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LOCK YOUR LOAD
WITH BED BUGS

By Mike "TXJEEPER" Cohn

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The Bed Bugs boothLast year at the SEMA Show, one of the first booths we stopped by was the Bed Bugs booth. Not because we knew about Bed Bugs and were just dying to go see them, though. We had never even heard of them. No, it was simply the fact that when we entered the exhibit hall, their giant green bug was seen above all other booths and he drew us in. In fact, he drew in a lot of folks. There was a line to see the live demonstration. Wondering what the excitement was about, we went over to take a look.

"...and don't let the bed bugs bite." Mom used to tell me that when she tucked me into bed at night - when I was a little kid, that is...not now... But what mom didn't know then is that if you own a pickup truck with a drop-in bed liner, a little bite is exactly what you need when you've got something sliding around back in the bed. Most bed liners can be pretty darned slippery - especially if you drive your pickup like Michael Schumaker hits a Formula 1 race course. Heavy and light objects alike go sliding, slamming, and flying around back there. Not only is it unsafe, but it can cause damage to both your cargo and your truck bed or tailgate.

Enter Bed Bugs! The design of most bed liners uses a ribbed surface. This design causes very little surface-to-surface contact between the bed your cargo because of the rounded top edges and the many valleys between the ribs. Without good contact, your cargo can easily go for a ride the next time you gas it, stomp on the brakes or hit a fast turn.

Bed Bugs
Bed Bugs

Bed Bugs are designed to help combat that sliding around. The bottom of each Bed Bug is made of rubber and is shaped into a waffle-like design. The Bed Bug drops perfectly into the valleys of your bed liner. Even under only its own weight, a Bed Bug is hard to move. We tried pushing one and it was quite difficult.

The top of the Bed Bug is walled off to make two 90 degree corners and also has a rounded, third side. The corners are made to hold square objects, while the rounded side can fit against tube-shaped or rolled objects. The idea here is to place the object you are trying to keep still on top of the Bed Bugs, which are placed at its corners. When the object is held snugly between the Bed Bugs, it will be very difficult to move.

Two Bed Bugs can be used to pin an object against a wall of your truck bed or in a corner, while four Bed Bugs will be required to hold something in the middle of the bed. In addition, four Bed Bugs can be used to also hold an additional object against a bed wall if placed strategically.

We tried the Bed Bugs with several different objects, including a large box, a heavy driveshaft inside a tubular container, and a trailer hitch. Our test truck was a 2002 Dodge 4x4 Quad Cab with an OEM bed liner. In all cases the Bed Bugs held our cargo in place, as advertised. The heavier the object is, the better the Bed Bugs will work because of the extra weight (down force) on top, forcing the rubber waffle into the valleys and increasing friction.

Bed Bugs
Bed Bugs

One thing we did notice that perhaps might be considered by the manufacturer is that in several cases, the Bed Bugs' walls were about 1/2" away from truly snugging up against our cargo. In other words, adjusting the Bed Bugs out one more ridge on the bed made them too loose, while moving in one ridge made it too small. A minor quirk, but one worth mentioning. You won't always get a 100% snug fit. However, the Bed Bugs will still function correctly in most cases.

Bed Bugs
Bed Bugs

On the trails, Bed Bugs can definitely be a help, however, since they do nothing to keep your gear in place vertically, we cannot recommend them for this use. The bouncing and potential roll-overs on the trails are more than the Bed Bugs can handle.

If you need to keep your stuff in place while driving around town, on the farm, or at the job site, Bed Bugs are the perfect ticket. At $19.95 for a pair, they can go a long way to keeping your cargo and your truck in good shape.

What They Fit
What They Don't Fit
Ford (excluding Ford SporTrak)
GMC
Lincoln
Nissan
Toyota
Cadillac
Mazda
Penda
Durakon
Chevrolet
Dodge/Mopar
AllStar
Custom
Homestead
Rugged Liner
Tuff Liner
York
Aero Liner
Bakliner
Protecta
Bodyguard
Bed Gard (top)
Spray-In Bed Liners

 

RESOURCE
DZN, Inc.
www.getbedbugs.com
2967 Michelson Drive #G, Box 525
Irvine, CA 92612

Phone: (949) 622-6988
Fax: (949) 475-2916
Email: info@getbedbugs.com

 

 

 

 
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