Truck Tonneau Covers

I’ve put retrax on my last three trucks. On the first truck was a different design than the last two. I didn’t care for it. It was one sheet of some type of plastic. From what I was told they stopped making those for 8 ft beds. The last two were tongue and groove aluminum and they’re great.

 

I agree. I just dont have the space for that setup.

 

For the Tri fold guys:
Are you able to open just the last third of the cover and then latch it down well enough for highway speeds?

 

I've got the tri-fold vinyl for my F-150, about $300, and has lasted 5.5 years.

https://www.amazon.com/Tonno-Pro-42-200-2002-2018-2003-2018/dp/B003Z9UUUS

It works great for keeping stuff covered and dry on longer trips, and if you lock the tailgate a thief would have to cut they vinyl to see what was inside. For me, this is enough protection to feel safe when getting gas or eating dinner while travelling.

Since I use the bed of truck more often to haul bicycles and motorcycles, the ability to remove the cover by myself without tools is a big plus. My bike riding friends all have rigid covers or camping toppers, and they all have hitch racks for their bikes due to the hassle of removing a heavy topper. I joke that if they wanted an SUV, they should have bought an SUV.

I have driven with the cover folded up and attached to the truck, but it looks like a sail. Easy enough to just take it completely off the truck when I use the bed for taller items.

 

went with the soft tri fold from Gator for reasons posted above by Shawn for my 2020 F250 .. saw some reviews, only will use the cover for the 10+- times a year when roadracing to keep few extra items that won't be in the trailer. Didn't want the hassle of a retractable, or one that is too heavy to easily remove with 1 person.
https://realtruck.com/p/gator-sfx-tri-fold-tonneau-cover/v/ford/f250/2020/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuuXs8OPX6gIVrAiICR2rlgnGEAAYASABEgI9TfD_BwE

 

Yes they are and only takes literally a minute.

 

I'll be buying something very soon. Liking how easy this one is to remove, when I want to haul a bike. Who has long-term experience with one of these?

 

I’ve had mine for 7 years. It’s held up great and had only 1 issue: the rubber cap at the end of one of the rails tore off. This was 5 years of ownership at that point. I emailed them to see if I could pay for a replacement and they shipped it to me for free, without hesitation. It wasn’t anything major and was probably inexpensive but it was nice anyway. I wouldn’t hesitate getting another.

 

I have an Undercover Armorflex on my truck and love it. It’s a hard tri fold that can be opened all the way for full bed access. When it’s opened, it doesn’t rest against the cab, which is a plus. It’s got a LineX coating on the exterior to prevent scratches.
I did a ton of research before buying and was set on a Bak, but there are loads of bad reviews on them, from product quality to customer service.

 

I can't find any pictures of how it stores when completely open, Shark. I've found this to be the case with several other brands of covers also.

 

When completely open, it's vertical. It has two metal rods that support it. I've driven down the highway with mine in the vertical position. No issues. I don't need it open all the time, so I prefer the hard tri fold design. I've heard too many horror stories of the roll up styles not lasting, with the Bak Revolver being one of the worst (shoddy materials and construction). I like the idea of a Diamondback, but you lose the ability to access the whole bed on the fly. If Diamondback could somehow put their level of ruggedness in a roll up design, it'd be worth a look.

 

I put this one on my truck about 4 yrs ago, still holding up great and easy to install. Works if you just want something simple to hide what's in the bed. Rolls up out of the way easy. It's been through Texas summer and 3 Wisconsin winters and still looks good.