Bed size- any regrets?

About to pull the trigger on a 5.5" bad. Coming from a Ram with a 6'4" bed. Not that I really used the bed fully except when camping, does anybody regret going with the bed that wasn't their original choice. I will have a bed rack and roof top tent set up. I have an fj and GX470 for wheeling. But using the Tundra mostly as a base camp and daily driver. Let me know your thoughts on the short bed. Thanks!

 

Gen2 here. I have the 6.5, I’m sure glad I have it. First week of ownership I bought a new refrigerator and it just fit with the gate closed. Since then I’ve hauled lumber, plywood, big screen tv and helped move the mother in-law. I’ll never go with the 5.5

 

So if I go with the 5.5, then I don't have to help with the mother in-law?? Hmm, not a good sell amigo. Lol! I appreciate the feedback. That was my mindset going from the FJ to the Ram.

 

Ohh you gonna help but double the trips lol

 

Everyone with the long bed: You need a long bed

Everyone with the short bed: You need a shortbed

I have a Gen 2 with the 5.5 bed and it suits my needs quite well. It was my daily driver for years and the shorter bed made it easier to get around, maneuver and park in parking lots and garages and it was mainly used to haul my two labs. I have a cargo trailer and a dump trailer if I need to do any hauling. The long bed was unnecessary for my needs. But thats me.

Decide what you will be mainly using your truck for and make your own decision

 

Carpenter here with a 2.5 gen 5'6" bed. No regrets. I will be getting a trailer or two to go with it though. My deciding factor was that staging will fit, but barely.

 

We ordered a 5.5' bed Crewmax, but found a 6.5' Crewmax so we grabbed it. The land barge is long especially when parking but tons of room for tools and camping gear and inside as well. Haven't done much with lumber yet but that is coming this year. We are happy with it so far.

 

5.5' with bed extender here. Fits in my garage, that's a bonus. When I need longer bed just use the extender.

No "Ragrets"!

 

This is the only difference. 6.5 is still short, really.

I’ve hauled a yard of mulch, 12’ lumber, all our camping gear, loads of rock/quikrete/gravel, lawnmower, couch, dead deer, all 5 of my family’s bikes, etc. My tailgate had to be down for the 12’ lumber and couch.

 

I was nervous about having a shorter 5’5”bed but have no regrets. Still hauls 2 yards of mulch like my last truck. Have hauled 4x8 sheets of plywood, 2x8s and 2x10s with tailgate down and a flag on the end. Fits in my garage and easy to park in busy parking lots. Only thing I haven’t had in there yet is my street bike. Hopefully it won’t need to go to the shop.

 

I have a 5’5 crewmax and wish I gotten a 6’5. My grandfather originally got a 5’5 bed and now has a 6’5 bed crewmax. Kinda jealous. But needed a truck at the time, back when Tundra was scarce and a 6’5 bed was going to be 4-6 months longer wait than short bed.
I make do with it now driving with tailgate down but wish I had the extra foot so I can close the tailgate with the motorcycle in the bed and not have to worry about stuff falling out with gate down.

 

We have a tons of aftermarket parts, bed cab, tonneau covers, racks, bed extenders and trailers. There’s no limits to what you could do with a truck, maybe the scale or highway patrol…

 

I have no other choice, 6.5 won’t fit in garage

 

No major regrets with my 5.5 bed but at times I do notice the missing extra 1'. No bed extender but I do have to use ratchet straps fairly regularly.

Bought a bed rack that will let me haul 11' paddle boards and 10-12' surf rods.

I don't miss the extra length when parking or in a crowded parking lot.

If given the chance to swap it out for a 6.5' bed I'd think long and hard but would most likely stay with the 5.5.

Hope this response is suitably wishy-washy enough for you.

 

Originally coming from a 2017 Double Cab 6.5’ bed and wanting a 2022 CrewMax 6.5’ bed my dealer stated that more 5.5’ beds are being built. It was what the dealership would be allocated.

I did meanwhile purchase a utility trailer in case I did get a 5.5’ bed.

I was fortunate to get what I asked for and put a deposit last June on a Limited TRD CrewMax 6.5’ bed and picked her up on August 11, 2022. Now I can have my kids ATV in the back and have my ATV on the trailer.

 

So happy with 6.5.

 

Originally put deposit down on short bed but along the way I've found 6.5 somewhere else and jumped on it. Very happy that it turned out this way.

 

Before my '19 CM 5 1/2' I had a '00 Access Cab.



The back seat in that was cramped and not very comfortable. There have been way more times where I needed more cab space for passengers than there were when I needed the longer bed.

I was a little concerned about this too, but I'm really liking the huge back seat. My dogs like it better too.

Now that our fixer upper home improvement stuff is done (for now) I don't need to haul much. So far everything I've needed to haul I've been able to fit in the 5.5' bed, or strapped on the tonneau, or on the racks.

Picked up a new cover for my hot tub (Probably 7 1/2' X 3 1/2') yesterday and just put the tailgate down. Then hauled off the old one strapped on top of the tonneau, which is rated to hold 400 lbs.

If I need to haul more than my shortbed will comfortably carry, I'll rent a truck from Home Depot for $20/hr.

As long as my surfboards fit, I'm good! Bonus that I really can't help you move with this little tiny bed, sorry!

 

Had to get 5.5 to fit in garage, but if I had a bigger garage or a different situation where I had a barn or something I would have gotten the 6.5 no hesitation. Coming from a mid sized with a 6’2” bed, I thought I would miss it but the volume is actually more with the width being bigger. Has worked fine for some projects and camping trips. I haven’t hauled any big lumber.

 

My 2006 Silverado has the 6.5 bed, and the Tundra has the 5.5 bed. It's been a complete change up since the Silverado had a toolbox and the Tundra has a tonneau cover. To be honest, I rarely miss the extra foot. The Tundra has taller bed walls so I can slip my garbage cans under the tonneau which is nice, and everything stays dry. Also with the tonneau cover, I can drop the rear window without all the bed crap flying into the cab. I feel like the new Tundra crewmax 6.5 would need a lot more space for turning or backing into spots.

 

Parking the beast is fun in those little (sardine can) lots. The 360 cameras are a must for that or anytime you are backing up!

 

I miss my RAM with 6.4' bed with Retrax cover. my new tundra with 5.5' bed and retrax cover I can see a considerable lose of space. Wish I go the 6.4' bed

 

My RAM had the 6’ bed and had heck getting that beast into the garage. Almost touching front & back once inside.
Parking in a crowded parking lot was a lot of work! Without the cameras not sure I could have without an outside spotter.

I now have the 5’ bed and loving it.

That said, on the move back to TX from IN, that 6’ bed was filled with all my guns, reloading equipt (powder, brass, primers and presses). Not sure a 5 footer would have been enough.

 

Sorry but it had to be done

 

I went from 2 - 6.5 beds to 2- 5.5 beds all in a row and personally I have not missed the 6.5 box at all, and prefer the 5.5

 

What happened to the Rams? Why switched to Tundra?
Ex 2013 Ram 1500 owner myself.

Switched from 6ft bed to 5.5, can still fit everything and still manageable in the city

 

I don't want that 12", said no man ever.

 

I change to a car when ever I want to go to SF

 

18-19-22 were 5.5’, 23 is 6.5’, I’m convinced the ideal length would be 6’

 

The 6.5' bed is why I bought a DC instead of a Crewmax. With the way I use the truck the extra space in the bed was more important than the extra space in the back seat.