tailgate.

Roof top tent… you need cross bars, a bed rack or a cap with rails on top and enough capacity for you and your tent. If you go with a bed rack and still want a tonneau cover, then you need to find ones that are compatible with each other.

Get ready to spend some money.

 

Welcome Jeff. Break it down on exactly what you are seeking? You want a cover plus rails

 

And that’s just the bro-women!

I have to ask when you bought it new did they offer any kind of options to secure loads in the back?

I’m way old-school, I’ve been changing vehicles since my first Chevy 2 Dr post. I think I was doing Resto-mods long before the concept was even born. There are so many options, but you have to either dig into the aftermarket supply market or build your own stuff. I use tons of ideas born in the marine world. People who build boats are super creative. I looked for a long time before I found what is quite likely the only 2 legged cot made just to fit in the back of my 60 or in the back of a bed of a Tundra.

Go thru expedition builds but mostly expand photos and look at whatever people are using and look it up. DIY threads are a wealth of info.

 

This is the best real bit of advice. Spend money on tools, not what you make with them.

 

I'm just trying to figure out who you're mad at...

The after-market?
Toyota?
The overlander folks making stuff on their own?
Yourself for not looking past the glossy advert before you shelled out for TRD Pro?

Cover w/ rails. https://realtruck.com/p/retrax-powe...QGFJXaGXwyePROfe-yQrJwzAj8pt97bgaAlDDEALw_wcB

Deck system: https://decked.com/products/drawers...mzGw95Exp1V9dRel_iDIfJdEUXrujbUEaAsqQEALw_wcB

Is all that stuff super expensive? It is. Overlanding comes in two styles: 1) Old beat up vans and trucks heavily customized for overlanding in someones backyard with lots of sweat equity. 2) Heavily customized new vans and trucks heavily customized for overlanding by paying other peoples mortgages for stuff that bolts on and sometimes for the person bolting it on as well.

If you feel bad now just wait until you get the bug for some suspension work, wheels, & tires.

 

@jerffrotull I was able to put a cover on mine and then some racks and a truck tent. Then some molle mounts for my bike racks. So I can carry my tent, kayaks, and bikes and tow my trailer as well all at the same time.

Just put your plan together and start building. There may be some changes as you go but you will get there.

 

Thx @PBNB - I have zero interest in "DIY"...period. It's a tough world for a guy like me to own a tundra and want to make it more convenient. Sigh....

Thx @windblown101 - THIS might work! It's the "T Slot rails" detail I think I was missing when madly searching the web and looking at the mind-numbing amount of pics of "builds" and looking at bros proudly standing on their tonneau covers. While standing on one might be some sort of "big win" for the crew out there, I could give two craps lol.

Just want things to be convenient and work for a very basic purpose: camp/climb/bike without needing to rip my truck apart to do it or sacrifice aerodynamics and gas by mounting some ridiculous monstrosity that towers above the truck top.

I'm surprised there are not a ton more tundras or tacomas out there with a simple, sleek, functional and not just overloaded expensive "mods" with all sorts of pointless metal brackets tacked all over the place and a full chefs kitchen. Only downside is the tonneau cover I have is useless since I need to get something different for such a basic purpose of having the ability to install rails, that most crap cars come with stock.

 

@Willard you make it sound so...simple. . Thanks but your "just toss yer bike in the bed and drape some crap over it" is completely the opposite of everything I just said lol. Move on broham

 

Go back to exploring Abnb via Prius

 

Never been to "abnb" @Drainbung

 

FYI: found this as another option https://renegadecovers.com/product/renegade-tonneau-cover/?v=0b3b97fa6688 - but shocker, huge wait due to "high demand"...sounds like I'm not the only one out there blown away by the lack of realistic turnkey options and the overabundance of DIY bs. But MAN are they charging for it...

 

You can try Diamondback covers too. They would have better stock.

They are a bit less refined than the Renegade covers but at least you can get one.

 

Retrax ONE XR Tonneau - https://realtruck.com/p/retraxone-xr-tonneau-cover/ $1750
^ This gives the T slot rails to add mounts.

Then something like this Elevate Rack - https://realtruck.com/p/elevate-rack-system/v/toyota/tundra/2024/ $750
^ This fits into the T slot rails.

Then you can add whatever bike rack you'd like. The elevate rack adjusts up and down to your needs (lower for bikes and stuff, higher for a RTT). Tonneau cover is lockable to keep shit safe.

But wait, there's more!

The Decked system already brought up in this thread, another $1600 bucks https://realtruck.com/p/decked-truck-bed-storage-system/v/toyota/tundra/2024/
^ Now you have extra locked, dry, and organized storage.

Take the bed rack off when you don't need it, and voila no

You seem to have a very negative attitude towards all of this. Yes a lot of this stuff is expensive, but so is damn near everything these days. You bought a $70k+ truck and need to put a few more $#k into it to make it exactly what you want. Doesn't seem like too bad a deal to me.

 

Truck covers USA and get the rails and Yakima rack to go with it. You can get it with a toolbox too if you want. All plug and play.

Here is their jeep


Here is mine that I mostly DIY’ed

 

Very happy with my elevate racks. It was one of the only options to run racks and a functional tri-fold tonneau.

It's never held a RTT 'cuz I camp in a trailer, but it hauls some other stuff.

 

Interesting that you chose that one thing to narrow in on, despite it being a valid option. You also completely rewrote your original post to sound less like a whining child.

This really isn’t complicated, but if that’s your worldview, then good luck. There’s lots of great advice and suggestions in this thread already, but it seems like your attitude/ego is getting in the way.

 

Air BnB

 

Kayaks sit ontop of the tent. Bikes on either side. Kayaks come off to open the tent.

All of these parts are available to purchase from various suppliers out there.

 

Looks great @PBNB but way to much stuff and too high, blocking my rear view mirror and digital rear view cam. How do you deal with that with all that stuff blocking it? You just use your side mirrors and hope for the best?

 

@Willard I think a struck a nerve, apologies

 

@Cruiserpilot - no they didn't ask any of those questions! Toyota does have a custom shop, but it's completely disconnected from the sales process. In my opinion, they should have a custom shop liaison that is immediately available during the sales process to go through options and get things set up right then and there for customers who want to know more about what's available for their purpose, and also warn them ahead of time (like I should've been warned) about the tonneau cover not being compatible with ANY crossbars without modification...I would've immediately asked them to remove it from the truck and take it off the price so I could order the right one through them. This whole process is very common today when buying products online: you but something, then click next and they try and upsell you the addons right there before you get to checkout - if toyota did this in the sales process, they would make a ton of money on this no?

 

I'm not sure there's a Goldilocks solution out there for you OP. All the solutions exist, you like none of them.

 

The rack is high enough that I can see out the back window. The bed cam is blocked by the tent but there are camera relocation systems that can move the cameras around. Also, the top of the crossbars mounted to the tent are the same height as the antenna when it is all collapsed. This is a solution that I have put together after many years of not having the things we want take camping because I can't fit 2 x 12' kayaks in the backseat! Bikes are carbon fibre and don't get put in the bed as a rule. So this works for my purposes. I can also carry building materials up there so multi purpose is what I was going for.

I don't miss any cameras after doing this. I don't have the digital rearview mirror but I do have the 360 cameras.

 

DCLB and a DC short bed

 

Wow, that's a whole mess o' fun toys!!

 

Ya, we have it all out this way, we can kayak in Howe Sound and then gravel ride in Squamish, while we are camping at Porteau Cove. So we need to pack for it. Having the Tundra helps since it is a workhorse, we can load it up and take all the fun stuff with us. I am looking forward to getting this engine thing behind us so we can play and not worry about the truck.

Here is a shot from our last camping trip! This is a 40 minute drive from our place.

 

I don't get this post,so you want to install a bed rack system without doing.......anything?? Like magnets, or magic?? For a bike, yeah, either toss it in the box or get a hitch rack if you don't want it sticking out of the top. If you do want a RTT, you obviously will need a sturdy support system to hold you, and a partner, up and keep the tent from blowing off of at highway speed. Also, its just a truck, if you gotta blow some holes into it for something, who cares, you are not drilling into a Mclaren F1 to put on some Walmart accessories.

 

Very nice! I enjoy seeing people get out and grab all the fun stuff that life has to offer.

I seriously need to retire... I've got more hobbies than I have time.



I'd definitely need to get a thicker wetsuit, but I'd love to get up that way and surf.

I know there's some really good waves on Vancouver Island, especially around the Tofino area.

 

You can do about 80 - 90% of what "overlanders" do with some nice camping equipment. That's probably your best bet if you want simple, turnkey solutions.

If you really must do the overlanding thing, you have a few options for covers with T slot rails.

Option 1: Bak Revolver X4ts with T slots
Option 2: Retrax One XR Manual with T slots
Option 3: Pace Edwards Ultra Groove

All of those should work with a variety of different racks.