Drop in vs Spray in bedliner suggestions.

[DVXtreme]

I still have yet to put in either a drop in or get a spray on bedliner. I have been using the rubber bedliner mat that I bought when I got the truck in 2023. I have always in the past had drop-in liners (its what was with the vehicles I had bought, I never bought a new truck until the maverick), and have always liked them, I like that its easy to slide items. At the time when I ordered the maverick the bedliners were an item that was possibly holding up getting your truck, so I didn't add it. Anyway, suggestions on either drop-in or spray in (line-X/rhinoliner). And if you don't mind, why you chose the way you chose. This Maverick truck club is awesome by the way, always get good advice from it.

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[AF Blue]

No skin in the game.
Why not best of both?
I live south of I-40 all my life.. snow/ice/sand/salt/brine is extremely rare.
Drop-in has been fine for me in all three trucks I have owned.
Price was usually the end factor (drop-in cheaper).

Money aside, I'd get spray-in and supplement with some sort of better impact protection.
(Think spray-in + drop in to overcome climate issues).

 

[matmondro]

My vote is for the spray in. IMO they're easier to live with than a drop-in, especially once the drop-in starts expanding and bowing upward in the middle.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

How often do you carry stuff that would possibly scratch the paint in the bed?
If everything has been fine for 3 years why change?
I like the look of the painted beds.

 

[DS_Ohio]

I've had 4 pickups, S-10 with 1-piece drop in, F150, Ranger Edge with nothing, Maverick has an OEM modular drop in from factory. Added heavy bed mats to the F150 and Ranger and a tailgate protector, too. I prefer the drop in for sliding objects into the bed. I worried too much about the bed sides with just a mat alone. You aren't going to be the one that scratches anything, anyway. It will be a person helping you load up whatever your cargo is.

 

[DVXtreme]

How often do you carry stuff that would possibly scratch the paint in the bed?
If everything has been fine for 3 years why change?
I like the look of the painted beds.

I absolutely like the look too, but when I do load stuff and use the bed I end up putting foam yoga pads around the inside of it and am super careful when I load and unload, I feel like I probably should do 1 or the other so I can just put stuff in and out without worrying about scratching anything. Thank you for your input though, I really love getting other people's views, opinions and ideas!

 

[DVXtreme]

I've had 4 pickups, S-10 with 1-piece drop in, F150, Ranger Edge with nothing, Maverick has an OEM modular drop in from factory. Added heavy bed mats to the F150 and Ranger and a tailgate protector, too. I prefer the drop in for sliding objects into the bed. I worried too much about the bed sides with just a mat alone. You aren't going to be the one that scratches anything, anyway. It will be a person helping you load up whatever your cargo is.

That is 100% my fear too, that someone else that is helping accidentally scratches the sides. I feel kind of silly that right now I keep thick yoga mats and foam in the bed for when I do haul stuff that may touch the sides. I know, I know...not practical at all on my part.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

I absolutely like the look too, but when I do load stuff and use the bed I end up putting foam yoga pads around the inside of it and am super careful when I load and unload, I feel like I probably should do 1 or the other so I can just put stuff in and out without worrying about scratching anything. Thank you for your input though, I really love getting other people's views, opinions and ideas!

If you plan on keeping your truck for a while.
I like the line-X color coded spray in bed liner. It's pricey$$, but it looks nice.
It's just as tough as a regular Line-X According to Line-X the warranty is still the same as with the regular black spray in liner.
I had no idea this existed when I bought my truck.

 

[notfast]

I've had basically every option in one truck or another over the years. Drop in, spray in (both OEM and Line-X), DIY roll on, BedRug, rubber bed mat, nothing. Only thing I haven't had yet is one of those new TPE bed tray liners.

I prefer drop-in by far, but they aren't the best for every person. I've almost always had a topper or tonneau, so I haven't had the issues with drop-ins getting wavy since the sun exposure is basically nothing. I find it far easier to just slide things around on the drop-in and then strap them down to prevent load shift.

Spray-ins scratch up whatever you're loading, stain pretty easily, and are hard to sweep clean. Rubber bed mats are really hard to slide things on. Bed Rug would be my alternate to a drop-in. They tend to hold sand, but you basically turn the bed into a large carpeted trunk, so it protects both your truck bed and your cargo. The carpet is polypropylene and the padding underneath is also tolerant to getting wet, so you can literally power wash the Bed Rug and it'll look new and not rust out the bed either. Also the easiest on the knees when you need to crawl into the bed.

DIY roll on (like Herculiner) is what I'd get if I got an older/cheaper truck and didn't want to spend the money on something better, cuz it definitely looks better than a dinged up and scratched bed. I'd probably try throwing a TPE tray on top if one was available.

 

[craigt502]

Before I totaled my 2023 from hitting a deer....I had a Ford drop-in liner for almost 50k miles. I liked it, no complaints. I hauled a lot of firewood and was never concerned about tossing firewood into the bed. The drop in liner takes the abuse no problem and sure was easy to slide stuff around.

My 2025 has Ford spray in. I like it too, but I do find myself being more gentle with it. That might partially be due to the fact it is still new to me.

Long story short, I like both so I'm probably not much help!

 

[DVXtreme]

I like the line-X color coded spray in bed liner. It's pricey, but it looks nice.
It's just as tough as a regular Line-X According to Line-X the warranty is still the same as with the regular black spray in liner.

Wow, I didn’t even know that was an option....just learned something new, thanks!

 

[icegradner]

I love the drop in liner from Ford. Even with all the loads of garden waste, mulch, and soil I’ve taken over the past four years, the bed still looks brand new under it. Totally worth it, and way cheaper than spay in that will just wear off with use, and have to be redone.

What if the plastic liner beaks? Who cares, just get another one, and you’ll have still paid less than spay in.

 

[Cherokee]

Drop ins constantly move, vibrate.
They wear right through the paint in no time.
They get wet underneath.

They are easy to remove and clean under and you can rattle can more paint in easy peasy.

But they pretty much protect the bed from dents and deep scratches.

I still prefer spray in.

 

[icegradner]

Drop ins constantly move, vibrate.
They wear right through the paint in no time.
They get wet underneath.

They are easy to remove and clean under and you can rattle can more paint in easy peasy.

But they pretty much protect the bed from dents and deep scratches.

I still prefer spray in.

The Ford drop in for the Mav is bolted down, there is no sliding, its not a tub style liner.

 

[Cherokee]

The Ford drop in for the Mav is bolted down, there is no sliding, its not a tub style liner.

Is it ribbed like the tub types ?
Those ribs held the cargo about 3/4 inch above the bed and gave a crush zone.

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