The Discovery Rack for mid-size trucks with a short bed — Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado, Canyon, Gladiator and similar.

The Discovery Rack is the heavy end of the bed rack range — 1.75 inch heavy-duty square tube with a two-stage black powder coat, built to carry a roof top tent and still have capacity left over.

Load capacity: 450 lb dynamic, 1350 lb static. Read those two numbers separately. The dynamic figure is what the crossbars carry while you are driving — that is the one a roof top tent has to fit inside. The static figure applies once you are parked, which is why a rack rated for 450 lb on the move can hold three adults standing on it at camp.

What comes with it: side cargo plates and the front cargo tray system. The side plates are for mounting gas cans, water cans and traction boards on the outside of the rack, where they are not eating bed space. Full-length rails with integrated tie-downs run the length of it, and there is a removable shelf for the things you want to reach without unpacking.

Mounting plates use MOLE-PAL holes, so accessories bolt on where you need them rather than where a manufacturer decided.

On a mid-size truck the rack has to earn its bed space, which is why the side cargo plates matter more here than on a full-size truck: fuel, water and boards go outboard, and the bed underneath stays usable.

A note on delivery: this rack arrives in two cartons. That is normal — it is a large steel structure and it ships in pieces. Both boxes are part of the one order.

Measure your bed before ordering. Bed lengths vary by trim and year within the same model. Send us your year, make, model and bed length and we will confirm before anything ships.