Most secure pick up bed cover

stevo_pct

Well-known member
I'm looking for something like a tonneau cover that is secure. A soft cover is obviously not secure, but even some of the hard, tri-fold tonneau covers I have seen don't look very secure.

It doesn't seem like a full topper is that secure either, but I'd rather not go that route anyway. I like being able to access stuff in the front of my bed without having to climb all the way in. And I like the visibility of no topper.

Any ideas?
 

jbaucom

Well-known member
Diamondback or one of the single-piece hinged tonneau covers that overlap the top edges of the bed/tailgate would be the most secure. Of course, any of these can be defeated with a big enough pry bar and a determined crook who doesn't mind a little extra destruction (truck body damage) to get into the truck bed. Personally, a hard tri-fold that also flips up against the rear of the cab with support rods for full length loads strikes the best balance between security/deterrence and full use of the truck bed when you need it. If someone really wants in, they'll get in, and I'd rather they not tear up my truck's sheet metal to do it.

If you like putting stuff at the front of the bed, one of the Diamondback models would be pretty ideal, since the offer either a center hinge where the entire front half of the cover lifts, or gull-wing style lids for access from either side. Many tonneaus require completely opening the tonneau to access the front of the bed, unless you have a tool or a bedslide to access stuff up there.
 

stevo_pct

Well-known member
Thanks, those Diamondback covers look pretty solid. I hadn't heard of them before. I'm not interested in the single-piece hinged covers.

I found something called the Roll-n-Lock. As the name suggests, it rolls up toward the cab when open, and then rolls shut and locks when closed. It also looks pretty secure. Anyone have any experience with one of these?
 

phsycle

Adventurer
If I got another tonneau cover, I’d get a Diamondback. Not for security, but because I can strap big and heavy cargo on top.

I think you’re over-thinking the security aspect. They’re all fairly easy to break in to. Any one of these. I’d just get a quality cover and call it good.

And on the flip side, if it’s harder to get into, it’ll just mean more damage to your truck. Which may cost you more than the cargo is worth.
 

nitro_rat

Lunchbox Lockers
I found something called the Roll-n-Lock. As the name suggests, it rolls up toward the cab when open, and then rolls shut and locks when closed. It also looks pretty secure. Anyone have any experience with one of these?

A friend of mine has had one on his 3/4-ton Dodge for probably 10 years. It has been secure and strong enough to stand on top of.
 

vintageracer

To Infinity and Beyond!
We have a one piece "Undercover Classic" brand bed topper on my wife's Dodge Ram. Bought it used for $150.00. Lockable with LED light on bottom. Lightweight and easily removed when needed to haul other stuff. Nice cover that shows up for sale used on CL every so often.

We have sat 2 lawn chairs and us on top of it and watched the fireworks on the 4th of July.

 

Betarocker

Adventurer
I have a Retrax that I use when it suits the purpose. For the most part I have the canopy on, or remove it and run fully open. The only thing I don't like with the Retrax is the size of the canister; really takes up realestate, and it isn't strong enough to rest the motorbikes against.
 

stevo_pct

Well-known member
I've been looking into the Diamondback covers (either the HD or SE), and I think that's the way I'm gonna go. Thanks for the info! I had never heard of those before.
 

dstefan

Well-known member
Had a Roll n Lock on one Tacoma and a hard shell single piece ARE tonneau on my second Tacoma. Liked the ARE best.

Water proof: ARE completly. RNL leaked
Room: ARE domed lid inside, could clear my ARB fridge. RNL only about 16“ clearance. AND the roller mechanism took up a lot of room.
Strength: ARE could stand on. Had Yakima tracks and I put a rack on for Maxtraxx and a small space case. The honeycombed fill that made it strong also insulated it. RNI not so much. Nothing allowed on it

I could also reach the far front under the ARE once I put longer HD struts on it. Also provided shade when up

Depends on your use case …
 
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m-l_johnny

Active member
I have a Diamondback on my Tacoma and love it. I firmly believe items are more secure locked in the bed than they would be in the cab. For starters, if a ner’do-well can’t see it, they’re less likely to spend the time trying to access it, and it would take some effort.
As a side note, I have the rear section latch adjusted to grab the bottom of the cargo rails when fully closed. This allows me to latch into the channel of the rail to keep the the lid about 2” open in blazing hot weather so the bed area can breathe and doesn’t become a complete oven.
 

displacedtexan

Active member
Thanks, those Diamondback covers look pretty solid. I hadn't heard of them before. I'm not interested in the single-piece hinged covers.

I found something called the Roll-n-Lock. As the name suggests, it rolls up toward the cab when open, and then rolls shut and locks when closed. It also looks pretty secure. Anyone have any experience with one of these?
A few friends have Diamondbacks. They're tough.

I had a Roll-n-Lock, I liked it a lot. Probably not quite as secure as the Diamondback, but I never worried. And almost full access to the bed.
 

Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
It doesn't seem like a full topper is that secure either, but I'd rather not go that route anyway. I like being able to access stuff in the front of my bed without having to climb all the way in.

So do I. That's why I ordered my topper with Win-Doors on the side. ;)

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1345233947.531416.jpg

(not my truck but mine is similar.)

I get that you don't want a topper, I'm just pointing out that it is possible to get stuff from the front of the bed without climbing in if you have a topper with win-doors.

I think the questions are going to be: How much $$ do you want to spend? There are hard bed covers that are over $1000 that can actually support weight on them. But getting access to the forward portion of the bed might require you to raise up the entire cover.
 

ZMagic97

Explorer
I had a Leer shell on my GMC and loved it. Very secure and looked great.

My new Silverado has a Retrax Pro XR coming in today that I'll install next week after my liner is sprayed.

I went with the Retrax Pro XR since it has t-slot tracks for roof style rails (Yakima, Thule, etc) for tents, baskets, and all types of other mounts. It's also heavy duty aluminum with ball bearings, and the cover can lock in any position as to let tall items stick up by the tailgate but secure everything else.

I've had, on the same truck, a Roll N Lock retractable cover, a Gaylords hard, color matched tonneau, and a Leer 100 series shell. All were great, and in general I liked the shell the best. However, I also had another truck and a flatbed trailer.

I went with the Retrax because of the overall versatility of it. My bed is just under 6ft long, so the cartridge real estate isn't a big deal as I already have a trailer. It's not the cheapest one to buy (I got a holiday deal at $1,960 out the door) but I really wanted a low profile and strong cover that looked clean. Additionally, I think the t-slot tracks will be great on longer trips since we have a family of 5. If I need to ass a cargo basket over the bed I easily can, and if I decided to get a RTT again I can easily mount it, and the fact that it's below the cab roofline means it will not mess with MPG or drivability, especially in winds.

I hope this helps!
 

mightymike

Adventurer
Thanks, those Diamondback covers look pretty solid. I hadn't heard of them before. I'm not interested in the single-piece hinged covers.

I found something called the Roll-n-Lock. As the name suggests, it rolls up toward the cab when open, and then rolls shut and locks when closed. It also looks pretty secure. Anyone have any experience with one of these?

I had a roll-n-lock type cover on a Tacoma and disliked due to the fact that the model I had took up about 12" of space in the bed and it also prevented me from being able to slide tall items, like a fridge, up against the back of the cab.
 

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