Top Five Overland Truck Bed Racks

Updated on Aug 10, 2023

Written by

RealTruck Expert Team

The challenges of overlanding are easily outweighed by the sense of adventure, exploration, and self-sufficiency that comes with carving your own path through the most remote areas of the country. While vans, cars, and even motorcycles are commonly used in this activity, overlanding in a truck opens up options for storage, shelter, and exploring that other vehicles can’t match. If you’ve been thinking of building an overland truck, you’ve probably checked out some existing builds and noticed many of those trucks use a bed rack. Overland truck bed racks give you the ability to haul more gear, free up space in your bed, and provide higher ground for vehicle-mounted tents. To help you navigate the hundreds of overland truck racks available, we’ve put together this list of some of our most popular truck bed racks that can help you get the most out of an extended adventure.

1. Front Runner Slimline II Bed Rack

The Slimline II rack system is an excellent candidate for an overland truck rack. As you can see, it functions well as a base for a truck bed tent. What might be less obvious is the Slimline’s compatibility with tonneau covers. If your cover mounts between the rails, such as the Retrax cover used here, you can have a rack and a tonneau simultaneously on most applications. Speaking of applications, this is a custom-fit bed rack with vehicle-specific hardware kits, so installation couldn’t be easier. Standard 8mm bolts are used in the crossbar T-slots to attach accessories to the bed rack.

2. Dee Zee Overland Rack

Designed specifically for midsize trucks such as the Tacoma and Colorado, the Dee Zee Overland Rack packs a slew of features into one affordable package. This rack system consists of two cab racks, overland side rails, top rails for mounting tents or carriers, and optional MOLLE panels, which are perfect for mounting anything from tools to recovery gear. Modular and easy to customize, this rack goes a long way toward transforming your everyday truck into an overland rig.

3. Putco Venture TEC Rack

The Venture TEC rack boasts American-made construction with strong but lightweight T6 aluminum. This results in a rack that can hold up to 1,000 pounds of static weight, which is certainly impressive, but it’s the details that truly set the Venture TEC Rack apart from other choices. Putco has developed an entire range of TEC accessories (sold separately) that are engineered to work perfectly with this rack, and pass-through channels for wiring are included, making light bar and LED cube installation fast and easy. It mounts via your truck’s stake pockets on most applications, so low profile tonneau covers such as the Bak Revolver X4s can be used with the truck rack.

4. Westin Overland Truck Rack

Made specifically for Tacomas and Jeep Gladiators, this overland rack from Westin Automotive combines steel construction with a low-profile design, which is ideal for maintaining your mid-size truck’s height clearance. A textured black E-coat protects the steel from rust and other forms of corrosion. With rails mounted at the top and sides, anything from tents to canteens and off-road jacks can be mounted and accessed with ease.

5. ZROADZ Access Overland Cargo Rack

If you prefer a truck rack with a taller platform for your Tacoma, Gladiator, or new Ford Ranger, ZROADZ has you covered. This overland cargo rack is engineered to support 800 pounds on the road and 400 while driving off road. Like many of the racks mentioned above, it includes channels that are used to mount overlanding tools and accessories. Unlike the other racks, this one includes three integrated 3-inch ZROADZ LED cube lights for additional off-road illumination. A combination of steel and aluminum construction makes this rack from ZROADZ strong, sturdy, and relatively lightweight.