Pickup Truck Covers

[zinger1457]

Pickup Truck Bed Covers

Picked up a 2016 Toyota Tacoma double cab last week, got it for what I thought was a good price and they gave me over blue book value for my trade in. Want to get a tonneau cover for it but undecided which way to go. The painted one piece fiberglass covers sure look nice but don't seem as functional as the hard folding ones. Looking for a cover that is semi-secure (the tailgate is lockable) and does a decent job at keeping the rain out. Any recommendations? Seems like I'll have plenty of time to decide, none of tonneau manufacturers have updated their covers for the 2016 Tacoma model yet, it may be a couple months before they start showing up.

 

[Walt34]

I like a full cap because it allows me to put more stuff in the truck. I'd had one on my previous truck that came up higher than the cab and that sometimes was too tall to go into parking garages where we lived before moving.

So on this one, bought after we moved, I made sure to get one that didn't go higher than the cab. I have yet to see a parking garage anywhere in West Virginia, but at least it can fit in my own garage.

 

[Ronstar]

I have an Undercover Classic tonneau cover on my F-150. It's great - I've had it since I bought the truck more than 6 years ago. Easy on-off. Solid-I walk on it when I wash the truck. Lockable.


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[zinger1457]

I have an Undercover Classic tonneau cover on my F-150. It's great - I've had it since I bought the truck more than 6 years ago. Easy on-off. Solid-I walk on it when I wash the truck. Lockable.

It sure looks solid, the manufacturers web site has a photo of a football team standing on it.

 

[ejman]

I got one of these for my Dodge Ram 1500 and I love it Home page. It fits very well, keeps the rain out (I live in Oregon) and literally allows for a one minute change over from top to no top.

 

[pb4uski]

We have a tonneau made of rugged fabric that folds in thirds and can be clipped. At the same time, it is easy to take off if needed. Very handy.

Lund International | Lund | Tonneaus | Genesis tri-fold tonneau

 

[grasshopper]

i have this cover on my GMC 5 YO still looks and works fine. I get a little water though the back of the tailgate. Looks like the same one as pb4uski, just a different name on it.

Premium Vinyl Folding Tonneau « Rugged Liner

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

When I had my first F150, I had one of the Undercovers. It was decent, but would leak on occasion where the bed meet the back of truck. When I bought my second 150, I got one of these...

http://www.diamondbackcovers.com/

I loved it...best cover ever. If I have another truck, it will most definitely have a Diamondback on it.

Sent from my mobile device so please excuse grammatical errors.

 

[Senator]

I used to have a truck topper, but on my current truck I decided not to get one. If you get one, here are a few things that make life easier.

Make sure you get side windows that open. Climbing into the back of the truck to get or organize stuff is no fun. With a tonneau cover, this is not a problem.

Get a rhino liner. The spray on, non-slip type bed liner. When you put stuff in the back, it stays put better. I have one in my current truck, and it is a LOT better then a bed liner insert. This is important whether you have a tonneau or regular topper.

Maybe just a truck box would suit your needs. It's lockable and stores much of what I needed when I used it. Now I go naked. Just the truck bed, no box.

 

[youbet]

Like Walt34, we prefer a topper to a tonneau cover for the space and security and also to have something to bolt the Yakima racks to. We tow a small hard-sided, pop-up camper with a 17 year old F-150, 5 speed, V8, shortbed. With the topper, we have plenty of room for tons of "stuff" we probably should have left at home!

It's a fiberglass topper, painted to match the truck, and has plenty of strength for supporting the bolted on Yakima carriers and kayaks. I also installed fishing rod holders on the underside of the roof of the topper. With a tonneau cover, there'd be no kayaks or fishing rods on the trip.

 

[Music Lover]

Get a rhino liner. The spray on, non-slip type bed liner. When you put stuff in the back, it stays put better. I have one in my current truck, and it is a LOT better then a bed liner insert. This is important whether you have a tonneau or regular topper.

Not only does it prevent slippage, it also completely eliminates water sitting between the liner and the truck bed leading to premature rusting.

 

[zinger1457]

Thanks for all the ideas, definitely gives me a lot to think about. The Tacoma does come with a built in bedliner that looks pretty good, time will tell.

 

[pb4uski]

I will go with a commercial spray-on bedliner (not DIY) with my next truck.

Our current truck has a plastic bedliner that came with the truck when we bought it. i have taken it out a few times and there are inevitable scratches to the paint in the bed where it moves around a little and moisture water can get under the bedliner. It's ok but I think the spray-on is better.

I am curious whether anyone here has used the DIY spray-on bedliner and how it has worked out for you.

 

[Walt34]

I got a Bedrug for my truck. Now, if the truck is left outside and doesn't have a cap or leak-proof cover I would not recommend it because I think it would hold too much water.

Mine is garaged and has a cap so it works for me. It's about 1/4" of spongy material with a different fuzzy material on top of that. It has worn well for the last 13 years but I don't haul anything real heavy/abrasive. A nice feature is that it makes moving around on my knees in the back a lot easier on the 65-year-old knees.

With those caveats, I like it.

 

[jazz4cash]

I have an Undercover Classic tonneau cover on my F-150. It's great - I've had it since I bought the truck more than 6 years ago. Easy on-off. Solid-I walk on it when I wash the truck. Lockable.

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+1
Easier to remove than it appears. One person can handle the weight but due to size, it's best to have a helper. On my '01 S10 I have perfected removal/installation by myself. Stores on wall mounted hooks when not installed. Mine is not bone dry in the rain, but I have over the rail spray-on bedliner. Mine is flat black, but they are really sharp when painted to match the truck.

 

[travelover]

Like Walt34, we prefer a topper to a tonneau cover for the space and security and also to have something to bolt the Yakima racks to. ........

I drove pickups for a number of years, but realized that once you bolt on a fiberglass cap, for all practical purposes, you now have an SUV without the advantages of pass through access , seats and heating to the back. Plus it is harder to see out the back.

 

[Music Lover]

I drove pickups for a number of years, but realized that once you bolt on a fiberglass cap, for all practical purposes, you now have an SUV without the advantages of pass through access , seats and heating to the back. Plus it is harder to see out the back.

My cap was held on with 4 clamps...I could take it on or off in 5 minutes depending on what I needed the truck for. Of course, that also means that someone could have stolen it in 5 minutes...

Being someone who hates camping, I found a cap with a "real" mattress in the back to be far superior to a night in a tent on the few occasions that I had to stay overnight somewhere.

 

[youbet]

I drove pickups for a number of years, but realized that once you bolt on a fiberglass cap, for all practical purposes, you now have an SUV without the advantages of pass through access , seats and heating to the back. Plus it is harder to see out the back.

You meant "disadvantages" didn't you?

With the outboard motor, gas cans, trolling motor battery, etc., in the back during our 12 hour drive to northern Minnesota on walleye-chasing trips, there's no way we would want the odors inside an SUV with us. Or when I toss a face cord of firewood in the back, I'd prefer that to not be in the passenger compartment with us. Etc. So we prefer a pickup with topper. I guess it depends what you're doing with the vehicle. It sounds like an SUV is the best choice for you and your applications though......

 

[youbet]

My cap was held on with 4 clamps...I could take it on or off in 5 minutes depending on what I needed the truck for.

I had my cap installed with clamps too thinking I might want to take it off some time. But, in 17 years I've never removed it. I can imagine situations for some owners where being able to quickly remove the topper could be handy though. Because we carry boats on top, the first year or two I checked the clamp tightness once in a while. They were never loose and now I can't remember the last time I looked at them.

 

[samclem]

You meant "disadvantages" didn't you?

With the outboard motor, gas cans, trolling motor battery, etc., in the back during our 12 hour drive to northern Minnesota on walleye-chasing trips, there's no way we would want the odors inside an SUV with us. Or when I toss a face cord of firewood in the back, I'd prefer that to not be in the passenger compartment with us. Etc. So we prefer a pickup with topper. I guess it depends what you're doing with the vehicle. It sounds like an SUV is the best choice for you and your applications though......

There are so many times I've been really glad to have a little flatbed trailer for exactly the type of cargo you are talking about. Plus, it is low and easy to load from the sides. $500, and no issue at all if big rocks gouge it, I scrape it with a shovel while unloading gravel, etc.

 

[grasshopper]

I have a cargo carrier that fits in a trailer hitch for gas, trash, stuff I don't want in the bed.

 

[youbet]

There are so many times I've been really glad to have a little flatbed trailer for exactly the type of cargo you are talking about. Plus, it is low and easy to load from the sides. $500, and no issue at all if big rocks gouge it, I scrape it with a shovel while unloading gravel, etc.

That would work if I had room to store a trailer. I live in the shadows of the Chicago skyline on a tiny suburban lot. And for times when I'm pulling the camper, it would be awkward to hitch a trailer behind that.

 

[pb4uski]

I like the cargo carrier idea. One of the reasons we have a truck is that DW is into gardening and likes to take a bunch of drywall buckets up to BIL's place to get manure and the cargo carrier might do the trick and she can back it up easier than a utility trailer.

youbet, many of the utility trailers can be stored upright (tongue up) and take up much less space if that is an option for you.