With the wide variety of tonneau covers available, selecting the right one for your truck can seem a bit overwhelming. While most covers offer the same overall benefits of weather-resistant cargo protection and gas savings; there are three main things to consider when selecting your tonneau cover: looks, versatility and functionality. The following guide is designed to help you choose the right tonneau cover to meet you needs

Hard Top vs. Soft Top Looks:
Based purely on looks, it’s pretty obvious that a custom-molded, color-matched hard-top tonneau cover such as those made by Gaylord’s and UnderCover are going to provide a cleaner look than most traditional soft tonneau covers. If you’re building a show truck or rarely use your truck for hauling heavy loads, then a hard-top tonneau makes a great choice. However, hard-top tonneau covers are not without their drawbacks. In addition to a higher overall cost, there’s an issue of cargo versatility and varying load sizes (read “versatility” below). It’s also important to note that the look of traditional soft tops has come a long way. Gone are the days when a soft-top tonneau cover looked like the scaled-down roof of a covered wagon. Most companies such as LUND, Truxedo and Saddleman now offer low-profile soft covers with advanced features like: integrated bows, shrink & fade-resistant fabric and snap-free side sealing systems

Cargo Versatility & Security:
The next question you need to ask yourself when trying to decide between a hard top and a soft top tonneau cover is “how will I be using the bed of my truck?” While they do tend to provide a cleaner look, a hard cover can be challenging to remove if you need an open bed for hauling oversized cargo. And, most hard tops just can’t match the instant-open bed you get with most soft covers. Therefore, if it’s cargo versatility you’re after, you definitely want to choose a soft tonneau cover that can easily roll up to provide full bed access for oversized cargo. On the other hand, if you rarely plan on hauling oversized cargo; a soft top can’t compete with the cargo security of a hard top. Most hard top tonneau covers include rugged cargo locks that (when combined with a locking tailgate) provide a fortress of protection rivaled only by a car’s trunk. So, if you only haul small, but valuable cargo; a locking hard top might be right for you

Functionality:
our final areas of concern should be, “how easy is this cover to install/remove?” and perhaps the most important question “how easy is this cover to use?” These days, just about all tonneau covers use some sort of clamp-on installation hardware. In fact, most covers are easy enough to install that one person can have the cover on his or her truck in as little as a half an hour with no drilling and only a handful of tools
Now you might be wondering, “What’s the deal with all of these different side sealing/opening options?” So, here’s a quick overview of some of the more popular styles:

Hinge: If you opt for the hard cover, this is about your only choice of opening style. Both hard and soft top hinge tonneau covers offer instant access to the rear of your bed and are great for hauling groceries and/or small packages. Single or dual gas struts make lifting your cover easy

Roll Top: Most soft tonneau covers roll up for instant cargo/bed access. Typically, the covers roll up and secure behind the cab. Some newer covers even feature an integrated cover where the bows and latch roll up with the cover. Below is an overview of the three most common side-sealing options.

Snap: The most widely used and typically the most economical side sealing option. Make sure you buy a cover that allows the snaps to slide along the rail to adjust for different climates. Snapless: Great for year-round use in all climates. Rubber tongue-and-groove seal eliminates snaps so there’s less chance of rust. Velcro™ (a.k.a. hook & loop): Offers faster, easier opening and closing and typically allows for a lower-profile look. Provides an excellent, weather-proof seal that is ideal for all climates.
Tri-Fold: Folds in three sections for instant full-bed access – held in place by four quick-release clamps for fast installation and removal in two minutes or less.

Retractable: Aluminum panels retract automatically and roll up into their own storage box. These types of covers are typically a little pricier, but they do offer the best of both worlds – the cargo security of a hard top with the quick convenience of a soft top.