Sherpa Bed Rack Accessories Guide: Storage & Mounting Options

The Sherpa PAK System bed rack is a platform and like any good platform, its real value comes from what you add to the platform. Out of the box you get a 1,000 lb static rated, bolt-on rack that is desperately wanting some bed rack accessories. From the moment you start adding accessories, the PAK System becomes a purpose-built overlanding, work truck or weekend warrior rig tailored to exactly how you use your truck. The beautiful thing is no two setups are ever the same.

Sherpa designed the PAK System with a native accessory ecosystem. On the roof rack height version, the bed rack's crossbars use the same extrusion T-channel profile as Sherpa's PEAK Series roof racks, which means a wide range of accessories that were originally designed for roof racks drop directly onto the bed rack cross bars without any modification. On mid-height models, some of the same accessories will work on the side panels or tower cross bars. Add to that a set of dedicated PAK accessory panels and a handful of crossover mounts, and you have a nearly unlimited number of ways to configure your setup.

This guide walks through every accessory category for the PAK System from the three panel types to traction boards, fuel storage, awnings, tents and integrated lighting. Whether you're building out a daily overlanding rig or want a few targeted add-ons for weekend trips, you'll find everything you need in our Sherpa Accessories collection. For context on the full Sherpa lineup, start with the Sherpa Equipment Company guide.

PAK System Accessory Panels

The PAK System towers are more than just structural uprights, they're anchor points for a set of dedicated accessory panels that extend the usable surface area of your bed rack in every direction. Sherpa offers three distinct panel options, each designed for a different part of your rack and a different kind of use.

Standard Accessory Panel

The Standard Accessory Panel bridges the gap between adjacent towers on either side of your bed rack. This connection does two things: it adds significant rigidity to the overall structure, reducing any flex in the towers, and it creates a mounting surface along the side of the rack. The panel uses the same precision-cut aluminum construction as the towers themselves and mounts using the same stainless hardware with nylon lock nuts that run throughout the PAK System.

The side-facing mounting slots on the Standard Accessory Panel accept most of the same accessories that bolt into the crossbar T-channels. Traction board mounts, Hi-Lift jack mounts and QuickFist clamps all work here. If you want gear running down the outside of your bed rack rather than sitting on top of the crossbars, the Standard Accessory Panel is your starting point. Two standard accessory braces are included with every PAK System, so you already have the hardware to get started.

XL Accessory Panel

The XL Accessory Panel covers more real estate than the standard version, with additional mounting slots and two important pre-drilled features: specific mounting holes for Rotopax fuel and water containers, and a dedicated mount point for the Waterport portable pressurized water system. If you plan to carry Rotopax on your bed rack, the XL panel is the cleaner and more integrated option compared to using a separate bolt-on Rotopax mount.

The extra height of the XL panel also provides more surface for strapping or clamping additional gear. Those who are serious about fuel and water supply will find that the XL panel gives them a dedicated, purpose-built home for those containers rather than working around a general-purpose bracket. It pairs especially well with the rack-height PAK System, where the taller towers give you more surface area to fill.

Interior Accessory Panel

The Interior Accessory Panel mounts inside the tower structure rather than on the outward-facing side. This creates an inward-facing mounting surface that keeps gear centered within the bed rack footprint, out of the air and protected on both sides by the structure of the rack. It's a smart location for items you want accessible from inside the bed, such as a Hi-Lift jack, fire extinguisher or compact tool roll.

Running the Interior Accessory Panel alongside the Standard or XL panel gives you mounting real estate on multiple faces of the tower at once. A well-configured PAK System can carry a surprising amount of organized gear around its perimeter while leaving the full crossbar area open for a tent, cargo box or other large items on top.

Crossover Accessories That Work on Bed Racks

One of the underappreciated strengths of the PAK System is that its crossbars (on the roof rack height model as shown above) use the same 2x1 inch extruded aluminum T-channel profile found on Sherpa's roof racks. Any accessory designed to bolt into Sherpa crossbars with a T-nut will work identically on a roof rack height bed rack. This opens up the entire accessory catalog to PAK System owners not just the bed-rack-specific panels.

Traction Board Mounts

Traction Board Mounts let you carry MaxTrax or similar recovery boards in an accessible, secure position. On a bed rack, these typically mount to the side accessory panels so the boards ride vertically along the exterior of the rack rather than taking up horizontal space on top. This keeps your crossbar area open for a tent or cargo while still having recovery boards within reach when you're stuck in mud, sand or snow. It is also worth noting that accessing them on the side panels is much easier than if they were mounted higher up because of the need to loosen the mounting pins.

Rotopax Mount

The bolt-on Rotopax Mount works in the T-channel crossbars (roof rack height only), giving you a flexible option for placing a fuel or water container directly on top of the rack instead of, or in addition to, what you might put on an XL Accessory Panel. Some PAK System owners run Rotopax on both the side panels and the top crossbars when carrying extra fuel for longer trips. For a deep dive on fuel and water setup, see the Fuel and Water Storage section below.

QuickFist Mount

The QuickFist Mount is a rubber clamp-style bracket that grips cylindrical and irregular-shaped objects. On a bed rack, it's the go-to mount for a folding shovel, a camp axe or a hi-lift handle. QuickFist clamps are compact enough to run multiple mounts in a small area of the accessory panel, and they hold most tools firmly without rattling even on trails.

Tent Mounts

Tent Mounts are purpose-built brackets designed to secure rooftop tents to Sherpa crossbars. They're covered in detail in the Rooftop Tent Mounting section below, but the key point here is that they're T-channel crossbar accessories and the same hardware works on both the PAK System and the PEAK Series roof rack. Note that you may not need Sherpa Tent mounts on a mid-sized rack that doesn not have the t-channel cross bars. On mid-sized racks the hardware that comes with the tent might be sufficient.

Roam Case Mounts

Roam Adventure Co. cases are popular among overlanders for their waterproof, rotomolded construction. Sherpa's Roam Case Mounts and Roam Case Tie Downs secure these boxes directly to the crossbars of your bed rack. Running a Roam case on your PAK System crossbars is a clean way to add weatherproof gear storage without sacrificing tent mounting real estate on the crossbar above. Having the ability to secure the cases to your rack is another game changer and should give you piece of mind.

Awning Mounts

Awning Mounts bolt into the T-channel crossbars and accept most aftermarket awnings. On a roof rack height bed rack, an awning extends over the side of the truck bed, giving you shade and rain protection right where you're cooking, gearing up or working on your rig. Sherpa also offers an HD Awning Mount for heavier awning setups. For setups that also include a Sherpa roof rack on the cab, a bed-mounted awning on one side and a cab-mounted awning on the other creates a full campsite canopy around the truck. Note that it really only makes sense to mount an awning on a roof rack height bed rack because on a mid-height bed rack the awning would sit very low and therefore be unusable.

Rooftop Tent Mounting on Bed Racks

Mounting a rooftop tent on a bed rack is one of the most popular PAK System configurations. It puts the tent over the truck bed — keeping the roof of the cab clear — and gives you a clear, flat sleeping surface at a comfortable height above the bed. It also means your tent isn't fighting for space with a cab-mounted roof rack if you run both. It is worth noting that mounting the tent on a mid-height bed rack is ideal because it limits the amount of wind drag caused by the tent given it will sit mostly under the roof line of the truck.

Tent Risers and Clearance

For tents that need additional vertical clearance — particularly hard-shell tents with deeper housings — Sherpa's Crossbar Risers lift the crossbars even higher within the tower structure. This is the same accessory used on Sherpa's roof racks to gain tent clearance above the rack surface. On a bed rack, risers let you open a tent fully without the shell catching on the crossbars or the bed rails. The result is a clean, fully functional tent mount with no modifications to your tent or your truck.

Sherpa's Tent Mounts bolt directly into the crossbar T-channels with T-nuts, so there's no drilling involved. Note only the roof rack height Sherpa bed racks have cross bars so these will not work on the mid-height model. Most standard rooftop tent mounting rail patterns are compatible, and the 1,000 lb static load rating of the PAK System gives you a substantial margin of safety even with a heavier hard-shell tent. If you're comparing tent mounting options across Sherpa's rack platforms, our Sherpa Roof Rack Accessories guide covers the crossbar riser and tent mount system in the context of roof racks.

RTT Sitting Above the Bed

With the mid-height PAK System, a rooftop tent sits roughly at cab height or just above, keeping your center of gravity centered over the truck rather than perched on the roof. The tent opens over your full truck bed width, which for a Tacoma gives you a generous platform.

Recovery and Trail Gear Mounting

The PAK System was designed with trail use in mind, and the accessory ecosystem reflects that. Every piece of standard recovery gear has a dedicated, purpose-built mount that integrates directly with the rack. The goal is to keep recovery tools accessible and secure without taking up space inside the bed or on top of the rack.

Traction Boards on Side Panels

MaxTrax, TRED Pro and similar traction boards mount to the accessory panels along the sides of the rack rather than lying flat on top of the rack. The Traction Board Mounts position the boards vertically, parallel to the truck bed sides. This keeps them out of the way during normal driving while making them easy to grab and deploy when you're stuck.

Hi-Lift Jack

A Hi-Lift jack is one of the most useful recovery tools you can carry, but it's also one of the most awkward to store especially given its weight. On the roof rack height PAK System, Hi Lift Mounts attach the jack to the cross bars (top or bottom). This keeps the jack secure and accessible. It's a much cleaner solution than bungee-cording a Hi-Lift to your bed rail or throwing it loose in the bed where it can shift and damage other gear.

Shovels, Axes and Tools with QuickFist

QuickFist clamps can be run in multiples along the accessory panels to secure a full set of hand tools. A compact folding shovel, a camp hatchet and a recovery strap all fit neatly in a line down the side of the rack. Because QuickFist mounts use rubber clamps rather than rigid brackets, they work on a wide range of handle diameters and don't rattle on rough roads. If you carry a full complement of trail tools, a Standard Accessory Panel or XL Accessory Panel lined with QuickFist mounts turns the side of your bed rack into an organized tool board.

Fuel and Water Storage

Carrying extra fuel and water is a non-negotiable for any serious trip. The PAK System accessory panels were designed with this in mind, and the XL Accessory Panel in particular gives you a dedicated, integrated solution for Rotopax and Waterport containers.

Rotopax on XL Panels

The PAK XL Accessory Panel includes pre-drilled holes that match the Rotopax mounting pattern perfectly. Running Rotopax on the exterior side panels keeps them out of the bed and away from your sleeping area. Many setups run one Rotopax fuel container on one side of the rack and one Rotopax water container on the other.

Waterport Mount

The Waterport portable pressurized water system is a popular camp shower and trail wash solution. Sherpa's Waterport Mount integrates with the PAK System XL accessory panel, keeping the bag secured and pressurized while you drive. Having water on the exterior of the rack — rather than loose in the bed — also means you don't have to dig past sleeping gear to fill your water bottle or rinse your hands at camp.

For longer trips where redundant water supply is critical, some PAK System owners run both a Waterport on a side panel and a Rotopax water container on the same or opposite panel. The XL Accessory Panel's pre-drilled mounting holes simplify running both on the same panel. You can explore the full range of fuel and water mounting options in our Sherpa Accessories collection.

Lighting Integration

The PAK System includes integrated rock light mounting points as a standard feature — not an afterthought. These built-in provisions allow you to wire LED rock lights directly into the tower structure without drilling or adding external brackets. Rock lights tucked into the underside of the towers illuminate the truck bed and the ground on both sides of the rig, which is genuinely useful when setting up camp in the dark or working in the bed at night.

Beyond rock lights, the roof rack heights PAK System's T-channel crossbars accept standard Sherpa light bar mounting hardware. While light bars are more commonly associated with roof racks — where they're positioned at the front fairing — a bed rack's crossbar is a viable mounting point for a rearward-facing  or side facing work light or a camp light that illuminates behind or to the side of the truck. This is especially useful for those who need to do vehicle maintenance, cooking or camp setup at the tailgate after dark.

Wiring accessories on the PAK System is made cleaner with Sherpa's Cable Clip, which routes wiring and cables along the rack structure without zip-tie clutter. If you're adding rock lights, a work light or a light bar, planning your cable runs before final installation saves time and results in a cleaner-looking build. For a complete look at how lighting integrates across Sherpa's full rack ecosystem — including light bar mounts on the PEAK Series roof rack fairing — see our Sherpa Roof Rack Accessories guide.

Building Your Ideal Bed Rack Setup

With this many accessories available, the most useful thing Sherpa's accessory system does is let you build exactly the setup you need — nothing more, nothing less. Below are three common PAK System configurations that show how different users approach the same rack.

The Overlanding Build

A full overlanding PAK System build typically combines a rooftop tent on the top of the rack (with tent risers if needed), traction board mounts on the accessory panels for MaxTrax, Rotopax containers on an XL panel, a Hi-Lift jack on the tower back, a fire extinguisher alongside it, and an awning mount on one of the crossbars. Rock lights are wired into the integrated tower mount points. This is a dense loadout that keeps everything organized, accessible and secured for rough terrain without a single unsecured item loose in the bed.

If you also run a Sherpa PEAK Series roof rack on your cab, like the Grand Teton or Rainier for a Tacoma, you can use the cab rack for a second awning, a light bar and antenna mounts, spreading the load between two platforms and creating a seamless carrying system. The rack-height PAK System is specifically designed to match the height of the cab rack for a cohesive look.

The Work Truck Setup

Not every PAK System lives on a trail rig. Work truck configurations tend to prioritize accessibility and organization over weight capacity and camping gear. A typical work truck PAK setup might use Roam Case Mounts or tie-downs on the top crossbars to secure heavy-duty cases with tools and equipment, Interior Accessory Panels for hand tools on the QuickFist mounts, and a work light on the rear crossbar. There's no tent, no Rotopax — just a clean, organized platform that survives at a job site as well as it survives a trail.

The Weekend Warrior

For the truck owner who hits trails a few times a year and wants a bed rack that pulls double duty as daily driver storage, a lighter PAK System accessory setup makes more sense. A pair of Standard Accessory Panels for rigidity (comes standard), a set of Roam Case Mounts for a weather-resistant box, and a Tent Mount for occasional rooftop tent trips covers most bases. The beauty of the T-channel mounting system on the roof rack height bed rack is that you can add or remove accessories between trips in minutes. Your daily driver bed rack can become a trail rig and back with a few bolts. Browse the full Sherpa Bed Racks collection to choose your PAK System configuration, then build it out with the Sherpa Accessories collection.

For a broader look at how the PAK System compares to Sherpa's other rack platforms — including the Crow's Nest topper rack and PEAK Series roof rack — see our Sherpa Racks Explained guide. If you run a camper shell and are considering the Crow's Nest topper rack, that platform also uses compatible T-channel crossbars and supports most of the same accessories.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Sherpa roof rack accessories work on the PAK System bed rack?

Yes. Most Sherpa accessories that bolt into the T-channel crossbars — including Tent Mounts, Traction Board Mounts, Rotopax Mounts, QuickFist Mounts, Awning Mounts and Roam Case Mounts — work identically on the roof rack height PAK System bed rack and the Sherpa roof rack. The crossbar profile is the same on both platforms. Note that the mid-height bed rack does not have the same 1x2 cross bars so some accessories may not work.

What is the difference between the Standard, XL and Interior Accessory Panels?

The Standard Accessory Panel bridges adjacent towers to add rigidity and creates a side-facing mounting surface for gear. The XL Accessory Panel is larger, offers more mounting slots and includes pre-drilled holes for Rotopax and Waterport containers. The Interior Accessory Panel mounts inside the tower structure, facing inward, for gear you want accessible from the center of the bed.

Can I mount a rooftop tent on the PAK System?

Yes. The full height PAK System crossbars accept Sherpa's Tent Mounts and support the Crossbar Riser for additional clearance. Mid-height PAK System racks also can accept a roof top tent but they are often mounted through the pre-drilled slot since there are not 1x2 cross bars. The 1,000 lb static load rating easily handles any rooftop tent on the market.

Where do traction boards mount on a bed rack?

Traction boards typically mount to the Standard or XL Accessory Panels on the exterior sides of the rack using Traction Board Mounts. This positions them vertically along the outside of the bed rack, keeping the crossbar surface free for other gear while keeping the boards quickly accessible.

Can I carry Rotopax on the PAK System?

Yes. The PAK XL Accessory Panel has pre-drilled mounting holes that accept Rotopax containers directly. If you have a roof rack height PAK System you can also mount Rotopax to the top cross bars using the Sherpa Rotopax mount. Some builds run Rotopax on both the side panels and the crossbars for maximum fuel or water capacity.

Does the PAK System come with accessory panels?

Every PAK System includes two standard accessory braces. The XL Accessory Panel and Interior Accessory Panel are available separately, allowing you to build out the configuration you need. You can add panels at any time since they bolt directly onto the existing towers.

Can I use the PAK System with a Sherpa cab rack for a dual-rack setup?

Yes. The rack-height PAK System is designed to match the height of the Sherpa roof racks, creating a seamless platform that spans the entire truck. Running both gives you maximum organized storage and allows you to spread accessories — awning on the cab rack, rooftop tent on the bed rack, for example — across both platforms.