Keeping sticky fingers away from your truck treasures can be a real pain. Trust me. I’ve been robbed, dang near blind, a few times, one of which emptied my truck on opening weekend of hunting season. The losses were major.

Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat: if you’re driving around with a Leitner Designs ACS Rack on your rig, you’re probably hauling more than lawn chairs and daddy issues. You’ve got gear. Real gear. Expensive gear. I’d think having a system of this caliber on your rig almost certainly means the toys inside it are just as valuable.

Enter the Leitner GateKEEPER, the latest “why didn’t they think of this sooner” piece of hardware from the folks who build battle-ready modular truck racks. It’s designed to do one thing: keep your tailgate shut tight and your gear where you left it. So far, that’s exactly what it’s done for me.

In short: The GateKEEPER is almost laughably simple, but that is exactly what makes it effective. It secures your entire truck bed, allowing you to actually use the space without constantly worrying that your gear will disappear. If you can stomach a bit of clearance room loss and the pricetag, you’ll be sitting pretty when you walk away from your secured rig.

Leitner Designs GateKEEPER Review

What Is the GateKEEPER?

The GateKEEPER is a security plate that bolts into the two corners of your Leitner ACS rack. Once installed, it physically blocks access to the truck bed so long as your tailgate is locked. It’s clean, low-profile, and built from zinc-plated, powder-coated aluminum, which is a fancy way of saying it’s not going to rust the minute it smells moisture.

It only works in tandem with the ACS rack, so if you’re not already running Leitner Designs’ setup, this isn’t for you. But if you are, it’s a simple bolt-on that adds a surprising layer of peace of mind.

Field Testing

I installed the GateKEEPER the night before a turkey hunt, but ironically, the truck wasn’t coming with me. Ted Tundy, my cherry-red, dirt-worn Tundra, was about to spend the week parked at an airport while I jumped from one hunt to another.

I had no choice but to load it down with way too much gear. I am talking optics, packs, knives, boots, and just about everything else you can imagine. Multiple hunts meant multiple loadouts, and there was no time to swap gear between trips.

Leaving that kind of haul unguarded in an airport lot felt like asking for regret. Once the GateKEEPER was bolted in, I had something rare in these kinds of scenarios. I had peace of mind.

With the Leitner Designs ACS Rack, covered in locked boxes, and now the GateKEEPER in place, my entire truck bed was utterly inaccessible. There is no easy way in without a key.

Install

The install was fast and painless, aside from one hiccup. If your Leitner rack is not squared up properly, getting the GateKEEPER to line up cleanly can be a bit of a wrestling match. Once I adjusted my rack and made sure the distances fell within the allowance, it was smooth sailing.

The rest of the install went quickly and painlessly. Once done, there were no rattles. There was no shifting. It’s just simple security that works exactly as promised.

What I Liked

What stood out most to me about the GateKEEPER was its simplicity. It’s just a smart, well-placed gate that works seamlessly with the rack already on my truck. Simplicity of design seems rare these days. In the overlanding and truck accessory world, everything seems to come with an app and a subscription fee. This isn’t that.

I also appreciated how truly DIY-friendly the install was. Anyone with a socket wrench and 15 minutes of patience can get it bolted in. Even if you have more experience breaking things than building them, you’ll manage just fine.

But the biggest win was peace of mind. For the first time in a long time, I left my truck parked in a public lot without that nagging worry about whether someone was helping themselves to my gear.

What Could Be Better & Some Things to Consider Before Buying

There are a few things worth considering before you buy. First, the GateKEEPER only works if you are already running a Leitner rack. If you use a different system or no rack at all, this product is not for you. It’s a very specific solution for a very specific setup.

Then there’s the price. At $700, you might expect a little more than a steel plate and some hardware. But considering what it protects, the cost starts to feel more like insurance than excess.

Lost Clearance Space

The most noticeable drawback for me, however, was the impact on clearance. Because of how the GateKEEPER mounts to the rack, it cuts into the usable vertical space between your rack and your bed, at least at the point of entry. If your truck bed is wide open, that is probably not a dealbreaker. You can wiggle around it and still utilize the area above it.

If you have a topper of any kind, like a rooftop tent or platform, and are running something like a DECKED drawer system or stacking storage bins underneath your rack, you are going to feel those lost inches. And we’re not talking about an inch or two. You lose 9.5 inches (or one full Pendleton bottle of space) at the entry point of your bed. It might not be a deal-breaker for you, but it’s one that matters if you are already tight on room.

As it sits now, I can’t get my dog boxes in the back of my truck, so the GateKEEPER will have to be seasonal.

Leitner GateKEEPER Review: The Final Verdict

The Leitner GateKEEPER is the kind of gear upgrade you don’t think you need until you realize how many truck beds are just one sticky-fingered stranger away from ruin. It’s not flashy or complicated. It just does its job. As someone who travels a lot, I think it’s worth the hiccups.

If you’ve got a Leitner rack and gear worth protecting, this thing will give you peace of mind when you walk away from your truck, regardless of where you are. So far, it’s the best solution I’ve found to securing my bed without having to resort to a full topper.