If you own a truck and have a job requiring you to work on-site, then you probably want to get a truck bed toolbox. These handy storage solutions allow you to keep all your hardware securely locked in a container that is fixed to your vehicle, allowing you the freedom to leave them unattended without having to worry about erosion from weather or sticky-fingered passers-by relieving you of your expensive tools. This also means that they won’t be sliding around in the bed, where the constant impacts from breaking, turning, and accelerations could potentially damage the tools and even the truck itself.
Choosing the right toolbox can be tricky, though. Different pickup truck brands and models have different-sized beds, after all. You need to be sure that it fits your truck, you need to make sure it’s big enough to carry everything you need, and you need to think about other considerations, such as weight, weather sealing, and the quality of the lock. A great place to start is by looking at the biggest brands on the market. The most popular truck bed brands have earned their reputations by providing products that have satisfied the needs of their customers. One of the best ways to measure that popularity is by looking at which of these brands appears most often in review publications. Here are a few of the most trusted brands on the market today.
Weather Guard
Weather Guard is easily one of the most popular truck bed toolbox brands. It’s owned by WernerCo, which specializes in manufacturing various types of storage equipment for trucks and vans. Weather Guard has been making truck toolboxes since the 1960s, making it one of the business’s oldest and most trusted names. This is why you’re just as likely to see one of them strapped to the back of an old beater as one of the best pickup trucks of 2023.
This popularity appears to be well-earned, too. Weather Gard toolboxes are generally highly rated and regarded for superior build quality and functionality. Many of their models have extra features such as keyless entry locks, reinforced tie-down buckles, and, as the name implies, plenty of weather stripping.
Weather Guard regularly make ‘best of’ lists. Elite Truck ranked the Weather Guard New Generation Crossover Toolbox as the best truck toolbox of 2023, while Gear Patrol chose the Full Size Crossbed as the best truck bed toolbox overall. On top of that, all three of the best-rated crossover truck toolboxes at Home Depot are made by Weather Guard. Two of them are different color variations of the 62.5-inch Aluminum Compact, while the third is the same 72-inch Aluminum Full Size Deep Crossbed that Gear Patrol chose as its favorite.
UWS
If you do any research on truckbed toolboxes, you will definitely run into UWS. It’s hard to say if it’s more popular than Weather Guard, but it’s certainly one of the most prolific manufacturers of crossover truck toolboxes on the market. UWS is owned by Lippert, which specializes in engineered products for RV, marine, and automotive vehicles. According to its website, “UWS is a leading manufacturer and designer of USA-assembled truck toolboxes and accessories. Our products are built to the highest quality standards, offering tough and reliable storage solutions for professional tradesmen and truck enthusiasts alike. We offer a full range of truck toolboxes, transfer tanks, chest boxes, dog boxes, and other truck storage solutions.”
UWS crossover toolboxes are listed as the best sellers in several categories by both Home Depot and Lowes. Elite Truck favored the UWS Secure-Lock Crossover Toolbox as the best truck toolbox of 2023. There are some reports of users having difficulty attaching certain UWS toolboxes to their trucks, but these seem to be a minority of users as most of the boxes are very highly rated.
Decked
Next up, we have Decked. This company was founded in 2014 and specializes in unique truck bed storage systems, all of which are manufactured in either Defiance, Ohio, or St. George, Utah.
Decked is another company that appears on a lot of lists, but as you look it over, you might notice that it’s less known for the quality of its toolboxes and more for its elaborate drawer systems. These earned mentions on Elite Truck and Gear Patrol’s lists.
Rather than simply fitting into the back of the bed near the cab, these systems put a second, higher bed in your truck and come with drawers that slide out from underneath to rest on the tailgate. This allows truck owners to keep the full square footage of their truck bed while simultaneously allowing them to maximize their internal storage. The only downside to this system is that it makes the depth of your truck bed significantly shallower, which may not be desirable for some truck owners.
While that is impressive enough on its own, Decked also makes a plastic Crossover Truck Toolbox, which Car and Driver hailed as the “best non-metal toolbox” in 2023, stating that it “offers 9.8 cubic feet of storage space for tools and gear. It features waterproof, rust-proof polymer construction and comes with accessory trays to further improve your organization and storage options, making it a wonderful all-purpose storage solution if you don’t mind shelling out a premium amount.”
SwingCase
Another truck bed toolbox that gets a lot of attention is the SwingCase. This is a bit of an odd one, though, since SwingCase isn’t actually the name of the manufacturer. SwingCase is a trademark of UnderCover, which primarily specializes in manufacturing truck bed covers. This company is, in turn, owned by Truck Hero, Inc., which has a collection of brands under its umbrella that each specialize in a specific kind of truck accessory. Truck Hero has five brands dedicated to truck bed covers alone, but the UnderCover SwingCase is definitely the stand-out toolbox in its catalog.
That said, SwingCase only makes one model, though it comes in a wide range of sizes and fitting options. This single model is extremely popular because, as the name implies, the SwingCase is mounted on heavy-duty hinges and can swing a full 180 degrees over the tailgate. This allows users to adjust its position for easy access before placing it back into a locking position over the wheel well.
Gear Patrol and Car and Driver have featured the SwingCase on their lists of the best tool truck boxes. Ben Fecteau of Toolbox Buzz loved the SwingCase, stating that, “it retains critical bedspace by efficiently using otherwise wasted space, stores securely in place, has [an] ingenious swinging access design, and offers decent weather protection.” He said it would be one of the first things he would buy when upgrading his work truck, but he wished the hinges and locking mechanisms were a little stronger.
Dee Zee
Finally, we have Dee Zee. This truck bed toolbox manufacturer isn’t quite as popular as some of the others on this list, but it’s still a pretty big name in certain circles. The company offers dozens of different models that fit a wide array of different-sized truck beds. One of the main things that have made Dee Zee so popular over the years is the sheer variety of options that it has in its catalog. Go to the Dee Zee website, and you will find dozens of different models, with options ranging from affordable plastic boxes to high-end commercial-grade aluminum. They also come in various sizes that fit any number of truck beds.
Dee Zee is popular among review publications as well. ShedHeads tested three different models and found that they were well built and affordably priced, though they did point out that the aluminum might be a little thin for some people’s tastes. Meanwhile, Car and Driver listed the Dee Zee Red Label Utility Toolbox as the best trunk-style toolbox available in 2023 since its low-profile form factor makes it ideal for all kinds of vehicles. The company’s best-selling unit on Amazon is the Dee Zee Specialty Series Narrow Crossover Toolbox, which has a more traditional design.
