Cap or tonneau cover advice

[retiredcamper47]

If you want security for your truck bed, go with a cap or hard (fiberglass or aluminum) cover. Some of the hard covers limit what you can haul as they are hinged in the front.

If you want just weather proofing, go with the soft tonneau cover. These just roll up and do not limit what you can haul in the truck bed. I, personally, have used the soft tonneau covers on all my trucks and have never had a problem.

Bob

[DrLewie]

I have an Access roll-up tanneau cover on my '08 F250 long bed. I installed it myself and it cost about $300-$400. Works really well, but does allow a small amount of water in. It's held up pretty well too. After 7 years its starting to show some wear, but it still does its job. I haven't noticed any difference in fuel mileage with/without it in place, but it is handy to have space to carry stuff more or less securely.

[nineback]

Agree!

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

Retrax.

Trust me.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by DrLewie

I have an Access roll-up tanneau cover on my '08 F250 long bed. I installed it myself and it cost about $300-$400. Works really well, but does allow a small amount of water in. It's held up pretty well too. After 7 years its starting to show some wear, but it still does its job. I haven't noticed any difference in fuel mileage with/without it in place, but it is handy to have space to carry stuff more or less securely.

We also have an Access soft tonneau cover on our '13 Silverado and had one on our '08 Sierra. Both have held up well. We have had inside-the-rail bed liners on both that helps keep the bed dry. The last Access cover came with a free fetch rod that has been invaluable.

Over the years, we have had various height shells with their advantages. However, they were a pain to take off when hauling tall items and the older we got, the more difficult to crawl around when getting to the front of the box.

The soft tonneau has been our choice for the past 8 years. DW also likes it for the convenience. As for security, they are all vulnerable to a determined thief.

[Glindz233s]

I prefer a hard tonneau. Mine is an Undercover. Installed it myself and can remove it when I need to haul anything big. A cap would provide more storage space but to each his own. Good luck deciding.

[nc-canuck]

Great info everyone. Hard decision and points on both sides. Thanks for the pics - helps to see the differences. We are now empty nesters so don't need to worry about hauling kids stuff anymore. Bed will usually be empty except when we camp and then it is just chairs, firewood, fire pit, and bikes. Leaning to the tonneau cover for many reasons stated above. Not sure it is worth cost of a cap just to keep the bikes dry. Also have kids in college so ability to haul bulky stuff back and forth is a point in favor to the cover.


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[MT Biker]

I myself couldn't decide, so I went with two trucks!
One has a ARE commercial grade double lined cap with full doors instead of using the tail gate.
The other has a tonneau cover.
You really can't go wrong with either option, they both have advantages & disadvantages.

[gfarmcafe]

Originally Posted by nc-canuck

Great info everyone. Hard decision and points on both sides. Thanks for the pics - helps to see the differences. We are now empty nesters so don't need to worry about hauling kids stuff anymore. Bed will usually be empty except when we camp and then it is just chairs, firewood, fire pit, and bikes. Leaning to the tonneau cover for many reasons stated above. Not sure it is worth cost of a cap just to keep the bikes dry. Also have kids in college so ability to haul bulky stuff back and forth is a point in favor to the cover.


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Exactly our situation too, except our kids are out of college, but still want us to haul stuff for, and to them like power washer, furniture, mulch, etc. Our tonneau cover works out great for even taller items like those. Good luck!

[hdmtnrider]

Take a look at the "Undercover Flex". It is a hard cover tri fold. Easy to install and can be remove in about 5 minutes if you need to us the full bed and don't want to fold it up. Every thing in your bed stays dry and out of sight if you stop some where over night on a trip.
Best of Luck!

[KennyGolub]

Originally Posted by beerbuggy

Look at Bakflip... I've had 3 of them and I don't think I could ever do without again. Great build quality and love the fact that once you lock the tailgate your stuff is secure and out of site. Going down the road and it rains... no problem your stuff remains dry. I like the low profile and how it does not alter the look of the truck. Its made of aluminum and is super easy to remove and put back on. It flips up totally out of the way when you need to haul something that takes up the whole bed.

Not the best picture, but all I have...

X2. I'm on my second truck with a BAKFlip F1.

[windsurfdog]

I have to agree with those that recommend the BAKflip. I purchased this one:
Bakflip CS with Rack System
Here's a pic:

Though a little pricey, EXTREMELY worth every penny. The racks install/uninstall in about 15 minutes...I only install them when I need them. Also, they are completely adjustable along the rails allowing different settings for different loads.
And if you are hauling bikes, here is a solution:

Good luck to op in his search...lots of choices.

[GulfHusker]

I just went through the same decision making process.....what sort of cap should I get. Looked at all the options, read all the reviews. It really boiled down to a compromise situation. Cost, convenience, weather resistance, all came into play. I finally went with a Gator, roll-up cover. It was the least expensive, has been relatively good in weather sealing, but I would take extra precautions with precious cargo, and it's very easy to roll up and out of the way for full bed access. The one serious downside of this type is the lack of any serious security. It can't be opened with a locked tailgate, but it sure can be easily accessed with any knife! Like I said....compromises....what's the most important feature for your needs?

[jtownstumpjumper]

Currently have the Undercover Flex hard tri-fold.....getting ready to go to a roll-up....when I started with a 5th wheel I had a factory pinbox, I could fold 2 sections and had no problem with the pinbox hitting or bumping the cover....removed it and bought a TraiAir pinbox for a better ride but the TrailAir won't allow me to only fold 2 sections because it sticks further over the front of my 5th wheel hitch, so now I have to ride with the cover folded all the way up...I don't like riding with it in the up position because of wind drag and noise over the top of my truck cab....I have even moved the support rods on the cover to allow it to ride in a slanted position but then in sharp turns the corner of the cover bumps the front cap on my 5th wheel camper.....this is why I'm going with a nice roll-up style....prior to all of this , when we had a bumper pull I had the Undercover Lux hard cover painted to match my truck color...looked very nice.....btw, I'm selling this Undercover Flex year old tri-fold cover for $450...they sell new for $850.

[BandJCarm]

I had the BakFlip F1 on the 2500 and loved it........except for ONE thing, and it was bigger than I thought when I got it. You can NOT (no matter what anyone says) open it all the way to expose the entire bed, without blocking the rear window. Plus, that position is a 'sail' to catch air flow at highway speeds. You can remove it, it's not hard to get on and off really.........

It's well made.

But I sold it and on this truck I got the Retrax MX, and now I can not only use it for towing my fifth wheel in the open position, but when I get to the site, I can close it to safely store anything.

The trifold types and the hard caps (which are the only true waterproof ones, though mine is close) are fine for bumper pulls.........but not fifth wheels. The soft ones are cheaper, but one knife, and a thief is inside.

Depends on what setup you have.

[DocGTO]

I've always had a bed cover. I've used Roll & Lock and on my new truck I tried the Bak Flip G2 hard cover. I relay like it and was cheaper the the Roll&Lock.

[tenttotrailer]

I have the Ford supplied vinyl trifold for my F150. I work on the out of site out of mind principle, but if someone wants in to take a look only takes a shapr knife. I don't have to worry about "Stuff" falling out of a moving pick up (ie firewood). No to mention protects the surface from snow/rain.

Kevin

[OldCoot]

Always had a tonneau cover. Certainly not water tight, but keeps things covered and out of sight.

[rmac04401]

I'm nowhere near the weight police but if you would be close to your weights on axles and cargo capacity a cover will be lighter than a cap. I have a cap right now but may be going to cover so I can put some stuff in bed without going overweight. It's amazing how weight adds up.

[nc-canuck]

Thanks again for all the great feedback. Just got back from the local cover dealer and looked at examples of many of the ones listed here. For many of the reasons listed above (security, ease of use,weather resistance, future 5th wheel) I bought the Retrax. Like the stainless steel rolling feature and ability to lock the cover partially open easily. Get it installed on Wednesday and then leave Friday to test it out.


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[tbln930]

Sorry new and late to the thread. I had an ARE on my 2001 Lariat and just put a Century (same as Lear) hard cover on my new Lariat. The Century is seamless. The seam on the ARE started coming off on one end after about ten years. Both are great matching covers that last the life of the truck IMO.