5 Things Every DIYer Should Have in Their Truck

Family Handyman

Easy Bed Liner

Know about Bagster bags? You can buy one for about $30 at a home center or Amazon. Fill it with demolition or other debris, then schedule a pickup by Waste Management, which costs about $135. I buy the bag, skip the pickup and use it over and over as a truck bed liner for hauling demo and lawn and garden debris. It makes unloading at the dump or compost site super easy, and my pickup bed stays immaculate. Refolded carefully, it fits under the seat.

Family Handyman

Home Center Cutting Kit

When I buy long materials at the home center that I don’t need full length, I often cut them down to size in the parking lot for easier hauling. A small saw works great for slicing trim, plastic pipe or conduit; snips easily handle metal items like drip cap or roof edge.

Family Handyman

Moving Blanket

A cheap moving blanket is a nice thing to have in your truck. A few uses:

• Put it on the ground to keep yourself clean and prevent losing nuts and bolts.
• Use it to cover your carpeting when you’re slogging through mud at job sites.
• Shield your seat covers when you’re filthy or your dog is with you on the job. (It works under children and ice cream cones too.)
• Protect delicate furniture and appliances that are tied down in the bed.
• Keep it on hand for an emergency blanket.

Family Handyman

DIY Fix-A-Flat Kit

My flat-tire kit includes: plugger, reamer, needle-nose pliers, plugs, valve stem tool, extra valve stem caps, air chuck and tire pressure gauge. A kit like this will likely pay for itself the first time you use it. And yes, we know the tire experts say you’re not supposed to plug a tire from the outside, and you definitely shouldn’t plug sidewalls. But I’ve personally plugged at least 20 tires (lots of nails and screws on construction sites) without any failures, safety issues or reduction in the overall life of the tires.

Family Handyman

Handy Tie-Down Gear

I keep this container under my front seat at all times to hold my ratchet straps and a red flag for when I haul long material in the back of my truck. My ratchet straps stay together and untangled, and the flag is easy to wrap around the load because I punched a hole in it for use with a bungee cord.