stepside bed - what are they good for?

[shumacher]

I recently found myself checking out a used Sierra pickup with a stepside bed. I've been thinking about getting a pickup, and in thinking about this particular truck, I'm reminded of something I've never quite been able to figure out.

What is the purpose of the stepside bed? Don't get mad - I'm really asking. Almost every manufacturer has produced them at one time or another, so there has to be an advantage.

It seems like you get a pretty significant reduction in cargo area, and it seems to break the lines of the truck. I'm not sure about aerodynamics, but I'd guess they suffer slightly too.

I feel like I'm missing something. Is having the step so big an advantage as to outweigh the disadvantages?

I searched the web and found lots of people talking about stepsides, but I couldn't find the why.

[2_Late_I_Won]

I would say it's just cosmetic. For the in town driving people that think they need a truck but not the space in the bed. I personally think they look good on a regular cab short bed but nothing else.

[oinkr2]

I'm thinking they make them for that retro-look. The first pickups beds were stepsides and they afforded the ability to climb on the side step to place or remove items from the bed near the cab.

[mad1517]

They could be just for sparking simple conversation.

[OKCSuburban]

I use to be in the boat business and it was easy to load and launch by being able to step into the bed and walk down to the boat. Kept my shoes dry!
I always thought it looked nice. The plastic fenders are good and bad, easy to replace if needed.
Reduced cargo space....yes, but still enough space for a quick trip to the local hardware store.
Best of Luck

[Sonny01]

Alot of the stepsides around here have custom graphics and look really good. I think they look better then a regular truck but because I need the bigger bed I'll probably never have one.

[JaVeRo]

The original stepside trucks were used a lot on the farm simply because it was easier to wash out at the end of the day after hauling corn/manure/pigs to the sale ect.

They were also used a lot in the cities years ago for utility trucks. You could take off the fenders and mount a utility box that was made to fit the bedside, one on each side. It turned the bed into what we call now a utility bed.

James