Are tonneaus a "get what you pay for" item?

[AleYeah]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a tonneau cover. It probably will be a soft cover, as I'm hoping to save a few bucks. Basically I want to have a reasonable amount of rain protection for luggage when needed, but to have easy access to the full bed to get scoops of mulch and haul firewood and whatnot. On RealTruck I see the Gator SRX is on sale for only $220. The price definitely sounds appealing, but I'm bit wary of buyer's remorse. Is a cover that costs twice as much or more going to really be worth it? I'd love to hear about your experiences, positive or negative, with cheap covers.

 

[andymax]

Last three trucks I got the Extang Trifecta folding soft cover and could not be happier for the price ($400ish). Only water ingress comes from high pressure car washes and even then it is very little. I've never had a problem with rain, ever. It is super easy to remove when hauling and easy to open for better access.

FWIW, with my current truck I tried an amazon special for roughly half the price and returned it within a week due to poor fit and way more water leaks.

 

[Rado]

I do not have a Tonneau Cover yet
But IMO that is a Yes /No answer

But I would read any and all reviews,
And Google search them
If you live in the snow belt look for one with cover support rods to hold up to the snow/ice load
I am looking for a cover that goes in between the bed rails so I can keep my side rails !

Real Truck usually has good items

Hopefully you get some replies with good info !
Great post Thanks

 

[GB55]

I have had a few through the years. Recently switched out my Proven Ground ($280ish) trifold soft cover for a BakFlip ($1k new but picked up off FB for $400) hard cover.

ZERO problems with either one. No water leaks at all with either one. Ran the soft cover for 2-3 years. Previous trucks have all been soft covers and never had any issues with them. My cab vents/3rd brake light and rear window have leaked more than my bed covers

If you take care of your stuff (within reason) it'll last just fine. Stay away from random no name stuff. Expect to pay $200+ for a decent cover.

Shame you aren't in MD with a 6'4" bed cause i still have the soft cover in the garage.

 

[Atcer2018]

My experience is probably not indicative of what the average “cheapo” cover would be so take it with a grain of salt. Back in 2019 I purchased the cheapest soft rollup cover I could find on Amazon. The company had exactly one review. It was a grand total of $105. Took two weeks to arrive and it seemed like a pretty standard run of the mill soft cover. It came in a brown cardboard box without a company name. It has held up fantastically since installation. I live in the mid Atlantic region and snow is not a factor. It’s black vinyl and sits outside year round. Very minimal water leaks when washing the truck and little to no water intrusion in a rain storm. It does have an all aluminum frame, decent hardware and two center supports if that matters. After years of use the thread stitching is starting to dry rot. I consider myself lucky as I doubt the average cheapie soft cover would be as good as the one I got.

 

[clay282]

.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Look at Tonno Pro. I've gotten about 8 years out of one until the stitching was worn and it was coming apart. They warrantied it out for a new one without question. It's still on my son's truck. I bought the same brand for my new truck. Very little water ever makes it in, and that's just at the tailgate corners if the wind is just right. You can clamp it down tighter if you don't mind the tailgate being a little tougher to open and close and eliminate even that.

 

[jmr]

I've had 2 rough country soft tri fold covers without any issues.

 

[LOWRMPG]

RealTruck is a solid company, so even if you went cheap they generally stand behind their stuff. I've bought from them on several trucks for tonneaus, ranging in cost from a few hundred to nearly a grand. Cheaper ones tend to be less "water tight", more expensive ones tend to include drip rails or something to generally move water and aid in the water tight aspects. All in all I've never felt like I was ripped off for what I spent.

Only issue I've ever heard with RC covers was that rails failed, but RC replaced them without question.

 

[Dan Topp]

I put a roll n lock on my truck in 19 and along with the cargo manager it has weathered well and made my 8’ bed as useful as my usual grocery getter with the option to remove the cargo manager easily And it locks.

 

[MikeDCop]

If you aren’t stuck on the roll up soft tonneau cover, I bought this one for my 2500 Rebel off Amazon. It’s a 4-fold soft tonneau. It’s cheap and it works.

https://a.co/d/9NhhBkB

 

[tron67j]

I bought a hard trifold top from Walmart back in 2016 when my Pace Edwards hard roll top finally bit the dust after 13 years of faithful service in 100 degrees and at minus 10, rain, snow, ice.

Nice thing about hard top is that they don't shrink or sag, and they come off pretty easy to use full bed. Mine sat right on top of bed rail covers so no hardware to install, I just clamped the 3 brackets right to the lip underneath.

The one I got from Walmart was great and would be still using it if I hadn't received a Backflip MX4 as a present. Still have it in my garage, but your bed is shorter. Still can get covers on Walmart, suggest looking there.

 

[Adamcr68]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a tonneau cover. It probably will be a soft cover, as I'm hoping to save a few bucks. Basically I want to have a reasonable amount of rain protection for luggage when needed, but to have easy access to the full bed to get scoops of mulch and haul firewood and whatnot. On RealTruck I see the Gator SRX is on sale for only $220. The price definitely sounds appealing, but I'm bit wary of buyer's remorse. Is a cover that costs twice as much or more going to really be worth it? I'd love to hear about your experiences, positive or negative, with cheap covers.

I have a Tyger brand soft tri- fold, 4 years old, it has held up good.
The bed stays dry when it rains & only lets a little water in I wash the truck, I spray at an angle at the seams which seems to help.
I use a 303 spray after washing & remove the cover if there is snow forecasted, it can stretch the vinyl.

 

[turkeybird56]

I got full fiber glass tonneau with gas shocks. Color matched etc. 2 person job if u want to take off. Your not gonna put stuff on it but secure, does lock and keeps bed pretty water tight. OP know not wat U looking for just another option and definitely not cheap.

OP:
ADDED; U go real cheap in a cover well U get cheap.

 

[tangocash001]

I just switched mine soft trifold last year. I didn't want to spend a lot and got a Bison Tonneau cover. Think it was about 275 CDN and have had it for a year. I'm pretty happy with it. Looks good, easy to fold up and lock down and I get no water leakage. My last one was about 600-700 and i don't really notice the difference. my 2 cents anyways.

 

[EMANRESU]

My experience w/Gator SFX:

Gator SFX cover: Caveat Emptor

Anyone considering a Gator SFX tri-fold soft folding tonneau cover: Be aware that the SFX cover is known to sag and collect water. Go to the product page at RealTruck website and search MOST RECENT reviews, term WATER, and select WITH MEDIA. You'll see >16K reviews with many "5 stars"...

www.ramforum.com

RealTruck thumbs-up for backing their warranty.
Regarding Gator SFX product: Time will tell -depends on how my replacement Gator SFX holds up.

 

[Rlaf75]

If they are "get what you pay for" then I scored big time. I bought a MaxMate soft roll up tonneau cover off amazon 3 years ago for $179 shipped for my 21 BTS and it's been absolutely great. Still looks like new, easy to open and close and there's maybe a vouple ounces of water that leak in under heavy rains. None of them are perfectly dry. The roll up allows me to have full access to the bed without removing the cover so I don't have to worry about it getting damaged when off the truck

 

[pjs386]

I favor the Tonno Pro tri fold soft cover. Had one for 7 years with never any leaks The stitching started to unravel during the 7th year and a corner decided to lift over the frame. I contacted Tonno Pro and they honored their Lifetime Warranty immediately and in a week I had a brand new cover. Tonno Pro is a highly reputable company that honors its commitments. Great products.

 

[seafarer]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a tonneau cover. It probably will be a soft cover, as I'm hoping to save a few bucks. Basically I want to have a reasonable amount of rain protection for luggage when needed, but to have easy access to the full bed to get scoops of mulch and haul firewood and whatnot. On RealTruck I see the Gator SRX is on sale for only $220. The price definitely sounds appealing, but I'm bit wary of buyer's remorse. Is a cover that costs twice as much or more going to really be worth it? I'd love to hear about your experiences, positive or negative, with cheap covers.

I got a Realtruck xtang hard trifold for security and water protection, second one I've had. No issues and I like the fact that it will support a reasonable amount of weight, 75 + pounds. Not sure what it cost, maybe $800, but worth it for what I need. Very well made and functional.

 

[JEPomer]

I bought the 3-piece folding cover when I purchased my 2024 RAM 1500 this past June. The RAM had several incentives plus the buy out of my 2012 Grand Cherokee "Lifetime Extended Warranty" made choosing the OEM/Dealer installed items worth buying and be covered under warranty.

Previous pickups I have owned usually had cap installed. Very inconvenient for my needs. My last pickup was a 2007 Dakota with a sprayed bed protector. Loved the protector, but hated having to clear out the bed after each snowstorm hear in northern New England.

The 3-piece folding cover works very well for my needs. The tailgate locks eliminating access protecting the contents. Folding sections individually allow me to put in over height items and keep the cover intact.

The cover is easily removable in about 5 minutes if I need to whole (5 ft) bed.

The roll-up covers looked too awkward to regularly roll. But it apparently works for many people.

The Rigid cover is appealing, but I would loose the flexibility I described.

Finally, quality is reflected in the price you pay. So far, the OEM 3-fold has been standing up to my "less than cautious" use. To me it is a working vehicle even though I am retired. I temporarily put lots of things on the cover while doing projects and need access to the tools and materials inside.