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

[blackbetty14]

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.

Yes, I've always had cheap roll up vinyl covers $250 or less. On my 2024 BTS I got the BAK roll up X4 and its much nicer. I was replacing the vinyl ones ever 3 years as they would just fail and I didn't use the cover that much (roll it up and down). I don't like or do Fold up covers as I like full access without covering the rear window.

 

[nlambert182]

I have the Gator SFX on mine now. Been on over a year and I have zero complaints. It held over 4" of ice on it for more than a week at one point and didn't stretch. The only water ingress is a small spot right at the corner of the tailgate, and water just trickles down the inside of the gate. It never gets into the bed. There is a ding in the top of my tailgate under the plastic and the plastic is slightly misshapen there, so it's possible that is why it trickles.

For the money I've been pleased with mine.

 

[Guitar Guy]

Now that tonneau covers are so ubiquitous and more affordable, it is absolutely not a case of "spend more, get better." As an accessories dealer I sold literally thousands of these in every size shape and cost imaginable. I was very loyal to one premium cover company because they treated me well and it was at that time the best product. But after I got out of the business and started actually having to pay for my accessories instead of getting freebies from the manufacturers, I found that some of the lower priced brands were actually way superior.

My latest cover is a Barricade brand soft rollup from American Trucks - this is actually the best engineered soft cover I have ever had. Operation is way superior to all the others - it is super easy to open and close at the tailgate, and it doesn't have to be "slicked down" on the sides to look nice and tight. It was one of the lowest priced covers I found at the time which was about a year ago.

If you are questioning what type of cover you want, here is how I sold them: "how do you use your truck bed? If you often haul items that are taller than the bed rails, you do not want a hard cover or tri-fold because you will have to remove it to use that space in your bed. The electric and spring operated hard roll-ups are great but take up a lot of bed space. For this reason, most truck users are best served by a good soft rollup cover."

 

[turkeybird56]

Now that tonneau covers are so ubiquitous and more affordable, it is absolutely not a case of "spend more, get better." As an accessories dealer I sold literally thousands of these in every size shape and cost imaginable. I was very loyal to one premium cover company because they treated me well and it was at that time the best product. But after I got out of the business and started actually having to pay for my accessories instead of getting freebies from the manufacturers, I found that some of the lower priced brands were actually way superior.

My latest cover is a Barricade brand soft rollup from American Trucks - this is actually the best engineered soft cover I have ever had. Operation is way superior to all the others - it is super easy to open and close at the tailgate, and it doesn't have to be "slicked down" on the sides to look nice and tight. It was one of the lowest priced covers I found at the time which was about a year ago.

If you are questioning what type of cover you want, here is how I sold them: "how do you use your truck bed? If you often haul items that are taller than the bed rails, you do not want a hard cover or tri-fold because you will have to remove it to use that space in your bed. The electric and spring operated hard roll-ups are great but take up a lot of bed space. For this reason, most truck users are best served by a good soft rollup cover."

YEP, comes down to how a "person" plans to use their truck..... If I need big stuff I just hook up my 14' stock trailer, but that is my situation, not the same for others.

 

[EMANRESU]

I have the Gator SFX on mine now. Been on over a year and I have zero complaints. It held over 4" of ice on it for more than a week at one point and didn't stretch. The only water ingress is a small spot right at the corner of the tailgate, and water just trickles down the inside of the gate. It never gets into the bed. There is a ding in the top of my tailgate under the plastic and the plastic is slightly misshapen there, so it's possible that is why it trickles.

For the money I've been pleased with mine.

4" of ice for more than a week -in Alabama(!?)
I'm in the NE-
Found that the rubber seal on my Gator SFX freezes to the tailgate making it very hard to open.
Now carry a 5" joint knife in the truck to slide along and free the seal from the tailgate when that happens.

 

[RickH]

I have had an ACCESS roll-up cover on my 2011 QC for over 13 years, always outside year round in rural Connecticut. I open it more than once per week for any number of reasons, trash, lumber, etc. My only complaint is that after 13 years the black topcoat is starting to show some signs of abrasion wear due to the folding of the cover. I'm going to contact them to see what they recommend I do in the way of a coating to take it back to perfect. I can afford to spend the 15 seconds it takes to pat down the sides after closing it, too! After all, I'm retired.

 

[DeputyChef22]

I know Rough Country is known for quality products but has anyone here personally had their bed cover? My wife loves my new truck and wants a bed cover so we can load up for vacation

 

[nlambert182]

4" of ice for more than a week -in Alabama(!?)
I'm in the NE-
Found that the rubber seal on my Gator SFX freezes to the tailgate making it very hard to open.
Now carry a 5" joint knife in the truck to slide along and free the seal from the tailgate when that happens.

Yep. Last January we had a nasty ice event in Huntsville. Lasted an entire week. We had a flight planned to Key West and thankfully the Ram made it the 3 hr trek to the airport (usually a 20 minute trip) and we were one of two planes that got off the ground that day.

We don't really get much snow here... it's usually ice.

 

[Ernest Smith]

FYI - I found my cover at a pawn store. Cost me $50 five years ago and still works great.

 

[68Dart]

I'm a big fan of the simplicity of the soft roll-up Gator. I believe that's what mine is. It's probably 5 years old and no rips, etc. Truck sits outside 24/7 in northeast. The hard, fold ones are nice but take up a chunk of the front of the bed when open. These trucks already have pretty small beds these days.

 

[AleYeah]

Y'all have exceeded expectations with the quantity and quality of information provided. Much obliged for the input!

 

[Hudson]

What's most important for me on a soft rollup is the quality of the Velcro on the sides. This is one place where manufacturers will save money. The other place ids how the vinyl is initially treated (does it have good UV agents and the quality of vinyl etc). My first soft rollup on my 1500, the Velcro disintegrated from sun exposure in 2 years. My replacement cover was LUND with industrial grade Velcro, and that lasted 4+ years no issue.

 

[graphicsman]

Ihave two brand new in box covers for sale one gator mx and one paragon platinum will make good deal on either one both lifetime warrenty

 

[BobinTX]

My two cents worth...I've owned 2 Tyger Tri-fold soft covers for my last two RAM trucks and been very happy with both of them. They fit nice, easy to install, fold up for tall loads and completely remove for a totally open bed. They are also definitely water tight with only minimal intrusion under high pressure conditions, mainly in the tail gate area. Never had a failure, rip, tear, sag or warranty issue. About $240 from tygerauto.com.

I also highly recommend Dual Liner bed liner if you're interested in protecting your bed. It is a 5-piece set consisting of 3 interlocking custom molded heavy plastic liners for the sidewalls and bulkhead, plus a tailgate cover, plus one heavy rubber bed mat that interlocks with the sidewalls. Each liner is custom molded for your model truck and fits like a glove. I love mine fitted it with LED lights under the side bed rails after installing it. Each liner section comes shipped in a separate box and is easy to snap right into your truck. Lifetime warranty also, $489. Nothing is permanently attached, so you can remove the entire thing anytime you want. I have no affiliation and receive no incentives, just a very satisfied customer. dualliner.com

 

[oledirteh]

GF bought me the Oedro tri-fold cover for my 2024 8ft and its nice. seals, fits well. doesnt flap from being loose cover wise. and has bracing. i think they are like 200-250$

My 2018 ram, and the 2021 ram, + my 2011 tundra all had tyger tri-folds and held up well and did their job fine for years.

 

[AleYeah]

I also highly recommend Dual Liner bed liner if you're interested in protecting your bed. It is a 5-piece set consisting of 3 interlocking custom molded heavy plastic liners for the sidewalls and bulkhead, plus a tailgate cover, plus one heavy rubber bed mat that interlocks with the sidewalls. Each liner is custom molded for your model truck and fits like a glove. I love mine fitted it with LED lights under the side bed rails after installing it. Each liner section comes shipped in a separate box and is easy to snap right into your truck. Lifetime warranty also, $489. Nothing is permanently attached, so you can remove the entire thing anytime you want. I have no affiliation and receive no incentives, just a very satisfied customer. dualliner.com

Definitely looks like a great product. I was lucky enough to inherit what seems to be a pretty decent quality spray-in bedliner when I bought the truck. Here's a gouged out spot that hopefully shows the thickness clearly. I have a couple of spots like this I was going to hit with a few coats of rattlecan bedliner.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Definitely looks like a great product. I was lucky enough to inherit what seems to be a pretty decent quality spray-in bedliner when I bought the truck. Here's a gouged out spot that hopefully shows the thickness clearly. I have a couple of spots like this I was going to hit with a few coats of rattlecan bedliner.
View attachment 557596

If it's Line-X they'll warranty fix any chips. At least for the original owner, not sure if it transfers.

 

[hunterdan]

I ran the tyger roll up on a few vehicles and it was honestly a really good cover for the money. I wouldn't hesitate to buy again.

 

[DeputyChef22]

I ran the tyger roll up on a few vehicles and it was honestly a really good cover for the money. I wouldn't hesitate to buy again.

What are your thoughts on this compared to the Tyger brand?

Soft Roll Up Bed Cover | Ram 1500 (10-18)/2500 (10-24)

Soft Roll Up Bed Cover | Ram 1500 (10-18)/2500 (10-24)

www.roughcountry.com

 

[rvance]

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.

Ditto. I've had 3 of these on different trucks and I love them.