The Avalanche is awesome. With the rear seats folded down you have a bed over 8' long and 4' wide with the tailgate closed. On those nice days you can open the rear covers and take out the window and have that open-air jeep thing going on. Helped my dad pick up some drywall and plywood and I can tell you for sure that it will fit 4'x8' sheets of whatever. It also makes a good camper. We just leve the covers on the back, fold down the rear seats, throw down an egg-crate thingy and a comforter and sleep in sleeping bags. Almost no down time to set-up camp. When we get to the lakes we pay our fees, post a reservation sticker and get to fishin'. In the morning we just roll it all up and throw it aside and go. No waiting till the afternoon to come back to camp and tear down a tent that you had to let dry. Rides good, pulls good, camps/sleeps good, hauls good, and you have the best of both worlds. Since being in my dad's a few times, I know the next time I purchase a vehicle, I WILL BUY AN AVALANCHE. For all of the people talking about American made vehicles, here is my deal: I have a Ford and a Honda. My Honda was manufactured in the U.S. and my Ford has parts in it from all over the globe. My Honda gets better gas mileage and has been more dependable. Both have been dealer serviced at the scheduled mileages and the ford has had higher service charges and more actual repairs other than the scheduled maintenance. With the reliability and re-sale value, why not give them a shot? Honda now has 2 vehicles that can pull a boat. Looked @ the Pilots and the Ridgeliners recently and both seem to be decent vehicles, although I do still prefer the CHEVY AVALANCHE. Just my $.02