TONNEAU COVER OR BED CAP???

I am exploring both options right now. Obviously the bed cap provides more dry storage but comes at a significantly higher cost... let alone if I want it color matched. I haul a fair bit of firewood and other things year-round and fell like the bed cap would have less accessibility deeper into the bed. On the other hand, my wife and I go camping out of the truck 3-4 times a year and that extra storage the cap provides would be pretty great. I had a relatively cheap ($400) Tonneau cover before, it was canvas, and the South Carolina sun disintegrated it within 2 years. Before it cracked apart I was pretty happy with it. I am interested in the "hard" (maybe some sort of composite/ aluminum/ plastic combo) tri-fold covers but have never had any personal experience with them. Does anyone have an opinion one way or another? I am looking for longevity but at the same time I don't know how much money I want to sink into my truck with 190k miles on the clock... It's all up in the air.

 

I went with a rigid tonneau from Rugged Liner and am pretty happy with it. Easy to remove when you don't want it. Easy to put back on. Here's mine:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rugged-liner-e-series-tonneau.551072/

 

To make things easier to access in the back you could install a drawer system like Decked’s Cargoglide. But, if cost is an issue I’d stick with the tonneau cover.

 

I have the soft version Tonneau as we dont have the brutal sun to deal with, and I LOVE being able to remove it and install it as needed. With a cap, your limited. AND if youre camping, the tonneau can still carry gear and keep it dry...Just my 2 cents...

 

I'm thinking you need to explore the world of softoppers. Keeps things dry. Room for gear. Rolls up and away when needed. Can be had for tonneau prices.




Plus it looks cool.

 

That's very similar to what I am looking at, I think I might go that direction. Thank you for the input!

 

I really like Softtoppers for a lot of reasons. Lack of ability to lock and secure gear was the issue for me.

 

I am really concerned with longevity when it comes to soft tops... I've seen multiple in the wild that are in pretty poor shape... obviously I don't know how old they are. I feel like the soft top cover is a similar to a Jeep soft top cover... once you get a few miles on them you'll unzip it and it'll never zip back up the same way. How long have you had yours??

Also do you have to drill into the bed rails to mount it?

 

I bought mine in 2016. It's been on two trucks. I'm looking to replace the front and rear vinyl, but the canvas itself is still in good shape.

No drilling needed, it clamps onto the rail system.

Here's what it looks like as of five seconds ago, dirt, warts, and all.

 

Cap all the way

 

I've had both hard shell canopy and one piece solid tonneau. Both were great, but the canopy just had SOOO much more space. It did require me to hop into the truck bed to grab stuff a lot more, though. The tonneau is great for smaller loads, but really hinders what all your can carry. My camping load usually was too high to keep under the bed rails 100% in my 5ft bed. Depending on amount of stuff you carry, that's where the decision should be made.

Another good thing on the tonneau is they are much easier to take on and off, in case you do need to haul something tall. I've carried many things on my 16 foot car trailer that would have easily fit in my bed if not for the canopy... But at the same time, trailer is so much lower and easier to load. Pluses and minuses for every setup.

 

I love the decked idea and would like to see one in person... I feel like there is a trade off because you lose a lot of vertical depth (or height) in the bed... like I mentioned I haul quite a bit of wood as a side gig and I worry about depth capacity...

 

I really like the dark color. I've seen a couple of soft tops in a brown/tan color that looked pretty rough. Has yours had any issues with the sun fading the color? In the south east that sunshine is a bastard...

 

I am 6'6" and 250lbs... climbing up in that bed with a cap on it may be interesting haha

 

I think he was talking about Decked CargoGlide, not the bed drawers. You lose some space, but these are pretty cool, especially if under a canopy. easily get to stuff up front!

 

Yes and no. Its still too dark to notice, but it is not the black color it was when new. Its not just sun, but dust also. The hardest hit are the plastic buckles, I recently started replacing a couple of those (softopper has a nice page of spare parts that I have bought from on occasion). Still, it requires maintenance just like any other piece of equipment. Regular cleanings and the twice-annual 303 dressing will keep it shiny.

 

i have a BakFlip trifold thats done its job for the last 7 years but out of pure laziness and convenience id likely go retractable now. something like this really sparks my interest just $$$

https://tonneaucoversworld.com/p/retraxone-xr-tonneau-cover/v/toyota/tacoma/2014/

 

okay, ill say the truck cap is nice, i wish my side windows opened like my back glass. im 6'2 and i keep a shovel in the back of my 5ft box to hook stuff to pull it out when it ends up at the front of the truck bed in my cap.

would also look at the soft topper, because removing my truck cap sucks when i need the bed space. my friend has one on his Tacoma, and one on his Tundra and swears by them. if I didn't have my cap that is what id buy.

 

I've had a hard cap on every truck I've owned since the 1970's. That is my preference, but the way prices are going for them I have to admit that I may look at a soft top next time around. I paid $900 for the cap on my 2007 and $1500 for the cap on my 2014 F150. I don't think you can get one under $3000 anymore.

I use my truck for travel, hunting and hauling. I've been from GA to Miami, Montana, Maine and everywhere in between with my camping and hunting gear secure and dry in the back. And it is easy enough to hose it out after I use the truck to haul off trash and firewood.

Tonneau covers are more in the way than helpful, and the hard ones aren't that much less expensive than a hard shell.

Regardless of which way you go, even if you choose to buy nothing, you really need a utility trailer if you own a Tacoma. Even the 6' beds aren't long, wide, or deep enough to haul much of anything. And with payloads of around 1000 lbs you ain't gonna carry much weight in one. I can haul more volume and weight in my 10X6 utility trailer than I could put in the 8' bed of a 3/4 ton truck and tow it with ease. Plus it is easier to load/unload and you don't beat up the bed.

 

Yup that is what I was referring to. The CargoGlide doesn't cause you to lose a lot of height in the bed and certainly makes it easier to access all of its contents. I have their drawer system and love it, but you definitely lose a lot of vertical height, but worth it if you need to store, organize, and secure a lot of gear.