First pickup ever – need advice on hard bed covers for winter + full bed access

[K6CCC]

Personally I have had three pickups and always put a cab high (or higher) shell on it. For my Lightning, the shell is in manufacturing currently. I would not even consider a tonneau cover. Not enough space and you can't practically get into it with the cover closed (think raining or snowing). On many an occasion I have slept in the bed of the trucks so having the cab high shell works far better.
I do remove the shell a couple times every year and can be removed or reinstalled in about 10 minutes and takes a minimum of two people (three or four is better) to lift it on or off the truck.
Not practical if you need to take it on and off very regularly. Note, I can easily put a bike into the bed under the shell.

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[TaxmanHog]

which roll up do you have? I have a BAK Revolver X4s and I find it to impede less than a fold up my buddy has on his. Mine rolls up on the surface, so likely the difference. I also like that the roll up does not block the rear window.

I got this from Ford parts and installed it myself a month after buying the Lightning.

 

[flypony53]

I got this from Ford parts and installed it myself a month after buying the Lightning.

Thats is the same one I have. Bak is the generic, not the Ford branded one. All the research I did at the time stated they were the same. I found a better deal at the time on the one I ordered. I was thinking you had the Retrax that has the box in the bed. My buddy that has that one regrets buying it due to the space in the bed.

 

[Tfarrell73]

I verified that the Ford is made by BAK when I bought mine. Dealer wanted $100 more than I paid at dealer installed

 

[gheron75]

Hi everyone,

This is my first pickup ever. I’m in Norway, where it’s basically EVs only these days, so the F-150 Lightning was the first truck I could even consider. Not much local experience here with pickups, so I’m trying to learn from you guys who’ve been doing this for years.

We get a lot of snow in the winter, so I’m looking for a hard bed cover that can handle winter weather, but I also need full bed access for transporting motocross bikes (Talaria Sting and sometimes a KTM 390). I’ve now realized it’s also nice just having the bed open for hauling other large stuff, so easy and quick access matters.

I’ve mostly been looking at hard roll-up covers and hard trifold covers that can flip all the way up against the cab window. But the YouTube reviews all seem to assume you live in the U.S. and have had pickups forever, so I’m missing some practical “real-life” pros and cons – especially in snow and freezing temps.

What would you recommend for:

• Full bed access without losing too much space inside the bed
• Surviving heavy snow without constant cleaning
• Easy one-person operation (with kids running around)
• Driving 70mph with full ved access

Any tips, experiences, or things I should be aware of?


Thanks in advance!

Greetings Norpan,
I have a Line-X Stealth tri-fold on mine-- from what I've heard, it's identical to the BAKflip MX4. As you mentioned, it folds up against the back window and locks in place, and that hasn't been a problem for me at 70mph.
I easily fold it up and put it back down by myself.
It'll hold the heavy snow, and it's it's relatively easy to clean. Last winter I had ~26 cm of snow on it, and I just took a broom and pushed it off the other side.
While it's not 100% waterproof, it's been out in pouring rain and thunderstorms, and it has stayed 99% dry under there right after.
I've been really impressed with it and don't have any negatives!
Good luck!

 

[Newton]

I had a Bakflip cover (heck I still have it if anyone is interested). It worked pretty well and was better than the roll up that I had on another truck. I was happy with it but it is not completely watertight so I’d put important stuff in waterproof boxes.

I got an ARE canopy last year and it is completely worth it. It is watertight, tall enough for the bicycles to be carried upright, has bars on top for carrying stuff, and locks automatically with the truck. The only disadvantage is that you can’t load gravel and dirt like I used to but we have another truck for that. Part of the reason that I can’t load dirt is that now that we can just toss in unprotected stuff my wife wants the bed to be clean. I am allowed to carry garbage, and you can carry a lot more with a canopy.

With the canopy + frunk we have an enormous amount of space which we still seem to fill up.

(Note do not carry your Kayaks this way on the freeway, this was a short trip on 35mph roads.)

 

[RLXXI]

Not yet on the Lightning but my other truck, a 13 xlt, I've had two different style tonneau. 1st was a Bak Roll X, predecessor to the Revolver, it eventually degraded cosmetically to the point I couldn't stand to look at it, still worked but the sun did it's thing.

Replaced it with a Pace Edwards Switchblade retractable. I like it much better for a couple of reasons, namely it retracts into a can at the bulkhead that doesn't take a lot of space, another reason, it is not covered with a vinyl soft cover type material, it's coated in something over aluminum, works great but it's still young and now that I have the new truck, it's highly likely it won't get used much if any ever again.

So there's two reviews of different type and now I'm in the same boat as you, lol, what do I want to try next? Another Pace? hmm, maybe a trifold this time, gahhh. So I feel you brother, decisions decisions.

 

[Heliian]

Try a season with no cover.

If you think you'll need one then something easily installed/removed like a lightweight trifold.

I've never been a fan of covers, I'm in and out of the box all the time and carrying items that are higher than the box rails.

Snow accumulated in the box helps keep things from sliding around too.


Covers are great for keeping stuff relatively dry and out of sight. Shop around and have a look in person if you can, even if it's not on a Ford, they're mostly the same.

 

[RLXXI]

fvc

Try a season with no cover.

If you think you'll need one then something easily installed/removed like a lightweight trifold.

I've never been a fan of covers, I'm in and out of the box all the time and carrying items that are higher than the box rails.

Snow accumulated in the box helps keep things from sliding around too.


Covers are great for keeping stuff relatively dry and out of sight. Shop around and have a look in person if you can, even if it's not on a Ford, they're mostly the same.

I was never a fan of covering the box either until some inconsiderate ah decide them walking with an empty can, bag, insert whatever was inconvenient and my truck bed was the newest garbage can. Living in the city sucks sometimes.

 

[PreservedSwine]

I'm a cyclist and when I was shopping for a cover, I didn't want one that rolled up or flipped up as it wouldn't work with bike rack bars. I also didn't want a cover that rolled up into a permanent box behind the cab and took up bed space. I settled on the Peragon as it folds up without taking off the bike rack bars and it doesn't have a box in the bed taking up space. So this works well for me... when I need to haul stuff, I fold up the cover and remove it and pull off the bike rack bars if I absolutely need to.

Love that. I have a roll up with bike rack. I didn't realize you could get the rack on without the rails that are part of the roll up. I miss the space the roll-up cartridge needs.

 

[Shabbaman]

The Bak X4S easily rolls up with minimal effort, but does not block your rear window view like a trifold. It does not impede any of the bed space either. I find it to be the perfect solution.

I have the BAK Revolver also, and I love it. It does have a major problem in the winter. In freezing weather the vinyl skin on top of the aluminum slats will freeze up and won’t let the mechanism roll freely. Basically need to wait for the weather to warm up a little bit. If I lived in Norway I would probably look for something else.

 

[jetfixr1]

Ive had my gator trifold since 2016, its held up well. Just faded from the sun but otherwise, that thing is tough.

 

[RickKeen]

BAK XS4 Revolver for me. Easy to open and close, impedes the bed minimally, and plenty of strength for moderate snow load.

Photo with bed loaded with some stuff:

 

[norpan]

Thanks for all the replies! A lot of good input and feedback, thanks!

I will take a closer look on the options that are available here in Oslo over the weekend, sounds like both types are great options, but need to look at the specific models.

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