Storage in the Jeep is always limited and one of the most overlooked spots to add storage
is your tailgate.
If you're a JK owner looking for some extra storage for your rear cargo area, the Smittybilt
tailgate cover in the GEAR series will be a great option for you.
Just like other GEAR series products, this will give a military feel to your JK and create
some very handy storage, as well as keeping options open for some extra storage as well.
This will be perfect if you need a place to store your smaller items in your cargo area
so you stay organized and all together when you're out on the trail.
I don't recommend adding a lot of weight to your tailgate because you will stress out
the hinges, but this is perfect to keep your smaller recovery tools, camping tools, or
even just items that you don't want to keep up front in your cab area.
Installing this is a simple one out of three wrenches, but will require a little bit of
drilling, and I'll get into the details in just a little bit.
The lining in the storage bags are made of a heavy-duty 600 denier polyester material,
which is going to make these durable and able to last a long time, especially while carrying
very heavy stuff inside.
The lining itself has a full grid made of heavy-duty straps to attach MOLLE and PALS
style attachments to.
This will make it perfect for the military guys out there who have bags with those attachment
systems so you can interchange them on the go.
With the lining, you get two storage bags with this kit.
Both of these bags are also made of the polyester material the lining or the backing of this
kit is made of.
So, you get one larger pouch that comes with a strap that you can use as a handle or throw
over your shoulder, and the smaller pouch has heavy duty buckles and straps on it, with
a bunch of smaller compartments to keep little items to stay organized, like I said.
What I really think is cool is that on both of these attachments, you get smaller spots
for attachments, just like the backing of this kit so you can add more pouches or smaller
add-ons on the actual bags.
With how this is set up, you have a decent amount of room to fit other attachments on
this, like little go bags, and if you have other GEAR series products, you can interchange
them from the back of the GEAR seat cover to your tailgate cover, or even your overhead
GEAR storage.
Like I mentioned before, there will be drilling right around the outer edge of this cover.
The outer edge is a doubled layer polyester with small metal-lined holes for strength
to prevent any ripping when it has weight attached to it.
For what we offer for rear tailgate storage, this will be your least expensive option on
the site right now, at around $75.
Now, my opinion, that's great for what you're getting here.
With the heavy-duty material that's going to be able to take some abuse and stand up
in the long run, as well as two storage bags that have a ton of options.
We do have another option by Covercraft that's going to be about $50 more.
That option will be a little bit more finished and rigid than this option here and might
be better for somebody who wants to keep everything quick and simple.
This tailgate cover will give you a bit more options, and you can add onto this down the
road.
So overall, I think you're getting a great deal here for what this is.
Install is a breeze at one out of three wrenches on the difficulty meter, and like I said,
there will be some drilling required.
You will need some hand tools and about an hours worth of your time to get everything
installed.
So, on the 11 and up models, you will need to remove the tailgate support bracket, and
then secure the cover on by the best location with tape.
Once it's secured, you can use the holes in the cover to drill pilot holes and install
the screws.
Make sure that while you're doing this, you're checking the tightness on the cover, and pulling
it to make sure it's tight on the tailgate.
Once everything's secure, you can attach your pouches to your tailgate cover and you're
all set.
So, if you're looking for some storage for your cargo area of your JK, Smittybilt has
just the product for you.
This is Meredith with XT, and you can find this and everything else wrangler, right here
at extremeterrain.com.