How You Can Pick The Right Tonneau Cover

If you want to cap off the truck bed, buying a tonneau cover is never a mistake. These look great, they protect your gear from dirty fingers and lets your rig go through the wind a lot easier, which improves fuel economy. You can pick from a wide range of styles so they are appropriate to your taste. Picking the right tonneau cover can be hard if you do not know where to begin. That is why you need to know how to choose the right one.

Consider What is The Most Important


The first decision you have to make is to know exactly what you need because it will serve as a guide to what you need to look for. In case you are looking for a showroom without accessing your cargo area often, use a hardcover for a sleek look.

Although there are customers who still choose functionality. It can be in the form of a hard folding tonneau cover, soft tonneau cover or there are a lot of options you can choose from like the retractable and rolling ones.

Soft Tonneau Covers

This type of cover is normally using a vinyl aluminum frame, and these are affordable good protection for truck beds. During the times when you need to fully access the truck bed, the soft tonneau covers can easily be removed. Moreover, soft tonneau covers are cheaper than other options.

Foldable Clip-on Tonneau Covers

Several of the fold and snap clip-on covers are averagely priced. Their designs are foldable and made of the soft vinyl material that lays on aluminum/steel bows and they secure to an aluminum frame. This is inexpensive but does not offer maximum security for your valuables. When this type of cover is detached from the frame, it easily rolls up and normally stays close to the cab. If you want a fast and easy way of completing access to the whole truck bed, choose this one.

Hard Tonneau Covers

These are the more expensive covers because it features fiberglass or composite material that clamps onto the frame’s rail. Hinged tonneau covers have a set of hinges allowing you to cover the entire top and this limits how much cargo you can haul, but it offers great protection for your valuables.

Toolbox-Type Cover

You have the option to keep the truck bed covered even you do not open the crossover toolbox. This kind of tonneau cover is mainly built shorter compared to the truck bed so it can accommodate the tool box that goes over the rail in the truck. By using this cover, you have the benefit of security and protection of a tonneau cover that comes with an access to a tool box. Some of them even have a tool box on the cover.

Choosing Your Style

The most famous style of tonneau cover is the folding one. There is the tri-fold tonneau that has a couple of folding panels. Since there are multiple panels, you can access only a portion of your cargo if you want to while the other portion remains closed. This helps in accommodating an oversized or a cargo with an awkward shape.

Your Budget

There are a lot of options and the prices normally start at $250. These covers are made using an aluminum frame that has a vinyl top and you can easily take it on or off the car without consuming too much time.

The Weather

The climate in your area is a consideration when you need to choose the right tonneau cover. If there is heavy snow during winter where you are, then you need a hard tonneau cover. A hard one is going to survive even under heavy snow and give tough weather protection. If winters are mild in your area or you do not have them at all, a soft tonneau cover is enough.

Buying a tonneau cover requires some thought and it is important that you know what to look for when getting one. Remember that they will protect your valuables wherever you go and guard your truck bed against harsh weather conditions.

Nancy McCoy

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