Pickup trucks are extremely practical vehicles, great for hauling cargo. Some people, however, often carry gear like motorcycles, lawnmowers, furniture or pallets of wood, which are too bulky to fit snugly in the truck's box, but which could be damaged by too much side-to-side movement. Newer pickups are usually outfitted with tie-downs and cutouts so that you can attach ropes and chains. However, these are located at very fixed positions, and might be difficult or inconvenient to use.

Putco has developed a stylish and utile solution to this problem: a line of side rails which span the length of your truck bed. Made out of chromed stainless steel and available in a variety of designs, these rails are easy to install, are strong, and will look great on your truck.

The rails are easy to install with simple hand tools, and anchor into your truck`s existing tie-down cutouts. There are two curved anchors and a long steel bar, which you join together. Once this is done, simply place the anchors atop the cutouts, and tighten the mounting bar from the top using an Allan key. The rails feature no visible clamps, and there is a rubber gasket which goes between the rail and your pain to prevent scuffing or scratching.

The basic Putco locker side rails have a simple steel tube which has a cutout at each anchor end for more involved tying. They can hold up to 1000 pounds, which is more than enough for most hauling. You can also upgrade to 2.5 inch tubing with the same design if you feel you need a heftier look, but these 'Boss' railings, as Putco calls them, only hold 500 pounds.

If you have a need for more tie-downs, but don't want to clutter up your truck's bed rails, the Putco Pop Up Lockers might be worth a look. They have 4 hidden tie-downs, which are rated at 500 pounds, along that railing that can be 'popped' to use when you need them. Otherwise, the railing maintains a solid appearance, lacking even the openings found at the anchor points on the standard version.

If you don't really need a tie-down but like the look of them anyways, the Putco SSR Locker is a great accessory for you. It adds a lot of shine because of its chrome construction, but won't overwhelm your truck like wheel well flares will, which compete with truck's wheels for visual attention because they're so close together. Adding chrome where none was will give a better effect.

Those who frequently climb in and out of their truck bed will find bed side rails to be useful, especially in wet conditions when bed liners or bare steel are more slippery. The rails are great for hand grips, and provide leverage when reaching over the side of the truck bed to get something from the cargo floor. The only real disadvantage of bed side rails is that you will no longer be able to use a tonneau cover, which probably wasn't an option anyways, if you're regularly hauling bulky loads. Putco side rails are a great way to accessorize your truck, at a rather inexpensive price of about $200, and have the added benefit of being practical as well.

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