Tonneau decision regrets?

[Cian]

I will be buying my first ever tonneau cover in the next week.

I've narrowed it down to the soft Truxedo (possibly Deuce) or the hard Undercover.

My question is, for those who went with a roll up soft tonneau like the Truxedo, did you end up regretting it and wish you went with a hard top instead?

Likewise, for those who have gone with a hard tonneau, have you ever wished you originally had gone with a soft rollup?

The way I use my truck, I can see benefits and disadvantages either way, but I was just hoping to learn from other folks' experiences to help guide my decision.

And how do either hold up in winter? I'm a bit concerned about the soft rollups given I live in the snowbelt.

TIA.

[Trucker1967]

I got a Extang Trifecta ... its a tri-folding soft cover (10 year warranty), New install from box to truck takes maybe 5 minutes, crazy nice everyone that has seen it loves it ... does not leak a drop either, take about 5 seconds to open and fold it and can be taken totally off in about 2 minutes ... very, very wide cross bars on it and I could not be happier with it, got it Brand New on ebay for $299 ... its the same design as the Extang Solid Fold but instead of it being like the Solid Fold mine is soft ... oh and yeah and mine was about $400 cheaper lol ... I wanted the solid fold but no way could I justify paying that much more for it being hard cover (didnt want to worry about the hinges leaking on the hard cover either)... like others have said any bed cover soft or hard will keep the honest out of the bed, the theives can get into a solid fold about as easy as a soft cover.

I do not regret it one bit, I was die hard on getting a Fold-A-Cover G4 Elite but in the end I just could not justify the price and I am now glad I didnt get it to tell you the truth.

[Cian]

Thanks for those insights!

Originally Posted by Trucker1967

... I am now glad I didnt get it to tell you the truth.

Is that simply based on the price savings, or are there other factors?

A hard trifold is almost like the best of both worlds. Hmm...

[123Gone]

Well, if you like the Trifecta (I do) but you want a hard cover, go with the Extang Solid Fold. It's JUST LIKE the Trifecta except it's made of powdercoated aluminum.

[schaf921]

I just wanted one that covered things if I was storing stuff or if it was raining. Went with an inexpensive soft top, rollup. No regrets whatsoever. Very convenient, easy to deal with and I just roll it down when needed.

Granted, I don't carry tools and use it as a work truck so perspective would be different if I kept expensive items in the back all the time.

[greg hazlett]

I like the undercover as I can walk on it to wash/wax the top...it is very sturdy and will handle the weather well..it is awkward to take on and off by yourself though....

[Cian]

Thanks guys.

I've been doing a lot of reading on this forum on tonneau threads, and heavily considered each and every style/brand.

Truxedo - If I had gone with a soft roll up, I would've gone this way. Possibly the Deuce model. But I was rather concerned about what the condition of these soft tops would be after a few years, especially with our hard Chicago winters.

Softopper - I thought this was pretty cool in a Mad-Max-Beyond-Thunderdome sort of way. Would allow me to keep larger gear out of the weather, especially my bikes. However, I did not like the fact that I had to install velcro on the paint of my tailgate, nor did this appear to be a permanent solution. Although I won't have a cover on the bed year round, which ever one I choose will most likely be on the truck all winter.

Tri fold concept - A few manufactures make these. I didn't get a soft tri fold for the same reason I didnt get a soft roll up. Obviously, I don't have the benefit of first hand experience with one of these units, but I have been through a lot of Chicago winters, and ours can be brutal! The hard tri-folds were novel, but I also have a bike rack that mounts to the top of my truck bed caps. The soft roll ups or tri-folds all require that I mount a frame to the top or inside edge of my truck bed, which would require that I remove the frames to use my fork-mount bike bar.

Undercover - This is what I ended up going with. Hard enough so that it'll stand up to our winters and certainly "more secure" in a perception kind of way, yet light enough that I can take it off by myself supposedly. It'll pretty much be on my garage wall during the warmer months (I've lived without a cap all these years so I won't necessarily miss it) but it will be on the truck all winter.

I'm looking forward to having a cap to be able to keep my gear out of the weather. The first use will be for a camping trip in a couple weekends, which is what brought this whole notion up in the first place. I was envisioning having all my gear in the cab for security reasons, and I said screw it- I've got too much crap so I gotta get a cap.

I ordered one through a local dealer and it should be here in a couple days.

Thanx all!