The Mountain Hatch Tailgate.

One of the best things I’ve bought for my Tacoma thus far has undoubtedly been the Mountain Hatch tailgate. I wanted this upgrade even before I bought the truck, after seeing so many reviews on it I knew I’d need one eventually! Other than some slight inconsistencies in the machining around the edges, I’ve been super happy with this thing. This is something I would likely buy for any truck I own in the future. 

My Tacoma set up with a 17” Blackstone griddle and tacos!

Like most of us who enjoy camping, I’ve spent many days cooking food on the standard uneven tailgates. This one however, is flat with a few cutouts for drinks or whatever else you need to keep collected. It’s also food grade and works very well as a cutting board for me, I’ve cut plenty of chicken and steak along with the other taco fixins and cleaning up has been a breeze! I frequently use this with my 17” Blackstone griddle, their smallest offering which fits well on the small tailgate with plenty of room for food, beer, hot sauce, beer, my ipad, and beer. Even if you don’t cook on your tailgate, the smooth surface makes sitting much more comfortable, it’s a better workbench than stock, and it's far more aesthetically pleasing in my opinion. I opted for black just to keep things sleek and uniform, but they offer a number of colors to fit any vibe you’re after.

Tacos, of course the first thing I cooked on the Mountain Hatch.v

The install on this was a breeze, a few T25 screws to pop off the old one and the Mountain Hatch fit in place perfectly with the included hardware to replace some of the smaller stock screws. I also took the opportunity to clean inside the tailgate, which was filthy as can be expected from many miles on dusty trails, but I never really thought about it prior to this. Along with fast, free shipping and an abundance of discount codes, this was one of the better online purchasing experiences I’ve had. Also, not affiliated at all with The Mountain Hatch, just a big fan!

River checking my work after the install on the dirty Tacoma!