Durable yet Easy on your Gear  and Knees

The first item many new truck owners think of when first looking at aftermarket parts is rarely a bed liner. Spray-ins are expensive, and bed liners in general have never been particularly sexy. We tend to look more to tuners or new wheels or even a leveling kit. Even if we go with a more logical upgrade, we likely add on a cold air intake to improve performance and fuel economy at the same time.

Almost no one’s first idea of what to upgrade on their brand new pickup truck is a bed mat.

But a bed mat honestly should be your very first investment.

Consider this. You shelled out all this cash for a nice new truck. And whether you’re a working man who plans to use that truck bed to haul all sorts of equipment or a weekend warrior who wants to load up a kayak, bike, or 4 wheeler to head out into the wilderness, you should first consider some truck bed protection.

And the BedRug XLT Mat has more than enough protection and comfort for all of the above.

Bullet Point Breakdown

No time to read this whole article? Just want the quick and dirty dets? “Too long; didn’t read” you’re fav acronym? Don’t worry. We hear ya. Here’s our Midwest Aftermarket Bullet Point Breakdown of the BedRug XLT Bed Mat:

• Thick ¾” padded mat protects your gear and your knees
• Anti-skid surface keeps your equipment from sliding around
• Mat extends over your tailgate, preventing objects from falling in between
• Made of Polypropylene material; ultra-tough and durable
• Chemical resistant, waterproof, & anti-stain
• Made here in the US of A
• Each mat is custom fit to your make / model truck

What is the purpose of a Bed Mat?

A bed mat, like the BedRug XLT mat, is designed to protect your truck bed--both the finish and the metal. Bed mats absorb any physical damage including dents, dings, and scratches. Many, including the XLT mat, are also designed to prevent any cargo from sliding around while your truck is in motion.

Finally, some bed mats extend onto the tailgate and even have an integrated gap guard designed to prevent any debris or tools and equipment from falling down in between the tailgate and your bed. The BedRug XLT mat has this option built in standard, making it a top-of-the-line truck bed mat.

How affordable are truck bed mats?

When compared to a full truck bed liner, mats tend to cost less than half the price of many drop-in liners and even less than spray-in liners. Some truck owners prefer to install bed mats over the top of spray-in liners because they find the textured surface of the liner to be too abrasive and the bed mat to be easier on both their knees and equipment.

BedRug Top Quality

When considering a bed mat, we recommend you look for a few obvious qualities. You’ll want to consider cost, of course. But you should also think about what you plan to use your truck bed for and what kinds of protection are most vital for you.

Finally, we consider the full quality of the product. We all know there are cheap knockoffs out there, and sometimes the cost savings up front is hard to pass up. When it comes to protecting your truck bed, instead of going ultra cheap on a mat or with the most expensive option of a liner, we recommend finding a middle ground. And that’s really well the sweet spot of excellent quality with good affordability shows up. 

And that’s exactly the kind of product that the BedRug XLT Mat is.

For the price, you’d be hard pressed to find a better truck bed mat. In fact, the only other mat that might be in the ballpark even is the Impact mat. You should check out our full article comparing to two or see our video comparison above in the Video tab.

What’s the difference between the BedRug XLT Mat and the Impact Mat?

The XLT mat has a more carpeted feel whereas the Impact mat is made of TPO, so it is a harder surface. Both are anti-skid and have a ¾” foam pad integrated underneath it. At the end of the day, both are excellent options. If you like the look and / or feel of the carpet like Polypropylene, then the XLT is for you. This is more like the BedRug Classic material. If the rubber like top layer is more your style, then the Impact mat will be your jam.

At the end of the day, our personal preference doesn’t matter as much as yours. If you like one style over the other, then go with that one. What we can say however is that both the XLT and the Impact mat are super durable and well priced for their excellent quality and BedRug’s reputation.

Standing Out in the Crowd

What makes the BedRug XLT Bed Mat specifically so unique is its versatility. While each and every XLT mat is designed to custom fit a particular make and model of truck, the mat actually plays nice with your truck’s bed whether you have a spray-in liner or not.

That’s right. You read that correctly.

The XLT mat is compatible with most spray-in liners.

Now I know what you’re thinking. If you have a spray-in liner and love it, you’re probably wondering why anyone would need both a spray-in and a bed mat.

To this I pose a simple line of questioning.

Have you ever done any of the following:

• Crawled around in your truck bed to get a tool or item that you couldn’t reach
• Hauled (especially red, but other colors too of) mulch in your bed
• Spilled any particularly corrosive or dangerous chemicals in your truck’s bed

Cause if you have, then you know why you need a bed mat. And if you haven’t, should any of these scenarios ever come to pass for you--by God will you wish you took my advice and gotten a bed mat of some kind.

Here’s the deal with all of the above scenes. While textured spray-in liners look cool and provide added friction to try to prevent items from sliding or tipping over, they aren’t 100% effective (and likely nothing is). And when you have to go get that item from the front of your truck bed, you’ll realize just how much these spray-ins are murder on your knees. And you’ll wish you have a bed mat like the XLT.

I don’t know what it is about red mulch, but let me tell you, my wife loves the stuff. And guess who has a spray-in bed liner. This guy. And don’t get me wrong, besides a little over spray, I like it, for the most part. There’s just a couple big issues: at some point (and I’m not going to name names or drop hints) someone I loaned my truck out to scratched the f*&$ out of parts of my spray-in liner near the tailgate. What were they hauling? I don’t know exactly, but something.

And now not only do textured items like mulch get stuck there, but they get stuck everywhere else too. This is one of the drawbacks to the spray-in yet again. While the texture is designed to increase friction and prevent sliding, it also makes it hard to push mulch out the back of my truck. And that red mulch--don’t even get me started. I always have to wash down my truck bed at least once, sometimes twice, to get the black spray-in to stop looking like she was recently part of a crime scene after hauling that stupid mulch. And I know it looks great in the flower beds, honey! I have eyes. I can see. It just stains my bed!

And every time we get new mulch, which is every year, I might add, you better bet that stuff gets stuck between my tailgate and the bed itself. Every time. And I even have a technique to get it out that involves a tiny broom, lots of cursing, and then me trying to slam the tailgate shut over and over again. Good times.

Point is, the BedRug XLT mat with the integrated tailgate guard could save me all this trouble and much more. And she’s compatible with my spray-in liner. So I don’t have to try to remove the liner to install the mat. That’s what I call versatile.

And of course, she works great in a truck bed that doesn’t have a liner too. You really can’t go wrong with this XLT mat.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, cause while the mulch story is true and truly annoying, it isn’t the end of the world, really. And while I have dinged up my delicate knees crawling around in my truck bed, again--I’ll live. 

But back in my high school days, I used to work for a local pool guy. We sold and installed pool liners, did cleanings, water tests, all of that jazz. But the most important thing we did and were we made most of our cash was selling shock.

Those of you who have a pool already know what I’m talking about, but for the pooless (like myself) let me translate: shock is just liquid chlorine.

And we sold it by the 5 gallon! Alright, we had smaller sizes too. But most customers needed at least a couple gallons. And every time I had to go refill these containers, well, let’s just say I went through a lot of shirts and shorts every summer cause that chlorine is caustic.

And while refilling the jugs was always a pain, the real annoying part was getting them out of one of our two work truck beds. The boss had them both spray lined because he didn’t want all the chlorine to damage the truck bed itself. And guess what all that textured spray in liner was really good at?

Oh, it protected and sealed the truck bed alright. But it also pooled and puddled the chlorine all over the place. So if you stepped in the wrong spot or your knee landed in a puddle, you would start to feel that warm and tingly sensation of basic solution eating away at your garments, shoes, and skin.

It was a blast of a summer, every year, needless to say.

Point is: while the spray-in might protect your truck bed from these harsh chemicals, it isn’t doing as much to protect you. And the chems might even pool and get stuck at the front of your truck bed and stay there for some time before you throw some other tool or equipment up there without thinking and get it all gunked up too.

Trust me. Been there. We often went on service calls, after all, using the exact same trucks.

This is really also what sets the XLT mat above the competition. While the ¾” foam pad on the underside helps cushion your knees, the thick Polypropylene top is chemical and stain resistant. That chlorine isn’t going to damage it at all. The red mulch can’t stain it. And when you are done playing with your mulch or shock, you can just spray out your truck bed with water, cause guess what: the XLT is waterproof too!

Needless to say, I made a little ultimatum with the wifey. I need an XLT, or no more mulch, baby!

America Proud

While we are super impressed with all the quality products from BedRug, we would be remiss not to tell you that they are also all made right here in the United States.

BedRug supports American workers, so when you purchase any of their products, you can be sure you are getting the quality you expect and deserve and that you too are helping promote American jobs.

Again, these great qualities make BedRug and their XLT mat the best options on the market today. The products are top of the line, affordable, and made here in the States. What more could you ask for.

Our Promise of Exceptional Service and the Lowest Prices on the Interwebs

When you’re ready to order your new BedRug XLT Bed Mat, we hope you’ll get yours from us here at Midwest Aftermarket. We only promote products we believe in and sell them at the lowest prices, shipping quickly to you for free if you’re in the lower 48 states. We have an excellent return policy and strive to get you the right product in perfect condition the first time.

What are you waiting for? Give us a call or place an order directly through our website. We’ll get your product out to you ASAP so you can enjoy your vehicle and make it your own. If you have a vision of what your truck or Jeep could be, let us help you achieve that image, that goal. We put aftermarket right at the tip of your fingers on your smartphone, web browser, and even via various apps, making ordering the parts you need super easy. Let us help make your aftermarket dream possible. Let us help you build your dream machine. We want you to drive the truck or Jeep of your dreams right now. So when you get it installed and love it, make sure you share us some pics on social media so we can live vicariously through you. Because we too are aftermarket enthusiasts, truck and Jeep owners, who love and own many of the products we sell. In other words, we don’t just work aftermarket--we are aftermarket.

Midwest Aftermarket's collection of air intakes, pickup bed covers, truck running boards, and much more includes all the leading styles and brands. Midwest Aftermarket is the #1 online retailer for aftermarket truck and Jeep accessories, selling products at the lowest prices and providing the best customer service in the industry. With the goal to provide the highest quality product with the fastest shipping at affordable prices, look no further for your vehicle’s aftermarket accessories. From UTV’s to Jeep-fanatics to F150’s or Chevy Silverado’s, Midwest Aftermarket will give you the customer support you deserve. Ask us about our new 2 day shipping options available on many of our fine aftermarket accessories.