Skip to content
Choosing the right tonneau cover is one of the best upgrades you can make to your truck. A high-quality truck bed cover provides security for your gear, protects your cargo from the elements, and can even improve your truck's aerodynamics and gas mileage.
Perhaps the most innovative design of all, retractable
tonneau covers offer many of the benefits of hard folding tonneau covers
and hard roll-up tonneau covers, but all in one design.
They are secure, leak-proof and offer multi-position locking. Best of all, a retractable tonneau cover offers 100% rear window visibility - something you do not get with any other type of tonneau cover.
Plus, they just look cool! Check out our retractable tonneau covers, and read more about them in the full description within each product page.
Clearly, the biggest advantage of a retractable tonneau cover is that they lay flat - even when fully retracted - allowing you a complete, unobstructed view out of your rear window. The various slats that make up the cover slide under each other instead of piling on top of one another as is the case with hard folding or roll-up tonneau covers.
Like the other hard covers, your retractable tonneau cover locks firmly in place via the tailgate, making it next to impossible for would-be thieves to get at your cargo.
Fully sealed and leak-proof, a retractable tonneau cover also is able to handle a pretty decent amount of weight - up to 250 pounds evenly distributed with some brands.
Most important, retractable tonneau covers give you full access to all of your gear without having to remove the tonneau cover.
There are, however, some down sides to retractable covers. Because the slats retract under instead of over each other, you lose about 6 inches of storage space at the front of your truck bed when fully retracted.
The space it takes up also makes it impossible to install a toolbox in the front of your truck bed. And, of course, at a maximum of 250 pounds, a retractable tonneau cover does not support as much weight as most other hard folding tonneau covers or aluminum roll-up tonneau covers.
If you're looking for a tonneau cover that provides a lot of flexibility and affordability, an aluminum roll-up tonneau cover or soft roll-up tonneau cover might be the perfect solution.
Unlike hard folding tonneau covers that have fixed folding points, a roll-up tonneau cover allows you to cover exactly the parts of the truck bed that you need covered, leaving room for taller items to protrude above the cover and still be secure.
Additionally, roll-up covers can be rolled up all the way without blocking your rear window view while still staying attached to the truck bed.
Check out all of our roll-up tonneau covers. Within each product page is more information about the roll-up covers we offer.
Two Types of Roll-up Tonneau Covers
There are two types of roll-up tonneau covers - hard and soft. They both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Hard Roll-up Tonneau Covers
Hard roll-up tonneau covers typically are made of metal slats or metal-reinforced vinyl slats (the ones we sell are made of aluminum). They roll up or down via a track system that installs - usually
in under an hour - to your truck bed with no drilling required. The main advantage of a hard roll-up cover is security. Your cover locks with the tailgate, making it extremely difficult for thieves to get at your cargo. They also tend to be be more water-tight than a soft roll-up cover and are usually able to support 300 pounds (or more) of evenly distributed weight.
On the down side, hard roll-up tonneau covers cost a little more than soft roll-up tonneau covers. And, while it is true that they also roll up into a spool, the spool is a little larger, meaning you may lose an
extra 6 inches or so of your truck bed when fully rolled up and a little bit of
lower rear window visibility vs. a soft roll-up cover.
Soft Roll-up Tonneau Covers
Soft roll-up tonneau covers are made of fabric, are super easy to install and they roll up into a much smaller, tight spool, allowing the most truck bed access and rear window visibility. They are also one of the least expensive tonneau covers you can buy.
Unfortunately, that ease of installation and smaller rolled-up size has its disadvantages. Above all, they are not very secure at all. A pocket knife can easily slice through them, making soft tonneau covers easy prey to thieves who would love to steal your tools and valuable cargo.
They cannot hold much, if any, weight on top of them and they don't tend to be
very water-tight, meaning a lot of your cargo may get soaked during a good
rain.
Folding covers feature panels that fold towards the truck cab,
allowing for partial or full bed access. Like roll up tonneau covers, they come in both soft and hard versions.
Hard folding tonneau covers tend to be very secure and heavy duty. They are a perfect option for someone who may need to haul items on top of their cover, like a contractor. With a hard surface, these tonneau covers are also a lot less likely to be damaged by day to day use. While we offer several fantastic options, our most popular hard folding tonneau cover is the BAKFlip MX4.
Tonneau Cover HQ does not currently carry soft folding tonneau covers. However, like roll up tonneau covers, these covers tend to be more affordable and lightweight. They tend to be installed flush with the truck bed, making them an attractive option.
A few disadvantages of the hard folding tonneau cover is that it tends to block rearview access when folded up because it folds against the window. If you need to be able to have a clear view out your back window when the cover is folded, the hard folding cover may not work for you. Another issue is that a hard folding tonneau cover, while durable, can be scratched or damaged. If this happens, there is very little that can be done to hide the damage to the finish.
