It seems we posted the same thing at the same time

 

Great minds and all that.

 

Hi Folks, I participated in the group buy and received my panels yesterday. They arrived well packaged and in good shape via FedEx.

The panels are well made, fit well and should hold up to most anything. The mounts I'm not so sure. I was a little surprised that the mounts (bed to panel) are made of plastic. I discovered that if you snug the mount bolts to the bed too much they will slightly deform, changing the distance between the panel mount screw holes.

Nice and well packaged hardware. Everything went together fine. I didn't have to mess with the tonneau cover clamps.

My plan is to mount a couple of 2 gallon RotoPax containers on the rear of each panel.

Overall I'm pleased but I have doubts about the durability of the mounts, especially after I add some weight to them.

View attachment 471987 View attachment 471988

Hey!

Thanks for sharing this initial review and photos. With regards to the mounts, we tested them in the shop with a few different applications and they held up just fine. But, having said that I am eager to get your feedback once you have your panels loaded up. Being one of the first people to have these installed, your feedback is extremely valuable. We are always continuing to improve our products and customer feedback is the best way to do it and to do it right.

Let me know if you have any issues. We're here to help.

Leah

 

Thank You! As I said, I plan on a 2 gallon Rotopax on each panel. Not sure what else I would put on them. This truck does bounce around quite a bit off road and I will report back on how they hold up. I would love to come back and report they are doing great.

Will you guys be doing a front panel? I do eventually want to add a short shovel and axe to the bed.

Thank you again.

 

Hi Folks. I bought some generic mounts from Amazon to mount my RotoPax containers. Installation was no problem using fender washers, an idea I got from a BuiltRight video. Installation was straight forward with no issues. I mounted my gas container vertically to avoid any fuel dribble. The water container went horizontally to better clear the 120v outlet. I'll probably add a fire extinguisher to one of the side mounts. When the front panel is available I'll go with an ax and short shovel. Here are some pics.

 

Looks great! Yeah, the larger washers make it so you can use the native Rotopax mount.


Let us know if you have any questions!

- Leah

 

Overall I'm pleased but I have doubts about the durability of the mounts, especially after I add some weight to them.

How are the mounts holding up? In the heat, and with weight, etc.. any issues?

 

So far they seem to be holding up. I did about 100 miles in the desert today so I'll check them in the next few days when I clean my truck.

A couple thoughts.

A very light touch is needed when screwing the panels to the mounts. The brass colored anchors will spin if you tighten too much.

The bottom of the panels are not secured so they rattle. I kinda hate to do it but I'll probably drill some holes in the bed to install screws for securing the bottom of the panel.

 

This belongs in another category. Molle panels are not offloading. Looks like they are working well though, thats good.

 

I struggled on deciding which category to post my BR MOLLE thread too, and ended up in this category as well due to the description:

"Forum to discuss Off-Road related subjects such as accessories/gear, trails and trip reports."

You may argue that MOLLE panels are not exclusively an off-road accessory, but I could counter with almost anyone who gets MOLLE panels for the bed is an off-roader.

 

Yup, I agree, plus, they are just plain useful. I honestly am surprised that GM doesn't have something similar. Storage is very important, especially on a midsize truck. Gm definitely could make more storage by using wasted space.

 

Do you think rivet nuts or rivnuts would work to secure the bottom that is loose ?

 

This is exactly how the "optional portion of the install" works. BR includes (or will send) some rivet nuts. So far I haven't found them needed, but I don't have anything very heavy installed on mine yet. If I do decide I need them, I've got plenty (and the install tool)

 

Hi Gents, a few more thoughts. I recently did a short camping trip that included about 100 miles off road. The mounts seemed to hold up fine but, as I said earlier I could hear the panels rattle. I had one panel mount screw loosen up.

This morning I installed the optional kit from BR to secure the bottom of the panels. Installation was pretty easy as I already had a rivet nut tool and a step drill. The Molle panels are much more secure. Can recommend, especially if you plan on using these off road.

 

This is great feedback! And I am so glad to hear the rivet nut install was easy for you. Post some photos of the trip! I want to see the truck in action

 

Here are a few pics of the last trip I keep talking about. This was the area of the mining town of Wonder, NV. Wonder Mountain is pretty much Swiss Cheese with all the mines shafts, etc. Nothing left there except the old mill foundation. I included an old pic of the mill from the early 1900s (credit to Western Mining History). Also a sunrise at my camp sight.