Fellow Sportsmen,

Here's a tip: if you want to spend some time yacking with Wayne Frederickson, you'll probably want to strap on your running shoes. Unless, of course, you're talking about TruckVaults with our dealer in Bozeman, Montana.

Since winning a close battle with Mother Nature in 1995, the 50 year old has, literally, stepped up the pace of his life. "I got a real wakeup call with a heart attack," he says. "Seems as though about two-thirds of my heart wasn't functioning."

Though an avid shooter, he was a self - admitted 'slob hunter.' "If I couldn't shoot it from the pickup, I didn't bother," he says.

So, he lopped 50 pounds off his slight frame. He started walking daily, then graduated to a jog. Six months after the attack, he ran a mile. And in 1998, he ran a 10K (6.6. mile) race in 47 minutes. He and a couple of hunting buddies formed the Montana Chapter of Pheasants Forever. The organization has since donated more than $50,000 to the restoration of public hunting areas.

Plus, he and his dogs won two National Flushing Dog Championships. Naturally, a key element in the dog's success is that they travel in a Truck Vault that's now located in its fifth pickup truck. Is Wayne approachable? You bet. But it's a good idea to wear your running shoes when you stop by the shop to visit.

We've just added the BedSlide to our product lineup. It's the perfect solution to accessing pickup bed cargo. It easily mounts on the bed floor and locks in three extended positions for easy loading. Mount it on top of your TruckVault for maximizing your truck bed's utility. The BedSlide is available in most pickup bed sizes and can be ordered with either aluminum or plywood flooring.

And check out this custom unit created for the Winchester Chevy Suburban and displayed earlier this year at the Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade show in Las Vegas. The TruckVault features walnut drawer faces, handles and trim plus a table extension underneath. You can see the Winchester project vehicle July 2-7 at the Great Lakes Grand American in Mason, MI. Regards, Al Chandler