Our truck has a 1-1/2" spacer to lift the camper a little higher in the bed. This allows us to access the turnbuckle space from outside the bed. I store all kinds of things in there ranging from canoe paddles, wheel struts for my inflatable boat, 1# propane cylinders, camp rug, extra cassette toilet chemical (in sealed bag), 2# sledge hammer, extra stakes. We've been storing stuff in there on all of the Baja trips we've done since we bought our first FWC in 1998. Haven't found a snake in there yet. BTW, the 1-1/2" spacer lifts our Grandby enough to provide clearance for the extra storage box I made that hangs under the overhang along with the Eezi-Awn K9 camp table. The box holds my Telescoping ladder I use to tie my boats up on top with.