I too like to "offroad" as much as I can. For me the short bed works best, and there is nothing that doesn't fit in a short box that I haul, so it's better for me. Motorcycles, wood, camping gear, even my nine-foot pontoon boat fits fine. So, I wouldn't gain anything with an 8' box over the shorter one. BTW, the Ford has a 6.75' box, so the 8' box is just over 1' longer (not much difference).
For me, a F350 Super Cab 4x4 (not crew cab) with short box is about as good as it would get for me (once the kids are old enough to move out). Right now I've got a crew cab short box and it's too long for offroad, and the 6.75' bed is about perfect for a compact truck camper.
eta: what can a 8' bed accomplish that a 6.75' bed not accomplish? Does closing the tailgate on plywood make you feel good, or is there something about it that having the tailgate down doesn't do? Really, I understand you can haul 16" more whatever, but what is it that you're hauling that would fall out the back of the truck (lumber isn't it if you're buying 8' lumber) with the 6.75' bed.
