Pick up truck Bed-Covers, advice please

[Melensdad]

Currently I have a metal reinforced BAK industries rolling cover on my truck. It is very secure, I have no worries about keeping valuables in the truck bed. The BAK cover is high quality and I'm generally happy with it.

But I'm selling my current truck and getting a new Honda Ridgeline.

The Ridgeline has a lockable compartment UNDER the bed that is large enough to hold a set of golf clubs. I'm thinking of getting a vinyl rolling truck bed cover from Truxedo. They seem to be high quality, but the reality is a knife can cut through them. Since the Ridgeline has a large locking under-bed compartment I figure that I don't need the added security of a rolling hard cover.

The cost of a Truxedo vinyl cover is $499
The cost of a Truxedo aluminum rolling hard cover is about $850 (on sale).
The cost of a BAK aluminum rolling hard cover is about $1000.

Anyone have any thoughts on the vinyl covers? Anyone ever have one cut open and their stuff stolen?

I don't see the added value in buying the BAK for $1K when I can buy a similar Truxedo for $850 on sale. But is there even a reason to spend $850 when I can get a quality vinyl cover for $500 and simply lock valuable tools/goods in the under-bed trunk?

 

[Doc]

I have a vinyl roll up cover that came with my truck when I purchased a few months ago. I like the cover better than the solid lift up cover on my previous truck. The down side to me is it lets water in. Not a lot but things do get wet or damp if it rains and the truck is outside.

 

[bczoom]

Here's a thread where we discussed last summer.

Truck Bed Cover

I would like to know your opinions about tri fold tonneau cover. My dad has been asking me about this product for weeks now but I can't say anything about it since I don't have one on my truck. Do you guys think that it will fit on a 2017 GMC Sierra 3500HD Denali?

www.forumsforums.com

I have or have had soft & hard covers, both of which I really like and they're referenced in the thread.

 

[Melensdad]

My BAK rolling aluminum hard cover has been 100% waterproof. So it gets points for that. It is also highly secure. Another bonus. Downside is that it can freeze if snow gets on the top of it, thaws into the locking cams and then re-freezes. Mine sits in the garage so its not really a problem for me, but if your truck sits outside then that could be a real issue.

The Truxedo rolling aluminum hard cover looks to be fairly similar to the BAK but uses industrial velcro instead of locking cams. That would make it slightly less secure from being pried open along the side rails, but it would take a lot to do that. The advantage might be that it would not freeze like the BAK cover.

My biggest question is, do I still need a hard cover at all?

We have not 'flipped' a house in a couple years, so there is no longer a need to store valuable tools in a secure bed. And since the Ridgeline has a locking "trunk" under the bed, which will hold a set of golf clubs, there is actually quite a bit of secure storage. So maybe I can get buy with a simple soft rolling cover.

Has anyone here had a rolling cover sliced open by thieves or vandals?

 

[NorthernRedneck]

I had a tonno pro roll up cover for the past 7 years on both my current 2017 f150 and my previous 2007 f150. The material was still good but the velcro needed replacing. I was gonna do it but came across a used folding hard cover (ford brand) for $150. So I picked it up.

 

[Melensdad]

Just found out that MOST of the aftermarket bed covers prevent the under-bed trunk cover from fully opening.

North Country soft rolling covers apparently work. And the Honda brand tri-fold hard cover works too.

 

[Doc]

The soft cover like I have might work. It rolls up so that 95% of the bed is available. The cover has grown on me. Nice and tight. Easy to roll up for bed access. Here is a link to their site: https://www.accesscover.com/

My truck stays inside most of the time but if left out in the rain I do end up with some water in the bed. Hopefully that is not normally an issue with this cover.

 

[Melensdad]

The soft cover like I have might work. It rolls up so that 95% of the bed is available. The cover has grown on me. Nice and tight. Easy to roll up for bed access. Here is a link to their site: https://www.accesscover.com/

My truck stays inside most of the time but if left out in the rain I do end up with some water in the bed. Hopefully that is not normally an issue with this cover.

The problem seems to be that the under bed trunk in the bed floor of the Ridgeline is the full width of the bed.

That means that any truck cover that has rails that narrow the width of the bed opening will interfere with the trunk lid. That trunk, by the way, is large enough for the spare tire, jack & a touring size golf bag with clubs, with room left over.

You can see from this photo that when the trunk lid is opened, it is very close to the inside edge of the bed rails. So if the bed cover relies on internal rails then it will not allow the trunk to full open.

 

[bczoom]

I had the same cover as Doc's. Looking at the pic, yea, it would be close as to whether your under-bed storage would lift past the rails.

 

[Doc]

I had to take a look at mine. I never noticed where it was attached. Now I see, yes, it has a rail on the inside of the bed. Looks like it might work but I see what you mean about it being close. Seems to me your best option is to talk the dealers of the bed covers you are considering asking if they've installed their cover on a Honda Ridgeline.

The Access cover only opens from the inside (tailgate must be open) and it has metal bars every 18 inches or so. So even if someone cut it to get in it would not be easy to get stuff out of the bed if the tailgate was locked. And since stuff in the bed is hidden from view it's a gamble whether or not they will find anything in the bed. So, because of all that I don't believe it is a common issue. Just my guess.

 

[Melensdad]

Well I now have a soft rolling cover on my new Ridgeline.

NORTH MOUNTAIN brand soft cover. Velcro side rail attachment. 3 cross braces. Plastic & metal latch mechanism with a wire actuator for the latching system. Secure? Nope. But it looks water tight and will at least cover the contents of the bed and should protect from rain. I figure that every brand is about 98% water tight and looks like it should be able to at least hide my stuff and keep it dry.

Cost was about $250 including shipping.

Took me nearly 60 minutes to find my Torx T30 screwdriver. But only about 40 minutes to unpack, assemble, install and adjust the North Mountain cover. For some reason it is difficult to latch down on the passenger side of the bed at the rear, but once it is down it looks good. Hoping that with a bit of fabric stretch and use that it wears in and becomes easier to latch closed.

I like the Truxedo and BAK brands much better than this one, both also cost a lot more, both are better made but both have side rails that interfere with opening the under bed trunk.

 

[Melensdad]

Just an update.

The North Mountain bed cover is good enough.

Keeps the contents underneath dry and hidden, so that is good. The central latch pull strap works well when releasing the cover and when sealing it. I think the Velcro along the side rails should be a heavier duty velcro. I also hear the cover in the wind, especially at highway speeds, since the cover is not attached to the cross rails except at the edges. So it's just like a heavy tarp that is secured at the perimeter, it sort of bounces around in the wind. Latching it closed, at night/dark, is a bit of a chore too.

All my criticisms aside, I'm still happy with it. It does exactly what I need it to do. And at $250 delivered it was a bargain.

Also it is the ONLY brand that I could find that allowed me to FULLY open the under-bed trunk on my Ridgeline. So a higher quality product that perhaps latched a bit easier, would have failed at that one, important, point of having full access to the storage trunk. I could have spent $750-$1200 on a hard rolling or folding cover and with that extra quality and security I would have lost approximately 30-35% of the access to the under-bed cargo box ... to me that seems like a dumb choice!

 

[300 H and H]

Like most anything else, a lock or a soft bed cover will keep the "honest thieves" away...
But those with intent and a plan will defeat either with out much trouble.
In a public parking area your safe with a soft top.
I do not believe the hard tops would given a bit of privacy and time, defeat a determined thief.
The last 3 trucks I have owned over the course of 20 years had all had soft tops. Never had any issue, but then again, I live in a sparsely populated area with a low crime rate.
I like to keep the beds dry, and soft tops I have owned do that, especially if you add a seal at the bottom of the tailgate.

Just my thoughts.