Tonneau cover that does not leak water

[cherryred21duramax]

Looking to purchase a used Sierra and want to have a tonneau cover put on at the dealer if possible, to avoid the back-and-forth with shipping & delivery of a cover.  Does anyone have a tonneau cover they can recommend that is completely watertight?  I've had BakFlip MX4, Retrax, and it seemed like everything leaks water from light rain to a heavy downpour.

 

I've been asked by several clients to start a marketing business, I did marketing videos for them pro-bono over the past few years and they think I'd be great to do it professionally.  So the truck may have drones, laptops, cameras, and video production gear.  Everything is in Pelican cases, but I'm sure something will get wet such as paperwork or a backpack like I have experienced before.

 

The rest of the time this truck will be used for long trips towing a travel trailer, so I'd think a tonneau cover can also help if I'd like to equip the truck with bed rails to haul mountain bikes or a kayak.  I am even considering a topper if that would be best for the combined marketing/video/event production business & RVing use the truck will see.

[KARNUT]

21 minutes ago, cherryred21duramax said:

Looking to purchase a used Sierra and want to have a tonneau cover put on at the dealer if possible, to avoid the back-and-forth with shipping & delivery of a cover.  Does anyone have a tonneau cover they can recommend that is completely watertight?  I've had BakFlip MX4, Retrax, and it seemed like everything leaks water from light rain to a heavy downpour.

 

I've been asked by several clients to start a marketing business, I did marketing videos for them pro-bono over the past few years and they think I'd be great to do it professionally.  So the truck may have drones, laptops, cameras, and video production gear.  Everything is in Pelican cases, but I'm sure something will get wet such as paperwork or a backpack like I have experienced before.

 

The rest of the time this truck will be used for long trips towing a travel trailer, so I'd think a tonneau cover can also help if I'd like to equip the truck with bed rails to haul mountain bikes or a kayak.  I am even considering a topper if that would be best for the combined marketing/video/event production business & RVing use the truck will see.

I’ve had several. The last was sold at the dealership hard with a soft top. They all leaked a little. The only one that didn’t was a topper. My supplier miss understood. It was supposed to be a painted match topper. I was getting ready for a trip couldn’t wait so I took it. It was easy to remove if needed and didn’t leak.

[richard wysong]

Buy a van

[Coastie05]

I don't think any of them will keep water out. I just installed a Gator EFX hard trifold on my truck and that thing leaks like crazy.

[cherryred21duramax]

22 hours ago, KARNUT said:

I’ve had several. The last was sold at the dealership hard with a soft top. They all leaked a little. The only one that didn’t was a topper. My supplier miss understood. It was supposed to be a painted match topper. I was getting ready for a trip couldn’t wait so I took it. It was easy to remove if needed and didn’t leak.

 

Thank you, it looks like I have to get a topper or a box van.  Unfortunately, the only vans that can tow what I am looking for are going to be 3/4 ton vans, which may ride rough if I am going to use this on the road extensively.  I may also use it to take marketing clients out on the road.

 

Not knowing anything about starting a business, my goal is to start small, use things I already have & keep everything in good working order.  I have a small box trailer, need to install lights in it, and same for the topper itself.

 

How easy does Chevy/GMC make our trucks to upfit if we decide to add things like a topper and lights?  On Fords, the upfit process was rather easy.  Just tie the +12V of the lights to the AUX relay panel and the - to chassis Ground.

[KARNUT]

27 minutes ago, cherryred21duramax said:

 

Thank you, it looks like I have to get a topper or a box van.  Unfortunately, the only vans that can tow what I am looking for are going to be 3/4 ton vans, which may ride rough if I am going to use this on the road extensively.  I may also use it to take marketing clients out on the road.

 

Not knowing anything about starting a business, my goal is to start small, use things I already have & keep everything in good working order.  I have a small box trailer, need to install lights in it, and same for the topper itself.

 

How easy does Chevy/GMC make our trucks to upfit if we decide to add things like a topper and lights?  On Fords, the upfit process was rather easy.  Just tie the +12V of the lights to the AUX relay panel and the - to chassis Ground.

I’ve seen many times people over buy to start a business. Instead of quality equipment they buy junk and drive an expensive truck. Our first haul truck was a 2 ton wrecker with 6 cylinder to haul our equipment. It would go 60 miles per hour flat out. Our trucks were older trucks we could work on easily. Our equipment was first class that we could work without fear of breaking down. You could always use large trash bags to wrap for water proofing. Put the money where the return is. Comfort and luxury comes with success. Good luck in your venture.

[cherryred21duramax]

1 hour ago, KARNUT said:

I’ve seen many times people over buy to start a business. Instead of quality equipment they buy junk and drive an expensive truck. You could always use large trash bags to wrap for water proofing. Put the money where the return is. Comfort and luxury comes with success. Good luck in your venture.

 

Thank you.  I really appreciate the well wishes.  I'm an engineer in the telecom industry, I know hardly anything about marketing.  Over the years I did some videos for nonprofits and web sites for small businesses and the seed was planted.  Agree with over-buying, I started shooting on an iPhone before I got my first DSLR and tripod.

 

I'm looking at trucks with potentially 150,000+ miles to keep the cost of entry low while focusing on the client experience and equipment.  Good wireless mics for interviews, the right lenses & lighting to look professional.  But I don't want to be late or break down, the stress of emptying a trailer & securing a rental truck right before a gig would negate any savings from buying a junker.  So anything that leaks water, has extensive rust, or generally unreliable I'd like to avoid.

 

Does GM/Chevy overbuild these trucks for upfitting?  I talked to a local upfitter, they sometimes tie lights & other 12V into existing circuits, which I always thought was bad.  Which is why I enjoyed the AUX upfit switches on previous trucks (odd they mostly come with off-road or work truck packages).

[parthery]

A properly installed tonneau will keep out 95% of the water.  As others have said, the only way to be completely dry is to either get a topper or an SUV.

 

I've run virtually all the trifolds and hard rolling that are out there.  My thoughts:

 

1.)  The leak points of any cover will be the front corners, and around the tailgate.   They will also leak if the rails are not installed properly.  If you take a electric/cordless ratchet and snug down the clamps, you run the risk of overtightening which causes the rails to sag.  When the rails sag it creates a gap between the rail and the bed cap and this lets water in.

 

2.)  Different manufacturers use different methods to try and seal the front.  The "driest" setup is probably the Leer HF650M, which uses double seals all the way around and doesn't require a foam seal across the front edge of the bed.  The Realtruck trifold covers (Bak, Undercover, Gator, etc...) all use a foam seal across the front, and drain tubes.

 

3.)  Realtruck has standardized the way that the cover attaches to the rail.  With the exception of the Extang Endure ALX, all other Realtruck covers use a plastic clamp which slides into a channel, hooks onto the edge of the rail, and tightens down. The "Realtruck Advantage" covers sold by GM dealers as an OEM accessory still use the "bolt through the panel" installation method.  Problem with these is over time, water gets past the rubber seal, into the panel, and once they become waterlogged they begin to delaminate (and weigh a ton.)

 

4.)  Unless you are using GM Rewards points, buy your cover separately.  Realtruck offers a 5 year warranty on BAK, Undercover and Extang covers.  Gators get either a 2 or 3 year warranty.  If you have an issue, they are much easier to deal with.  If you have an issue with an OEM GM cover, you have to go through the service department and GM Warranty processes to get it taken care of.

 

Recommendations based on my experience:

 

Hard folding:

 

1.)  Undercover Ultra/Armor Flex (identical except Ultra has carpet on the underside and a smooth finish.  Armor has no carpet but has a Line-X coating on the outside.)

2.)  Leer HF650M.  Has 4 panels instead of 3.  Double seals to keep the water out.  Downside is only a 3 year warranty and warranty only honored if you purchase from a Leer dealer.  If you have your dealer install it or buy off Amazon they won't warranty it.

3.)  Bak MX4.  They sell a ton of them.  A good cover for the money when you can find one on sale.  About to be redesigned to include a spring to ease opening and closing. (Supposed to be released 7/26.  Bak MX4 EZ-Lift)

 

Hard rolling:

 

Bak Revolver X4S or X4TS (has t-slot rails.)  Personal favorite and the one I use on my truck.  Easy to roll up one handed.  Doesn't block the rear window.  Only costs you about 6" of the bed when open as opposed to a retractable canister which eats up about a foot of bedspace.  Downside is it's either all the way open or all the way closed.

 

Good luck with you search.

 

 

[Jus Cruisin]

The tailgate of pickups is not designed to be water tight. There are seal kits for them but I doubt they work effectively. But, I've not tried them. I always have hard folding tonneau covers and the BakFlip brand has been my favorite. And, for the most part, the bed stays dry. I would invest in some bins that can be closed to better protect sensitive stuff.