Best Bed Rack for Chevrolet Silverado

The Chevrolet Silverado, the best-selling vehicle in General Motors’ expansive portfolio of cars, trucks and SUVs, offers truck lovers a wide-ranging lineup of full-size pickups known for their toughness, dependability and functionality. Available in nine trims, the Silverado features a bed with 12 standard tie-downs, up to 89.1 cu. ft. of cargo space and an available power up/down tailgate. There’s even an available Multi-Flex tailgate featuring six functions to assist with loading, unloading and accessing the bed. An automatic locking rear axle is standard on most models, with front and rear e-lockers standard on the off-road-focused Silverado ZR2. The Silverado provides up to 13,300 pounds of towing capability and 2,260 pounds of payload, so choices abound for whatever toys come along for the adventure. Powertrain options include a high-output turbocharged 2.7-liter I-4, two small-block V-8s displacing 5.3 and 6.2 liters and a Duramax 3.0-liter turbodiesel I-6 good for a cruising range of more than 600 miles. Leitner engineered the Active Cargo System (ACS) rack to fit both of the Silverado’s bed lengths – 5-feet-8-inches and 6-feet-6-inches – compatible with most Silverado trucks from model years 2001 - 2023.

ACS Benefits & Features

ACS Classic
The ACS Classic has been a hit with bed rack shoppers since it broke onto the scene in 2014. With such creative features as eye-level side storage and a rear sliding load bar, the ACS Classic is a rugged and unique modular rack that can accommodate tall or large items such as motocross bikes. It’s also available with integrated GearPODs for even more versatility, and a variety of compatible Leitner Accessories.

Technical Highlights:
      ● 81 pounds
      ● 23” tall measured from top of bed caps
      ● 250-pound off-road dynamic weight capacity
      ● 500-pound on-road dynamic weight capacity
      ● 1,000-pound parked static weight capacity

ACS Forged
The ACS FORGED is the sleek, next-generation Active Cargo System from Leitner Designs. Equipped with single piece aluminum alloy uprights and custom 10.9 Alloy steel fasteners, the ACS FORGED offers extreme load carrying capabilities. Beyond its modern design, the ACS Forged features Leitner’s patented sliding load bar, eye-level storage, available GearPODs and other accessories.

Technical Highlights:
      ● 85 pounds
      ● 23” tall measured from top of bed caps
      ● Grade 10.9 black Zi-NI coated fasteners
      ● 400-pound off-road dynamic weight capacity
      ● 800-pound on-road dynamic weight capacity
      ● 1,400-pound parked static weight capacity

ACS Tonneau
The ACS TONNEAU is available to further complement the ACS Forged rack. Featuring a compatible T-Slot Rail Tonneau Cover, the ACS Tonneau brings a standout storage solution along with the convenience and security of a seamlessly integrated covered bed tonneau to any truck bed.

Accessories
The modular design of the ACS rack means it can be tailored to fit all of your outdoor activities and gear. Throw in Leitner’s expansive lineup of Accessories, and the possibilities for personalization are boundless.

Ranging from the patented GearPOD XL to the HydroPOD pressurized shower kit, the accessories for Leitner’s ACS offer unrivaled flexibility among truck bed racks.

Case in point: Leitner Designs’ patented side-mounted GearPODs, ideal for Chevrolet Silverado, provide exclusive eye-level storage and are available in three sizes to fit various needs. From a salty, sandy summer of surfing in San Diego to a dusty 100-mile dirt bike excursion through the Mojave Desert, the weatherproof, dust-resistant, locking and padlockable GearPODs for Chevrolet Silverado keep precious gear safe, secure and within easy reach.

Selecting Your Rack

Leitner Designs’ ACS bed rack is the top option among Chevrolet Silverado owners because, just like their bowtie-branded truck, it's tough, functional and born in the USA. Leitner CEO and founder Bernhard Leitner, an ardent dirt-biker and outdoorsman, conceived of the Active Cargo System to be the most rugged and best looking modular rack system on the market, built and designed to endure expedition after expedition, just like the Chevrolet Silverado.

Leitner Designs’ Active Cargo System (ACS) offers three models that fit Chevrolet Silverado: ACS Classic (starting at $1,550), ACS FORGED (starting at $1,950) and ACS Tonneau ($1,650 for Rack + Tonneau cover). Engineered and manufactured in the USA and featuring a two-year limited warranty, all three Active Cargo Systems are compatible with Leitner accessories and built for a variety of jobs, from safely storing a full catalog of fly rods, waders and float tubes to smartly arranging a foursome’s surfboards and wetsuits.

Here are three of our favorite rack-and-truck pairings featuring the Chevrolet Silverado with the ACS Classic, ACS FORGED and ACS Tonneau:

Chevrolet Silverado LT Trail Boss Crew Cab 6’6” Bed
The Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss can take a beating, especially when venturing off the beaten path.Built for rock-strewn dirt trails and available with a lengthy 6-foot-6-inch bed, the Trail Boss makes for an ideal getaway rig for avid overlanders. And the ideal canopy? That would be the ACS Classic, which combines Leitner's trademark design and unmatched functionality with all the load carrying and storage options you can ever wish for. Pricing for the ACS Classic starts from $1,550.

Which ACS: ACS Classic
Favorite accessory: GearBAG 3 PACK + PATCH Kit. Created to slot side by side in a GearPOD XL, the GearBAG 3 Pack + Patch kit keeps tools, supplies and sports equipment organized and ready for action. Ergonomically engineered from EVA foam and offering 30 liters of capacity, each GearBAG delivers a useful and functional storage solution that also doubles as an on-the-go bag for a day hike in the Santa Monica mountains or a morning SUP ride around Alamitos Bay. Which hobbies/activities: Stand-up paddle boarder, weekend camper, sunrise surfer

Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Crew Cab 5’8” Bed
When the trails become too treacherous for the Trail Boss, then the bold and brawny ZR2 is the Silverado of choice. Sporting a supremely capable 420-horsepower 6.2-liter V-8, 11.2 inches of ground clearance, 33-inch Goodyear maximum traction all-terrain tires and Multimatic DSSV dampers, the ZR2 is the bighorn sheep of the Silverado lineup, able to conquer grueling, rocky terrain. For this ZR2-level of adventure, the ACS FORGED, a rack that underwent five years and hundreds of thousands of miles of off-road testing, is the ultimate bed canopy. Compared to the original ACS Classic, the ACS Forged delivers Leitner’s renowned strength and modularity in a more modern design. The ACS Forged bed rack starts from $1,950 and is available for all Chevrolet Silverado models.

Which ACS: ACS Forged
Favorite accessory: The GearPOD XL
GearPOD XL, made from extremely durable roto-molded high-density polyethylene, offers convenient side-mounted storage for all your adventure gear. With a full 40 gallons of storage volume, the versatile GearPOD XL can adapt to a variety of lifestyles, whether that’s packing rations and cookware for a family outing or bows and arrows for a father-son deer hunt.
Hobbies/activities: Snowboarder, bow hunter, avid overlander

Chevrolet Silverado High Country Crew Cab 6’6”
Bed Searching for a full-size truck that brings equal parts luxury, utility and capability? The Chevrolet Silverado High Country is exactly that, a jack-of-all-trades truck that pampers with plush leather and advanced technology while taking care of business with a versatile 6-foot-6-inch bed and cavernous five-passenger crew cab. A great complement to the modern design, outstanding load carrying and peace-of-mind cargo security of the ACS Tonneau, the Silverado High Country effortlessly melds on-the-town elegance and on-the-ranch grit. With the same build construction as the ACS Forged, the ACS Tonneau features a T-Slot Rail Tonneau Cover that can fully secure valuable gear and property in the bed.

Which ACS: ACS Tonneau
Favorite accessory: HydroPOD. After spending days in the high country, whether fly-fishing in the Sierras, hiking in the Adirondacks or mountain biking in the Rockies, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a refreshing shower when you finally get back to your truck. That’s where the Leitner HydroPOD comes in. The compact, ACS rack-mounted pressurized wash system, with 4.8 gallons of potable water capacity, brings a shower along to wherever the Silverado High Country leads you. The HydroPOD also comes with a 20-foot-long hose, which can extend the full length of the Silverado High Country Crew Cab, even when mounted in the very back of the Active Cargo System.
Hobbies/activities: Float-tube fly-fisher, alpine hiker, century cyclist

Conclusion

Leitner’s patented Active Cargo System (ACS), engineered and built to welcome all active lifestyles, is the toughest, most functional modular rack-based cargo solution available today. With its ergonomic eye-level storage, adjustable sliding rear load bar and full line of accessories, the ACS delivers the ultimate in versatility, performance and durability, just like the dependable lineup of Chevrolet Silverado trucks.

Whether choosing the original ACS Classic, the sleek ACS Forged or the adaptable ACS Tonneau, Leitner Designs makes the finest bed racks for Chevrolet Silverado. To learn more and see how owners are using and living with their ACS racks, please follow Leitner Designs on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.