Looking to get an over the tailgate bike mount/pad/rack. Recommendations??

[brog]

Trying to find the best option for transporting 2, sometimes 3, bikes in the back of Gladiator bed. I don't have any existing bed racks or anything and I want to keep it like that for now. It'll be for occasional, but semi-regular use as well as when we travel for light trails and just to ride wherever we are. They're good bikes, to us, but not crazy expensive high-end bikes. I've been looking at tailgate pads like the Yakima Gatekeeper, Thule Gatemate and the Cache Basecamp. My main concerns are having a sturdy mounting point without much movement, protection for the bikes and the bed/tailgate, easy on/off for both the bikes and the pad. I kind of like the idea of these being more of a system that can connect other pieces to like cargo bags, coolers, cargo netting, etc. They all have the cutout to access the tailgate handle, but I need to make sure the rear view cam has unobstructed view.
With all that said, has anybody had experience with using any/all of these, or maybe a different option that I haven't seen yet? For what they are, they're fairly pricey and I don't want to go over or much over that $300 range. The Cache Basecamp is more expensive than the other two, but it looks like there is a lot more that it can be used for and expandable and they claim lockable which would be a plus if true. Let me know your thoughts, good and bad, and any other information that you don't mind sharing. As always, I appreciate everyone's feedback and help. Thanks all. -Brian
Cache Basecamp
Thule GateMate Pro
Yakima GateKeeper

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