Reviews for Smittybilt G.E.A.R. Tailgate Cover for 07-18 Jeep Wrangler JK

Nice setup. Material is heavy duty and seems to be made well enough. I just installed it so I have no time with it yet. As far as installation: I used a 9/64 and 1/8 drill bits to put the screws in. The suggested 7/64 produced a hole that was very tight and I was worried I would strip the head of the screw or break it off. I like the organization that this system provides and it looks good.

Good product. Feel rugged, durable and seems like it'll last a while. Install was super easy. Only negative was that it was folded in the box which caused a warp in the Edge material, this made the item not lay flat when mounting it. Had to use a heat gun to get it to lay flat. But overall. Good product.

Install was a slight pain; the tailgate check was not accounted for and required cutting into the nylon and the plastic backing on the edge of the product. Additionally, the panel was folded during shipping and required leaving on a flat surface with a bit of weight on top of it for several days to work out the literal kinks. It looks great once the install is complete, but I am unsure if the stitching is actually going to hold up over time. Once I threw in my first aid kit and small set of jumper cables, the stitching on the tailgate panel looked like it was clinging on for dear life. Unlike most MOLLE systems I have utilized in the past and present, I wasn't feeling confident enough in its abilities to endure the strain of the weight so I removed the jumper cables from the rig.

I would rate this item much higher if I didn't have to spend so much time getting the warp/fold out of middle of the door cover.Do you really have to fold it for shipping? I did drill 1 size over on the attachment screws and replaced them with stainless steel. Item itself is well build and offeres lots of versatility.

Functionally this product looks great and is made well as far as durability goes. The reason I am only giving it 3 stars it the installation process was awful. I have a 2017 unlimited sport and the holes where the screws are supposed to go line up on the tailgate at points with thick reinforced metal on the side of the tailgate closest to the latch and go into an internal beam where the holes run across the bottom. Drilling the holes was a nightmare and I ended up breaking two bits in trying to drill out the reinforced metal and a screw because the threads were too tight in relation to one of the holes. I had to step up two bit sizes to get the screws that install in the thicker metal to thread properly. What should have taken 30 minutes to install ended up taking 2 hours. It's my opinion that Smittybuilt should reconsider the application process for this product and provide an alternative way of mounting or change the dimensions so the screw points don't have to go through the thicker metal. I am happy with the product and quality just not the installation process.

Gives a little extra storage. Just wish the punches were a little bigger. Other then that. Easy instal

Not an easy install, could have been designed better. Half the provided hardware broke upon installation which destroys the drilled holes. No provision for the tailgate stop which is ridiculous. Overall I’m not pleased.

The concept is great, but the webbing is made a little cheap (overseas) and stitched poorly. Came apart in different spots. The Panel itself is ok overall. Its a little longer than it needs to be. The pouches that came with it are not durable at all and do not line up properly after being webbed completely through.

Not good if you want to hang useful tools, i had a 12 pice socket set and a air compressor hose, and the first time i took it off roading it ripped.