A different kind of question about tonneau covers…

[Hoss]

Thanks for all the input guys! I will look through all these options this weekend when I have a bit of time. Still unsure whether I am leaning towards the tonneau or a soft topper as I still don’t want either hahaha. But I know that I will need something…

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[Escape.idiocracy]

I would love to hear a bit more about why you bought it and why not again

For the space that it takes up- it’s a waste. The drawers are handy don’t get me wrong- it holds all of my daily tools. Impact gun, sockets, first aid kit…. Everything is nice and squared away… but when it comes to the rest of the function- the fridge doesn’t fit on a slider (snomaster) is the bigger “overland” concern. With the bed being short… it’s now short and not deep….

I threw the decked system and canopy on the same day… if you are running a flip back or a soft cover….. no idea outside of cases of beer on their side what you could fit in there. If you run with no cover it “works” but the depth you have between the top rails and the decked system is low- so no dog. Or at least not my dog- she would “fall out” (not the brightest/most stable lab…)

??‍ I don’t know. I’m just saying I don’t think it’s worth the $1200…. We still have it for now- so the dislike hasn’t weighed in heavy enough to get rid of it yet…. This might also be because I only see them reselling for $5-600 and I’m not ready to take the 600 hit yet ???

 

[BearFootSam]

In my experience as your kid grows into a toddler the quantity of stuff you will find yourself toting around will grow. Strollers turn into el patin Diablos, bikes, etc. There is also the aspect that when you are juggling a toddler it becomes more difficult to do the kind of neat orderly packing and organizing you might wish to. Muddy boots, groceries, beach toys, some things from the hardware store etc., will need a home that’s not your back seat.

I was in very much the same position recently and decided to go with the softopper. It provides spacious cargo room and has in the past 6,000 miles kept everything underneath dry through torrential downpours and snow.

From a safety perspective, if you have a soft top, you will want to secure cargo so as not to invite projectiles in an accident. For a measure of security and organization I use milk crates and those yellow top resin bins to pack things and then throw a ratchet strap or two over top to lock it all down.

The added height of a softopper or similar will double your capacity and take stress out of trying to cram in those things your in laws ‘gift’ you with on the way out the door. When you don’t need it you can fold it forward and have an open top. For the cost and durability so far I’ve been very happy with it. So long as your cargo doesn’t block your view, the rear visibility is just fine. I wasn’t sold on the durability when I set it up, but after putting it through the wringer it has aged well.

TLDR: softopper - you are more likely to regret not having space than having too much.

 

[Mister Lamb]

Making sacrifices is what being a Dad is all about. As my coworker would say: suck it up buttercup (and buy the damn tonneau) cause you're gonna need it

 

[whiteglad]

I got one of those DNA tri-fold soft tonneau covers a couple weeks ago and paid more for it than the current discount price. It fits fine and seems to be decent quality. For the front clamps to attach directly to the steel bed lips, I used a propane torch to heat the blade of a box cutter and trimmed the plastic rail covers. For the rear, I made up aluminum plates to bolt to the steel rails (M6-1,0). It weighs about 30 lb, a bit less than half what most hard covers weigh, so is easy to remove, open, etc.

 

[Outside Reality Check]

Children require a level of equipment and gear only equaled by an Everest summit attempt from base camp 4. It's a lot of stuff. It will eventually be a lot of dirty stuff, and then it will be all their friend's stuff too. I never liked tonneaus - until I got one. I'll never go without one, utilitarian value beyond expression. I have the one my JTR came with, it works well, but the one's that remove easily would be preferable.

 

[PlayfulBird]

For the space that it takes up- it’s a waste. The drawers are handy don’t get me wrong- it holds all of my daily tools. Impact gun, sockets, first aid kit…. Everything is nice and squared away… but when it comes to the rest of the function- the fridge doesn’t fit on a slider (snomaster) is the bigger “overland” concern. With the bed being short… it’s now short and not deep….

I threw the decked system and canopy on the same day… if you are running a flip back or a soft cover….. no idea outside of cases of beer on their side what you could fit in there. If you run with no cover it “works” but the depth you have between the top rails and the decked system is low- so no dog. Or at least not my dog- she would “fall out” (not the brightest/most stable lab…)

??‍ I don’t know. I’m just saying I don’t think it’s worth the $1200…. We still have it for now- so the dislike hasn’t weighed in heavy enough to get rid of it yet…. This might also be because I only see them reselling for $5-600 and I’m not ready to take the 600 hit yet ???

Yikes, that sure is legit concern.
We would be paying 2000+ Euro for the drawers and also have a Snomaster Expedition 67 Dual Zone which then sits up real high, is to heavy to lift in and out with food in it and I guess with a cap or other thing over it no way to open.
The Caps are so darn expensive here and I liked the organization.
Will have to think hard about it.

 

[Rocksalt]

I have this one.... has held up well 3years now and no garage.

 

[briscoelab]

We also had the factory soft cover on ours, because installing the RSI Smart Cap. It was really nice quality and I'd get one in the future if the need arose.

 

[joeym7]

I hate that the last fold has to stay down, as there is no way to secure it up. I also still get water drips etc inside, even after adjusting. And the newest thing is that the rodents like chewing on the rubber seals. Guess what, mopar does not sell the seals separately (and no, there was and has not been any food or other things that could have attracted them).

I get some drips too if it rains with high winds...No big deal really, the bed is not meant to be a "sanitized" environment (keep that stuff in the cab). I have a thick rubber floor matt fitted and made for Gladiator (amazon has them) which catches all the waters trails. They evaporate on their own after a while...On the rodent's that is nutz, who would have thought. Not sure if they would eat a soft T. cover too or not. Maybe if you buy another hard top you can spray some anti-rodent spray on the top of the seals (?).

 

[PlayfulBird]

that is nutz

I have tried peppermint, wd40, Liqui Moly 1515, Nigrin 72291 Anti-Marten and Veddelholzer Marten Repellent Spray(and those freaken stink.). All after first using a chemical scent marker remover.
Same in the engine bay. Firewall and the sound deadening stuff under the hood looks like crap now :/
Also tried all the other tricks I can find on the internet. Beeper is next and the electric shock plates won't work as there is too many spots of ingress for the furry and too much Jeep appropriate driving. The mud will just gunk it up.
Honestly no idea, was looking at the bed soft topper and am too worried they will just go to town.
In the garage/carport and out front. Nothing I do seems to stop them, not to mention when going camping the martens of the area freak out because we smell like competing marten

 

[Escape.idiocracy]

Yikes, that sure is legit concern.
We would be paying 2000+ Euro for the drawers and also have a Snomaster Expedition 67 Dual Zone which then sits up real high, is to heavy to lift in and out with food in it and I guess with a cap or other thing over it no way to open.
The Caps are so darn expensive here and I liked the organization.
Will have to think hard about it.

If… or better yet, when we get rid of the decked system. I think we will be integrating some metal plates to the cab side of the bed to attach Milwaukee Packout boxes. Organization is important to us as well.

 

[Empty Pockets]

I have the Bak Flip tri-fold. Used the same model on my pre-Gladiator Chevy. I’m very satisfied with the tonneau. It looks nice, my stuff is secure and it has never leaked. Someone noted the lack of visibility when it is folded up against the rear of the cab. If you are hauling a dirt bike, a washing machine, or something else that requires you to fold it up…… your visibility is impaired anyway. Besides, you have your 2 side mirrors and can always turn your back-up camera on at the touch of the screen.

I am, however, seriously considering a Softopper type cap. This is not because of any shortcomings on the tonneau,but rather because the bed of the Gladiator is so shallow. The Bak Flip will not seal down on my small to mid sized Yeti cooler. Weekend travel with my wife and kid is a stretch get everything locked down under the cover. With a baby, OMG….. you will not believe the crap you will haul around. And as the child grows, it will be tricycle, bicycle, little electric cars, etc. none of these will fit under a tonneau. Nor will you want to just leave them unattended in the Target parking lot while you run inside for yet another thing that you left at home and can’t do without.

I’d go for the cap.

 

[PlayfulBird]

Softopper

Pretty clean look and folded @Hoss you are the no topper/cover guy that you want. I dig! Probably not the most secure.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Secure enough. Locks are for honest people and all that. I think I’d put a low platform in the bed to slide tools, Gun cases, etc under. It would be very difficult to get underneath it with the tailgate locked.

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