Such adoption by manufacturers could be considered competition for aftermarket companies, but just the opposite is true, says Peter MacGillivray, vice present of marketing and communications for the Specialty Equipment Market Association. "Ultimately, they'll grow the category," he predicts. "They'll sell the notion of accessorization and personalization to a much bigger market than we could ever reach."
Some aftermarket companies work through dealers to provide their products as dealer-installed accessories. The important thing is to reach the customer while he's financing the purchase, because that can make accessories more affordable.
IPV Thermoelectric Coole...
IPV Thermoelectric Cooler
What aftermarket products currently available might we see as factory options down the road? Many truckmakers may still add the sliding track-mounted tie-downs as Nissan has done, though O'Connor says that's one option Ford isn't interested in just yet.
But owners who do want sliding cleats can check out Bully Truck Accessories' Bully Clamp, which runs along the upper edge of the bed to provide a tie-down point wherever one is needed.
Maybe rigid cargo boxes occupy too much space in the bed, but you do need a place to keep small items handy. Consider the Turbo Saddle Bags from Westside Research. These fabric pouches hang on the inside of the bed and take up little space.
Some of us use the bed for more than one thing at a time. Bed dividers help secure cargo in different parts of the bed and prevent smaller loads from sliding around. The Loading Zone cargo gate works like an expanding home baby gate to lock into the inside of the bed, dividing it into separate front and rear sections. The ActivGate combines a cargo gate with bedside storage bins that preserve a narrow bed space for maximum cargo flexibility.
Toyota added a bed divider to the roster of factory options for the Tacoma, along with bedside storage boxes. Bedliners may be the granddaddy of truck accessories, and many manufacturers have begun offering spray-in bedliners, with Nissan making it standard. Toyota says it went a step farther, eliminating the need for either a conventional or spray-in liner by switching to a nonskid plastic bed.