Tonneau cover vs topper.

[nuttinbutxs]

I have the ARE hard tonneau on my HD2500. Went with this for the "out of sight, out of mind" security aspect but now wish I had the cap. Hauling larger items is a pain. My lawn tractor and ATV sit on the tailgate as does a couch and most large chairs. Really dont like that much weight on the tailgate. The soft covers are too easily accessed by thiefs thus the hard cover.

[greenflag]

Check out www.truckcoversusa.com
They are retractable aluminum. They have racks to haul cargo on top. It will hold 500 pounds. I have had one on my truck for ten years. It has performed flawlessly. A couple of drawbacks, a little water gets in during heavy rain. It is confined to the sides of the bed and has never caused damage to my gear. I pack accordingly. In snow country ice can get in the track rendering the retracting system frozen. I had to crawl in once through the tailgate to retrieve an item. Both are minor inconveniences to me.

[LBelle]

I too, like Kanusport, have a DiamondBack tonneau and it is certainly the best fit for me. As a tonneau it gives me good vision, is relatively light weight (90#) it looks great (silver matching the AS!) and it might give me better MPG. But the DB in particular is very secure, strong (#400 rating for the top though they also have a heavy duty version capable of #1600), it doesn't leak (and I'm from the Pacific NW) and with a front section/door and a rear one access is very good - the rear pops off in 5 minutes in to haul a refrigerator etc. Admittedly I can't put tall items in as I could a topper and perhaps not as much either, but then I shouldn't overload so it works for me. What I do miss on a topper is the ability to easily haul kayaks or a canoe. DB does have a "ladder rack" adaptation but I'm not sold on it. Also they have several other versions/models with side, rather than front/back, doors, DBs are not cheap but they are quality made (in the USA) and I've had no problems in 5 years of rather moderate use.

[tschambo]

This is our setup for full-timing. ARE topper with sliding window, fold up side window for easy access, LED inside lights, Yakima rails and kayak carrier, 2 tool/fishing stuff custom drawers and deck with lots of room for the extras on top of the drawer deck, plus a 80 gallon custom Diesel tank under the topper in front of the custom 2 drawer deck. We never have to stop at s gas station while towing.

[BoatNutG2]

If you go with a cap be sure to get side access windows. I wish I had. 😕

[trikdacy]

Originally Posted by jrwayne

Pace Edwards Ultra groove metal. comes with Thule load bars. Add what ever carriers you desire.

I ordered through my dealer, and I did not see it as an option on the site at the time.

[trikdacy]

Originally Posted by perryg114

Tonneau cover is for people who want to use a truck like it is a car instead of a truck. A topper is much better.



Perry

I chose Pace-Edwards, because I alternate between all the cargo in the bed or carring my Harley in the bed. Once it's retracted, my bike fits and the cargo goes in my Airstream.

[VaTravelers]

We have an ARE cap and love it. I put a Fiamma on the AS because I was getting tired of having to unload bikes to get to things in the back of the TV. I know they are out in the rain, but I take good care of them so they are fine and it is so much easier to load and unload them (don't have to pull the wheels off etc. We load our kayaks on top and that works just fine. For us it works great. I thought about a slide out, but the extra weight was a factor so I decided against it. After a few trips and careful loading (put things up front that you likely won't need to get to right away) and it works well.

[55AS]

Originally Posted by perryg114

Tonneau cover is for people who want to use a truck like it is a car instead of a truck. A topper is much better. Perry

I would argue the opposite. My aluminum tonneau cover protects gear in the bed from weather and theft, but is easily removable if I need to load tall items like appliances or furniture (something you cannot do with a car). Toppers do provide more space, but most are not easily removable and must be stored after removal. Not "better" or worse, just different.

[stream19]

Love my topper. Two factors led to our decision. The ability to carry our bikes with us in a secure, weatherproof, always with us location, and the extra storage capacity. Considered many different bike racks, on the rear of AS and the top of a tonneau, we liked the topper option best. We set up the bike mounts similar to majorairhead's setup) Our AS is a 19' International since we have limited storage for all the extra gear, gas grill, chairs, portable solar panels, etc. the topper has been a great solution. My son-in-law does bust me regarding driving a "Grandpa" truck, considering I owe him for making me a Grandfather, I can deal with the harassment.

[Life is a Highway]

I had a bakflip trifold it looked great and worked well for generator etc. except the bicycle storage and rack problems

Then we watched the Airstream YouTube series Long Long Honeymoon. Saw the reTrax Pro XR check it out. Have one ordered for our new F-250

Customer Service
P:800-206-4070 F: 701-746-5598
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A Truck Hero Company

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

Okay, it comes down to two choices.
A hard Tonneau.
Pro: Looks great, good security, doesn't interfere with your vision.
Con: Hard to reach things in the front. Limited headroom, hard to remove to move a sofa or 30 bags of mulch!

Cap:
Pro: Lots of room. Easy to store large items, even room for a bed slide and bicycles!!
Con: Blocks your side view. Lets strangers see inside or break window. Looks like Grandpa's truck.

Optional:
Soft tonneau or rollup.
Less security, less headroom for large generators, leaks.

P.S. I have a hard Tonneau, a Leer 700. I love it except if I need to carry a sofa or washing machine.

[Bmccorm]

I love my low pro. Never has leaked, even thru the truck wash! Rolls out of the way when i need the bed. With tailgate locked, can't see what's in the bed so a deterrent but you won't stop a thief with any cover, especially if it has windows! Velcro seals makes it so simple!

[StuartsDad]

I have the Extang flush mount roll up tonneau and love it. Had same on a 2002 that I sold in 2014 with same cover still on it. I do not full time so I do not need the space a cap provides. When not camping, I often need to roll it up to haul stuff. Extang has a fairly extensive product line.

[Rocinante]

We have the ARE Z-series cap on our 1/2-ton truck. It's been great to have a topper, allows us to put stuff in there and know it will stay dry. We also had them put rails on the top of the cap in case we wanted to mount bikes or something else up there. Have not taken advantage of that, but it's there if we need it.

Not sure we'd pick an ARE-branded cap again due to some quality issues, but having a cap has been a real winner for us. When towing we have to be cautious about how much weight we put in the bed since it's only a 1/2-ton, but we are happy with the solution.

Oh, and the cap isn't about security - it's about dry storage. If someone really wants in, they'll get in. So, we don't put anything in there that looks interesting. If it is actually interesting, we disguise it so it doesn't draw attention.

[Mollysdad]

Long ago I had a pickup with a vinyl cover, it simply snapped on to rails on the side. So, basically no security because anyone could just lift up the cover and look inside. Or cut the top.
But, no one did. I guess it's the "out of sight; out of mind" theory.
I parked it at stores with power tools in the back and no one stole anything. I admit my neighborhood isn't exactly Miami, or Newark, but theft can happen anywhere. Thieves want an easy target. One they can see.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

... Thieves want an easy target. One they can see.

Exactly. Few are likely to break into a cap or a bed cover of some kind if they can't see something they already know would be worth the effort and the risk. It's like camping in bear country: don't leave a cooler out in your campsite or in your vehicle where the bear can see it, and the bear will leave you alone.

[brad1]

The extra space that you get with.a Leer or similar topper makes it easier to load in too much stuff and potentially overweight the tow vehicle. Not a deal breaker, just something to be aware of.

[rmkrum]

True that!


I generally load no more than level with the truck bed, and do pay attention to weight. The main reason I like a topper is when I am NOT traveling, I can more easily carry something bulky in there, and keep it dry. Admittedly it rearely rains around Southern California, but it's happening a lot lately. THe topper I had on the other Tacoma leaked a lot less than this tonneau cover I have now...


One thought, gained by hard experience. Some toppers have a nice wide rubber gasket that conforms to the back of the truck cab and allows opening the truck sliding window to ventilate the topper. Sounds like a great idea, but reality will bite you.



A few years of driving around with that rubber against the paint, and the usual flex between the cab and bed will gradually rub ALL the paint off the back of the cab down to bare metal around the edge of the rubber seal. The rubber conceals it, but the paint is totally gone...I realized this when I peeled the rubber back to run a wire up from the bottom, through the seal, into the cab for an antenna connection. Was a bit shocked to see the nice silver factory paint on the truck cab totally gone!



Unless that potential damage is not an issue, I'd get a topper with it's own front end operable (or not) window, and just deal with it. I had to sell the topper with the truck to mitigate the damage. A decent topper I couldn't hold on to for the new truck. Sigh. Next one will have it's own window.

[CharlieSK]

We have a topper. Visibility to the side and back is an issue - mostly in town

[rmkrum]

Our set of flip-out towing mirrors with wide-angle spots help a lot.

When we don’t need to tow, they flip back and give a bit better clearance in town.

Admittedly our ‘07 22 footer is a narrow body with dual axles. These mirrors don’t see far enough around for a wide body...