Lets talk about bed covers

[thetruth1983]

I have the factory Mopar cover. The bed stays dry and it's easy to fold it back when I need the space. I don't like the look of it but it does the job for now. I'm toying with the idea of getting the Diamondback since I used to have one on my F-150. It's hard the justify the price for several reasons. The main being that although it can support 1600 pounds, my Overland only has a payload of 1k. Add in a few passengers and I'd only be able to carry 300-400 pounds on the Diamondback if I'm lucky. I assume that would be the same story for most mid-sizes trucks, yet, the price for the JT cover is the same that someone would pay for a 6'4" cover on a Dodge Ram.

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[mazeppa]

The only thing nitpicking fault I have with Diamondback is the placement of the opening mechanism on the top surface of the cover. On rare occasions the openers were kind of in the way when loading a large flat item (had to use padding and spacers).

 

[Bestop]

I'll say that I haven't previously been a big tonneau guy, but I really like having and operating both our EZ Roll and the OEM Tonneau. It gets completely out of the way without a struggle and is just as easy to roll out and cover the bed up. The premium Twill material is a big plus. It lets you still retain the truckness of having a truck.

Lee
- the Bestop team
www.bestop.com

 

[JTPatriot]

I'll say that I haven't previously been a big tonneau guy, but I really like having and operating both our EZ Roll and the OEM Tonneau. It gets completely out of the way without a struggle and is just as easy to roll out and cover the bed up. The premium Twill material is a big plus. It lets you still retain the truckness of having a truck.

Lee
- the Bestop team
www.bestop.com

Last I looked on the site it said backordered. Plus I did not see an option for the twill cover. I do like the besttop so are they back in stock and what about the twill?

 

[JTPatriot]

The Diamond back is a good looking cover, sturdy and looks to be good quality. I just can not justify $2000 for a cover. So looks like it will be a soft cover, one that rolls up as I think the trifolds would take up to much precious cargo area for tall items. My experience has always been you do not need the room until you are away from home and need to carry something tall. Now what do you do with the cover if you remove it. They all do have there places and uses so none are wrong just my needs.

 

[Bestop]

Last I looked on the site it said backordered. Plus I did not see an option for the twill cover. I do like the besttop so are they back in stock and what about the twill?

Hey @JTPatriot
The Twill is just as simple as a color select near the top of the product page, here.

It is still on backorder but we are running at a high capacity and have several trucks of product per week leaving our facilities .

Lee
- the Bestop team
www.bestop.com

 

[AmishMike]

I went with the Tyger roll up for the Colorado. I've used trifolds in the past on my full size trucks with excellent results. Since the Gladiator bed is so small, I figured I may need all of the bed open more often. A roll up gives me that flexibility without having to completely remove it. The bed stays dry with this cover. I'm pleased with it's performance so far.

Any pictures on fit etc.? Looks like it has cross bars as part of the cover that roll up with it? Velcro on the sides?
Thanks!

 

[firehog]

The Diamond back is a good looking cover, sturdy and looks to be good quality. I just can not justify $2000 for a cover. So looks like it will be a soft cover, one that rolls up as I think the trifolds would take up to much precious cargo area for tall items. My experience has always been you do not need the room until you are away from home and need to carry something tall. Now what do you do with the cover if you remove it. They all do have there places and uses so none are wrong just my needs.

I have the BAK Revolver X4. Paid $900. Hard roll up. Easy to remove if necessary. Looks great. So far holding up very well and keeps everything dry. I would say the only con would be the rails that remain when you roll it up or remove it. They can be in the way and you have to be cautious not to damage them.

 

[mnf1fan]

I just installed the Truxedo Lo Pro soft top ($500) . My last Truxedo lasted 15 years so it was a no brainer of what I was going to buy for the Gladiator. Install was pretty straight forward and super simple removal if you have the need. Also, the Customer Service was awesome when I had a a few questions. (thanks Jamie)

 

[brianinca]

I am not a tonneau fan, in fact I passed on a JTR with the factory tonneau. My sweetie IS a fan, so I bought the Mopar soft tri fold. If I had seen/found an aftermarket product with a reasonable price that had as solid a mounting system I would have considered it, but between the sketchy clamps and incompatibility with the factory rail system, the engineering of the factory tonneau decided things.

A buddy of mine with a 2019 RAM has a slick segmented aluminum hard rollup. I thought I wanted something like that, but the clamp attachments and rails and all that mess made me re-think it. He showed me last week where one of the rear clamps has failed, it's just a PITA.

For $500 at @AllMoparParts.com it was very much worth it to just go with the factory option. Worked great at Hollister, had all our luggage and gear covered and dust free at the end of the day.

 

[staros]

These are very interesting discussions.

While I do like the roll up covers, does anyone have an issue that they are not lockable?

I am looking for a cover that can lock but it seems they are not practical if you need to haul larger items.

I know the Diamond Back is but it takes up space other than the folder rear portion.

The ones with cartridges that the cover rolls up into take space on the sides and rear.

Any insights?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[DAVECS1]

So I have been through three covers. 2 aluminum slat roll up and my final cover now a trifold. The first aluminum roll up was a tuxedo. The clamps and seals were a pain to install, and it would buffet with the top off. The second was a rollback XT and it was better but the clamps did not keep.the rails secured square and they moved if bumped with cargo. The third trifold has been my favorite. It is from rugged ridge and it utilizes the factory bolt holes in the bed to hold the rails. The rails are not going any where. The top attached to the rails with two clamps and when sealed down the tailgate shuts with a solid thunk, like a car door on an old buick. It provides a great seal and has been through two interstate rainstorms and kept my stuff dry.

 

[ScarCase]

I'm a big fan of my Ace Upper Decker. It feels extremely secure and is just about waterproof with only the slightest amount of water getting in during the worst rainstorms. I can also strap plenty on top. My only complaint is that it is a bit tough to access things at the very front of the bed- I wish it opened further.

https://aceengineeringandfab.com/products/ace-jt-gladiator-upper-decker

 

[Oak4627]

I picked up a Gator SFX tri fold soft cover on a prime day from Amazon. It's only been about a week since I installed it but its great so far.

 

[AmishMike]

It appears that everyone is installing their covers over the bedrail protectors?

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