Tonneau cover recommendations?

[Brian Tymchak]

Just bought a new Tundra. Need to put a cover on the back and I'm thinking about a soft folding tonneau. I had a soft snap tonneau on my old truck and it worked great. However if I can avoid the effort of dealing with the snaps, especially in cold weather, I'm in. Just googling around to get basic pricing and knowledge.

One question I have that I can't figure out from any pics I've seen is how the soft folding covers stay in place. If they can be folded back, what holds it in place at highway speeds?

Found this and have no idea about its quality. But I like the $250 price tag.

Would appreciate hearing about issues with soft folding covers and brand recommendations from those who have/had them.

Thanks!!

[Chris Damm]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I had this on my last 2 trucks and was happy with them. The use 4 clamps to hold it down. Open the tailgate to access the rear, unfold the cover to reach the front 2.

[Dave Cav]

I've had this on my Silverado for two years and it's been fine:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It looks very similar to the one you linked to. Easy to fold up, clamps down securely, doesn't seem to leak even in the car wash. When it is folded up there are two straps with quick release buckles that hold the cover in place.

I would like to point out that my truck lives in the garage whenever it's not being driven, so if you park yours in the beating sun seven days a week your experience may be different. However, I've seen a lot of these here (northern Utah) and they seem to be holding up pretty well.

[Sam Force]

I have the type that you have linked to. It came with my truck when I bought it. It is not 1 I would ever buy as an after market piece. In my opinion it's a pain in the butt. If hauling something tall, the only way to secure the load is to remove the cover. That takes a contortionist to unscrew the clamps and then lift the whole unit off. I have had the roll up covers in the past and they are much preferred to me. If not going for a full hard cover, this is what I prefer, https://tonneaucoversworld.com/c/ton...overs/roll-up/ the 1 that folds instead of rolls I feel holds tighter and a lot less ripples while going down the highway

[ChrisA Edwards]

I have this one, since 2015, on my 2015 GMC Sierra.

572001 - Truxedo Lo Pro QT Tonneau CoverVehicleTruxedo Lo Pro QT GMC Sierra 1500 6.5' Bed 2014-2015

It's a soft cover, has a rail down each side and the cover clips into the rail at the tailgate.

The sides velcro to seal.

I can roll it back, for a full open bed, in about 10 seconds and it has elastic straps with hooks to secure it when rolled up.

Rolling it back out to full cover takes about 20 seconds.

It has been water tight is heavy rain and snow.

I can leave the bed covered and the tailgate down, great for hauling lumber.

Best cover I've had on my trucks.

[John M Wilson]

One question I have that I can't figure out from any pics I've seen is how the soft folding covers stay in place. If they can be folded back, what holds it in place at highway speeds?

Would appreciate hearing about issues with soft folding covers and brand recommendations from those who have/had them.

Thanks!!

I have a LoPro from Truxedo... and I like it. A Lot! I picked it up off Amazon. Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The price can vary quite a bit, so use your favorite price tracker & catch it on sale.

The sides have velcro, which attaches to a pair of rails you install under the lip of the sidewalls of your bed. It's fairly straightforward, and it didn't take me long at all. I like that you can get it good & tight so that it doesn't flutter at highway speeds.

When unlatched, it rolls up & attaches in the front with a couple of conveniently placed straps -- handy when picking something up at the Borg. Rolling it up for stowage or stretching it out for cover only takes seconds, and feels pretty secure to me.

It's not quite waterproof, especially through a downpour at speed, or a car wash, but I didn't expect it to be. Stops about 99% though. And, maybe I'm imagining it, but I seem to get better highway mileage.

It's the only one that I've had, so it's a small sample size, and Your Mileage May Vary. But I like mine, and if I had to do it over again, would go down the same path.

Good Luck!

[Brian Tymchak]

Thanks for all the replies. Really appreciate the brand recommendations. Several of you advocating the roll up and the LoPro seems to be a favorite. I think I'll take a hard look at those. We have Truxedo dealers in Columbus so I'm going to take a field trip this week.

[Jerome Stanek]

I had one that had snaps but also had a frame that would lift up and you could load the bed. The snaps were used when you needed to carry tall stuff you just unsnapped it and rolled the cover up.

[Brian Tymchak]

I would like to point out that my truck lives in the garage whenever it's not being driven, so if you park yours in the beating sun seven days a week your experience may be different. However, I've seen a lot of these here (northern Utah) and they seem to be holding up pretty well.

Unfortunately, the new Tundra is about 5" too long for the garage. I knew it was but I wasn't about to downsize because of that. The old 2001 Tundra just fit so that soft cover on it lasted all 20 years. Working on plans to extend the garage about 2' to get the new truck back inside.

[Curt Harms]

I've had both the vinyl type and hard fold up type. I actually preferred the hard panel fold-up type but eventually the rubber seals between the panels would fail and leak. The manufacturer didn't sell replacements when I needed them. The panels with a locking tail gate was I thought fairly secure. The soft tonneau is susceptible to a sharp knife.

[Myk Rian]

I have a fiberglass ARE cover. The vinyl covers get blazing hot in the summer.

[Bill Dufour]

Saw a pickup truck yesterday with a lumber rack. Bungee corded on top was the color matched rigid tonneau cover.
Bill D

[Mike Wilkins]

If your wallet can stand the strain, consider one of the motorized roll up covers. Slick operation and cool as heck. My last truck had a 4 fold cover; good protection and looked good too.

[Brian Tymchak]

So I ended up going with an exTang soft trifold. Never heard of the brand but it was right next to Truxedo LoPro rollup in the showroom at my local accessories dealer. This trifold did not need additional rails that the LoPro does, has a lifetime warranty, and was $120 less expensive. The clamps in the back are spring loaded and the handles fold up into a cross rail, so they are out of the way. If I do need to completely remove the cover, there are 2 clamps at the front that unscrew easily. The only downside is that I need to get into the bed to reach those clamps as the truck bed is too tall for me to reach them from the side. Thinking back over the 20 years I had a snap cover on my old truck, I bet there might have been 2, maybe 3, times when I really needed to remove the cover. So, I think I can live with that.

Thanks again to all who responded.