Bed Covers For A First Timer

Wow!

Those cover are $700-$800 bucks...when I was evaluating tonneau covers.

That's fantastic!

EDIT: researching now and some are listed over $1K!
EDIT: So, there's a difference in price between Gloss & Premium Matt Finish

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Yup, mine was 1100 shipped to my door.

 

I went with the Matte finish, as it matches the fender flares on my Off-Road...

 

Undercover Armorflex. It’s one of, if not the, best hard tri fold tonneau covers on the market today. The Diamondback ones are nice ($$$$) but don’t allow for full bed access if you need it.

 

Yeah... That was the reason I didn't pursue one. When I need to move a refrigerator, or my Sinistar, I don't want to have to remove the cover to do so.

 

I like my Bak Revolver X2 cover a lot. It's an aluminum roll-up cover with a vinyl top covering that can supposedly hold up to 400lbs. After a year of the car sitting 100% outside in the Texas heat, it still looks relatively new. However, I wouldn't recommend a roll-up cover if you live in a place that snows, since ice/snow makes it very difficult to roll up.

I've also had the BakFlip trifold cover on my F-150. It was a great cover but would spring leaks every other season and the front lock/latch broke apart on me which made removing the cover very difficult without damaging it. It lasted about 5 years.

 

Armorflex's are nice covers with the urethane top coating... We also like the Lomax Stances that have the urethane as well

 

I heard that the barrel can freeze up when there is water inside during the cold weather, not sure if that is a big issue.

 

All the tonneau covers have compromises here and there. Just need to find one that approaches your needs the closest. I've been running the Extang Encore for two years. Initial experience here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/goto/post?id=22364862#post-22364862
https://www.tacomaworld.com/goto/post?id=22366091#post-22366091



Pros:
Lightest hard tonneau on the market based on my research. My 6' cover is 10-20 lb lighter than some of the 5' covers discussed in this thread.
Doesn't reduce internal height. Accommodates 20L plastic Sceptre cans upright.
Opens in the front or back.
Can be removed in seconds without tools (rails stay in place). Taking the tonneau on and off repeatedly doesn't cause any position shift.
Slam latches front and rear are easy to use in the dark.

Cons:
Mounting rails can shift backwards with vibration off-road. I resolved it completely with a couple of L-brackets modified from a hardware store purchase.
Mounting rails are thin and got damaged during shipping. I emailed Extang with photos and they sent me replacement rails the following day.
The latch beam disbonded a bit from the rear panel after a month, but hasn't gotten worse and still works fine.
Minor leaks in the worst of rain. However, there's no preload squeezing the seals to the bedrails, so there's a lot of leakage against the pressurized water jets of a car wash.
Cannot fold up against the back of the cab. If you need the full bed, you have to remove the tonneau (though it takes just seconds).
The rear panel latch uses an exposed pull cord, which is susceptible to coat hanger attacks. I fabbed up two blocking plates to make this more difficult for thieves.

 

I got my LoMax cover from @GotExhaust over a year ago. still like it. it looks good it has a low profile look. I get lots of complements on it.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lomax-hard-tri-fold-tonneau.607175/page-21#post-23999156

 

I really hope not for how much I paid! Haha

 

The Lomax and BAK MX4 are the top 2 sellers for the Tacoma by far. Some other good options are the offerings from Undercover. These are the 3 brands I would recommend to look into as there are MANY out there and feedback from our customers has been great. Message me for pricing on any covers or for more info.

 

I'm happy with my Lomax folding aluminum cover so far. It fits tight and I haven't noticed any serious leaking after rain. I also like how it looks against the Cement color of the truck.

Added bonus is that it's come in handy as a kind of table to put a drink or any random stuff you don't want on the ground or in the bed while I work outside, since it's pretty sturdy - just watch you don't scratch it or anything.

 

By the way one company Truck Hero owns like 2/3 of the popular brands ARE, Bak, Extang, Retrax, Roll N Lock, Tonno Pro, Truxedo, UnderCover...: https://truck-hero.com/brands

 

Yep very little "competition" in the industry these days...

 

This explains why, when I looked at the Undercover, it looks like a kissing cousin of the BakFlip MX4

 

And Extang now offers an Exceed tonneau that folds up against the back window. At 70 lbs (for the 6' bed version) it's just as heavy as ones from the other brands. However, it does have a more secure rotary latch and a seamless rubber coating on top: https://truck-hero.com/extang-xceed/2018/toyota/tacoma

 

I'm leaning towards the BAKFlip MX4...the G2 is a little less expensive. Looking at specs to see what the difference is...

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I have the mx4 and really don't use it much but it looks nice

 

The Armorflex has a nice durable LineX coating on it, making it more scratch resistant. That's what sold me.