Haymaker

In the cargo bed, Charley stayed with his Can-Back top. On top of that he installed a custom roof rack with towers made from heavy- gauge steel that won’t bend, flex, loosen, or rattle under severe offroad use; onto the rack went outsized Expedition Ballistic and heavy canvas gear bags sourced from Cabela’s. On the inside frame he hung a custom rod rack of his own design. The full-size rack holds nine rigged rods and is made from heavy-duty aluminum and stainless steel. Each rod butt fits into closed-cell foam, while each tip is held in place by foam and elk hide.
Next in line was the Annadillo Truck Vault.This innovative slide-in plywood storage compartment features two long locking drawers suitable for stowing expensive two-piece graphite rods as well as seven other storage boxes situated on the deck that can hold a variety of gear and tackle.When the vault is in place and the tailgate up, no one walking past will know your gear is even on board.
On top of the vault, Charley installed a ilvewell that consisted of a 48-quart marine cooler and a Super Fish Saver 12-volt aerator from Cabela’s. When I kidded him about his passion for live bait, he said, “Sure, I still love fishing with live bait.You know why it’s so important to start kids off this way? Because when they fish with live bait, they’ll learn where the fish are—and that’s information that stays with you for life, no matter how you fish later on.”
Charley also went with a thermoelectric cooler from Coleman. The 32-volt unit plugs into the vehicle’s cigarette lighter or any other 12-volt power outlet. It can cool without ice to 40 degrees below the ambient air temperature.
In the cab, Charley opted for a deluxe overhead console, Tough Guy cab organizer, and a deluxe car seat organizer—all from Cabela’s. “I’m a very organized guy, and I hate climbing into messy trucks. It probably stems from my days as a pilot. Believe me, in an emergency you want to be able to find stuff in a hun’y,” he said.
Given the wide range of terrain and individual demands of hunters and fishermen, you may want to customize your truck in a different way. Fine. Just keep in mind that the “ultimate” truck does not require a quest that rivals the search for El Dorado. All you have to do is pick up the phone and ask for a catalog.