What are Bed Stiffeners? (FAQs)

When you're offroading — and sometimes when you're overlanding — you'll be driving your 4x4 over rough, bumpy terrain, steep muddy hills, and large boulders. If you’re packing cargo in the back bed of your truck or jeep, you'll need to prepare for the worst...

This is where bed stiffeners come in. Bed stiffeners are what help the bed of your truck from bending and snapping under the weight of your gear and supplies. 

In today’s blog post, Artemis Overland explains what bed stiffeners are and why you might just want to buy some for your 4x4. 

What are Bed Stiffeners? 

Bed stiffeners reinforce the tailgate frame on a jeep or truck to handle lateral and torsional forces that would otherwise damage the frame. 

Some offer additional accessories like tie-down points that secure cargo and mount locations for light and antennas. 

What Brands are the Best to Get? 

It’s up to personal preference and what your needs are. Leitner Designs and Tacoma are widely-used bed stiffeners. Rago Fabrication is a quality supplier of bed stiffeners, along with other overlanding accessories, made for a variety of car models, like the Nissan Frontier or the Toyota Tundra.

Are Bed Stiffeners Necessary? 

The Tacoma’s plastic bed is notorious for flexing and splitting apart due to excess weight from bed racks, or bed bars. Even moderately rough driving can cause the bed to shift around and break. Bed stiffeners are absolutely necessary for preventing this from happening to you. 

Being able to load up the truck or jeep with conveniences is what makes overlanding what it is, and not a pastime to glorify bare-bones spartan living. Carrying these accessories means you need a strong and stable bed to handle the rougher terrain. 

What are Most Bed Channel Stiffeners Made of?

Many bed channel stiffeners are built to last, often made from stainless steel with a textured black powder coating that’s weather-resistant. This way, your investment can last longer and work to prevent the wobbling, flexing, and breaking that comes from a camper shell, bed rack, or frequent off-roading. 

Shop for 4x4 Bed Stiffeners at Artemis Overland in Springfield.