Truck Bed Covers 2023

Truck Bed Covers 2023

Truck bed covers are a great way to protect your gear no matter where the road or trail takes you. However, the overwhelming number of available options can make it incredibly challenging to choose the right cover for your truck and needs. So how do you choose? Keep reading to learn how to choose the correct truck bed cover for your needs.

Cover Style

If you have not shopped for truck bed covers before, you may assume there is just a single style. In reality, there are well over a dozen styles for you to choose from. Each style is designed to appeal to a slightly different set of needs. Essentially, offering a range of styles allows for BAK tonneau covers or those from other brands to serve every possible need and preference.

The following are just some of the most common styles of truck bed covers:

• Hard folding with or without a rack system
• Hard non-folding
• Non-rail styles that have hooks and loops on the closure
• One-pieces
• Soft folding covers
• Soft snap-ons featuring rails
• Soft styles featuring zips, channels, and rails
• Roll-up hard covers
• Roll-up soft covers
• Retractable hard covers

Even with the small sampling above, you can see that there are a few common themes or decisions to make when choosing your truck bed covers styles. Start by considering whether you prefer a soft or hard top. After that, consider how you want it to open and close. The common options are retracting, rolling, and folding, but there are also other options.

Continue to go through the various styles to determine which best meets your needs, whether it is a Roll-N-Lock tonneau cover or another style.

Materials

Another thing that you will notice as you browse truck tonneau covers is the selection of materials that you can choose from. The most common include twill weave, canvas, aluminum, and vinyl, although there are also many others.

The material that is ideal for you may not be the best choice for your neighbor and there is nothing wrong with that. As you consider the different materials, keep the following characteristics in mind:

• Appearance
• Security
• Theft-resistance
• Weather-resistance
• Durability
• Maintenance
• Cost

For example, aluminum is typically more secure and theft-resistant than canvas, as it is harder to slash through to steal items.

Some of those characteristics, such as weather-resistance, will vary from person to person as well. Think about the type of weather you drive around in and then choose a material that will resist damage from it, whether that is snow, cold, heat, rain, hail, or high winds.

Ease of Opening

As you consider the styles and individual truck bed covers, take some time to think about how easy they are to open and close. Some styles are inherently easier to open and close than others. Additionally, some brands or specific covers will be easier to use than others with a similar style. If you can’t test them in person, confirm how easy they are to use by reading reviews.

Most truck owners want to be able to open the cover, place their items inside (or retrieve them), and close the cover in just a minute or two. However, if you don’t use your truck bed much or leave items in it for emergencies for long stretches of time, this may not matter as much to you.

Overall Features and Characteristics

Browsing truck tonneau covers will show you a range of features you can opt for. This comes down to your personal preference. Think about which features will make your life easier and whether you are willing to pay extra for them. Decide if any features are essential and which ones you want but don’t need.

Take a closer look at some of the most common features and characteristics you may want to look for.

Weatherproofing

Nearly all truck tonneau covers should have at least an element of weatherproofing, but some have just the bare minimum. Depending on where you drive and what you put in the truck bed, you may want a cover that is completely watertight or better handles extreme weather. Take a few minutes to think about how you use the truck and whether you plan on driving outside of your typical range.

Locking

Think about whether you need your Roll-N-Lock tonneau covers to lock as well. This will likely depend on what you store in the truck bed and its value. The other major factor will be the overall safety and likelihood of theft in the places you drive.

Many truck tonneau covers already have the ability to lock, so this shouldn’t be a hard feature to find. You should also keep in mind that, while some covers do not lock, you can buy accessories for them that give you that ability.

Materials and Hardware

You already thought about the material for the truck bed cover as a whole, but you should consider the hardware as well. Check the materials that the closures, joints, and hinges are made of as they play a direct role in your truck’s security level.

The best covers typically enhance security and durability with hidden heavy-duty hinges or something similar.

Additional Features for Adventures

Finally, consider whether you need a truck cover that already has some extra features that will make your truck ready to go on adventures. A common example would be a rack that can easily accommodate your outdoor gear.

Of course, you do not have to get this type of extra accessory on your tonneau cover; you can frequently add it on later if you prefer.

Installation

Assuming you will be the one to install your new truck tonneau cover don’t forget to consider the installation process. Some covers are easy for anyone to install, even if you have minimal experience with other truck upgrades. Others may require professional installation. There are also plenty of covers that are somewhere between these two extremes.

Easy installation does not necessarily make a cover better; it’s a matter of opinion and budget. If you have experience, a cover that is harder to install is likely not an issue. Alternately, if you have the budget to pay someone to install it or know someone who can do so for free, you won’t have to worry about this.

Compatibility

It should go without saying, but you should always confirm that your chosen truck tonneau cover is compatible with your truck. Remember that truck beds vary slightly in size depending on the brand and the model.

You have two options to ensure compatibility. The first is to always look for product descriptions that specifically mention your truck as being compatible. The other is to measure your truck bed and keep those figures handy as you shop. You may even want to do both.

The Top Brands

The brand is the final consideration and one of the most important. Some brands simply have a much stronger reputation than others. While there are plenty of reputable manufacturers that produce high-quality truck tonneau covers, some do better than others. Our top choices will always be BAK Industries or Rock-N-Lock, although Undercover, Truxedo, and Extang are also great choices.

To make it even easier for you to choose your next truck bed cover, take a closer look at our top brands and our best picks from each.

A Closer Look at Our Top Picks: BAK Industries

You are unlikely to go wrong when you look at BAK truck bed covers, but our top picks are the MX-4 and G2 products.

BAKFlip MX4 Truck Bed Cover

This is one of the many BAK tonneau covers that features durable aluminum panels to help it last a long time. You also get a premium matte finish and other great features, such as shock-absorbent, die-cut, pre-molded bumpers.

The MX4 also has plenty of upgrades over other BAK covers, including prop rod clips that are designed to be extra secure and durable and new elevator clamps and bolts with a matte finish.

This is rated to handle up to 400 pounds of weight, assuming you distribute it evenly. It also lets you access the full bed and has a dual-action tailgate seal.

BAKFlip G2

Another of the best BAK tonneau covers is the BAKFlip MX-4  and G2, a folding hardcover option. Like the MX4 the G2 has a dual-action tailgate seal and 100% truck bed access.

The buckle system means that you can drive with the cover in any position without worrying about it flapping around. You can also secure your truck bed by locking your tailgate without any extra actions.

This covers are rated to handle up to 300 to 400 pounds of weight. It features solid-core panels for durability, automatic latching panels, and compatibility with the ever-popular BAKBox2. You also get third brake light visibility and a low-profile design that is nice and sleek.

A Closer Look at Our Top Picks: Roll-N-Lock

You can count on any of the Roll-N-Lock tonneau covers, but your best choices will be the A, M oe E series.

M-Series Retractable Truck Bed Cover

This is one of the best Roll-N-Lock tonneau covers. It is unique in that you get the appearance of a soft cover with the security you would expect from a hard cover. The cover design features a combination of aluminum and vinyl, giving you the best of both worlds.

Using the cover is incredibly simple thinks to its insulated grip lever. You can unlock the cover with its key and then start opening it and watch it retract right into the canister. One stand-out feature is the ability to open, close, or lock without having to open your tailgate. Another is the fact that it locks in several open positions.

A-Series & E-Series Retractable Truck Bed Cover

These other Roll-N-Lock truck bed covers, with their all-aluminum retractable cover offers durability and a low profile. The cover is made from a single piece of material and features hidden seals, which keeps your truck bed free from water. The aluminum body is covered with a powder coating for extra durability. RL also offers the top of the line E- Series which oprates with a kep fob and automatically opens and closes with a touch of your finger.

The topper is also aluminum, and its patented hinge system makes operation easy and frictionless. Just turn the key and lever and watch the cover retract into its storage canister as it slides open. You get full access to your truck bed. Like the M-Series, the A-Series has several locking points while the cover is open. When your ready to finally shop for new 2023 + truck bed covers make sure to give us a call will make your truck or Jeep scream extreme at Tufftruckparts.com