New Tacoma owner needs advice

I have yet to pick one up, as nice as a lot of the offerings are I need full use of my 6ft bed. I had a soft rollup cover on my Tundra's 8ft bed and it did the trick, though definitely was not water proof, handled heavy snow without any issues.

 

Another vote for the Diamondback. I went with the HD version. There was some sticker-shock at first, but that goes away quickly and I love this thing.

 

This is what I have - bomber, functional! I have the full rack setup and carry bikes, boats, and paddles on top of the bed frequently while keeping the bed free for lockable, dry storage. Racks can be removed in less than a minute for carrying a taller load and the canister is only about 5"x5" so not a ton of lost bed space

http://www.truckcoversusa.com/american-rack-system/

 

I got the GatorTrax, and it works great and is very convenient. I got mine from GatorTrax, I asked for a discount and they gave me a really good one. I think I paid 1100, with free shipping no tax.

 

I really like my G4 Elite Fold_A Cover. Best mounting system with access to front of box as well as rear and it locks my tailgate

 

G4 Elite - I've had mine for almost 4 years.
Solid, very well made, no leaks, locking mechanism for security, and access to both ends (toolbox/recovery gear stowed at cab end, cooler by tailgate).
Still have use of most of the bed rail system for tie downs / tool storage.
Took about 2-3 hours by myself to install - there are good adjustment mechanisms to tweak fit perfect (which came in handy as my bed had flexed a little bit over the years).
Bottom line - lots of good options out there - the G4 elite matched up with my needs perfectly.

 

Extang solid fold 2.0. Durable and simple design. I love it

 

I have the TonnoPro Tri-fold ~200 bucks, maybe 250 and have been happy with it. Holds snow well, easy on easy off, pretty darn dry, and for ~200 bucks. My dad had a Extang that got ripped, so he replced it with the TonnoPro for his Tacoma. Now he has a 2011 Tundra and has had this cover since new. No, I do not work for TonnoPro

 

I recently went through this exercise and ended up with a Tyger tri fold soft tonneau. (It arrived today as a matter of fact. I probably wont install it until I can get around to recording a videolog.)

For me it came down to how I intend to use the bed. Since I will want to use as much of the bed as possible for hauling things, I wanted a cover that was easy to remove. A soft tonneau is perhaps the one that is easiest to remove without leaving behind mounting points.

Note about security: A soft tonneau is not a secure as the hard covers. However, from what I have seen on some of the hard covers, someone can easily jimmy. That said, I would rather someone have to use a blade to cut through the top and attract attention then say someone looking inconspicuous while quickly jimmying the cover.

If I knew that I would only use the bed on rare occasions, I would take the $200 or $600 to $800 most covers go for and spend that towards Diamond Back. They look secure and robust.

Otherwise, Pergaon looked like a good system in terms of security, ease of removal. The minor drawback is that the cover's slide rail has to be kept in place. Note: some folks found a work around for the part where the factory side rails are required to be removed as part of the Pergaon install.

I also checked out BakFlip but saw that the latch system can be jimmied.
Foldacover is worth mentioning because they are probably the only ones that have front of the bed access. Front access is where I would throw my groceries and stuff because it is nearest the door of the cab.

In the end I went with a soft cover because my brother has had good experience with one. It is the most affordable and is the easiest to remove and put back on. It comes with a 10 year warranty. Warranty periods are a good gauge of how long the manufacturer expects the product to last.

I wished I had first hand experience (especially with snow) to report to you.