soft tonneau advice

Robinhood · January 28, 2002

What type and manufacturer would you recommend. I've heard good things about Extang. Pros or Cons anyone?

Thanks in advance for any information and experience you can lend.

silverado man · January 28, 2002

i would like to know. i was thinking about getting the extang myself. ive heard that covercraft is good too.

bassdog · January 29, 2002

See Product Reviews... I have a post in there about Extang. PM me with any questions, I'll be glad to answer them.

bassdog

2000 GMC · January 29, 2002

Robinhood,

I own the Access cover. I really like it since it's really simple to store. Just pop the end and roll up against the cab and secure it. Only down side if it's to cold like here in Alaska, I don't roll it up because it's frozen.

mnsilverado · January 29, 2002

I too have the Access Cover, it is a great cover at a awesome price. I would have to say it is the best one that doesn't give you the wagon cover look!!!

Greg · January 29, 2002

Anyone have any good/bad experiences with the Truxedo? It's one of the possibilities for my son's S-10.

Robinhood · January 29, 2002

Thanks for the responses guys.

I will have to check into the Access Cover. Never heard of them. I've only seen Extang and Lund. I live in a cold climate also (albeit not as cold as Alaska).

I want the bed to be functional. I do haul large items alot,so ease of use is very important.

Another concern is the curling up of the egdes.

scooter70 · January 31, 2002

I'd like to comment on the Extang's versatility, especially going from cold to warm climates.

I bought the Extang on Bassdog's recommendation a few months ago. I love it. The best feature is that there are two spots to put the cross bows and the snaps on the rails can be flipped upside down to adjust how tight the cover is. When it's cold, put the bows in the lower slot and have the snaps so that they're higher. In summer, do the opposite. Have you ever tried to put a tight cover on the truck when it's below freezing? The Extang makes it easy.

96 Vortec · February 3, 2002

I have a covercraft. I have always been really happy with it. I have had it for 6 years now. The stitching around the clips is starting to unravel. They are still very usable, but I think that within a year I will have to replace the vinyl top.

I have never had any experience with the extang, but mine can be a real pain in the butt to install when it is cold.

What I like best about mine is that it doesn't have snaps. It has clips that aren't visible from the outside.

Kania2k1 · February 3, 2002

I have a sportmaster's tonneau, and have had no problems with it. Considered the Extang, but didn't feel like flipping over all of the snaps when it got cold. Mine has 2 rubber spaces to put at the end, between the tailgate piece and the bed rail pieces, and it works very well. Cover only really gets stressed if I take it through a Mobil car wash, or anything with some serious fans at the end.

Likarok · February 4, 2002

Would add to above, I have Access...reason I liked this one after much shopping is that it does not cover up the stake pocket holes so I could keep my GM box rails on. Really like the adjustable tension and the way it fits against the top of the closed tailgate.

PS. If you want to take the tacky Access logo off the back of the cover just spray a little carb cleaner on a rag and it wipes right off...then buff shine back up with a bit of armour all.

jmhornz71 · February 4, 2002

I have the Extang on my truck. I got the snapless design and its been great. The only problem I have had is when its cold and I have had it rolled up to carry large objects gettting it secured again can almost be impossible needs to be a little warm or have the sun on it to be flexible again to stretch

Greg · February 5, 2002

I put a Truxedo on my son's truck this evening - took about an hour. Being the 1st time I'd ever done a bed cover, the only minor pain was getting the C-clamps on right while keeping the rails at the correct height. It also took a couple of tries installing the cover because the 1st try I forgot to tuck the retaining straps under the front seal so they hang down into the bed. (Doh!) I also put a Pop&Lock on the tailgate. The Line-X was applied earlier today so his pickup bed is all set.

carguru · February 11, 2002

IMHO the Downey SST is pretty good. I have used the one on my current truck for a little over 3 years (transferred from my '99). Cover is holding up very well (fairly thick material). It is well designed. The threads and vinyl are holding up very well. Only drawbacks so far have been it was a bit pricier than other covers and the clamps shift if not tightened enough. ???

I had the Lund Premier covers on a couple of earlier trucks. The Lund covers always broke down around 2-3 years. The threads binding the edge always broke first then the holes would start to appear in the cover. They also had problems with the support struts wearing out. The rear rail was a bit difficult to remove. Just my $.02.

deruch · February 12, 2002

I had a tekstyle cover on a 94 Chevy S-10 SS and it was great, had all allumium frame and looked great even after I was in a wreck and totaled it. You can request a catalog from them at Tekstyle.

Don