Options for R1T Tailgate Pad in California

[carlps]

I live in California and the Tailgate Pad is not available to be shipped here. I'm looking at my options and had a few questions for the community.

Option 1 - 3rd party sellers.
I checked ebay and fb marketplace, no luck. Any suggestions of somewhere else to look?

Option 2 - Ship to a family member out of state, and have them ship it to me.
This seems like a great option, but it depends how well it is packed. If you bought the pad, do you remember how big or small the package was? I'm not sure if the pad can be folded up, and I don't really want to double the cost of the pad with shipping.

Option 3 - generic tailgate pad from another manufacturer.
There are a ton of options, but the main downside is they all seem to block most of the light bar. One of the pros of the Rivian pad is that it has mesh over the light to ensure it's still visible. Do folks here have experience with other brands? How safe do they seem? I don't feel great about blocking off 90% of my brake lights.

I'd appreciate any experience folks can share!

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[R1TBrett]

www.amforward.com is what I used.

 

[mikehmb]

When did they start that nonsense? I have one, it's great, fits properly, and it shipped to California.

Super weird. Quite curious why.

 

[carlps]

When did they start that nonsense? I have one, it's great, fits properly, and it shipped to California.

Super weird. Quite curious why.

Not sure when it started, but I found this Reddit post from Jan 2025 about it.

Did you get it shipped? To you happen to remember how it was packed?

 

[pointless]

Look for a used one on the forum. Good luck.

 

[Wefty]

This is weird. Can you get it shipped to a service center?

I tried a Fox tailgate pad and the problem is how fat the tailgate is. The non-Rivian pads work and are probably better pads but just don't fit well and it causes some bikes to sit oddly on them.

 

[mmbmca]

Get the raceface it's much more padded and better built.

 

[Tomcat21]

Had mine shipped to a relative and they reshipped to me. It almost doubled the price, but was worth it to me.

the pad is robust and cannot be folded While costly Im very happy with it.

 

[mikehmb]

Not sure when it started, but I found this Reddit post from Jan 2025 about it.

Did you get it shipped? To you happen to remember how it was packed?

Huh, odd.

It was in a big flat box, shaped just larger than the pad (pad itself was laid flat, folded as it were over the tailgate).

 

[Mousetrap]

FWIW, I got a Rivian pad and have zero regrets. I happened to be taking a trip to Reno, so ordered it (via service ticket in the app) for pickup at the Reno Service Center when I was there.

I happened to mention it at my most recent drop-off at the new Rohnert Park service center last week and the advisor said that even though we can't order them in CA, he can, so that's another option to either swing by a SC and ask them if there's one nearby or submit a ticket in the app and ask if they can order them.

There are lots of items not available in CA now, it's all due to the new PFAs legislation that went into effect at the start of '25.

 

[TexasCrane]

Get the raceface it's much more padded and better built.

I have a raceface pad. I much prefer my rivian pad.

 

[DeanB1452]

There's several items in Rivian's store that won't ship to CA because it may contain chemicals in the manufacturing process that can be harmful to our health. Looks like anything with nylon in it won't be shipped directly, but you could buy it at the Rivian Spaces.

I bought the Rivian Tailgate pad off of a Forum member in Piedmont. Try looking in the marketplace section here or as you mentioned before, FB Marketplace (That's where I found my truck!) It was still new, in-box. The pad itself is 57"x30" so the box was just slightly bigger and about 4 inches in depth. It can be rolled or folded over at the netting so its dimensions would be 57"x12"x5".

 

[agame32]

I live in California and the Tailgate Pad is not available to be shipped here. I'm looking at my options and had a few questions for the community.

Option 1 - 3rd party sellers.
I checked ebay and fb marketplace, no luck. Any suggestions of somewhere else to look?

Option 2 - Ship to a family member out of state, and have them ship it to me.
This seems like a great option, but it depends how well it is packed. If you bought the pad, do you remember how big or small the package was? I'm not sure if the pad can be folded up, and I don't really want to double the cost of the pad with shipping.

Option 3 - generic tailgate pad from another manufacturer.
There are a ton of options, but the main downside is they all seem to block most of the light bar. One of the pros of the Rivian pad is that it has mesh over the light to ensure it's still visible. Do folks here have experience with other brands? How safe do they seem? I don't feel great about blocking off 90% of my brake lights.

I'd appreciate any experience folks can share!

Where are you in CA?

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

When did they start that nonsense? I have one, it's great, fits properly, and it shipped to California.

Super weird. Quite curious why.

I noticed it well over a year ago. May have started earlier than that. IIRC, recovery kit and manual tonneau suffered same fate. But recovery kit returned without the restriction. Manual tonneau disappeared. Likely discontinued.

I have a raceface pad. I much prefer my rivian pad.

Fits without issues?

 

[TexasCrane]

Fits without issues?

The Rivian pad fits perfectly which is why I prefer it. I bought a Raceface T2 when I first got my '22 before the Rivian pad was announced or available. It fits good enough. As I recall, the curved surface of the Rivian tailgate made it a little awkward, but it worked. Once I got the Rivian pad though, I never had any desire or need to go back to the Raceface.

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