BakFlip for Chevy Avalanche is here!
The new BakFlip tonneau cover is now available for the Chevy Avalanche and if I may say so myself, is a real step up from the OEM version of the Avalanche tonneau cover. For one, it costs less than half the amount. For two it will never fade. For three you get far better function out of your truck by being able to operate it easier than the OE cover, by getting full access to your truck when you need it and by not having to deal with loose panels on your truck. The BakFlip won't fade like that OEM part either.
Take a look at the BakFlip for the Chevy Avalanche in this video and let me know what you think. I love it, because it not only demonstrates how cool the cover is, but shows that BAk Industries is more forward thinking than OEM's and honestly, in my opinion, smokes them on the design.
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.