4 is better than 3
In the beginning, tonneau covers were nothing but cheesy tarps. Then came the advent of the one piece fiberglass tonneau cover that took the industry by storm. Their popularity still exists to this day in the way of ARE, Leer, Undercover, Snug Lid etc. However, having owned one of these before, I can tell you with certainty that while they look great, they are more of a pain than anything else. Let's face it, nobody really wants to remove a monstrosity like that everytime they need to use their truck beds.
So, as forward thinking Americans we figured out that if you split a tonneau in two, you get to use half your bed, while the other half is still covered. Hence came the bi-fold tonneau cover that while innovative, really never took off properly. Gaylords produced one with a "butterfly" feature (split down the middle), but this again was just not a very appealing option for those that had been burned by the one piece in their past.
Finally, the tri-fold tonneau cover popped it's head up and pretty much blew the lid off the industry. However these covers didn't really solve problems like wasting 1/3rd of your bed, or covering stake pocket holes etc. They were nice, but not that nice.
As with razor blades that started with a switch blade, then became two blades, then three, then four and now five, the tonneau cover has seen a similar type of metamorphosis. The one piece evolved to two, then three and is now available as a Quad-Fold in the way of the patented BAKFLIP TONNEAU COVER. The BakFlip, actually has 5 panels. 4 that fold and one tiny one that is stationary.
BakFlip Quad-Fold Tonneau Cover
Like anything in life, things keep getting better. In the instance of tonneau covers, 4 panels are better than 3.
Let me know what you think? BAK Industries is about to release a new tonneau cover that we feel will stir up some emotions. The new cover also has multiple panels. Join our twitter account or visit us here periodically to stay in touch with the tonneau leaders.
Tonneau covers, motorcycles and quad bikes
There's no question that when it comes to a weekend of fun, throwing your dirt-bike, motorcycle or quad in the back of your truck and heading up to the trails is just the best! What can totally ruin a weekend of fun like this is to return from agreat 2 ride, only to find that you ramps, tent and gear are no longer in the back of your truck. The problem with tonneau covers is that if they are the kind that can keep your cargo secure, i.e., hard, they generally need to be removed in order to get your bikes and gear in the back of your truck. As such, you run the risk of having your stuff stolen, unless you spend the time to load the inside of your truck with all your gear and then unload it again and eedless to say, none of us want to do that!
This age old problem was finally laid to rest w bed ith the advent of the patented BakFlip feature that allows you full access to your truck without removing your tonneau cover. The BakFlip does 3 cool things when it comes to dirtbiking which make it the absolute unrivaled king of tonneau covers for offroading:
1. It allows you to haul your bikes without removing your tonneau cover.
2. The BakFlip protects your cab from being damaged by pulling your bike into the back of your truck. You cannot imagine how many rear windows have been blown out buy doing just that.
3. You get to unload your bikes and lock up your gear under a solid, water tight, secure tonneau cover.
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
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.
Tri-Fold Tonneau Covers. Everything you need to know.
I'm not really one for semantics, but I do believe that when it comes to tonneau covers, people should be told the truth and not mislead. between all the hype and competition that exists online, it's hard to know what to believe anymore. That's why I have the urge to shed light on the Tri Fold Tonneau Cover issue and hopefully get some feedback and opinion from you.
Here's the way I see it: a TRI FOLD TONNEAU COVER denotes that it folds three (TRI) times. It doesn't mean once, twice, or four times, but unquestionably 3 times. Hence the words TRI FOLD. Well, in doing my research, I cannot find one single tonneau cover in existance, outside of BakFlip tonneau covers, that are actually tri fold tonneau covers. BakFlip, because of it's patented ability to fold 3 times or more is actually a tri fold cover. It folds 3 times.
Let's look at some of the tonneau covers out there that advertise themselves as being tri-fold. First, take a look at the Extang range of so called Tri-Fold tonneau covers out there. How many times do they fold? Yup, you got it........They fold up twice. They are indeed bifold tonneau covers. If anyone can explain to me why I should consider any of these covers to be called Tri-Fold, I will gladly consider it, but until then, I chalk it up to sneaky and quite honestly, misleading marketing. What happened to just giving people the real truth? Nobody is calling any of their products bad, we're just asking for some truth over here!
Bi-Fold Tonneau Cover
There are a plethora of soft folding tonneau covers that call themselves tri-fold as well. As if they too can jump on the bogus band wagon and ride the coat tails of a category of tonneau cover that they don't even make.
Folks, this is the reason why I choose to blog about tonneau covers. I am intent on sharing the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so that when you ever need to make a decision about buying a tonneau cover, you don't get duped.
if you're looking for Bi-Fold cover, then start shopping for a tri-fold, because the truth is, 99% of the robots out there selling tonneau covers can't tell the difference between 2 and 3. Maybe I'm just blowing off steam, but when an entire category of tonneau covers is based on a clear and blatant marketing lie, I just feel I need to step in and correct the record. If it's not a BakFlip Tonneau Cover, it's NOT A TRI-FOLD!
This is a BakFlip. It has 4 panels and folds 3 times. It is a Tri-Fold Tonneau Cover.
Tonneau Covers and bedliners. What’s right for you?
Tonneau covers come in all shapes and sizes and so too do America's favorite and most commonly added truck bed accessory, the bedliner. The problem is that not all tonneau covers and bedliners seem to be a match made in heaven. So let's consider which bedliner to opt for before buying your tonneau cover. Recognizing that there are a few fundamental basics that most people require when shopping for the perfect bedliner for their pickup truck. The most popular bedliners are drop in bedliners that are made from Polyethylene plastic. They are black and can be picked up at any dealership for somewhere between $130 and $200, depending on how savvy a shopper you are. the fact is that very few features separate the most expensive drop in bedliner from the least expensive. No matter how you might try to persuade me otherwise, a drop in bedliner is simply a piece of plastic, vacuum molded to fit the shape of a pickup truck bed. Most of the drop in bedliners like these will offer no obstruction to being able to install a tonneau cover, except of course if it's an over the rail style of bedliner. To complicate matters, even drop in bedliner companies offer two styles of bedliners. One that fits neatly inside the truck bed and snaps under the side rails and one that is supposed to protect your top edges of your truck rails. The problem is that they really don't do that, but rather actually end up wearing the paint away and warping in the sun. The latter is a terrible idea if you're going to add a tonneau cover to your truck, as most tonneau covers install by way of clamping or attaching to the side rails of your truck bed and when you have an over the rail drop in liner installed, you lose access to the side rails. hence, a messy tonneau installation.
The spray on bedliner is a great choice when it comes to tonneau covers. They work perfectly with any tonneau cover that fits over the rail like a TiltBak, Undercover or ARE tonneau cover. They also work perfectly with any BAK Industries tonneau cover. Sometimes however, when a spray on bedliner is sprayed over the rail it can complicate installations on tonneau covers that a critical to the size of your truck beds inside dimensions. BAk Industries tonneau covers all work great, regardless, because BAK makes accommodation and leaves tolerances to ensure a perfect fit, but tonneau covers like Agricover rolling covers do not and you should be careful not to add bed rail protection if you're considering a tonneau cover like that.
If you install an under the rail bedliner and still need bed rail protection, ProCaps ABS bedcaps are contoured to fit your truck rails very precisely and are always an excellent choice. They will work with almost any tonneau cover and will not flair out when clamped to. ProCaps follow exact contours and will offer you side rail protection from your tonneau wearing on your paint as well.
Another bedliner which I like is the BedRug. Although it looks like carpet, Bed Rug is actually a synthetic plastic which is soft to the knees, well insulated, hard wearing and compliments a tonneau cover very nicely.
Other solutions are rubber bed mats that needless to say are inexpensive and will work with any tonneau cover.
There are a few tailgate protector issues which plague certain tonneau covers. Specifically, one piece tonneau covers like Undercover, Leer, SnugTop, ARE etc., all require that you remove the factory spoiler-type tailgate cap that's found many Chevy and Dodge Trucks.
The good news is that if you're considering buying one of these types of truck bed covers and you have a Chevy or Dodge truck with a spoiler type tailgate cap, BAK Industries makes a great, smooth replace tailgate cap in the way of their ProCaps tailgate caps. These are very accurate fitting, cover any holes that are left after removing the factory piece and are guaranteed for life!
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.
Tonneau BAK covers is to love BAK covers.
This weekend I went skiing at Big Bear with my family. I was amazed at how many pickup trucks I saw up in the mountains. I suppose when it comes to skiing, a pickup truck bed and 4x4 cannot hurt. The problem was that over half of the trucks I saw were filled to the brim with snow. To be honest, It makes you question how smart people are. I did however come across a guy that had a BakFlip tonneau cover on his truck and I couldn't help but stop and ask him how he liked his tonno. I was amazed at how much he liked his BakFlip. I can actually go out on a limb and say that he didn't like his BakFlip, he LOVED his BakFlip. For one, he had no snow in the back of his truck and being an avid skier, felt confident and comfortable locking up his skis and gear in the back of his Toyota Tacoma. He went on to tell me that he frequents the mountain during the summer months as well and how awesome his BakFlip tonneau cover comes into play when he and his wife load their mountain bikes into the back of their truck by simply flipping their BakFlip out of the way. We spent about five minutes or so chatting and couldn't help but make mention of a Dodge Dakota pickup truck parked right next to us that had a silver one piece Snug Lid tonneau cover on it. It looked great, but wouldn't do much good for the guy that loved his BakFlip, because he actually used his truck for his bikes in the summer, among other things. It was at that moment that I realized that people who have owned a one piece tonneau cover like a Snug Lid would probably really love a BakFlip so much more, if only they knew about it when they were faced with the decision of what hard tonneau cover to buy. For one thing, they would be able to use their truck like a truck, instead of a station wagon, not to mention saved a considerable amount of money. I suppose that to know BakFlip is to love BakFlip, but as they say in life, all to often, ignorance is bliss!
If you've ever been faced with t tonneau dilemma or had a BakFlip save the day, let me know about it by posting your comment below.