Been doing research for days looking for the right bed cover for my truck. What I am looking for is something with minimal bed intrusion, no drilling required, lockable, no hoses, good weather protection, and made in the US.

I was originally ready to pull the trigger on a Peragon, but I don't like how it folds into the bed, and I am worried the rails might provide a surface to catch mine or my gals, $1000 dry suit potentially tearing a hole, making the dry suit, no longer dry. Plus if a SCUBA tank gets loose it could do a good deal of damage to the rail.

So I moved my search to including folding bed covers. I like the BakFlip but I am pretty sure it requires a hose for drainage. Lately I have been eyeballing the Extang Encore. It seems to have the features I want and is manufactured just an hour and half from where I grew up in Adrian Michigan.

Is there any other covers that I am missing? Anyone have an Encore?

 

I've considered the following solid folding covers but haven't purchased yet:

Extang Encore
Extang Solid Fold
BakFlip F1
Undercover Flex


My requirement is that whatever folding cover I choose will have to work with a chest type tool box mounted in the front portion of the bed.

The BakFlip and Flex fold up and out of the way allowing the chest tool box lid to fully open. The drain hose is needed to channel away water. The only way to not have a hose is to buy a cover that fits on top of the truck bed rails (e.g. Solid Fold)

The Undercover Flex is practically a copy of the BakFlip F1 but a little cheaper. It has a support rod that prevents the panels from leaning on the cab when fully open.

I believe the BakFlip, Encore, and Flex covers will help reduce temps in the bed (as opposed to aluminum panels) on hot sunny days because they are made from a composite material.

Arguments against the Bakflip include the ease of break-ins using coat hangers.

The Peragon is a nice cover as well; however, I wouldn't be able to use a chest type tool box in the bed as the Peragon folds in the place where the tool box would be mounted in the bed.

If the Solid Fold came in FRP panels, I might consider it. I don't like the idea of drain tubes either. I couldnt go with my tool box idea with the Solid Fold. I've heard the Solid Fold has issues with leaks though. Extang won't return my email.

Good luck and let us know what you end up buying.

 

Well I pulled the trigger on an Encore today, I will keep everyone posted.

 

Sorry, saw this one too late. I have the Diamondback, that would have been another option if anyone else was watching this thread.

 

Well I finally got my Bed Line-Xed so I installed the Extang Encore tonneau. In general the packaging was unimpressive but adequate to protect the cover enough. It would have been nice if there were "this side up" on the box to open it from the correct side. I opened it upside down but from the packaging it looked like it was right side up.

Build quality ranged from good to excellent. The cover itself is very nicely built, The rails could have been a heavier gauge in my opinion.

In all it took me about 1.5 hours to install, but I did it myself, if I had an extra set of hands, I probably would have been done in under an hour. I used a carpenters square and a sharpe marker to do what little measuring and aligning that was needed.

I didn't drill any holes to drain the rails, we will see how much water actually collect before I run a hose anywhere.

The cover itself, aside from the rails has nearly no intrusion into the bed, the profile is about an inch above the bed rail, and I love the panel at the back of the cab to access the front of the box.

So far I am very happy. Hoping to take the truck diving this weekend to test it all out.

 

Show us some pics if possible.

 

I ended up going with the Extang Solid Fold, and I would suggest it for anybody on the fense. It takes less than 60 seconds to put on or take off and locks by simply locking your tailgate. This thing is built sturdy too! Because my truck is so big, I have to stand on the bed rails to wash my roof with a scrubbing wand. Well last time I washed the truck, I walked across the cover with it closed and it handled my weight no problem. Of course they advertise it with a ATV parked on top, so I doubt my 170lbs body weight would affect it. The cover also seems to seal up the bed pretty well. So far, no water has gotten into the bed while driving in heavy rain or while washing the truck. The best part about this cover is I don't have to drill any holes in my beautiful ride!

 

is the extang solid fold the only hard folding cover that doesn`t have a rail on the inside of the box is there any others that sit ontop of the box rails. Most of the time I use my truck like a car with a big trunk thats why I like a cover on them but from time to time it gets used like it is ment to be as a truck can`t have anything flimsy on the inside of the bed rails to get beat up or catch on things

 

I know there was one other cover that sat on top of the bed rails, but it closed over the tailgate. That requires the user to use 2 hands to close the tailgate. I just liked the Extang Dolid Fold more because you don't have to use 2 hands to close your tailgate...which is great when grabbing the last few bags of groceries

 

i have a lund tonneau i like a lot. easy to install, affordable, and pretty cheap. i'd recommend one if anyone in still in the market.

Tonneaus | Truck Tonneaus | Tonneaus Cover

 

Just ordered my Extang Encore yesterday from JC Whitney. It was the cheapest price I found after a brief search -$755 with free shipping. It's is the 2012 F-250 short bed model. I couldn't pass up the way it opens in the front. I'll put a box up there to hold tools. Since it has a lock up front, I may just get a simple plastic 'deck box', or whatever I can find that will keep everything organized.

 

Installation on the Extang Encore was about 15 minutes with help from the wife for the final step (setting the cover on the bed). I didn't have to drill any holes. My bed already had a couple of holes nearby, so I just ran the tubes into it. Fit and function were perfect.

My bed has the Ford bed rails. It causes there to be a small gap up front. But it came with a foam seal for that, so no problems. It's been raining here all week. Haven't had a drop in the bed since I put it on.

Neat thing about the Encore... The front panel locks and come with a "codeable" key cylinder. Whatever key you have, just put it in and turn it all the way around the first time and it is permanently coded to that key. I used my truck key but was thinking I might should have used my house key. Sometimes I might want to get into it without turning off the truck. Maybe once I get that remote start installed, I still can.

 

I just put on the Bakflip VP, nice smooth look and easy to install. I had a cracked **** so I called the company and they overnighted replacement under warranty. We've had rain a couple of days and no leaks at all.

 

The Extang is great and easy to remove when hauling large loads. Off in 2 minutes and back on in 2 minutes. Your going to love it.

 

I already do. Although my mileage is actually a little lower. May be unrelated since truck is so new.

Next add-on is Pop&Lock tailgate power lock. I think a must have for those of us with tonno covers.