My first cab over camper

[vcb49]

Quick question, I’m getting my husbands 350 dully ready to put a cab over camper in it when I find the right one, and was told I should put a liner in the bed first. This will be my first camper for a truck. Suggestions please…..

[tonymull]

Drop in bed liners are not recommended. Most camper dealers will ask that you remove them prior to loading a camper that you are purchasing from them. Your camper will shift if you try it. Some spray on's work, some don't.

[ScottG]

I had a liner under my TC and it destroyed the paint.
You might try a heavy rubber bed mat instead.

[WyoTraveler]

Back in yester year when TCs didn't have good material on the bottom we used a 3/4" sheet of plywood in the truck bed to keep the TC out of any moisture in the bed. Also drilled couple of holes in front of truck bed to drain water. Used water proofing on plywood. When you park PU facing down hill water can build up in the bed. Especially with those coatings in the bed. Whatever you use you want the bed to stay dry so it doesn't cause problems to bottom of TC.

[trailgranny50]

You'll get all kinds of suggestions for all kinds of reasons and lots of personal experiences for all those reasons. It would depend on the match of your camper to the height of the height of your bed tasks on the truck, depth of the bed, what your planning to use for tie downs, anchors and just plain personal preference. We have a heavy duty spray in bed liner, Reflex, that was applied when our now 10 year old dually was new and it still keeps the camper from sliding around any and has prevented rust. A bed liner can get sand between it and the bed and scratch off all the paint. Some period use rubber horse stall mats, others build up a wooden frame, some use heavy duty house foam insulation material. You'll just have to check around with folks using different things and use what works for you. We wouldn't use anything else but that's just us. Good tiedowns are one of the most important purchases, Hapijack and Forklift being the most frequently used I think. We have Happijack and like them fine but it was an economics choice for us. They've been around for many years but that also is a personal experience and preference. Good luck and happy campering!

[tonymull]

At Walmart the other day I picked up an 48"x96" exercise mat for less than $20. Perfect for under the camper. In the past I have used interlocking squares made of the same material with good results. Look @ Torklift tiedowns, they are the best.

[NEOK]

You can buy rubber mats that are custom fit for your model of truck from RV dealers or websites. Some people also use rubber horse stall mats availble at farm supply stores. These mats are thicker but weigh more and you may have to buy more than one and cut them to fit the length of the truck bed. The mat helps keep the camper from shifting in the truck bed. You will also need a good set of tie downs to hold the camper in the truck.

[Gripnriprod]

You don't want an insert. A spray in bedliner may be what they were referring to however what you want for sure is a rubber bed mat. They are available through automotive retailers or some folks use mats from farm equipment stores.
You can search this site for more info.