Tonneau cover | convince me

[Monkey]

If you park your truck where it snows, you want a tonneau. So much easier to push snow off than it is to shovel it out of the bed.

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[Henry Ford]

I'm in my fourth hard tri-fold. The first three water-logged over time from - I assume - the carwash. I probably would have tried an aluminum roll-up cover if my Lightning didn't come with a cover. I considered selling the tri-fold and buying a roll-up but came to the conclusion that I don't want to give up the bed space required for the roll-up I was interested in. Maybe the new tri-fold won't waterlog.

I have three car seats in the backseat so it is pretty much useless for cargo. I haven't used the bed since I bought the truck in December because it has been replaced by the frunk, I love the frunk! That will change as it gets warm and outdoor home projects start.

So...

 

[PrivateJoker]

Lomax has a hard cover that's very easy to remove. Looks good on the F150.

 

[GarageMahal]

Extang solid fold 2.0 - only 2/3 access but easy to take off entirely when full access needed - no tools, no rails, quick and easy. I really wanted something I could sit or stand on. Love it with my BedRug Impact liner. Check with @Realtruck to see if they are offering any unadvertised discounts.

 

[Broonarmy]

Super useful thread! I really like the look of that Peragon!

However I am constraining myself to tonneau covers that allow for T-slots so I can add rails (for bikes, canoes etc..). Not convinced I am over complicating things but if I decide to go this route it looks like my only options are the pricey RetraxPro XR and RetraxOneXR.

Anyone know of other options that allow for T-slots?

 

[ZeroOptionLightning]

Really struggling to pick between a hard roll up like the X4s and a hard flip
like the MX4.

X4s con: can’t partially roll it up. But is this even a concern?

MX4 con: complete bed access leaves the rear window blocked. I have a pro with no bed camera.

Con for both: can’t access the back of the bed without folding/rolling it all the way up.

Convince me why one style the the “correct” choice! Obviously they both have their pros and cons, so there is not correct answer without knowing all the personal requirements

thanks!!

Peragon: best of both worlds. Hard cover that doesn't block the rear window when "opened".
There are a couple drawbacks. Price is up there... Also, if you have something slide to the front of the bed and come to rest where the cover retracts to, well, you can't open the cover. So if you don't have a grabber stick to get whatever slid back to the front, you'd have to climb in under the cover and pull the box or whatever out of the way. bed divider is also another common solution. That's the way I went but not just because of the cover. I just hate in general when stuff slides to the front of the truck. Maybe if I was taller, it wouldn't be an issue...

 

[LightningSauce]

I ordered an X4S yesterday straight from their website. Got $50 off for just asking over chat. I've had tri-folds in the past wanted to try something new and I like the look of the X4S when closed.

 

[davehu]

I'll be watching tis thread. I had a silverado a few years back with an Extang and really liked it. simple install, 5 minutes, no tools required. was leaning towards another one until I saw mention of the Peragon. looks good. anyone know how much weight it will hold when closed. I'd like something I can stand on. Have used that in place of a ladder many times.

 

[luebri]

Super useful thread! I really like the look of that Peragon!

However I am constraining myself to tonneau covers that allow for T-slots so I can add rails (for bikes, canoes etc..). Not convinced I am over complicating things but if I decide to go this route it looks like my only options are the pricey RetraxPro XR and RetraxOneXR.

Anyone know of other options that allow for T-slots?

https://truxedo.com/elevate-ts-rails

https://www.accesscover.com/lorado/

I have the Truxedo TS rails installed with an Access Larado soft roll up. Very happy with the set up for the price.

I did not want to lose the depth in the bed (hard roll up) or have the window covered (tri-fold) when rolled up.

 

[Oafy44]

Super useful thread! I really like the look of that Peragon!

However I am constraining myself to tonneau covers that allow for T-slots so I can add rails (for bikes, canoes etc..). Not convinced I am over complicating things but if I decide to go this route it looks like my only options are the pricey RetraxPro XR and RetraxOneXR.

Anyone know of other options that allow for T-slots?

I have the retrax pro XR. Yes it’s $2k but I can lock it in any position I want and you can add bike racks ect to the rail system.

all in all I’m happy with it. Almost went with the backflip but once I realized I could lock the XR in any position that’s what sealed it for me.
We have had tons of rain here in Georgia this winter and has held up very well. Not waterproof but pretty darn close. No sitting water- just a little damp sides which I’m ok with

 

[RickLightning]

I'll be watching tis thread. I had a silverado a few years back with an Extang and really liked it. simple install, 5 minutes, no tools required. was leaning towards another one until I saw mention of the Peragon. looks good. anyone know how much weight it will hold when closed. I'd like something I can stand on. Have used that in place of a ladder many times.

You're not standing on the Peragon, unless you're Tinkerbell, limit of 50 pounds... https://peragon.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360048973773-How-much-weight-can-I-put-on-it-

 

[EdwinT]

You're not standing on the Peragon, unless you're Tinkerbell, limit of 50 pounds... https://peragon.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360048973773-How-much-weight-can-I-put-on-it-

Wow that’s pretty bad. That combined with the glossy painted look (easy to scratch) and also the point someone brought up about not being able retract it when something slide against the back of the bed…would be a no go for me. I plan to purchase the X4s this week

 

[davehu]

You're not standing on the Peragon, unless you're Tinkerbell, limit of 50 pounds... https://peragon.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360048973773-How-much-weight-can-I-put-on-it-

figured that would be the answer. Thanks, you saved me a phone call Monday. I'll stick with the Extang.

 

[Maxx]

And then picked up 2 travelers from the airport each with a full sized suitcase. Didn’t fit anywhere except the truck bed. It was raining and their stuff ended up getting wet. (I guess I learned not even hard suitcases are actually waterproof)

After that I decided to get a tonneau cover. This has been my first truck and I also originally thought the frunk would mean I don’t need to care about the truck bed.

On the pro side, after this, they will think twice before visiting for a long stay (large suit case) or a stay at all which will give you the chance to travel instead of staying in and hosting.

We are trying to turn a truck into a sedan. I am thinking to just enjoy driving topless as I have in the old truck for over a decade. I carry a tarp for occasional protection from weather. There is something cool about just dropping stuff in the back without worrying about taking a cover off and putting it back on.

Of course we have a SUV as well and we rarely use the truck’s second row to carry people. If it was our only vehicle, I may feel differently.

I have the Truxedo TS rails installed with an Access Larado soft roll up.

This is a very attractive option I considered but ultimately I had to pass because it covers two of the tie downs and most importantly the rack is not easy to remove or adjust the hight of like my old rack. when I am not carrying a kayak on the rack (most of the time) with lightning, I would want it bellow roofline. And when I go to the local dump, I don’t want to be harassed for having a lather rack so I remove one of them very quickly with a latch. So I am thinking no cover and old racks for me.

the old racks

Edit: anyone covering their bed and feeling a bit geeky, please do a mi/KWh before and after test in similar conditions and let us know how much if any difference there is in efficiency.

 

[Monkey]

You're not standing on the Peragon, unless you're Tinkerbell, limit of 50 pounds... https://peragon.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360048973773-How-much-weight-can-I-put-on-it-

I wouldn't trust standing on most any tonneau cover out there. Including the Extang or any of the covers mentioned in this thread. Most of the Extang hard folding covers have distributed weight limits between 200 and 500 lbs, the new ALX is 600 lbs. Or max weight limit from 35lbs to 88lbs, depending on which cover and bed size.

The Peragon is a bit lower in this regard, 50lbs limit or 300lbs distributed when on the Lightning. Lower compared to some of the other folder options out there, but the focus was to keep the weight down and make it quick and easy to lift in and out of the truck.

There are covers out there I would be comfortable standing on, but then again, they're usually made for this purpose or to load and strap gear on top of -- like the ones from Diamondback Covers. Different beast altogether...

My biggest concern with the Peragon is stuff sliding to the front of the bed can obstruct the cover. We'll see how it goes, but I don't usually have a problem with stuff sliding around in my bed. Or if I know it's going to slide around, I'll usually strap it or contain it somehow.

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