The best drop in bedliners use a plastic material that is all but indestructible. It isn’t that the plastic liners just protect beds from scratches and scrapes either, which they do. Plastic liners do that as well or better than any other type of liner or coating you can get. There’s more…
Taking a licking from impacts does little damage to the typical plastic liners. That’s good since impacts oftentimes do more than scratch paint. Dents to a truck bed are serious trouble. Scratches disappear behind touch-up paint but dents don’t. Better to cover the bed with the proper liner than to get the dent damage. Dents are less likely with the right bedliners.
What happens is the bed liner spreads the impact forces out over a greater area, thus preventing dents and damage. By spreading out the impact force, there is little or no chance of high forces denting the metal of the bed. In essence the bed liner material takes the hit rather than the pickup bed itself. That’s a good thing. Drop in liners of plastic offer lots of impact protection. That’s not all.
Consider value too. For half the cost of spray on bed liners, plastic liners offer a lot for a little. Not a permanent liner, the drop in models let you change if you want. Change the liner if and when you choose for whatever reason. Changing to a different bed liner at some point may be a plus. Spray bed liners work for most any truck however since each is custom. Since plastic bed liners must custom fit every installation, they may not be available for yours. What’s more, the fit is critical for drop in liners. A poor fit often means a moving liner. That makes for vibration and trouble. Moving liners mean worn paint and resulting damage of several sorts.
A DualLiner truck bed liner combines the drop in bed liner advantage with easy shipping and installation too. It’s a five piece liner rather than just one piece. It’s a design that drains well and offers a truck bed mats sort of toughness. It may be worth a look. Consider the BedRug liner too.