Are Over Rail Bedliners Better Than The Under Rail?

Why over rail can be a better choice

The main advantage of over the rail bedliner approach is that it offers more protection.

If you use the bed a lot, that is constantly haul stuff around, put things in and out, the bed rails can get scratched up pretty bad if there’s nothing on there, just raw paint.

That metal isn’t of the thickest caliber either, so it can get dinged up rather easily also.

Having a layer of bedliner on there only prevents these sorts of things from happening, making the truck last for even longer – this choice can be even a better idea if the liner is color matched.

Under rail advantages

A better route for those who care about how their pickup truck looks.

Not coating the rail with a bedliner, or not using a drop-in type that goes over there will make the truck blend in differently, in other words, have more of a rugged look. Not everyone is into that, as this sort of thing signifies that the truck is nothing more than a work vehicle.

The next reason why lining the rails might not be such a good idea is that over time they can start to fade, particularly if lower quality product was used – obviously if you don’t apply anything there and leave it be, there is nothing to worry about.

Going for this route is also better if your truck features bed rail caps. There’s no reason to remove the ones you already have just so you can apply some bedliner there; matter of fact, the caps are usually of higher quality anyway.

And the winner is…

If you ask me, the way you should go for is over the rail, and that may be a biased decision considering that my own truck has this done.

But really, i would rather have a more durable surface that can take a beating, than one that is just out there for aesthetics.

If you really have a hard time deciding between the two, get the under rail, especially if a spray-on bedliner will be used, as you can always get that placed coated later if you want.