Tonneau Covers

[FISHINGFARMER]

I'm thinking of buying a cover for the truck this year and was wondering what style(soft or hard) I should look into and what make (Leer,Unicover or who) I should purchase?

After years of use, which would stand up the best in not having to repair it often and lasting for resale value on the truck.

Are they really worth the money spent to have them? It sounds good to have things protected from the elements and not having to use a tool box all the time.

Thanks in advance.

[Northlander]

I have a hard cover and love it. Locking my stuff up and not having to worry about rain or snow getting in my gear is great. The roll up covers are ok but all it takes is a knife or something to get in and steal all your goodies.

[Tom1616]

I have had both hard and soft roll-up covers . The hard one looked really nice , but it can be a bother if you want to haul something bigger . It is hard on them to be driving fast speeds with them partways up .The maker of mine recommended removing it and to put it back on, others probably do to . With a rollup cover , I have an access cover , all you do is roll it up and go . I personally like it much better than the hard type . As far as for keeping things safe , they do a good job . I have had some spendy stuff under mine , if they can't see it , they won't steal it as easy . I hope this helps you some .

[PerchJerker]

I have a soft tonneau cover and really like it a lot. Can't think of who made it right now but they have many different styles and a great HSOforum, when I think of the name I'll post it.

Brand is Extang

[caseymcq]

I have an Access Cover Lite Rider sof cover and I love it. It is well built and had a nice clean look. It is nice if I have to haul something that doesn't fit under a tonneau cover because I would just roll it up and secure it with the straps. I would highly recommend one of these.

[Dave]

Here's past discussion on this topic. Some good info.

Past Bed Cover Discussion Thread

[FISHINGFARMER]

Thanks for the resent link page on this topic.

Ran a search before posting and it didn't turn anything up,probably ran search wrong.

Thanks Dave

Any more tips appreciated.

[Eckie]

I am the original poster of Dave's thread...the info provided was very helpful. I've since purchased the Access cover and love it. It's built to last, has a clean, snug fit on the box (adjusters on the underside of it), and it has locking mechanisms on the tailgate end, so the only way to roll it up is by dropping the gate. If you have a lock on your tailgate, even better. It's certainly not to say someone couldn't very easily slash it open with a knife, but as Tom1616 said, if your stuff is hidden and can't be seen, chances are someone won't waste their time breaking in just to see if there are valuables in the bed. Unless size is a factor, my real valuables get locked up in the cab anyway.

Overall, it's perfect for what I wanted it for. When I want to load the 4 wheeler, I simply roll it up and it's completely out of the way. The problem I had with the hard covers is you're really limited because they only open so far, and I knew the 4 wheeler option would be eliminated, unless I removed the cover completely (pain in the a$$, in my opinion). Hope this helps.

[hanson]

Access Cover hands down! But then I might have said that in the other topic already too.

The durability, ease of use, and versatility of these covers is awesome! My cover is about 4 years old and it still looks and functions like it is new. Very high quality product!

Avoid at all costs any tonneau cover that has snaps or the support bows. I'm not sure if anyone makes them anymore, but I had one from Lund on my old truck and it flat out sucked!

[stmichael]

The only problem I have(had) with mine was I cannot close it with the Eskimo III. So, now I take my chances and leave the fish house in the truck at all times. I know I am taking a huge risk, but, I do not want to load and unload everyday. I try and make it out after work sometimes, and, I do not want to go home first to get it.

I just hope I am not going to be posting a stolen items post.

[picksbigwagon]

I went with the lund genesis cover from Fleet Farm. Installed it myself and it was a lot cheaper in price than some of the other ones I looked at. 275 is what I think I paid, watch the flyers on sunday, seems like they are in the ads once in a while.

[delmuts]

Chris that is interesting. the 02 F150 i bought last year has that type of cover on it. the only brand i can find on it is "sport master" , so i don't know if it a factory one or not. it is in very good condition. no damage around the snaps. but i do love the soft covers! del

[Lund4ver]

I might be a little late, but I have had an Access Roll-up cover on two different trucks (same cover) for 8 years now, and it is still working good, the velcro is starting to show signs of wear from the elements, but still works fine. I would buy another one, even if they are a little more spendy then the other covers that are out there.

[hondavxr]

At work I use to sell a lot fo Access covers but I noticed that when we switched over to the Truxedo brand, there was a noticiable quality difference. The Truxedo cover material was thicker and more heavy duty. They also have a great warranty.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Quote:

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Avoid at all costs any tonneau cover that has snaps or the support bows. I'm not sure if anyone makes them anymore, but I had one from Lund on my old truck and it flat out sucked!

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I am officially declaring myself as the only member that prefers snaps!!

I have the Extang full tilt. It has snaps and bows!! Its a soft top that can be rolled up, lifted up like a hard top (with the aid of two gas charged struts just like the hard top), or in less than 30 seconds taken off completely. I am really happy with this one.

[shinde]

Have a hard topper cover now, considering going to a soft cover instead because it's much easier to haul larger things.

My concern is how well it works when you want to haul a dog around hunting? The hard topper is nice when it's cold out to give the dog some protection, can you use the soft tonneau covers with a dog in a kennel, or does it get too cold or dusty? Would be interested in hearing what others do with their dogs and these covers.