If you're planning to haul a personal watercraft or other relatively lightweight recreational vehicle with your truck, you have a choice regarding how you'll carry the item. Some people prefer to use a separate trailer that's hitched to the back of the truck, but others prefer to use a bedxtender, which attaches to the truck bed itself. The method you choose can really affect how enjoyable your trip is, so take a look at where you'll be driving plus your height relative to the truck. Those two things can make or break your day when hauling something around.

More Compact Hauling

A bed extender is an affordable option that lets you place the craft or other items in the truck bed even if the craft requires the tailgate portion of the bed be lowered. The result is that your vehicle remains much more compact than it would be if towing a trailer, which is vital if you'll be driving into areas where you won't have much room to back up, or where you'll have to squeeze through narrow areas. If you know your truck will fit through those areas, then you'll have no problem getting through them. But if you end up towing a wide trailer, that could get stuck and make your journey much more difficult, if not impossible.

Trailers also make it more difficult to back up if needed, but if the craft is contained to the truck bed, then you have only a little extra length to worry about. You do have to be very careful not to hit anything with the back of the truck and bed; remember you'll be dealing with a longer vehicle. But you won't have to worry about dealing with a looser vehicle, like a trailer, that can move in directions you don't intend it to when backing up.

Height Issues

One time a trailer might be easier to handle is if you're fairly short. Trucks that are large enough to carry things like personal watercraft tend to be tall, with tall sides around the bed. If you can pull the craft out of the back of the bed by yourself, you'll be fine, but if you need more than one person to grab the craft by the sides as well as the back, those people have to be tall enough to reach over the sides. If you're all rather short, that could be difficult.

Find out the weight of the craft before choosing a hauling method and test out removing the craft by yourself. Do this with taller friends present so that you don't end up with the craft stuck in the truck. If you have trouble moving the craft yourself, then you might want to look at a trailer.

If you'd like more information on how a bed extender can help you haul longer items on trips so that you don't have to deal with a trailer, or if you'd like help determining if an extender will work for you, contact a dealer who offers truck accessories. Try out several different models well before your trip so that you can make an informed decision, rather than one that is rushed.