Tow Vehicle Bed Covers

[Lumatic]

Got a Xtang roll up vinyl cover that attaches with snaps. Got one that allows me to also use my tool box. Got it from Anything Auto for about $300. They beat the price of any local outfit and even beat the factory price. Xtang make a bunch of different covers. Seems like a good product. I am satisfied so far.

[chili4u2]

We purchased the Bakflip 2. Folds nearly completely forward for open bed use, easy user install, secure, and looks great. We put it on our F250 SD......last truck I had was an F150 with hard shell Astro tonneau.....the Bakflip is so much mor flexible and accomodating.

[m.hony]

I have the BakFlip G2 on my Tundra.





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[CDNCampers]

Have to say out all the different covers I am have seen the best and most effective is "Roll and Lock" We have it on our F-150. Very secure, rolls up in a second and allows the truck to be a truck when needed. No need to fold away or store. It looks great too! Think of it like those rolling shutter doors that stores have for you truck bed.

[Sjcjr]

I have the Truxedo Lopro soft vinyl roll back. Love it! It provides easy full bed access when rolled and covers the entire bed when warranted in a water proof fashion.

[EvelynDickinson]

Another vote for Retrax Pro roll up. They hide your stuff from view, are compatible with tool boxes and the lock can be used at any position to hold the cover in place in the event you are carrying some over height items.

My only gripes with ours v.s. a camper top is that it is not waterproof (an issue here in the NW) and the lock can easily be defeated with a screwdriver.

If you are looking for a fabric option I can also recommend the Truxedo Lo Pro. It served us well on our old rig... but it doesn't lock.


Good luck. Have fun. Keep the shiny side up.


Dave

[Getaways]

I for one am not a fan of the shell look. Just personal preference. However, I concede the need for the height. I am considering a cover or a shell as soon as my house sells. Like I said I understand the need for height clearance in light of putting is say your generators. So for those of you with a cover, and you have a generator (or two) what do you do about that? Leave the cover open when transporting them?

Oh BTW, after years of not being able to do something looks like late next Spring we'll FINALLY be buying an Airstream!!! So this is a timely discussion.

[Al and Missy]

I got an Extang Solidfold.

Extang - America's Best Selling Tonneau Covers

They are not cheap, but very well made. The panels are an aluminum and foam sandwich which is both strong and insulating. They have a video on the site showing a 4-wheeler sitting on top of the cover. IT is not rated for that, but they show it as a measure of the strength. I have knelt on mine when folded to get to the top of the cab.

It is very easy to put on and take off if I need to carry something tall. They also claim a mileage increase, probably due to smoothing out the airflow over the bed.

Al

[driftwood1]

Tried one of the $300 stretch ones, clips cheap and broke on third trip, so moved to an aluminum tri-fold. Cant recall brand, but was similar to backflip. Costs around $850 installed. Works great, stays in place, very easy to fold and unfold, keeps gear dry, and will can fold up against window and lock if you need full bed access for hauling tall items (does block view from window though). Must remember to close the tailgate before you flip down last section though. Does not have a lock, but sort of locks indirectly when you close tailgate, so if you lock tailgate, it is somewhat locked.

Very pleased, feel like we made just the right purchase.

[jimfa440]

I went with a USA American Roll Tonneau Cover. Pricey but I do like it a lot. With a Lear Cover you are limited in what you can put in your truck. This roll cover is great.
Jim

[judyjudy]

Johndews, we are just down the road from you in Little Rock. We just added a Leer hardshell topper to our F250. We bought our TV first and are now awaiting our Classic which is due off the line in November. We got the Leer at Goss in Bryant. Did an excellent job. Looks like a SUV now. They have a ton of different accessories and setups available for inside the topper if you go that route. We are very pleased. Note LEER has coupons available online that will help with the cost if you use one of their products. We needed a place for our bikes and thought this would be best for the additional storage needs we know are coming. Best of luck to you!

[greenflag]

Check out www.truckcoversusa.com
Extruded aluminum and retractable. It will hold several hundred pounds on top if needed. It is lockable and secure. My current one is seven years old with no negative issues.

Some drawbacks: It is not 100% water tight. A little water gets in along the edge of the bed.
If snow on the cover melts a little during the day, water gets into the track and freezes overnight. Thus the cover will not retract until ice melts. Not a huge problem in California but it has happened to me in our local mountains.
Pricey!

[LesMesa]

I have a Diamond Back cover on my F-250. It's a very flexible high quality product.

[Johndews]

Thanks everyone! Tremendously helpful.

John

[Coolbreeze]

Look at the YouTube reviews on Retrax/ Gatortrax sliding tonneau covers. I have the all aluminum cover and it is almost bullet proof. Rolls up on roller bearings. Easy install. $100 cheaper as house brand from AutoCustoms - Gatortrax.

[TDOW]

I have a hard tonneau cover that can be removed in less than 2 minutes. I've never tried, so can't support the info.

I like that I can lock it...keeps the 'honest people, honest'.

If acquaintances are asking to borrow the truck, I tell them about the cover and that their items won't fit. Gives me an out as they say!

[DoublTrouble]

I have one of these on my newest truck. I had one on my last truck as well. Pricey though
http://www.truckcoversusa.com/

[Glenritas]

If you need the open bed more often then covered get a roll back bed cover.

If you need your TV primarily for towing and storage out of the weather get a cap.

Spoiler Alert : What I did Sorry not a Hi Jack.

We've been towing our Casita's since '98 with my '73 Dodge van. In 2001 we replaced it with a '98 Tahoe 2 door that I installed a bed slide in making it essentially PU with a Cap.

So when we towed our '69 25' Airstream the Tahoe just didn't feel right so I replaced it with a '14 Tundra Double Cab. I added an ARE Hi Cap for 3 reasons 1.Covered bed, 2. rear door height 3. Aerodynamics for the Airstream.

About the Cap I added a tilt down front window with slider, makes cleaning the glass possible. Added Windoors on both sides , gives great access to stuff, added headliner and 2 strips of LED Lights to the ceiling.

I also added a BedRug.

I needed an open bed so I built a pickup trailer back in '77 out of a '69 Datsun PU. In '84 I changed out the stock Datsun bed for a 8' Ford bed. A few years ago I junked the Ford bed, and rebuilt the chassis and powder coated it and added a '98 Chevy bed. Oh and I got a soft cover for the bed also.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it

[fireball]

I have also been very pleased with my Roll-N-Lock, which I have had for 7 years. It's great for using the truck when you're not towing. Only disadvantages; cannot fit items in the bed that are taller than bed, rolled container takes up a little room in the front, and it's expensive.

[merchantmm]

We sport a solid tonneau on our F250. It's custom painted to match the ingot silver on the tuck. Purchased for the great look not the ease of use. May have gone for a folding tonneau had I been more experienced. However, everything I garage in the bed fits well. I opted for a pair of smaller generators for the height. They fit easily under the tonneau. Live and learn but we've adapted well.