OT: pickup truck bed cover

[irondog]

I'm thinking about buying a pickup truck bed cover. Anyone have some helpful advice or experience to share?

 

[thatsbaseball]

Had a rollup cover on mine 4 years ago when I bought the truck. Still looks good and works well.

 

[trob115]

If you have a Ford, Retrax. If you have a GM, Roll-N-Lock. That's what the dealer told me when I bought my cover.

I have a roll-n-lock on mine and we use my truck to travel all of the time. It has been a game changer for us to be able to travel in my truck and not have to worry about our luggage getting wet.

 

[thatsbaseball]

And while we're at it, do they really help gas mileage ?

 

[BELdog]

I’ve got a Diamondback bed cover on my Z71. I’m a fan and I always said I’d never put a bed cover on my truck. There are days when I wish it was easier to use the bed of my truck like the bed of a truck, but it’s nice when I want to leave stuff in the bed of my truck and lock that cover.

 

[garddog]

No matter how good it looks, do not buy a solid cover. Anytime you want to haul anything taller than 2 feet, you will have to remove the whole thing.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Agreed. Hard covers are a pain in the *** to take off if you need to do it.

 

[blackjackdog3]

Definitely get a hard cover. It might take 2-3 minutes to remove or install. A soft bed cover just doesn’t hold up and could be cut with a knife. The retractable covers are really nice but also more expensive.

 

[sayit]

And while we're at it, do they really help gas mileage ?

That myth was busted the same year it was created. Not to mention the show Mythbusters documented it on TV.

 

[PapaDawg]

I have owned a couple of Bak-Flips. They worked well for me.

 

[dorndawg]

On of the first times I knew I was getting old was when my first thought was "Damn that looks great" after seeing a pickup with a camper.

 

[kphall11]

I have a retrax on my F150 and have been pleased. I chose it over the backflip because you can stop the retrax anywhere and with the backflip you can only stop it where the folds are. There’s no need for the remote controlled retrax unless you just absolutely want it. Just get the manual one. Have had no issues and had mine for about a year and a half now. I will say the area in the back that the liner rolls into took up more space in the back of the bed than I thought but you can still stick stuck underneath that part.

 

[Dawgbite]

I have a Tyger trifold soft cover on my Gladiator. It was around $200 on Amazon. I’m very pleased, two years old and I’d buy another.

 

[EarlyCuyler]

I’ve never had one but have done a little research and am looking at getting this one:

BAK Revolver X4s Hard Rolling Truck Bed Tonneau Cover | 80329 | Fits 2015-2020 Ford F-150 5' 7" Bed (67.1") https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Y8HDDQ...t_i_Y1H9P6YZNQJCX9CKE9CP?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[SteelCurtain74]

I have an ARE hard cover on my Tundra. It came with the truck when I bought it and is color matched to the truck. It makes the truck look good but as others have mentioned, if I have to haul anything with height it can be cumbersome.

If all you will be hauling are tools, sports equipment or lawn and gardening type materials, a hard cover isn't a bad option but anything else you might want to look at other options.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

As others have replied, get a roll up type, do not get a solid or tri-fold.

It has 0 impact on the gas mileage.

 

[The Peeper]

I have an ARE hard tonneau cover and love it. It's been on the truck for about 10 years and never been a problem. Doesn't leak at all, doesn't flap around, can't be cut through, doesn't rattle. I have never had to remove it and it keeps people from calling me to ask if I can move a refrigerator, stove, etc for them.

 

[garddog]

I have an ARE hard tonneau cover and love it. It's been on the truck for about 10 years and never been a problem. Doesn't leak at all, doesn't flap around, can't be cut through, doesn't rattle. I have never had to remove it and it keeps people from calling me to ask if I can move a refrigerator, stove, etc for them.

So why didn't you buy an SUV if you don't use it as a pickup?

 

[NWADawg]

I have an ARE hard cover on my Tundra. It came with the truck when I bought it and is color matched to the truck. It makes the truck look good but as others have mentioned, if I have to haul anything with height it can be cumbersome.

If all you will be hauling are tools, sports equipment or lawn and gardening type materials, a hard cover isn't a bad option but anything else you might want to look at other options.

I had a ARE hard cover on my last truck. I loved it almost all of the time. It was truly rain/water proof and more secure when locked. I had clothes, camping gear, electronics, etc. in it during some flash flood type rains and not a drop got in. I don't think most of the fold back/roll back covers are that rain resistant. I hauled most any big loads on a trailer so bed cover didn't interfere. There were a couple times over 5 years that I needed to remove it and it was a pain for those few occasions.

 

[The Peeper]

Kind of hard to put 30+ bales of pine straw in an SUV, or a couple scoops of dirt, don't like the smell of gas in an SUV when hauling generator or lawn mower, 4x8 sheets of plywood don't fit in the back of most SUV's, shall I keep going?

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Peragon: https://www.peragon.com/

Easy to use and easy to remove/reinstall to get all of your bed space if needed.

 

[Wizard.sixpack]

I have a Tyger trifold soft cover on my Gladiator. It was around $200 on Amazon. I’m very pleased, two years old and I’d buy another.

This is what I have and it works fine

 

[DerHntr]

I have a trifold BAK flip. Used to have a solid hard cover. The only thing I miss about the solid cover is that it was 100% water proof and the trifold is not. Otherwise, the trifold is worth it for the convenience of getting it out of the way to haul something tall.

I’m not a fan of the soft covers because I hunt public ground a lot and want to make it slightly more difficult for the meth heads to steal my gear.