Truck owners must have some accessories. Otherwise, they aren’t getting the most out of their pickup. Here are some must-have items.

Pickup trucks are turned to for the big jobs and the most hardcore driving needs. These vehicles can be seen at construction sites, camping areas, and in nearly every driveway. The three most popular vehicles in America are pickup trucks, and its not even close. If you want to get the most out of your truck and what it can do for you, you’ll want to add a few accessories to the mix.

Heavy-duty bumpers and grille guards

The front of your truck is the first thing to enter any area where you drive. The stock bumper is probably fine for on-road travel, but if you take your truck out for some adventures, heavy-duty bumpers and grille guards can make a huge difference. You can fit these accessories over the original bumper or replace the original completely. Some bumpers can be used to give you greater ground clearance for off-roading, and grille guards ensure you don’t end up with branches pushing through your grille into the truck’s radiator.

Bed covers

Some truck owners use their pickups for family travel, which means you should have a covered trunk area where you can store your stuff when it begins to rain. A locking hard tonneau cover can do the trick, but it might not be exactly what you need. Bed covers come in various styles and are made of several materials to give you the shield you need over your cargo to protect it while on the road. Choose the cover that has the functions and material that’s right for you.

Sliding drawer system

If you use your pickup truck for work, one of the most useful accessories has to be a sliding drawer system. These systems slide out of the bed and make it easy to bring the materials and tools forward to make it easy to reach things without hopping in and out of the bed. This will reduce the strain in your knees and back, which might already get roughed up at the job site. There’s a wide range of commercial and non-commercial sliding drawer systems to choose from.

Tie-down straps

When you need to keep your cargo steady and secure in the truck bed, you’ve got to have a set of tie-down straps to get the job done. Most truck owners purchase these straps almost immediately after buying their truck because they know how important they can be. Choose ratchet straps to give you the strength required to handle heavy loads. You’ll need to ensure the hooks fit your truck’s tie-down points, but once you do, it should be easy to load up your truck and keep the load secure.

Trailer hitch

Another common accessory that many pickup owners choose is a trailer hitch. This is what’s used to attach a trailer to your truck, and it can make a huge difference when you want to tow a heavy load with your pickup. Most trucks have a receiver mounted to the underside of the rear bumper, but some have fifth-wheel setups, which allow the pickup to tow a lot more weight. Adding a trailer hitch ensures your pickup is capable and ready to handle the jobs at hand.

Additional lights

The standard lights of your truck might be fine for driving, but if you have to set up camp in the dark, you’ll want additional vehicle-mounted lights. There are several to choose from, giving truck owners a great way to add personality, illumination, and style to their pickups. Some owners choose to add driving lights and fog lights to improve visibility while driving, while others will add light bars to provide additional light in the wilderness. Other lighting choices include bed lights, spotlights, and beacon lights.

Headache rack

Do you haul a lot of cargo that is stacked as high as the window of your truck? If the cargo could smash through your rear window and hit you in the head, you should have a headache rack on your truck. This is a heavy-duty metal rack that covers the rear window to prevent cargo from hitting you when the load shifts forward during a stop. Headache racks are also stylish and give you another great place to mount some lighting accessories.

These are just a few of the must-have accessories for truck owners. Which accessories will you add to your truck to get the most out of your pickup?