Male insecurity is part of it, but public policy is a bigger part: specifically, the "chicken tax" and CAFE loopholes. Fix those, so that manufacturers are actually allowed and incentivized to make small trucks that people want (and disincentivized against making gigantic ones their "flagship" models), and the problem would greatly diminish.

For all the people saying "I just want a small pickup to do x" I'll point you to the recommendation at the end:

If you are only towing, off-roading, or hauling once a year, or never, it might be wise to consider a smaller vehicle, and rent or borrow a truck when you really need a truck. There are tens of millions of them out there. There are even amazing services like Turo or ZipCar out there that grant you access to a vehicle for just the time you want it, and may even deliver it to your door.

I was amazed recently how hard it was to find a proper small truck. Just wanted something to carry my bicycle so I could try some different trails that are farther from my house.

All the new trucks are huge and the old small trucks are expensive. Ended up with a “mid-sized” Nissan and it’s bigger than the F-150s all my friends had growing up. I still want an old Ford Ranger or something but they’re just too damn expensive now.

I actually just traded out of my F-150 for an all-electric crossover. Lemmy has informed me that this was a terrible move for the environment.

I'd love an el cameno, or something similar. I'd like to be able to see something on the side of the road and pick it up while still having the car size and mpg

I rented a Ford F-150 from U-haul. It was $19 plus insurance and gas. That was the smallest truck they offered. I think in total, I paid about $90 after everything was done and hauled a bunch of stuff. Even if I had to do that 4 times a year, which I don't, it's still cheaper than buying a whole truck.