Soft or Hard Tonneau Cover?

[RJinPV]

I have an Extang 2.0 Hard folding cover on my Ram 1500. It has leaked at the hinge points and around the perimeter in places, and it is a PITA to remove when you have to use the entire bed. Needless to say, that will not be my choice when my new 2023 Gladiator gets here. I bought a hard cover for the security but there have only been a few times I thought I needed the security. Most of the hard covers could be easily defeated with a crowbar anyway. I'm considering a soft cover because they're lighter and less expensive, but I'm still concerned thieves are slicing them open even if nothing is in the bed because it's so easy to do. I'm interested in other people'e experiences.

• What are your favorite soft covers and has anyone with a soft cover regretted buying it because someone sliced it open in search of stuff anyway? Would you buy a soft cover again?
• What are your favorite hard covers and has anyone with a hard cover happy they had one for that step up in security? Other reasons to buy a hard cover again?

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[mrmo]

Hard all the way....

 

[Gren71]

mopar soft rolling is the best IMO.

ive had the soft fold and the hard tri fold from MOPAR and the rolling soft was BY FAR the best.

no leaks, not once.

takes up absolutely no bed space when rolled back.

doesn't impede on the interior bed space with unnecessary extra hardware along the bed sides like other covers.

two bolts to put it on, and the same two to take it off. Makes it VERY easy to swap it on and off. I swap it for the bestop bed cover a couple times a year while camping.

 

[Jcsii]

Diamond back, not too bad to take off and put back on. Load bearing. Have had some issue with leaks but I think its an issue with also having the Billiebars installed.

 

[stingrey]

I've had my Diamondback for two years. They are expensive but durable and have excellent resale value. I often have expensive dive gear in the back and its nice to keep it locked and away from prying eyes.
Mine's been through all kinds of rain and snow. It doesnt leak.
With my Milwaukee, I can get the thing off in less 5 minutes and put it back almost as quick.
Very happy with it.

 

[johnparjr]

I had the soft Mopar and really liked it but eventually switched to hard as the soft started to sag

 

[Funwthmud]

I have the Rugged Ridge hard rolling cover. I like it, it hasn’t really leaked except from the tailgate sides. The cons of it are that it gets super hot to roll in the summer and will burn your hands. Also unlike other cover you always have to open the tailgate to open the cover.

 

[Barnaby’sdad]

Hard. Over the years, I’ve had one soft cover (roll-up with button fastener), two hard covers/tri-fold, and one camper shell (current Alu-Cab).

My two cents…there’s nothing inherently wrong with a soft cover. I.e. Velcro on the side are easy to use. The ones with button fasteners though are absolute pieces of shit and I’d never use another one…even if it was offered up for free.

A determined thief is going to get into a $4,000 camper shell, $400 soft cover, or $1,000 hard tri-fold. I bet I could break into my Alu-Cab in under 60 seconds if I wanted to.

At the end of the day, you’re just talking about which “keep honest people honest” option you’d prefer and what your budget Is.

Edit: Unless you’re dead set on a particular model and can’t find it used…my recommendation would be to buy used. I.e. Hard tri-folds. I bought my first one for my last truck new. My two cents…it wasn’t worth ~$1,000. Especially when you can find them for less than half that amount used (shameless plug for the one I have for sale in the sale forum, lol).

 

[NachoRuby]

I like the Mopar soft trifold, but it's expensive for a soft cover. I think the truck hero one is exactly the same, and cheaper. I overpaid. It keeps my stuff dry, though.

 

[93civej1]

I like my tyger tri fold soft (made for the colorado). It was cheaper than the gladiator version. I am now wanting a hard tri fold though as it appears they dont cover the bed side rails as much and I currently have a rack that would work better with one that sat more inside the truck bed sides.

 

[cafecito]

...but I'm still concerned thieves are slicing them open even if nothing is in the bed because it's so easy to do.

Well, I know this sounds a bit counter-intuitive, but you could always just leave it rolled up if there's nothing in the bed. It won't get slashed if people can clearly see that there's nothing in the bed.

 

[JeepTaco]

Tyger auto soft roll up. Just as other members have mentioned, if someone wants to get in, they will.

Figured if my soft rollup gets slashed, its much cheaper to replace. Think I paid $220 for mine off amazon.

Soft rollup also allows for full bed access wihout fully removing cover from the truck which is a huge plus for me.

 

[Barnaby’sdad]

Well, I know this sounds a bit counter-intuitive, but you could always just leave it rolled up if there's nothing in the bed. It won't get slashed if people can clearly see that there's nothing in the bed.

That and I don’t think it happens that often. Buy a $100-200 used soft bed cover (if that’s what you can afford) and it’ll keep your stuff just as dry as a more expensive cover.

If you’re hauling around expensive stuff, maybe go with an option (I.e. Hard tri-fold) that requires tools to access and takes 20+ seconds to break into, instead of a utility knife and x < 5 seconds.

Some of the hard covers look solid though. Who knows…maybe there’s some deterrent value there.

 

[RJinPV]

mopar soft rolling is the best IMO.

ive had the soft fold and the hard tri fold from MOPAR and the rolling soft was BY FAR the best.

no leaks, not once.

takes up absolutely no bed space when rolled back.

doesn't impede on the interior bed space with unnecessary extra hardware along the bed sides like other covers.

two bolts to put it on, and the same two to take it off. Makes it VERY easy to swap it on and off. I swap it for the bestop bed cover a couple times a year while camping.

Thanks for the tip! I hadn't even looked at the Mopar roll-up cover because I assumed it was a more expensive version of some other manufacturer's cover. I can see now that was a bad assumption. The lack of side rails has some advantages that I hadn't 't considered. I also like the twill fabric look better than the vinyl.

 

[Advntrbound]

I have a hard tri-fold cover, mainly because it was super cheap on the market place. I'm glad I don't live in an area where I'm constantly worried about theft.

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