How to Choose a Tonneau Cover

Types of Tonneau Covers

Tonneaus covers to protect your truck bed from the elements, helping keep the bed dry and safe from the UV rays, protecting your storage, and can help to organize any cargo you have stored in the truck bed. There are different types that emphasize some advantages over others, but all do provide weather protection and added security to one extent or the other.

Retractable Tonneau Covers

A retractable tonneau cover is sleek, easy to use, and can be manual or electric in terms of how it’s unrolled and retracted. They are generally made from soft fabric and most have locking mechanisms to further protect the contents of the truck bed. One of the top advantages of the retractable bed cover is that any unused portion of the cover rolls up into itself toward the cab of the truck. Many retractable covers can be stopped in multiple or infinite locking points.

Offerings include side mounting rails that are slotted to accept racks to carry bikes, skis, kayaks etc.

Folding Tonneau Covers

The folding type covers are usually made of three or four panels that fold back toward the cab, giving access to as much of the truck bed as needed. Folding tonneau covers can be more expensive than soft tonneau covers, but are still relatively affordable. Folding covers should always be securely locked when the vehicle is moving. When using a folding cover in the partially open position, it should be secured in place by the included straps with snaps. When the cover is fully folded flat or in the vertical position against the back of the cab, the cover should be secured using prop-rods with BAK, UNDERCOVER, or EXTANG, or connected by bracket and adhesive post stanchion on the top of the cab as with ACCESS STANCE.

Soft & Hard Roll-Up Tonneau Cover

Like folding tonneau covers, the roll-up covers can expose as little or as much of the truck bed as needed and are great for hauling odd-shaped items ( for the soft ). Roll-up covers can come as soft fabric or hard shells and need to be secured before hitting the road. The roll-up cover is akin to the folding cover, except instead of a solid material it is usually vinyl or a stylized semi-truck tarp material connected to a tough sewn in aluminum bows that give the cover a flat appearance.

One-Piece Hard Lid Cover

One-piece hard covers or lids are usually sold by local shell or canopy dealers. One-piece covers come in colors that match the truck for a seamless and uniform look. The one-piece hard lid tonneau cover opens and closes via a knob which allows the struts to raise the lid. They are constructed of fiberglass, and it does restrict full access to the truck bed due to it being hinged at the front of the truck bed. Lids should never be open while driving