Hard Folding Tonneaus - Do you have any regrets?

I'm looking to get a hard folding tonneau, but most of the threads are about "which one is best" and then everyone replies with the single one they currently own...


Do you or did you own a hard folding tonneau cover and hate it?

Do you love yours with no issues whatsoever?

What issues did you have, if any?

Why didn't you like it?

How has yours held up over time?


I'm curious to hear any general experiences, good or bad.

 

I think I've narrowed it down to the Bakflip F1. I want low profile, full opening, and I heard the aluminum versions (such as MX4) dent easy and get hot.

I was thinking about something like the Gator FX3 to save a few bucks but it sounds like people have more problems the cheaper you go and saw some bad YouTube reviews.

I see a ton of horror stories about water leakage though, but maybe those people just aren't managing their expectations?

 

Do you or did you own a hard folding tonneau cover and hate it?

I have owned 2 Bakflips and I loved both of them. One on my Ram 1500 and one on my Tacoma

Do you love yours with no issues whatsoever?

Yes, I loved both of them and never had any issues with either. I put both of them through their paces because I drive a ton and use my trucks like trucks.

I would highly recommend them. Especially the Bakflip because you can fold them all the way up and secure them so you have full bed access while driving.

What issues did you have, if any?

None.

Why didn't you like it?

N/A

How has yours held up over time?

I had the first one for about 6 years/60K miles with zero issues. The second one I had for about a year and a half with 30K miles and zero issues.

 

Well that at least makes me feel better about the Bakflip F1 - buy once, cry once.

 

Yeah Bakflips are totally worth the money or I wouldn’t have purchased a second one. It was the first thing I bought for my Tacoma. I ordered it online the night I brought the truck home from the dealership.

I had an MX4 on my Tacoma and whatever the predecessor was on my Ram. I think it was a G-something? Just an older version of the MX4. Phenomenal bed covers.

 

Negative

 

That's awesome. The main reason I'm leaning towards the F1 over the MX4 is the aluminum finish. It hits 110+ degrees here in Las Vegas frequently and everything gets too hot to touch. And the extra dent resistance is nice.

Lol. What cover?

 

Yeah that’s smart. That MX4 did get hot in the sun and I rarely/never see heat that bad.

 

I went with the Bakflip X4S. Had it about 2+ years. First one delaminated in the hot AZ summer and was replaced under warranty. End caps popped off frequently rolling and unrolling on the first one. Second one is fine so far.

Downside is when transporting a dirt bike you'll still need to remove it. Front wheel interferes otherwise. It does get too hot to unroll and roll up in the AZ summer heat. (everything does)

Mostly happy with it overall. It stays shut 99% of the time.

If I were to do it again I'd just pony up for a shell. The extra storage space is always needed. The Lomax is highly recommended on here and a little cheaper than the Bakflip variants.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lomax-hard-tri-fold-tonneau.607175/

 

They are all going to get past hot in the Vegas area. I have the backflip G2 and its my 3rd. Only problem, if you can say problem, my truck is finally out living the G2.

 

I bought a Tonneau Roll up (not Tri-Fold) for around $120 on eBay last year. My 10 year old climbed and jumped on a few time. Now , I see water accumulate inside the bed and also on the top right corner of the cover after rain. It is , what it is.

 

I have the Diamondback HD. Very well made and super rugged. Does well at protecting what is in the bed. But if I had to do it over again I would spend the extra money and bought a smart cap. The Diamondback is very nice, but since it doesn’t fold like a tri fold if you want to load big things in the truck you need to take it off. Not the biggest deal as it’s only about 10 minutes of work but something to consider. Plus if you take your tacoma on trips and have a family you realize how limited you are with space when loading up the truck bed. A cap would allow you to load up as well to give you more room where at the cover only allows you to go so high. I do think covers look better then caps, but function wise the cap allows for better use of space for my needs.

 

I love my Bakflip. Keeps my bed treasures out of sight, safe and dry. If someone stole it I would buy another.

 

From personal experience, best advice I can give is to get a cover with the most folds, and smallest header you can. I say this because I see you have a 6ft bed. So the Bakflip mx4 (not sure about the F1) has 4 panels.

 

The Diamondback covers are sweet and you made me go look at their website again just now.

I like that the Bakflip and similar versions are thin and can flip all the way up vertically against the cab. If that didn't exist I would just fork over the money for the super durable Diamondback.

Looks like the Diamondback Switchback is a tri-fold, but you'd have to remove it like you said for full bed access. My Gator soft vinyl cover was like that and wasn't terrible. (It's funny you mention a cap because that's what I replaced my soft cover with and I've regretted it ever since - you do make a good point about more travel storage though. It's just so bulky and I rarely have a use for it.)

Maybe I'll consider the Diamondback Switchback vs Bakflip F1 a little more...