Bed Cover, is it a necessity?

Yup before I had my Tonneau cover my truck was like a garbage can, seriously. People have no respect where I live. It's funny one time I purposely parked next to a trash can and they still threw garbage in my bed.

 

I have an Access Lorado on mine and love it. It's simple to install and use, if I need the bed open it rolls to the front in about 30 seconds and it keeps snow, rain, dust and leaves from slopping up the back of the truck. I don't haul much but I do keep a Plano storage box in the bed and the cover keeps it clean and out of sight.

 

I haven't not had one for two trucks now, but I carry around a lot of expensive gear that I like to keep locked up. For road trips, it's really nice too, as the truck is the biggest, rommiest vehicle we own. On the Tundra I have a bakflip revolver x2. I'm really happy with it. It's super secure, being aluminum, and still low profile when rolled up, so I can enjoy my big open rear window. That being said, I survived with a $300 vinyl roll up on my tacoma for 8 years, so there's that...

 

I own a backflip I don’t haul too much equipment but When I travel with my son I need to take luggage stroller and stuff lol I like the cover for those reasons. It’s actually really easy to remove if needed

 

I did not have one for awhile coz they are expensive until it was travel time and I need to protect the luggage from the elements.

 

When I bought my Tacoma it had a rolling BakFlip cover, which a lot of people loved. I hated it. Took it off and never needed it again.

Then I bought my Tundra and now I use this truck differently. I bought a trifold cover (BakFlip VP) and I love it. I can’t imagine not having it.

 

My tundra is the first truck I've had that has had one.
You can get by without one, but it's nice to have when going on trips the throw luggage in the back and forget about it.

If you end up getting one make sure to open it up every once in awhile and get some light in there. I had an unwelcomed spidey living in mine...

 

Definitely agree with you on the "constantly haul stuff" part. This is why I went with the BakFlip. I can open the cover as much as I need depending on what I am hauling. Plus, its a pain to break into because the tailgate must me unlocked for it to open.

 

Forgot to mention, living in SoCal, without a bed cover, people throw trash in the back all the time. I dont know why... but they do. McDonalds, beer cans, soda cans, gum.

 

I went many years without one. Once we had kids, and the stroller and things like that were traveling with us I bought a cheap soft tri-fold to help protect them. After seeing how nice it was having a cover I upgraded to an extang solid fold. Best move I made was upgrading. Look nicer plus makes your bed alot more secure. Still not theft proof, but at least takes a lot more work than just slicing the vinyl. The best reason I can give you to have one, is after having one on all my trucks the wife gave full permission to get whichever one I want. I just bought my Tundra last week, and she's already asked twice if I've ordered a tonneau cover for it yet. A free pass from the wife for an accessory is always a good thing....clearly she sees it as an important upgrade.

 

I use mine for work and have a lot of equipment that I keep safely locked back there and also keeps it protected from snow and rain. You could keep some of it in the backseat, but the safety department in our office is strongly against it. The last thing you want is a bunch of equipment tearing up the cab with you in case of an accident. I also get irrationally afraid that everything is going to fly out of the bed of my truck haha.

 

Bought my truck used and it came with one.. UNDERCOVER tonneau cover solid piece.. I like it..keeps items hidden keeps items dry if raining..put luggage in back when we use Tundy on small out of town trips

 

My '14 Tundra Crewmax is my first truck and I bought the Truck Covers USA - American Roll Cover. I bought it about a month after purchasing the truck. I used to carry miscellaneous sports equipment in the bed and a Rogue weightlifting bar and weights. So I loved the security it provided. It was also pretty weather-"proof", I never had any water seep in. I haven't stored anything in the bed for a while, so I roll it open.

I had it installed at my local Line-X shop and they were able to fix an issue I had with the track for free. I definitely like the option that a roll cover provides. The canister isn't too large and you can have an open bed or not. I also have the Yakima tracks attached.

 

I bought a retracting aluminum cover and am happy with it. It's not a necessity, but more of a luxury. The internal storage space in a CrewMax is not so good, so I keep a small box of misc gear in the back. The cover also helps to keep the rain out when I'm traveling and have stuff in the back like luggage.

 

you are correct, I recall they found the mesh tailgate gave the best MPG by 0.05mpg

 

I love having mine. I keep my hunting stuff in there are fall so I can hunt after work.

I keep it on year round, too. I have a double cab, so I don't find myself putting a lot of things in the cab.

 

After having a hard triFold on my 2007 I decided this truck I'd have a solid undercover thats more secure and more water tight. I've been really happy with this since I had it installed. I can keep anything in the bed and its secure and best of all dry. The auto seals on these work incredibly well even going through the car wash.

 

I'm going to install a cover and I am trying to decide between a rolling cover or a trifold cover. Why do you like the trifold cover more than the rolling cover? I haven't owned either type but it seems like the rolling cover would be more convenient / faster to roll up than to fold. Is this not the case?

Thanks

 

What I don't like about the rolling cover is that it takes up a lot of bed space. I have a CrewMax so my bed isn't that big. I have a trailer if I need to haul something bigger, but if I want to load a washer or dirt bike or Christmas tree or whatever, with the trifold I have full access to the bed if I need it, or if I need some I can fold it once or twice. With the roll up you will lose some bed space up front.

The trifold I have is a hard tonneau with a vinyl soft cover over it. It is about as water tight as they come and it is very low profile.

A roll up may suit your needs better though. It's all about what is best for you.

 

The Tundra is my first pickup truck too. I decided that I wanted the bed dry in the winter, but didn't want a tonneau cover, or a shell.. I went with the same top as COMiamiFan, a SofTopper. Very easy to use, keeps bed dry. Folds down quickly like a convertible top, and can be removed in 2 minutes. Sides roll up, great for dogs, etc. I'll take it off in the summer. Only thing is that it does not lock of course.

 

Thanks for the info MotoTundra - it will help with my search for the right cover.

 

wrong

Wrong this myth was busted by mythbusters!

 

I have a Tonno Pro and love it. looks good, easily removed, and can lock the tailgate. It's nice and cheap on Amazon.

 

Yyyyyyeah, I know, I know.
I retract my previous statement.

 

I purchased a Truxedo Lo Pro from truckalterations.com for $375 they retail for $500. I installed it on my 2017 SR5 in 20 minutes and it works great. I put the same one on my 2011 SR5 and it still looked good after 6 years in a harsh winter climate.

 

Coming to the discussion a little late.

I have the Bakflip Revovler X2. Been happy with the he cover so far. However, just moved to the upper Midwest and it’s not a good cover if you have to park outside. If the cover is cold or has a layer or snow and ice on it, you won’t be able to roll it up. Not a huge problem unless you need to access the full bed daily.

Just thought I share the observation if anyone was trying to decide on which type cover to go with.

 

Have had tundra before, but my 18 is first one with a tonneau cover.

One thing to consider is if you want access to the front (near cab) of the bed often. Example... need to throw a gas can or propane tank in? I put them up near the cab not tailgate. Sure can tie it in either location, but my point is that certain things are easier to put up against the cab.

Very few tonneau covers can open just the front section without having to first open the tailgate. I back into my garage and have zero room to open the bed, so a front opening tonneau was a requirement for me. Glad I realized this before I bought one. Have been happy with the Extang Encore so far.

Good luck.