There are many reasons that you need a truck. Tonneau covers are the covers that cover the back bed of your truck. There are several reasons you may need to have a tonneau cover.
Here I will discuss the pros and cons of a tonneau cover and try to give you an idea of what kind of tonneau cover you need if you want to get one.
Do I Really Need a Tonneau Cover?
Tonneau cover has some nice advantages. It does come with a disadvantage. But it is so easy to deal with that we tend to forget it.
Pros
The biggest pro for the tonneau cover is the security. If you want to increase the security of your truck then having a tonneau cover is a must.
There are several types of tonneau cover that gives a different amount of security. There are some that just hides the cargo, making it hard to know if there is any cargo inside the truck or not and some make sure that no one can get inside the truck bed even if they want to.
Another reason to get a tonneau cover is the protection of cargo. You don’t want the cargo to be lost on the way by just flying or falling out of the truck bed. So the cover protects the cargo and keeps the between the bed and the cover.
Tonneau covers are usually model specific. So, they look good on the truck. You can improve the looks of your truck just by adding a tonneau cover.
Tonneau cover also improves fuel efficiency. Since it covers up the truck bed, air doesn’t flow inside it. Thus it reduces the air drag which can improve the fuel efficiency by as much as ten percent.
Lastly, Tonneau covers not only protect the cargo from falling off but also from the weather. So, if you want to protect your cargo from rain, snow or even dust then tonneau covers are the way to go.
Cons
The con of a tonneau cover is more of a niche thing. Some people may need the full vertical space in order to carry stuff. For them, having a tonneau cover is useless and may even be harmful to their work as they can’t utilize the full vertical space.
Some types of covers have a part that covers some of the bed space. So if you need full bed access then those types of covers can be a problem.
Which Type of Tonneau Cover is for Me?
There are two things you have to consider when choosing a tonneau cover. The material and the type. Let’s discuss them to find the best suitable one for you.
Material
We can divide the tonneau covers into 2 types depending on the material. These are the hard cover and the soft cover. Both of them are good for different scenarios.
Soft Covers
Soft cover is easier to carry and remove if necessary. They also take less space on your truck bed to fold. But they do not have much security. These covers can be cut through with a knife.
Hard Covers
Hard cover on the other hand, has much higher security. They are hard to breakthrough. The hard cover also comes with a lock for additional security. But they take more space on the bed when folded.
Type
There are five types of cover that you can buy. These are the roll-up type, the folded type, the retractable type, the hinged type, and the heavy-duty type. Each of them comes with its unique features to accommodate your need.
Roll-Up Covers
It is as the name suggests. You can roll the cover-up and it will take little to no space on the back of the truck. You can only find it as a soft cover since hard ones cannot be rolled.
The installing process and removing process of roll-up tonneau covers are not so hard. You can take these covers off and store them somewhere pretty easily if you need to and add them back to the truck again later.
Folded Covers
Folded covers otherwise known as the tri-fold cover can come as both hard and soft cover. They can be folded as three even pieces on the back of your truck.
Since they can only be folded three times they take more space than the rolled-up one when keeping folded. But they add more security to the cover. You can install the tri-fold tonneau cover easily and the removing process is not so tough also.
Retractable Covers
Retractable covers also come as both soft and hard cover. They have a storage area that is set up on the truck bed. The cover gets retracted inside this storage container.
Since you have to install a container, it needs a bit more time and at least 2 people to install it. It also takes up some of the bed space permanently since it has that container.
One added benefit of the retractable covers is you can lock them in any position. So if you need to keep half of the cover open and the other half close, you can do that with this cover.
Hinged Covers
Hinged covers can only be found as a hard cover. These covers are one piece of metal that covers the whole bed. They look really good on the truck and can be color-matched with the truck.
These are the most secured covers that you can get. As the name suggests, they are connected with a hinge that lifts the cover to reveals the bed.
Heavy Duty Covers
These are the strongest cover that you can buy. They are only found as hard cover. Most of the time, they have split in the middle that connects two hard pieces together. You can open both sides separately which is connected to that split.
These are capable of carrying 2 ATVs on top of the cover. Thus these are called heavy duty. So if you want to carry stuff on top of the cover then these are the way to go.
FAQ
Q: Does tonneau cover really save gas/fuel?
Ans: Yes, they do that by reducing the air drag.
Q: Can I go through a car wash with a tonneau cover?
Ans: Yes, you can go through without tension.
Conclusion
After the discussion, we can safely say that having a tonneau cover is a lot better than having none since the pros outweigh the cons by a lot.
As for which cover to get, there is no one right option. Depending on your situation and how you want to use it, one may be better than the other. So, take your time and find out which one is best for you.
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