Soft Tonneau Cover

I am looking for a soft bed cover for my '99 regular cab. Anyone have any advice about either the snap-on or velcro seal covers, and which company makes the best? Do they flap in the wind? Do they offer any theft security? Any advice at all??

 

I have had the snap type...the velcro type and the type that has like a nylon lip that goes in the channel (think ZIP loc tonneau lol) and here is a break down of pro's and cons

-----Snap type---
PRO'S=easy to install,snaps give a good hold on cover, easy to tell if you missed one.......CON'S=snaps sometimes rust or pull through cover(never had this happen personally)

---------Velcro Type-------
PRO'S=easy install,super easy to latch sense you just push the velcro together, probably the fastest one to "close".....CON'S= doesnt really hold cover tight as other types,car wash's can make cover come loose since it shoots water between the 2 velcro strips,if you get mud on the strips its harder to clean then the snap kind

-------ZIP-LOC style-----
PRO's=easy install,sometimes cheaper,gives a good hold on cover and is the most water tight of the bunch,very smooth look once installed.....CON'S= not as easy as other two to "latch" heck i have problems with the zip-loc bags sometimes, channel can hold mud or dirt making it hard to get the nylon lip to go in.......

ALL COVERS=all flap some...usually not noticable if you have them secured correctly....none offer real security other than out of sight out of mind since people cant see whats in there... kinda like a jeep top...a pocket knife will get you in...in winter the covers are all stiffer and with the snaps it will give your hands a work out to get them snapped since cover doesnt want to stretch for tight fit,in winter the velcro isnt as strong of a hold and the cover doesnt stretch making it hard to get the velcro to all line up the same, and the ziploc style will make your fingers hurt trying to stretch it enough to get the nylon lip into channel and pushed down tight

 

oh and FYI when i buy one for my stock taco it will be snap type

 

yeah, I was leaning towards the snap-on. Just seems as overall best choice for me. Thanks a lot TacoZilla!

 

I would add my vote to the snap type as well.

I had a Tonneau Master hinged type on my 04

and I have an Extang Fulltilt cover on my 07. I would go with the fulltilt again on my next truck as well. I can remove the entire cover from the truck in about 60 seconds when I need to haul something big, and if I find myself somewhere already and need to haul something big I can roll it up and remove the bows in about 2-3 minutes. This is not something that was true for the Tonneau Master version as parking lot roll up took about 10 minutes and required a screwdriver. (read as a big pain in the ass)

I also believe that the extang keeps the interior of the bed more dry as well.

Just my $0.02

 

Extang Trifecta

I tried snaps, didn't care for them. It was a pain to undo, secure, and the snap back on.

 

I had tonneau covers on a couple of previous trucks of mine and honestly, I hate those things. Pain in the rear everytime you need your bed for something. My Tacoma came with one on it when I bought her, and I unbolted it, and it went to the dump. Just my .01 worth.

 

My dealer is selling the Trifecta four around $400.00. Is that a fair price? I am just starting the research here?

Thanks,

Jim

 

You can probably get it cheaper off of the Internet. I bought mine from AutoAnything.com. I think I paid around $350 for it. They are selling right now between $330 and $370 (depending on the material you select) with free shipping.

Lund makes a Genesis Tri-Fold. Doesn't appear to be much cheaper than the Extang. I haven't had any experience with the Lund brand, but I have a friend who has one. He hasn't complained to me about it yet.

 

Just as a rule of thumb, don't buy one thinking you'll improve your gas mileage. I haven't seen any difference, plus there was a MythBusters episode where they proved there was no gain.

Buy one because you want to keep something dry. Otherwise, they are pretty much useless.

 

TrippinEx:

Thanks for the information. I am really up in the air about it at this point because I want to be able to haul my mountain bikes around 2 or 3x per week and I don't see taking this on and off as a good thing.

 

Will your bikes stand up in 2/3 of your truck bed space?

Doesn't sound like you really need one as it will be more of a nuisance.

 

I have the long bed so I should be fine. With the OE bike connectors you remove your front wheel.

But just to make sure, I think I will go put a bike in there now to make sure... LOL

 

The tonneau covers get old quick if you use your truck as a truck often, as most of us do.

 

Say no more... I have been weighing the options... r/Jim