Tonneau Covers
Hard Tonneau Covers vs. Soft Tonneau Covers
A hard tonneau cover is more secure than a soft tonneau cover, although anyone with the right tools can break into either. With that said, I have never seen anyone in a parking lot opening up the side of a soft cover to see what was inside. But I would not leave my luggage overnight under a soft cover in a hotel parking lot. Out-of-sight, out-of-mind only goes so far.
Hard tonneau covers are more durable. They are able to handle much higher snow loads, or placing objects on top of them. Although the soft materials are very sun-resistant (manufacturers have been improving upon this for 3 decades), painted covers are generally going to be even more UV resistant.
Hard tonneau covers are generally much more expensive than soft tonneau covers.
Retractable Tonneau Covers vs. Hard Roll-Up Covers vs. Soft Roll-Up Covers
A Hard Retractable tonneau cover's top coils into a box (roughly 9" x 9" for most models) under the side rails at the front of the truck. They are self-retracting (like a tape measure), although some models use a motor to retract and deploy the cover instead of a spring and rope. These are very easy and fast to retract and deploy. Some models lock the tailgate, some do not.
A Hard Roll-Up tonneau cover's top rolls up like a sleeping bag (roughly 5" diameter) on top of the rails to the front of the truck. The top generally has the same construction concept as the retractable cover's, but it manually rolls up on top of the bed instead of retracting into a box.
A hard roll-up cover's top will provide many of the same advantages of the retractible cover's top, but without the expense of the retracting mechanism and the box to house it.
A Soft Roll-Up cover rolls up like a sleeping bag (roughly 4" diameter) on top of the rails to the front of the truck. Some covers require you to remove and store the supporting ribs, other covers have the ribs attached to the cover so that they roll up inside the cover.
A soft roll-up tonneau cover is going to be the most economical solution of all tonneau covers, although there are wide variations in features and prices. See Soft Cover Variations below for a discussion on some of these variations.
Hard Folding Tonneau Covers vs. Soft Folding Tonneau Covers
A folding tonneau cover provides fast and easy access to 2/3 of the truck bed. Some models flip against the back of the cab to give you access to 90% of the truck bed.
Many folding covers, especially the soft ones, are easy to partially or completely remove. A soft cover will be much lighter than a solid cover.
A hard folding cover has waterproof hinges between the hard panels. A soft cover has 3 rectangular frames that are hinged together, and the fabric is stretched over them.
Folding tonneau covers require opening the tailgate to access the release mechanisms. If you have a locking tailgate, then these covers are secure.
8ft bed trucks generally have 4 panels instead of 3.
Soft folding tonneau covers will be more economical than hard folding tonneau covers.
One Piece Solid Tonneau Covers
A hard, one-piece cover is often color-match painted to match the color of your truck.
One piece tonneau covers provide the easist access to the bed of the truck.
One piece solid covers come in both hard and soft designs.
There are many materials used in the hard covers: fiberglass is the most common, but there are also aluminum, steel, and plastic.
A one-piece solid cover is hinged at the front of the truck, and opens to about a 30 degree angle with gas shocks to assist in lifting the cover and to hold it open.
Soft Tonneau Cover Variations
Soft tonneau covers have greatly evolved over the last 40 years. They started off by drilling snap buttons into the side of your vehicle, and then stretching the canvas over the trucks bed rails to the snaps. The El Camino was one of the first vehicles using this concept.
Then a frame was invented that would attach to the vehicle, and the cover would snap to the frame instead of having to drill buttons into the vehicle itself. The frames were initially screwed to the truck, but now they are clamped.
Then people invented folding and tilting frame designs, in addition to the fixed design.
There is a large range of quality, and longevity, in the cover material itself. But all of the major brands utilize materials that have excellent UV, heat, and cold resistant properties that can be expected to provide over a decade of life in even the Arizona sun.
The largest variation to choose from is how the canvas attaches to the frame.
Snaps are the least expensive, but you have to unsnap and snap each and every one of them when you want to open or close the cover. Some manufacturers provide offset snaps that you flip the offset looser in the winter (for when the canvas contracts and is stiff), and flip it tighter in the summer for when the canvas is more supple in the heat.
Most snap design covers require you to remove and store the support ribs when you roll up your cover.
Velcro was the next invention. The velcro used is industrial duty: it will not wear out, although the hooks on the frame rails can get clogged or damaged. Simply roll up the cover to open it. To close the cover, unroll the canvas, tug it tightly into position, and rub your hand over the velcro to seal it. It is much easier to use, and cleaner looking, than snaps.
Most velcro designs attach the support ribs to the cover, and they roll up within the cover.
Another invention is a rubber seal that slips into a groove in the frame. There is no need to tug the cover to even out the tension as the rubber seal is always at the correct position to tension the top.
The latest invention is no snaps, velcro, or seal at all. The cover has latches that grab onto the frame as you unroll it.