Which bed liner to choose

[Ventilator]

I did a lot of research! Haha.

OK, I'll be a little less subtle.

 

That is a big load of $#!+.

[sk]

Go with the BedRug. I hate that people say it is "carpet", that makes people think it is cheap and won't hold up. This thing is not carpet. You can't destroy it or stain it. I've had one in my 1994 for over 15 years now and it is holding up well (no cap or tonneau and have hauled mulch, stones, dirt, anything you can imagine). The only down side is that you can't just sweep it out, but if you use a hose it comes pretty clean. If you have a pressure washer that works even better!

[00Silverado4x4]

Spray ins hurt the resale because it is irreversible.

From what I have researched, this is not a true statement. I've checked with KBB.com and NADAguides.com and if you check "spray-in" bed liner it will show an increase in value. Provided the spray in is still in good shape. Plus, spray in's can be fixed up as well. As far as throwing a load of bricks in and "denting" the bed...I've done it and more than once. Believe it or not, I still do not have a dents in my bed. Not arguing just wanted to throw in my opinion and experience.

[Ventilator]

Definitly go with a bedrug. All my friends have spray in liners and they are not that great. I have a bedrug in mine and love it. It keeps things from sliding around and it won't beat up anything you put in there. Also install is not permanent. You can take it back our if you ever decide. It won't hold mosture between it and the bed to no rust or molding issues. I've had mine for almost as long as I've had my truck and if I were to go back to when I was choosing a bedrug, I'd definitly go this route again. It makes the truck seem 100x's nicer. A lot of my friends see the bedrug and say "Damn, this truck is so classy it even has carpet in the bed!" Also having a bedrug can increase resale value as it actually protects your bed. Spray ins hurt the resale because it is irreversible. And also as I pretty much already said, a bedrug (and it's sister part, the bedtred) are the ONLY bed liners that actually protect the bed. Spray ins require you to sand the bed and remove all paint. Therefore if it ever gets chipped up, you now are susceptible to rust. Also, not saying you do or do not use your truck for a lot of heavy loads but, let's say you need to carry a large amount of bricks, if you start dropping them in there on a spray in, you are likely do start denting the bed with at least a half dozen of those dropped bricks. The bedrug has 3/4" foam under the surface to protect the bed from dents. And a drop in liner would just take the weight and if you have any dirt, or any chips from the bricks, under the drop in liner, then shifts in the liner will scratch and remove paint and once again, you now are open to rust

 

 

I want to end this by saying I am in NO way affiliated with Bedrug or any other liner company. I just did a lot of research on this subject when I went to get my bed liner.

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

I did a lot of research! Haha.

I had to come back and respond to these untrue statements. I won't slam your bedrug in the process, but I don't know where you did your research on the spray in liners?

 

06SierraZ71 already covered the resale mistruth in the above post, so enough on that.

 

My Line-X installer does not use any sandpaper, nor do they "sand the bed and remove all the paint". As a matter of fact, they etch/scuff the paint with a fiber material for adhesion, but they did not go through the paint at all. Get a good reputable installer, and get the Platinum/Premium "guaranteed not to fade" bedliner. It is not your standard bedliner, and is much more durable. Proper preparation is 90% of a good spray in liner.

 

Not all of us live in the city, or on pavement for that matter. I live 2-1/2 miles from the nearest pavement. My truck will throw small stones/sand/mud up through/around the stake pockets that falls into the bed. With any type of drop in liner or bedrug, this would be between the bed and liner. I guess I don't have to say how much a PITA that would be daily, or what would happen under the liner if not removed?

 

I do a lot of hunting in the fall, and haul oily/greasy/rusty things around the farm. Fertilizers, batteries, pumps, generators, fence posts, quads, chain saws, generators, gas cans, oil, straw, hay, corn, ground feed, dirt, gravel, sand, mulch, wood chips, rocks, salt, wood, lumber, shingles, dogs, and several other things, but never bricks. 06SierraZ71 covered the bricks above as well.

 

Like I said earlier, I hunt and also carry field dressed deer in the back of my truck. How does that work with a bedrug? Blood? Muddy quad wheels, muddy dog paws? Rusty, oily, greasy equipment? Gas cans?

 

I really don't see where a rug could do what I need it too? I can sweep mine out with a push broom in a few seconds, hose it out in another few seconds, water/rain still drains out the bed drains. If I need it dry, compressed air through a wand, and it is dry in a few seconds as well. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think in my situation, I would spend more time cleaning the bedrug than I would doing the work?

 

Just another view from the farm country. Our trucks aren't just people movers and grocery getters.

[sk]

I'm not going to bash you either, but just like you I will respond to some of your statements to clarify them. I live, work, and hunt in farm country too. Here are my answers to some of your points:

 

 

 

Not all of us live in the city, or on pavement for that matter. I live 2-1/2 miles from the nearest pavement. My truck will throw small stones/sand/mud up through/around the stake pockets that falls into the bed. With any type of drop in liner or bedrug, this would be between the bed and liner. I guess I don't have to say how much a PITA that would be daily, or what would happen under the liner if not removed?

 

This can't happen with the BedRug. It fits tight to the sides of the bed, and the bottom has foam that is actually molded to the shape of the ridges in the bed so it fits perfectly with no gaps or spaces.

 

 

 

I do a lot of hunting in the fall, and haul oily/greasy/rusty things around the farm. Fertilizers, batteries, pumps, generators, fence posts, quads, chain saws, generators, gas cans, oil, straw, hay, corn, ground feed, dirt, gravel, sand, mulch, wood chips, rocks, salt, wood, lumber, shingles, dogs, and several other things, but never bricks. 06SierraZ71 covered the bricks above as well.

Like I said earlier, I hunt and also carry field dressed deer in the back of my truck. How does that work with a bedrug? Blood? Muddy quad wheels, muddy dog paws? Rusty, oily, greasy equipment? Gas cans?

 

None of these are problem for the BedRug. Like I said before you really can't stain the fibers (okay, maybe paint will stain it but that would be true for any liner). I have spilled gas, blood, oil, and other things on it with no problems. I haul straw, stones, sand, and concrete pavers on a regular basis and it has held up well.

 

 

 

I really don't see where a rug could do what I need it too? I can sweep mine out with a push broom in a few seconds, hose it out in another few seconds, water/rain still drains out the bed drains. If I need it dry, compressed air through a wand, and it is dry in a few seconds as well. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think in my situation, I would spend more time cleaning the bedrug than I would doing the work?

 

As I admitted in my previous post, it is a little harder (but not impossible) to sweep clean with a broom. A pressure washer or compressed air does a great job too. And like I also said before, I hate that they call it a "rug" since that makes people think of carpet. That's not what it is.

 

 

 

Just another view from the farm country. Our trucks aren't just people movers and grocery getters.

 

My 2 cents from farm country. My truck has never been (and never will be) a grocery getter. It gets used hard and I have been VERY happy with the BedRug.

I don't have any connection to them at all. I am just trying to help the OP who asked about a bed liner. In the end everybody is going to buy what they want anyway.

[jay15892]

I'm very happy with my spray in liner. I think that is the best option imo..

[KMGZ400]

What does a bed rug do when it gets wet? Does it absorb water? does it stay wet? Seems like it would be a nightmare in the winter

[14'SilveradoLT]

I've had Line-X, Rhino, perma-tech (CRAPPY)...and something else this truck has near Armathane I think.

 

Line-X hands down was my favorite...grippy enough but not overwhelming for deer and material.

 

The perma-tech crap was the worst stuff ever. Main thing is the installer, a lot of spray-ins are similar...comes down to the installer. The guy who sprayed this truck needs a swift kick to the balls....he sprayed over the movable tie downs.

[Grandpa]

Does the Bedrug help seal the tailgate? It looks like the Bedrug has a covered hinge area between the floor and tailgate.

[TheFactor]

Definitely get a spray in liner vs drop in liner , I had one in a truck just for a year and sold the truck so I pulled it out to sell the liner separately . After I took it off I was shocked to see the paint in many areas due to friction and sliding around was wore off down to bare metal .I was lucky it was in California with hardly any rain or I'm sure it would of rusted due to the fact there were many areas down to the bare metal. I'm getting my 3rd Spray on installed tomorrow in my new Silverado and very happy with my decision from previous experience with them .My first two were LineX and were great . This time I'm going with Arma coating because my dealer is closer and from my research there very similar and actually Arma coating was producing them first and then they split up and LineX followed .

[HD_Shock]

If my only choices were a drop-in plastic liner or a spray-in, I'd go with the spray-in and throw a rubber mat on top (so for me ... $600 - $700 ish). The only thing a drop-in has going for it is a cheap price but that's at the expense of scratched up, rusty bed over time.

 

However if you include a BedRug into the list of choices, I'd go with the BedRug every time. I had one in my 96 GMC for 18 years and it held up beautifully (sans the little side pockets where the elastics wore out but they don't come with those any more). As has been said, a BedRug is NOT carpet, although it looks and feels like it. It's a polypropylene type material that will NOT absorb moisture or any kind of liquid. Any water that accumulates on top of the BedRug will simply drain through the zippered sections and out through the factory drain holes in the bed.

 

While my truck isn't a "farm truck", I do my share of hauling the usual home owner stuff - bricks, dirt, building supplies, etc. I'm also a professional photographer which means I'm always hauling a lot of camera gear and grip equipment. (anywhere from 1000 to 2000 lbs worth)

 

I understand they're popular but here's what I don't like about spray-ins like LineX:

1) Factory paint needs to be destroyed to apply. Call it sanded, scratched or scuffed - it will never look like it did when new. It may not matter all that much to some since you're essentially repainting the bed anyway, but I'd rather keep it as "factory" as possible if I can.

 

2) It's hard on the knees! With the heights of these new trucks, I find I need to climb in much more than my 96. That could be alleviated with a rubber mat, but that's an additional cost.

 

3) It's hard on cargo. Doesn't matter for rocks and such of course, but I often carry things that I don't want scratched up. For instance, I just got back into woodworking - I'd never carry a sheet of expensive veneered plywood on a bare LineX'd bed. This wouldn't matter to construction guys carrying rough lumber of course but that's not me.

 

4) Stuff slides around too easily. I don't want to have to tie down every little thing I throw into the bed.

 

5) Cost. $600 - $700 with a mat vs the $330 I just spent on the (GM/Chevy) BedRug I bought off eBay. Haven't installed it yet.

 

6) I know LineX is supposed to be indestructible, but I've seen a LOT them where they're scratched up, gouged, faded and generally looked like crap. Maybe they weren't prepped properly or they weren't the "premium" version but that really turned me off to spray-ins. Conversely, my previous BedRug looked great after 18 years!

 

These are just MY opinions and observations. If a spray-in is a no brainer for you - I'm happy you made the right choice. I just find it odd that there's a "Best Answer" to this thread giving the nod to LineX when everyone has different needs and opinions. For me, the no-brainer is BedRug. (I also considered the BedTred but decided I wanted a flat floor vs the ribbed)

 

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[MikeNH]

Happy with Line-X here. The fact that the bed paint is sanded isn't important since the liner covers it. It is a rough texture that could scuff things up and I could see it being hard on knees (I rarely wear shorts, plus I like to think I'm tough ). I don't have the premium on this and I don't think the 03 did (I bought it used) and both looked good and black all the time I had them and the 2003 rarely had the tonneau on cause it was one of those awful snap ones that was a pain to use.

 

The bedrugs look nice but despite knowing they're durable and hold up great I don't think I'd ever want one in my truck, doesn't seem right to me.

[PMattras]

I'm very happy with my spray in liner which I did have to put a rubber floor mat so it is easy on the knees plus things don't slide as much. You have more room in the bed. I had dropped in liners in my previous trucks (still have issues with the floor with your knees etc. and items moving around). They both worked okay but now I prefer the sprayed in liner. I had a cap on my previous truck so I didn't have any issues with rust when I had the drop in liners.

 

One day I was driving down a highway and a bed liner fled out of the back of the truck and was damaged by a vehicle driving behind it. I don't think anyone got hurt or the damage it caused to the vehicle. I guess it wasn't properly installed right. There are also issues of fires with dropped in liners.

[Smoothbassman]

Does the Bedrug help seal the tailgate? It looks like the Bedrug has a covered hinge area between the floor and tailgate.

Yes it does

 

This is my third truck with the bedbug. I love them. Easy to clean, durable, keeps everything in its place as I driving around and doesn't damage the stuff I throw in there. Just brush it off and it's good to go!! It's a good product, but to each their own.

 

Plus it's nice to lay in the back with the old lady from time to time looking at the stars!!! Or just taking a nap after riding some trails.

 

[thetruck454]

Yes it does

 

This is my third truck with the bedbug. I love them. Easy to clean, durable, keeps everything in its place as I driving around and doesn't damage the stuff I throw in there. Just brush it off and it's good to go!! It's a good product, but to each their own.

 

Plus it's nice to lay in the back with the old lady from time to time looking at the stars!!! Or just taking a nap after riding some trails.

 

 

How bout the rug burns from being back there with the old lady?