Truck Bed Cover -- Soft Covers

Truck bed cover choices are about more than just cost and looks.  Soft covers offer advantages over even some much more expensive cover designs.  Here are soft cover advantages and how soft covers differ.

Soft covers are the lowest priced option for a truck bed cover.  But there's more.  For example, fiberglass tonneau covers tilt to provide access to the bed.  There's a major problem with tilting covers though.  Cargo higher than the bed side rails won't permit the lid to close.  That's not very useful.

On the other hand, a roll-up soft cover lets you access the whole bed as easy as can be.  Plus you can haul loads of any height just by rolling away the cover.  But what about variation between roll up soft covers?

Sealing and closure differences account for most of the difference in price of soft covers.  And there is quite a difference in price of basic roll-up covers.

The cheapest covers usually feature snap closure.  As you can imagine, closing with snaps can be a major hassle.  Though this is minimized with designs where the snaps slide in the mounting rails.  That's a sure way to get a better fit.

Pay a little more and you get zip style strips for sealing.  Better in some ways than snaps, the zippers are subject to fit problems too and can be a hassle to use over time. 

Another popular closing method uses Velcro type strips along the cover edges to seal the top.  That way you can easily open and close the cover and it stays where you put it.  The more expensive soft covers often feature this closing design.  It's a great way to get a tight fit that's still very easy to open and close.

Truck bed covers don't have to cost a huge pile of money to offer many features.  Soft covers beat more expensive designs in several ways.  The more the soft cover costs, the easier it is to use in most cases.  But for just a small investment you can get basic bed cover protection for your pickup.