Protect Your Valuables In Your Vehicle with Tuffy Security Products 

Have you ever been in this kind of situation? You’ve stopped on the side of the trail to go for a hike up to fish a secluded stream, only to come back to your truck or SUV and find that some miscreant broke in and stole your stuff? If you’re like me at all, you often carry some pretty expensive stuff in your truck and you don’t want to risk losing it to an opportunistic thief. That’s why I added two Tuffy Security Products to my Toyota Tacoma. I have their Toyota Center Console Security Safe in the cab, and their Truck Bed Side Lockbox back by the tailgate. The company has a wide range of products available for many trucks and SUVs, and they give amazing peace of mind when traveling, or even in the driveway.

The Center Console Safe

Before I got the Tuffy Center Console Safe, I used to keep what I called a set of “truck binoculars” in my truck. Simply put, I would keep some cheaper binos in there because I, like many of you I’m sure, am always on the lookout for cool stuff when I’m in the truck. It may be going down a trail to just see where it leads, or during hunting season, out scouting for game. You can see something that you just need a better look at, and that’s where the binoculars come in. It is just easier to keep a set in there. That is, until you stop for gas and some punk decides to take them while you’re in the store getting a fresh cup of coffee. I installed the Tuffy safe and now feel free to keep a better quality pair of binoculars in the truck at all times. Not only are they protected from theft, but also protected from getting banged around the cab from sitting on the dash or in the backseat. 

The Tuffy console safes are available for a wide range of vehicles. My wife’s cousin is putting one in her Jeep, and her son is installing one in his Ram truck. These mount into the existing center console of your vehicle and make it pretty much impossible to break into. The console safe is what put Tuffy on the map back in 1997, and was the initial product that drew me to the company. It is made from powder-coated and extremely durable 16 gauge steel and transforms your vehicle’s console into a heavy-duty lockable storage unit. Tuffy’s Pry-Guard locking system with 10 tumbler, double bitted-security key makes it extremely hard to get in unless you have the key. It comes with two and I keep one at home just in case. Jeep owners will love having one in their ride for those times when it is just too much fun to ride with the top off.

Installing it is pretty easy and only takes a few minutes. My only gripe was that there is a hole in the bottom of my original console from the factory, and while installing the Tuffy safe, I accidentally dropped the bolt that is used to secure the lid prop. The prop keeps the lid open when you are using it. It’s not a big deal, as I can replace that particular bolt. I just haven’t gotten around to doing it yet. There’s not a lot of room in there to work, and my butterfingers dropped it apparently just in line with the hole. Oops!

Truck Bed Side Lock Box

There are all kinds of options from Tuffy for different locking boxes in the bed of your truck. Anyone with a Tacoma knows that there is a special spot that the Tuffy box is perfect for. Tacoma beds have small, latching side storage areas on each side of the bed back by the tailgate. Since the bed is composite, these small boxed areas provide a nice area to store a few things like some tools. Tuffy took the concept a huge step further. The Tuffy Side Lock Box replaces the entire box and expands the depth of the box down into the bed frame, more than doubling the size of the factory storage area, and turning it into a secure, steel box with a lock that is almost impossible to break into. It is a great place to keep valuable items in a secure spot, and the dust strip makes it easier to keep things clean, something the stock storage area does not do.

Installing the side lock box is not as easy as the instructions make it out. In theory, you remove the stock box by simply unbolting it, and then you pop the Tuffy box down into the opening and re-secure it with the bolts. It should be easy enough, except that the Tuffy box size didn’t quite fit the opening. I used a DeWalt sawzall and increased the opening for the box to slide in and once in, it fit perfectly. Before I got out the saw, I am not going to lie – there was some colorful language involved with trying to get it to fit. Once in, there are the same basics of every Tuffy Security Product – powder-coated, 16-gauge steel and a heavy-duty locking bolt. 

Why Buy?

The Tuffy boxes work great for things like my Orvis fly reel and the collections of flies I carry when out and about. My wife likes it for keeping her purse locked up and out of sight when we go to the beach or on a hike. The costs for Tuffy Products is pretty good, too, especially when you consider the durability and security they provide. I highly recommend them for your vehicle. Check them out at www.tuffyproducts.com.