Tonneau covers for the seasons
Depending on where you are from, your reason for owning a tonneau cover may vary considerably. I know that where I live in LA, it rarely ever snows and only occasionally rains, so the elements are not as important for me as perhaps someone living in Michigan. What I do love about the BAK tonneau covers though, is their ability to have such wide appeal to so many different people, regardless of where they might live. The fact that they do so well in freezing conditions has seen the BakFlip become the most popular hard tonneau cover in Canada, and the reason it sells so well in the Northwest is because of how well BakFlip tonneau covers fare in the rain.
BAK Tonneau Cover in snow
Some things that should be considered if you live in a climate that gets a lot of snow is how much weight your tonneau cover can handle, how well it operates in icy conditions and how well it keeps water and moisture out of the bed. If your tonneau cover is more a tarp than a tonneau, then it will likely do well in rain, but won't handle much weight, so be careful of heavy snow falls. Also, even if you have a soft tonneau that is designed to carry weight, note that you'll still have to roll it up which can be tough if a ton of snow is on it, It's better to err on the side of a hard tilting cover or better yet, a hard folding tonneau cover like the BakFlip, that'll still give you access to your bed and offer the security you need from a hard tonneau cover.
For those of you that live where snow is rare, you best be aware that certain tonneau covers can get super hot in the summer. be careful if you're going with an aluminum tonneau cover, because in the middle of summer they can get really hot, almost to the point that you can't touch them. A good fiberglass folding tonneau like the BakFlip F1 would probably be a great option for you.
If you live in an area that is very leafy, be careful of retractable tonneau covers in the fall. You don't want a ton of leaves getting into the canister which will prevent your cover from retracting and perhaps even draining water.
For a real education on what tonneau cover would suit your needs best, from security, to climate, to style, to performance, get hold of a BAK Industries tonneau cover expert at (818) 365-9000 or visit www.bakliner.com.
One thing I am excited for is Spring. It's my favorite season in LA, and when I get to thinking about my BakFlip and spring, I think of how cool it is to be able to kick back at the beach or a park and tailgate. One the coolest thing a BakFlip cover can do is turn into a tailgating bench.
BakFlip used as a tailgating bench
Can I stand on my tonneau cover?
An all too commonly asked question is whether or not you can stand on your tonneau cover. Honestly, when was the last time you had anyone ask if they could stand on the hood of your car? It would seem to me that standing on the average tonneau cover wouldn't make much sense at all, but still, the question comes up more times than you can imagine.
Obviously it must be an important issue. If weight is at the core of the matter, why not ask how much weight the tonneau cover can handle? Why do so many people find the need to stand on the damn thing? Any way, we felt it important enough of a point, based on peoples insistence in finding out whether they can take a stroll on their tonneau, to ensure that all BAK Industries tonneaus at least, were able to allow you to stand on them. Considering that most people weigh less than 400 lbs, there should be no issue standing on any BAK tonneau cover. With that said, here's some advice for anyone that simply has to stand on a BakFlip:
BakFlip tonneau covers are designed to fold over so that each time one panel folds over the next, it is able to withstand an additional 150 lbs of weight. This means that if a panel can handle 150 lbs, then it can handle 350 lbs when folded over. Folding it again will see the BakFlip handle 450 lbs etc. So, before jumping up onto the cover to change that light bulb in your garage, consider this: First fold the cover over once or twice. It will certainly hold your weight without an issue. More importantly however is that when it's folded over, you'll effectively be standing on the underside of the panel. This means that if you ever damage the panel by lets say standing on it with your gold shoes on, you'll not see any visible damage when the cover is closed.
When it comes to a really heavy duty cover like a RollBak all aluminum retractable, you'll have no problem standing on it either. The RollBak is super rugged and it's textured powder coated finish will shrug off pretty much anything you can throw at it. So, when it comes to BAK's retractable or folding tonneau covers, both allow for you to go ahead and do your thing.
But here's the point of this article; I think that most people really want to know whether or not the cover can handle a bunch of isolated weight on it. Unlike a load of snow that is evenly dispersed across the surface of a tonneau, standing on a tonneau cover puts a bunch of weight in one single area. the difference is huge and therefore legitimizes the question.
One thing to consider is that if you're going to put something heavy on the back of your tonneau cover, make sure you can tie it down. I find many one piece tonneau covers and even some poorly designed folding tonneau's that claim to be able to stack a quad bike on the back of them. The problem is that these covers also cover your stake pockets so that tying down the quad is impossible. Make sure your tonneau allows full access to your stake pockets if you're going to be using it to load stuff on it. If it doesn't, you've just spent a ton of money on a solution that's not quite a solution.
BAk Industries tonneau covers always allow full access to stake pockets, so in addition to being able to handle the weight, you can actually put the feature to good use.
Let me know what you think about standing on a tonneau? I'd be interested to get your take on why it's such a commonly asked question.
Tonneau Covers that retract
Tonneau Cover locking systems
Over the years there's been much debate on which tonneau cover locks the best, which tonno cover offers the best security, why some truck bed covers come with key locks while others don't seem to etc. Being somewhat of an expert on tonneau covers and the way they secure your cargo, I figured I'd drop my two cents into the hat and clear up some confusion:
If you cannot get into your truck bed when your tonneau cover is closed, it means that IT IS LOCKED! I once got emailed the definition of the word lock by a competitor of ours, insisting that our tonneau covers didn't lock, because we preferred to use the OEM tailgate lock as a means to secure our covers, rather than rely on an aftermarket set of keys. Not being one to argue over semantics, I responded merely by saying that by our measure, if a tonneau cover remains closed and cannot be opened unless you can open the tailgate, it is still locked. I never heard from them again. The reason I mention this episode is to clear up some misnomers that exist because some tonneau cover companies choose to confuse consumers by trying to justify an old school approach to a modern day solution.
The fact is this; Many years ago there was no such thing as a locking tailgate. If you wanted to lock your tonneau cover it would need to be equipped with a set of locks. One old school image that we can all relate to is the one piece tonneau cover that hangs over the tailgate and then locks from the top. These are pretty secure tonneau covers, but are nothing short of awful in terms of practicality, unless of course you want to turn your beautiful truck into a station wagon.
Back then, you could also find the first attempt at hard folding tonneau covers employ the use of large, clumsy looking locks that were so bulky they actually took up bed space and while you could lock the tonneau cover, you could actually still open the tailgate. Which genius came up with that idea? I mean come on folks! So now, companies like Fold-A-Cover could say that their tonneau covers locked, but fail to mention that you can still access the bed through the tailgate. So what exactly is the point of a lock on top of the cover that doesn't offer security, tends to break more often than not and is directly subject to the rain, snow, dust, dirt and thieves to try and pick? It must have been intriguing to some, because wouldn't you know it, retractable tonneau cover manufacturer Pace Edwards began employing the same useless system on their covers. I say give them all a raise!
A few years later, Roll-n-Lock, a company that makes retractable tonneau covers decided that drilling multiple holes into the tailgate by installing a bar to which their cover could lock would solve the problem. It worked, but I for one don't want to drill tons of holes into my brand new pickup truck.
Then came the avalanche of soft tonneau covers. Soft rolling tonneau's, soft folding tonneaus, tonneau covers, that no matter how you diced or sliced them, could frankly speaking, still be diced and sliced. I don't care how secure your truck or tailgate is, a soft vinyl tonneau cover cannot be deemed lockable if security is at the heart of the matter.
The reality is that we are living in an age where truck tailgates lock. Whether you drive a Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Toyota or Nissan truck, the tailgate is lockable. If it's not, companies like 
, Bully or Dynolock all produce very good tailgate locks that will turn your non lockable tailgate into one that locks for very little money. So, BAK Industries, being the most progressive tonneau cover manufacturer in the world, has totally revolutionized the way a tonneau cover locks, but employing the use of slam latches to the underside of its tonneau covers. 
SImply put, this patented technology allows the tonneau cover to automatically engage the rails on which it sits, merely by being closed. Close a BakFlip panel and the panel is locked down. Retract a RollBak tonneau cover and the tonneau cover automatically latches shut. No more need for redundant aftermarket keys, no exposure of keyholes to the elements. Just lock your tailgate and your tonneau cover is locked.
If you're like me, then you want the key you drive with to be the same key you lock your tonneau cover with. It's a matter keeping up with the times.
Tonneau covers and lumber racks
There was a time where a person that needed a lumber rack or ladder rack could only consider a toolbox as a way to lock up their valuables in their trucks and still get to use their all important lumber or ladder rack on their truck. All across the America you'd see plumbers, electricians, handymen and average Joe's driving their pickup trucks with a solid rack on the back and a cross the bed toolbox mounted on top of it. The problem however, is that most of their tools didn't fit in the cross the bed toolbox and the lions share of their bed remained exposed to the elements and worse yet, thieves. So, it made sense for tonneau manufacturers to consider solving this dilemma by producing a tonneau cover that would work in conjunction with a lumber rack.
At first we saw a company called ProRack take the lead on the issue, but they only made racks to work with soft tonneau covers that rolled up. The problem is that soft tonneau covers don't really offer security as they can easily be cut through with a blade. Consider this: Would you be content if your front door was made of thin vinyl? Neither would I! We then saw companies like Pace Edwards take a stab at a solution with their retractable tonneau covers by introducing something called the Explorer rail system.
This solution provided a unique set of rails to be installed with their retractable tonneau covers, but alas, their rack system was extremely expensive, their tonneau's took up half the space of a toolbox in the back of the bed and covered valuable assets of the truck bed such as corner tie downs in the bed as well as stake hole pockets. The rails tended to follow the truck lines and therefore didn't run parallel either, which is a significant problem as well. To be honest, they get an A for effort, but score less in terms of function, design and price.
The ultimate solution would lie in a product that offered total security in the way of a hard locking tonneau cover, seamless integration with a sliding ladder rack or lumber rack, full access to your truck bed when you required it, the ability to remove or add the rack in seconds, full access to assets like stake hole pockets and tie downs, no drill installation and a price that would be kinder to the pocket than if you had to buy an old school rack and toolbox. The solution.........the BakFlip CS.
The BakFlip CS hard folding tonneau cover and ladder rack combination flips, stacks, slides, locks and does pretty much everything but wash the dishes. It's truly the ultimate solution for anyone that needs a ladder rack and the security provided by a solid tonneau cover.
BAK Industries also produces a retractable tonneau covers that works extremely well with stake pocket mount ladder racks. One of the best selling racks on the market is the Trac Rac.
This particular lumber rack is favored by contarctors around the world for its sturdy nature and sleek looks. Companies like DeWalt as well as other OEM's use this ladder rack system because it's regarded by many as the best. So, BAK Industries decided to make their RollBak all aluminum, heavy duty retractable tonneau cover work seamlessly with the TracRac. The way we did it was to ensure that the RollBak lay flush inside the bed so that it didn't interfere with the TracRac, as well as ensuring that it allowed full access to stake pockets. The idea worked and RollBak retractable tonneau covers have now become the choice retractable tonneau cover for TracRac users everywhere.
