If you love your pickup truck, what you probably love the most about it is the wide open truck bed that comes with it. After all, that’s what makes it a “pickup truck”! But sometimes, when you are hauling sensitive or expensive gear, that whole open feature might not be an ideal situation.
In such cases, you have to either leave your trust in your fellow man and the weather gods, or you have to move your stuff in-and-out every time you get out of the truck.
The obvious solution is buying a truck bed cover or a tonneau cover, but with so many options available in the market today, it can become overwhelming to choose the right one. Well, that’s what we are here for. We have broken down some of the most popular types of tonneau covers so you can make the best decision based on your budget and needs.
Hard vs. Soft Tonneau Covers
As a jeep owner, you may already know that it doesn’t take much to cut through vinyl or canvas – just like soft tonneau covers. While soft covers are still useful in keeping the weather out, but they don’t provide much of real security. A soft tonneau cover is a prudent choice if you have a tight budget and you just want something to keep your stuff out of sight and out of weather.
Hard tonneau covers stay locked and secured with the tailgate when closed, and if you want to access the bed, you just need to pop the tailgate and fold it back. You can also choose a hard retractable cover that can retract into a canister at the bulkhead, and then close with a lock and key when you’re ready to park the truck somewhere.
Soft Bed Toppers
A soft bed topper is like a Jeep soft top but for the back of your truck bed. It will keep your things out of sight and protected, and you’ll still be able to roll up the windows for easy access to your gear. If you camp in your truck, and need to open/close the windows as necessary, this is an astute option.
While these are cheaper, lighter, and more convenient alternative to a hard fiberglass top, keep in mind that these will have similar downsides to a Jeep soft top cover when it comes to security.
Organizers and Additional Security
Regardless of what type of tonneau cover you choose, it should have extra security and organizational tools. This can be in the form of locking drawer systems, sectioned off cargo organizers, or some other feature.
These are perfect for keeping recovery gear (like jumper cables and d-rings) and hand tools all dry, organized, and in one spot where they are always visible to you. If you have any questions or concerns about your specific setup, feel free to contact our Jeep experts.