A quick-detach storage system with configurable compartments for a vehicle bed is provided. An example lightweight system has a rail member that can be quickly attached to and removed from the bed of a pickup truck by a single user standing near the pickup. A sliding member extends from the rail past the end of the tailgate of the pickup or other vehicle, allowing the user to attach and detach baskets and containers to the sliding member. The baskets and containers can then be retracted back into the pickup bed along the rail. Various containers of the system are outfitted to hold liquids, grocery items, tools, bicycles, and other objects for easy loading into the bed of the pickup, where the items remain secure. In an embodiment, multiple instances of the quick-detach storage system may be joined with each other.