What are your thoughts about tonneau cover?

[Bjorg]

What are your thoughts on my truck getting a tonneau cover? I'm considering acquiring one for my 2018 Silverado because 4WheelOnline is selling it for such a low price.

[USMC3099]

I can tell you it’s a balance between function and price. If you use a solid hard tonneau that doesn’t fold, well you basically don’t really have a truck bed. So far as sod tonneau I think they ware poorly. The middle ground is a hard tonneau that folds ope in 2 or 3 folds as well as the option for full bed access. If you want info on this style just get back with me. 

[fatkid24]

I have had one on my truck since I’ve owned a truck. I’ve had solid fiberglass cover, roll up soft ones and retractable canister held ones. I really like the security of having my stuff out of site. And like @USMC3099 said, it’s balance. When I had the fiberglass cover I couldn’t haul anything very large without removing it. But it was dry and secure when on. The vinyl ones are the least secure but still keep stuff out of site and dry. The retractable ones (I’ve had Retrax and Roll-N-Lock) are my favorite because it’s the best of both worlds, but they do have a canister that takes some space. I’ve never had a backflip style but I see the attraction. It’s hard, dry, secure and can be folded to give you access to 99% of the bed space. It’s it’s a good deal, and you have the cash, give it a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Once I bought one, I haven’t had a truck without one. 
 

good luck! 

[USMC3099]

I currently have the backflip and have put them on my entire fleet. They are amazing. You have to get the one that actually gives you 100% bed access. It lifts up on the last fold and leans against the rear window area. They are padded so no damage.  You spend about 100 or more extra for this feature but if you need all your bed and at some point we all do this I think is a good spend. 
 

happy hunting.  

[USMC3099]

10 minutes ago, fatkid24 said:

I have had one on my truck since I’ve owned a truck. I’ve had solid fiberglass cover, roll up soft ones and retractable canister held ones. I really like the security of having my stuff out of site. And like @USMC3099 said, it’s balance. When I had the fiberglass cover I couldn’t haul anything very large without removing it. But it was dry and secure when on. The vinyl ones are the least secure but still keep stuff out of site and dry. The retractable ones (I’ve had Retrax and Roll-N-Lock) are my favorite because it’s the best of both worlds, but they do have a canister that takes some space. I’ve never had a backflip style but I see the attraction. It’s hard, dry, secure and can be folded to give you access to 99% of the bed space. It’s it’s a good deal, and you have the cash, give it a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Once I bought one, I haven’t had a truck without one. 
 

good luck! 

Agreed 

[Grumpy Bear]

I use a Lund soft rollup and will keep buying them as long as they make them. If there is something in the bed you want bad enough to destroy the cover to get, a hard top won't slow you down. Ka-bar or pry bar...both work. (I use to have a Vette with T tops....LOL) It's cheaper than most others. It's water tight enough for anything I've ever carried in the box. It pays for itself in fuel savings over it's lifetime. Looks great. Great utility and total access. Can be replace when worn out by an old fart in about a half hour. What's the down side??  

Edited August 5, 2021 by Grumpy Bear

[Sjordan]

Undercover ultraflex here.  I will always have a hard folding that allows full bed access.  I went with the ultraflex because it has arms to keep it upright for full bed access, I did not like the idea of it riding on the cab even if there is padding.

[Grumpy Bear]

17 minutes ago, Sjordan said:

Undercover ultraflex here.  I will always have a hard folding that allows full bed access.  I went with the ultraflex because it has arms to keep it upright for full bed access, I did not like the idea of it riding on the cab even if there is padding.

Great point! 

[aseibel]

I have a truxedo lopro and I wouldn't consider anything else. I like to be able to fully open my bed, and use it often that way. The soft roll-up keeps it dry enough to carry the family stuff on vacation without it being in my way.

 

If I was all that concerned about "weather proof" I'd consider a camper shell and carpeted interior like my old man. But guess which truck gets loaded with deer each November? Its all dependent on how you use it.

[ChriZ71]

Love my Lomax pro trifold. Doesn't do the final flip towards the glass, but it has a better trick. Just a quick strap pull and can easily remove/reinstall whole top when needed. Look it up, is a great cover.

 

 

[WeGone]

MX4 here. easy install, easy to remove if needed. It also has the prop rods to keep it open when against the cab. I also wanted a cover that when fully open would not block the third brake light or rear-view camera.

 

[PureZ71]

I've had my Gator one for about 6 months now and its been awesome. It doesn't fold al the up but if I do need to remove it, its only 4 hand tighten bolts that doesn't require tools

https://gatorcovers.com/p/gator-efx-hard-fold-tonneau-cover/v/chevy/silverado-1500/2021/

 

Edited August 6, 2021 by PureZ71

[jpass12]

After almost ordering a canvas soft rollup tonneau cover, I decided to order a Gator vinyl soft rollup cover. The canvas one is mounted on the side of the rails and that makes the multipro grab handle inoperable forcing me to pick a cover that mounts on top of the side rails. So far I like it and it was a simple and fast installation. The quality seems better than the Tyger brand I had on the Ram I traded in. Also, it flutters less in the wind. 

[Transient]

I'm in a rather unique situation.  My truck is slightly different because I have the GM sportbar on the back.  This made picking a tonneau difficult.  The soft roll up tonneau are said to work with it, but I didn't have confidence in them.

 

I initially bought the Rough Country hard trifold tonneau.  It fit well with the sportbar, but I could only open the first portion when I wanted access to my bed.  I tend to sit in the chair in my truckbed at my kid's sporting events.  Soon the entire family wanted in on what I was doing, so I needed more access to my bed.  I didn't want to deal with removing the 4 knob bolts for each and every practice and game, so I got rid of the Rough Country. 

 

Next up is a Retrax retractable tonneau.  A quick and simple modification allowed me to make this tonneau work with my sportbar.  Sitting in the truck bed for sporting events, the sportbar is in the way at the very end.  I'm not getting rid of the sportbar because it has a lightbar on top of it that I actually use when offroading in the dark.  The canister being under the sportbar, and not much bigger, made this a winner for my.  Height-wise, I still have the bottom half of the truck bed under the canister that is usable.  I'm still able to slide things like camping chairs, 10x10 canopies, bags, collapsible wagons, etc under it.  I went with Retrax because it doesn't utilize the same location the sportbar uses for install, unlike Roll n Lock.  RnL may make a good product, but it's method of install made it impossible for me to use.  I'm very happy with the Retrax, and wish I'd picked it first.  It's held up to daily use and the occasional offroading adventure.

[curly]

For the last few trucks I had before I bought my 2019, I always had bed caps / shells. We had a large dog at the time and it gave him somewhere to ride so he could move around (all had sliding glass for air movement) and still gave us plenty of room to use the bed for hauling.

 

When I bought my 2019, we no longer had a dog but I still wanted a way to secure items in the back (mainly to keep them out of plain view) so I went with the BakFlip MX4 and couldn't be happier. I can secure items under the cover when needed and still carry larger items by simply folding it up or using the rods to support it against the rear of the cab. I have found one place that appears to have leaked a small amount during a 'monsoon' of a week that we had recently but it was minimal. If I'm carrying things like luggage in the back, I always use plastic totes for ease of loading / unloading and for added peace of mind knowing that those items will stay dry.