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How to Choose the Right Tonneau Cover

Tonneau covers provide security, style, weather protection, increased mpg, and can even be configured with toolboxes. We examine different types – including power retraction!
How to Choose the Right Tonneau Cover

A tonneau cover is one of the most useful accessories you can buy for your pickup truck. Tonneau covers provide protection from the weather, security, increased gas mileage, and improved styling. But with so many types and styles to choose from, which tonneau cover is right for your truck? Read on to find out.

An open pickup bed exposes its contents to the elements. Cargo can become moisture-damaged or corroded if exposed to rain and snow - especially when water lingers in the bed. Unsecured items can shift around and even larger items can be blown completely out of the bed on windy days. Even worse, articles left in the bed for long periods can become faded from the sun or damaged by UV rays. Without a doubt, having an open, exposed pickup bed negates your truck's usefulness in many ways.

Tonneau Cover Covered With Snow

Any tonneau cover will provide some protection from the forces of nature and increase your truck's versatility, but if protection is a top priority, select a cover with the weather conditions you most often encounter in mind. All cover types will provide protection from sunlight and UV rays, plus they'll keep strong winds from blowing debris into the bed - or items out of it. But if keeping cargo dry is important, you'll want a cover that has superior weather seals.

Some covers offer sophisticated water drainage systems that work similarly to the gutters on a house, channeling rainwater into drain hoses. If you live in an area that receives many inches of snow every winter, particularly wet snows, consider a hard tonneau over a soft cover. Even though some soft covers have braces, a lot of heavy, wet snow may still be too much weight for a soft tonneau.

Even the most basic tonneau provides some degree of security based on the old adage "out of sight, out of mind", but if real security is a primary concern, you'll want a hard cover that can be locked. A soft tonneau cannot be opened unless the tailgate is down, so you have a certain measure of security if you have a locking tailgate. However, a determined thief can always just slice open the vinyl.

Aerodynamic Flow Of Truck With The Tonneau Cover Installed

The more air resistance a vehicle has to overcome as it rolls down the road, the harder the engine has to work, which of course requires more fuel. A vehicle's resistance to airflow can be expressed as a number known as drag coefficient, or Cd. Reducing a vehicle's aerodynamic drag (the Cd number) is a proven method of saving fuel.

In an experiment reported on by SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association), it was found that adding a tonneau cover to a full size pickup truck reduced the Cd by 11.81%, with a resulting mileage increase of 1.18 mpg. If your truck gets 16 mpg and you drive the national average 15,000 miles per year, at $3.50 per gallon you're spending about $3281.00 per year on fuel. Installing a tonneau cover and raising your mileage to 17.18 would save you about $225.00. With that kind of savings a tonneau cover will pay for itself in no time!

Styling is subjective of course, but if you're like most truck owners you carry a lot of stuff in the bed of your truck. And truck beds that get used regularly usually get scratched and damaged from loading and unloading cargo. If that describes your pickup, imagine its bed, its scratch marks, and items you carry in it concealed under a smooth, clean-looking tonneau cover. The looks of your truck are instantly improved. There is a tremendous selection of covers available today, so you can get the exact style you want.

Scratched Truck Bed
Loaded Truck Bed

Besides the aforementioned weather protection, security, economy, and styling, another factor you'll have to consider when deciding on a tonneau is how you use your truck. How often do you need full access to the entire bed? How often do you carry cargo that's taller than your truck's bed rails? The answer to these questions will determine which style tonneau is right for you.

Roll-Up Tonneau Covers

Roll Up Tonneau Cover

If you regularly need access to all parts of your bed, roll-up tonneau covers make it easy by opening at the rear of the truck, then quickly rolling up to any partially-open position along the way where they can be secured. Or, leave them fully open just behind the cab. When closed, the cover piece is snugly secured onto included bed rails with snaps, Velcro, or tongue-and-groove seals. Some roll-up tonneau covers feature only a layer of vinyl while others offer additional support under the vinyl top layer.

TruXedo Deuce Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover With Fold-Up Front Section
We’ve also got roll-up tonneau covers designed with a fold-up front section such as the TruXedo Deuce Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover with Fold-Up Front Section shown here.

In our roll-up tonneau cover section, you'll find a useful selection that really meets your needs. For example, if you already have an existing toolbox in your bed, we've got toolbox compatible covers designed to accommodate it. And if your needs dictate the use of a tonneau cover AND the presence of an overhead carrying rack, we've got you covered with the Adarac Aluminum Truck Rack System ladder rack designed to fit and work with typical tonneau covers.

Adarac Aluminum Truck Rack System Ladder Rack
Should your needs dictate a tonneau cover and a ladder rack over your pickup bed, the Adarac Aluminum Truck Rack System ladder rack is specifically designed to be compatible with most tonneau covers.

Soft Roll-Up Covers

TruXedo Pro X15 Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover
We've got a selection of low-profile roll-up tonneau covers such as the TruXedo Pro X15 Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover shown here.

Prefer a roll-up cover that designed with rails that allow it to sit lower and flush with your truck's bed rails? Consider low-profile roll-up covers such as the TruXedo Pro X15 Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover, TonnoPro LoRoll Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover, Access Vanish Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover, Access Lorado Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover, and Lund Genesis Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover to name a few.

Roll-Up Tonneau Covers That Feature Cross Braces
We've got roll-up tonneau covers that feature cross braces to provide support for heavy snow accumulations found in colder climates. Here, the Bestop ZipRail Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover (left) and Bully Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover (right) are shown.

Some roll-up covers feature curved cross braces that bolt in place underneath the cover layer. They run across the bed from left side to right side, and serve as ideal support braces for regions where the weight of accumulating snow can stress soft covers without bracework. Best values can often be found on this type of roll-up such as the Bestop ZipRail Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover and Bully Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover.

Tonneau Covers Fitted On Jeep Wrangler/CJ
If you've got a Jeep Wrangler/CJ or Suzuki Samurai/Sidekick, take a look at the fitted tonneau covers we offer from Bestop, Smittybilt, Pavement Ends, and Steinjager.

Hard Roll-Up Covers

Hard Roll-Up Tonneau Covers
We also offer "hard roll-up" tonneau covers which feature a soft vinyl layer covering a wall of individual aluminum slats that lock in place to form a hard shell that can support a great deal of weight.

We also offer "hard roll-up" tonneau covers which feature a soft vinyl layer covering a wall of individual aluminum slats. In the fully closed position, these slats line up and lock in place to form a hard shell that can support a great deal of weight (up to 400 pounds in some cases). If you carry cargo that tends to shift or bounce around underneath a tonneau cover, hard roll-up tonneau covers are strong enough to serve as a barrier to keep things in place instead of falling out. Plus, they're highly theft-resistant.

Hard Roll-Up Tonneau Covers Installed On Trucks

They may cost a little more but if you truly need the protection hard roll-up covers offer, the money spent on them may be well worth it. We've got the TruXedo Sentry Hard Roll Up Tonneau Cover, TruXedo Sentry CT Hard Roll Up Tonneau Cover, BAK Revolver X2 Hard Roll Up Tonneau Cover, BAK Revolver X4s Hard Roll Up Tonneau Cover, and Rugged Ridge Armis Hard Roll Up Bed Cover for Jeep Gladiator pickups.

Retractable Tonneau Covers

Similar to hard roll-up covers, retractable tonneau covers also provide a uniform barrier made up of many aluminum slats placed in sequence next to each other. But instead of the cover rolling on top of itself similar to the way a sleeping bag rolls up, retractable covers roll neatly into a storage canister mounted inside the front of the bed area.

Retrax Powertrax PRO MX Retractable Tonneau Cover
We offer retractable tonneau covers that open manually, or with the assistance of electric motors controlled by remote. Here, the Retrax PowertraxPRO MX Retractable Tonneau Cover is shown.

Just as a window shade delivers privacy when drawn over the window, retractable tonneau covers provide complete, water resistant, and locking bed security when closed. Because the space taken up by the canister at the front of the bed is below the level of the tonneau cover, the canister is concealed. Keep in mind that it may restrict you from carrying items which extend to the very front of the bed.

Roll-N-Lock Hard Retractable Tonneau Covers
We offer retractable covers with as Roll-N-Lock's A-Series Manual Hard Retractable Tonneau Cover (left) that leave stake pockets exposed for installation of separate racks. Roll-N-Lock's M-Series Hard Manual Retractable Tonneau Cover (right) comes with a single smooth sheet of vinyl over the aluminum slats.

For the ultimate in luxury, we've got power operated retracting covers from Retrax that come complete with a one-touch remote control. Choose the PowertraxPRO MX™ Hard Retractable Tonneau Cover or the PowertraxONE XR Hard Retractable Tonneau Cover if you prefer aluminum slats with black matte finish. Retrax also offers each of these tonneau covers without electrical power at a lower cost, and you'll find all of them here.

If you prefer a low-profile retractable cover, we've got the Truck Covers USA American Roll Hard Manual Retractable Tonneau Cover featuring aluminum slats finished in black powder coat. And if you'd like a low-profile retracting cover that leaves your truck's stake pockets uncovered so that racks can be installed, Roll-N-Lock's A-Series Hard Manual Retractable Tonneau Cover has the design you need. We've even got Roll-N-Lock's M-series cover for those that prefer a stylish smooth sheet of vinyl over the aluminum slats.

Folding Tonneau Covers

Hard / Soft Folding Tonneau Covers
On the left is an example of a "hard" folding tonneau cover made of panels that are completely solid. These can typically support an evenly distributed load of 250-400 pounds. On the right is an example of a "soft" folding tonneau cover which features only a layer of vinyl stretched over aluminum framework.

Folding tonneau covers come in hard versions with panels that are completely solid, and in soft versions with a single sheet layer of vinyl stretched over aluminum framework. These types of covers typically fold up into three sections (some have four) and store just behind the cab area at the front of the bed. Folding covers are a good choice if you regularly haul tall or oversize items such as furniture, appliances, or even dirt bikes. Hard folding covers can typically support an evenly distributed load of 250-400 pounds on top of them as well.

Hard Folding Tonneau Covers

For those that prefer hard folding covers with a low sitting profile, we've got the 4-fold BAK BakFlip F1 Folding Tonneau Cover (available with or without an integrated ladder rack), the 4-fold BAK BakFlip G2 Hard Folding Tonneau Cover, and the BAK BakFlip FiberMax Hard Folding Tonneau Cover with an interesting fiberglass-reinforced top surface that's high gloss and stays cool to the touch.

BAK Bakflip F1 Hard Folding Tonneau Cover With Without Integrated Ladder Rack
The BAK BakFlip F1 hard folding tonneau cover is available with an integrated ladder rack (left) or without one (right).

If the convenience of 3 folding panels best serves your needs, we've also got the 3-fold UnderCover FLEX Folding Hard Tonneau Cover, Ultra FLEX Hard Folding Tonneau Cover, and Armor FLEX Hard Folding Tonneau Cover - all of which are compatible with bed caps, and can serve as a shelf themselves to support 400 pounds.

Extang TonnoPro Lund Hard Folding Tonneau Covers
The Extang Xceed Hard Folding Tonneau Cover (left), TonnoPro HardFold Hard Folding Tonneau Cover (middle), and Lund Hard Folding Tonneau Cover (right).

If you like the look of a soft vinyl cover but want the protection of hard reinforcement underneath, we've got the Extang Xceed Hard Folding Tonneau Cover, Lund Hard Folding Tonneau Cover, and TonnoPro HardFold Hard Folding Tonneau Cover among others. These feature rigid folding panels underneath a top layer that's a single smooth, unbroken expanse of vinyl.

Soft Folding Tonneau Covers

Soft folding tonneau covers offer advantages of lighter weight, a smooth-looking uniform expanse of vinyl, and reinforcement from folding framework underneath. Another advantage soft folding covers offer is their looks. This type of cover features an unbroken, uniform look from side to side because, on many models, it sits completely on top of your truck's bed rails - hiding any unsightly panel gaps and seams underneath. When the panel sections fold, the vinyl outer layer folds with them. All soft folding tonneau covers we offer have three folding sections with aluminum frames.

Smittybilt Smart Soft Folding Tonneau Cover / TruXedo Deuce Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover With Fold-Up Front Section
The Smittybilt Smart Soft Folding Tonneau Cover (left) and TruXedo Deuce Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover with Fold-Up Front Section (right) are designed to allow access to all sections of the bed.

For best value in soft folding tonneau covers, take a look at the Tyger T3 Soft Folding Tonneau Cover which comes with quality vinyl and aluminum framework. Instructions and installation hardware are included, and perhaps best of all from an installation viewpoint, no drilling is required. If you need to make full use of the cargo area nearest the cab, the Smittybilt Smart Soft Folding Tonneau Cover and TruXedo's Deuce Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover with Fold-Up Front Section are just a couple of examples of soft covers we offer designed to let you access all areas of the bed.

Low-profile Lund Genesis Elite Soft / Extang Trifecta 2.0 Soft Folding Tonneau Covers
The low-profile Lund Genesis Elite Soft Folding Tonneau Cover (left) and Extang Trifecta 2.0 Soft Folding Tonneau Cover (right).

If you prefer a low-profile soft folding cover, we've got the Lund Genesis Elite Soft Folding Tonneau Cover. Extang also offers the Trifecta 2.0 Soft Folding Tonneau Cover that's designed to install in 5 minutes with 4 easy-to-use clamps - ideal for those who may find it necessary to completely remove their tonneau cover on a regular basis.

One-Piece Hinged Tonneau Covers

For those that need only occasional access to the front of their pickup bed area and don't carry oversize cargo, one-piece hinged tonneau covers can provide an attractive solution. They're hinged at the front and supported by gas struts when opened. We've got hard covers made of hard shell automotive-grade, impact-resistant plastic and we've got soft one-piece covers that consist of vinyl stretched over aluminum framework.

One-Piece Hinged Tonneau Covers

When it comes to hard shell one-piece hinged covers, we've got a great selection from specialist brand UnderCover. Choose best value with their no-frills SE Hard Hinged Tonneau Cover with a ribbed design or the LUX Hard Hinged Tonneau Cover that's available unpainted or painted.

Undercover Elite Hard Hinged / Elite LX Hard Hinged Tonneau Covers
The Undercover Elite Hard Hinged Tonneau Cover (left). On the right, the Elite LX Hard Hinged Tonneau Cover is one of several hard tonneaus that offer the option of being painted in any paint code you supply.

Moving up, UnderCover's Elite Hard Hinged Tonneau Cover comes unpainted but adds luxury features such as an OEM style handle, a lock that can be coded to match your existing ignition key, and a removable LED light to help you see inside a covered bed. Their Elite LX Hard Hinged Tonneau Cover adds carpeting on the underside, and offers a choice of being painted before shipping to match a handful of factory colors for your make and model.

Tonneau Covers Designed To Accommodate Tool Boxes

Many of you have a toolbox or would like to mount a toolbox in the bed behind the cab, but this doesn't mean you have to forego a tonneau cover. So called "toolbox tonneaus" are specially made to work with standard size toolboxes and come in tilt-back, folding, and roll-up configuration.

Truxedo Deuce Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover /  Extang Solid Fold 2.0 Tool Box Edition Hard Folding Tonneau Cover
The Truxedo Deuce Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover with Fold-Up Front Section (left) and Extang Solid Fold 2.0 Tool Box Edition Hard Folding Tonneau Cover (right).

The Truxedo Deuce Soft Roll Up Tonneau Cover with Fold-Up Front Section is unique because the rear portion of it rolls up until it meets a hard front section that folds back to expose gear or a toolbox in the front of the bed. The perfect accessory for it is the Truxedo TonneauMate Toolbox - a low-profile toolbox that offers added security for valuables by fitting completely underneath any typical tonneau cover. BAK also builds the BAKBox 2 Folding Toolbox that's designed to conceal itself when used with BAK's own BakFlip G2 Hard Folding Tonneau Cover folding hard tonneau cover.

Truxedo TonneauMate Tool Box
The Truxedo TonneauMate Toolbox is a low-profile tool box that conceals itself by fitting completely underneath any typical tonneau cover.

Prefer a straightforward roll-up cover for your tool box? Take a look at the Extang Trifecta 2.0 Tool Box Edition Soft Folding Tonneau Cover - a great value that can accommodate most standard 18"-20" boxes. And if you need a good value on a hard folding cover that can also accommodate most toolboxes, take a look at Extang's Solid Fold 2.0 Tool Box Edition Hard Folding Tonneau Cover.

Tool Box Tonneau Covers That Come WITH A Tool Box

Retracting Tonneau Cover Equipped With Steel Tool Box
The Truck Covers USA American Work Jr. Hard Manual Retractable with Tool Box Tonneau Cover.

If you don't currently have either a tool box or a tonneau cover, we can help you equip your truck with both in one easy shot. When it comes to tonneau covers that come with a tool box, there are a few products you're going to like.

Stowe Cargo Systems Hard Hinged Tonneau Cover With Tool Box
The Stowe Cargo Systems Hard Hinged Tonneau Cover with Tool Box.

If you appreciate a smooth and integrated look, take a look at the Stowe Cargo Systems Hard Hinged Tonneau Cover with Tool Box. It features two lids - one for the tool box which can hold 400 pounds, and the other for the bed area. If you prefer a smaller box (10" x 5.5" dimensions), Truck Covers USA offers the American Work Jr. Hard Manual Retractable with Tool Box Tonneau Cover that comes with a specially-designed galvanized steel tool box. Instead of mounting in the cargo bed area, shallow-depth box mounts completely on top of the bed rails. This allows the tonneau cover to retract out of sight underneath the tool box.

Tonneau Covers Variety Gallery

Last but certainly not least, we know that whatever tonneau you choose, it has to fit within your budget. Rollback covers are generally the least expensive, starting between $400-500, while retractable models are more than $1,000. But even if you opt for a less expensive cover, you won't be getting any less quality. All of our tonneau covers are custom made for the application, come with quality hardware for easy installation, and are backed by extensive warranties.

While you're at it, don't forget to take a look at our complete line of tonneau cover cleaners and other accessories. Pickup truck bed items such as storage bags, bed pockets, locks, and cargo bars complement your tonneau cover and help you maximize the usefulness of your truck!

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