Pickup Truck Topper

[FishFood]

Alright, I want to cover my bed somehow, but Im not sure what the best method is. (hard tonneau, soft tonneau type, big fiberglass shell, etc)

What do you have? Why? Pictures?!

[snagel]

Each obviously have their pro's and con's. I've got the hard tonneau - does not block the back window like a hard shell does, yet gives some security on things in bed (dive gear). Soft tonneau - provides some security and allows you to roll back when need to use as a truck. I like the hard tonneau - kinda middle ground, but the only PIA is when have to take it off to haul something large. (I actually have two trucks - one with open bed and one covered so not that big of an issue, but before was taking tonneau on and off frequently).

Snagel

[Straegen]

Hard shells have a lot of pros and a lot of cons. Usually they are too heavy to manage by yourself, you need a large place to stow them if you are carrying big items since it has to come off and you usually have to plan ahead for that kind of use. The rolling covers are very nice if you don't mind giving up a few inches of your cargo bed. I have a Ridgeline which has a smaller bed than a traditional truck so I went with the BackFlip which covers the bed and then flips up consuming zero space in the bed. They aren't as durable as the roll or hard covers though. I personally don't like soft covers as they don't really add any security but some like them since they tend to look nice and are usually the least expensive.

If I had a full bed, I would probably install a rolling setup personally otherwise I would go with the Backflip.

[JahJahwarrior]

I had a soft tonneau on my Ranger that was alright, but unlockable, and even if it was, a knife could gain access to everything. Plus, it wasn't watertight...

So I sold it and bought a cap type topper, hard fiberglass. It sealed great, and let me stand tanks up straightso they didn't take all of the floorspace in the bed. But, it weighs as much as an extra person, blocked my view (you get used to it really but it is still a thought to keep in mind), and when I began cave diving a year and a half ago, well lets just say I lay my doubles down, not standing them up, so bed floor space was taken up anyways. So, Itook the top off. It's still sitting in the backyard at home, and I've been surviving just fine without the ability to lock things up or keep them dry.

I'd really love a hard type roll up...like, made out of little planks of aluminum, so it can roll up. I've seen them, I just can't afford them. Alternatively, I'd like a hard tonneau. Similarly, I can't afford a new one.

Really though, I want to move to sidemount and buy a little car which would get better gas mileage

[mitsuguy]

We always use a F150 with a soft bed cover - it, IMO, is ideal for diving excursions... it can be locked, but as mentioned, a knife is all that is needed to gain access... The two biggest benefits of it over a hard top is that, 1) it can be left rolled up with no need for removal if you truly have to carry something big, and 2) when rolled up, you can stand up in the bed to move things around and load them - this is especially good with scuba gear - trying to load tanks under a hard top sucks...

[Straegen]

If you have the cash seriously check out the Backflip. It can do pretty much everything a hard top and a soft top can do.