Tri-Fold Tonneau Cover vs. Aluminum Roll Cover

Good morning everyone,

I just bought a 2025 Tundra. It's definitely a change from my sedan and SUVs I normally drive. Plus the driver mirror window noise was annoying but I am overall enjoying the truck.

I am looking at buying bed cover to secure some stuff in my bed. I am set on the Rough Country Tri-Fold flip up cover or a SyneticUSA aluminum roll cover. Which do you guys recommend? What are the pros of each? I don't forsee using the entire bed often, but both should be more than fine for my use.

https://www.roughcountry.com/product/toyota-flip-up-bed-cover-49514551

https://www.syneticusa.com/products...A5-E4-lp0Hp5CCqqR7UgnTnoJ7bd8UMEaAkmlEALw_wcB

($750 from a local shop)

Thank you
Kevin

 

my only concern with the roll up would be the climate I live in with the long cold winters and it icing up, not sure if that’s a problem or not.

 

Cold weather isn't an issue for me. We get some rain not a lot but I do want it to be as waterproof as possible. I really just want some guidance between the two that have been narrowed down so I could just buy one hahaha

 

I have a tri-fold and I kinda regret it. Not because it doesn't work or anything, but so many times I'm driving an hour at 70-80 MPH when I want it open. Closed is the only good position for a tri-fold when driving on the highway (in my opinion). For transporting stuff in town I have no problem.

Some day I may replace my tri-fold with a rollup cover. I avoided the retractable covers since the bed is already pretty short, and the one I had on my 2007 had started to fail in a way I had to open the cover to baby it closed/open. Granted the thing was over a decade old.

 

What I didn't like about the roll up ones was losing the space from the trough the rolled cover takes up. Looks like this particular one uses up 7.5" from the top hanging down. I have a trifold and I had one on my Tacoma (Undercover, same as on my Tundra) and I didn't like when it was propped up as it blocked the view throu the rear window but I've driven vans that had no view through the rear window so it didn't really bother me. Also if I had to utilize the entire bed I could have it out in 2 minutes. Don't know how hard the roll up one is to remove.

 

You will lose 9+ inches of full avaliable bed space in the truck with the roll up version. I also don't like the possibility of damaging the box enclosure that houses the roll up cover when putting items in the bed. I am not sure about noise as well. I believe those roll ups rattle more than a tri-folds do. Each panel on a tri-fold locks down.

 

Best of both worlds for me was Bak Revolver. Rolls up without taking any cargo capacity from the bed itself. Much better to drive at speed with it rolled than a flip up. But if you need the full bed length all the way up then it's an issue.

Comes down to your specific use case. There is no 100% perfect solution for all.

 

I had a bak revolver on another truck and it was great until it wasnt. The adhesive didnt hold up to heat and it just went downhill from there. It was very water proof but not 100%.

I went with a Truxedo Pro X15 this time around. 100% access to the bed when rolled up, no water intrusion from the fabric and very light weight. Next month will be 3yrs since I got it...still look like new in SoCal sun. Lifetime warranty too

https://realtruck.com/p/truxedo-pro-x15-tonneau-cover/v/toyota/tundra/2022/

 

I really like my roll up. I got the RetraxOne with T-slot rails from @RealTruck. Even got a discount by DM.

Yes, I loose a little space and a few times it has been annoying. I really like how adjustable it is and can close/lock it in any spot. I also think it looks really nice. The t-slot rails are also great for accessories.
I do live in San Diego and we don't get much rain, but we get some and I've gotten plenty on road trips up north. Very little leaking if any.

 

For what it's worth I will be swapping my tri-fold for either the Retrax retractable or a traditional aluminum rollup.
As others have mentioned the tri fold is only good when fully closed. When you need the entire bed you only have two choices. Flip it all the way up and block the rear window or remove it entirely which is what I do. Both suck. Also if you want to install a rack it needs to be full height to clear the folding.

The Retrax is nice, but you do lose 10" or so of the upper bed. Some are smaller like Rough Country.

The traditional rollups with a T-Rail are the best of all worlds in my opinion. You can roll it all the way up and it does not block the window. Fully closed it's very secure like the tri-folds, AND you can mount a 10"-12" low profile racking system. I don't see any downside but then again I'm in California so no snow or ice to deal with.

Like this one.

https://realtruck.com/p/bak-revolve...xwby_LtloJFdUCAv6UsaAvzZEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

What Tri-Fold are you running? Also, I prefer more security than bed space since I'm in the city with crazy people and thieves.

 

none of them will stop a crackhead from getting in there

 

What Tri-Fold are you running? I'm in California too so the weather isn't too much of an issue I am looking for a cover mostly for security

 

I have a BakFlip MX4. There are more secure ones out there, but I consider them expensive and inconvenient for my purposes. I don't leave anything in my bed if I can help it.

 

I own a truck accessory store. I posted in the accessory thread what I use and why;
https://www.tundras.com/threads/3rd-gen-accessory-thread.99672/page-89#post-3858858

With mine, I don't have to obstruct the back window when driving with it open. I can drive with mine folded up or remove it in seconds.
I very much prefer the full bed option with the folding cover removed ... vs having the 9" canister of the roll cover.
As far as water resistance, none are 100% but I find the "gasket on top" folding and hard rolling covers do not seal as well as the cover I use.
You will pay a premium as the Lomax cover is made in USA vs those China brands, but if you're spending $60k on a truck, why skimp.

 

I have a syneticusa on my truck, had it for about 4 months now. It's great for my needs. Keeps 99% of water out, just a tiny bit at the corners near the tailgate but not enough to cause a problem. I can open it without dropping the tailgate, another bonus for me. My tailgate hits my trailer jack when towing our travel trailer, didn't want to deal with that. I also may add a hitch mount bike rack down the road and wanted to be able to get into the bed without dropping the bike rack to drop the tailgate. It has the t-slots which were important because I plan to add a rack for SUP's and kayaks down the road. I decided not to go tri-fold because I read bad reviews about them keeping water out. I had my eye on the bak revolver, but that requires the tailgate to be opened and the synetic was $1000 shipped so I gave it a shot. Very happy with it.

They all have shortcomings, just gotta figure out what's most important for your needs.

 

I have the SyneticUSA MR cover on my 2011. It's a Chinese knockoff of the Retrax. It only has a 5 year warranty, but it costs less than half of the Retrax. I've only had it for a couple of months, so time will tell on how it lasts over time. So far, I'm pretty happy with my purchase. It's exceeded my expectations thus far, especially for the price. Standards will vary for what is acceptable for water proofing, but the SyneticUSA MR that I have does not exceed mine. What you intend to transport or store in the bed may affect what is acceptable to you.

 

This has been my exact experience with mine.

 

didn't even know of the Lomax brand. How was the install? I do have the deck rail system in my truck. I saw you said they do not have drain tubes but is it pretty water proof/resistant? How hard is it to take off and reinstall if I need the whole bed?

 

The MX4 has been great. No rattles at all. Can be made more secure by adding locking pins. Handled 50” of rain ea of the last two years in WA like a champ. Most of the time if an open bed is needed I just flip two panels over and snap it down exposing almost 4.5’. And when I need the full 5.5ft it’s tilted up and secured. Can be totally removed in minutes without tools by myself. Can’t get full bed length with a traditional roll up.

 

You don't hear about Agricover products because they just refuse to spend obscene amounts of money on advertising like some other brands. I'll assume the savings on marketing goes into keeping the cost of the product down to compete with these Chinese brands.

The Lomax IS made for the Tundra without a deckrail system. It is the same cover with a different clamp kit. Fits and works the same.
You will be asked at time of order if your Tundra has the deck rail or not.

The installation is easier than most.
The pre-gasketed rail clamps to each truck rail.
A self adhesive gasket attaches to the truck bulkhead.
The cover drops on and ... You're done.

Drain tubes are for covers that leak. The "gasket on top" covers can only slow the water down, not prevent it from penetrating.
The water that penetrates is channeled to the drain tube and out via the holes that you drilled into your truck bed for the tubes.
No cover is 100% water proof but the Lomax has better water resistance than most. The gasket is compressed between the cover and the truck rail vs just laying on top. Like the gasket on the door jamb on your truck.
Expect a few drips at the corners. Maybe more in a deluge. If it bothers you, get a bed mat and any water will collect underneath and drain out.

Literally takes about 15 seconds to remove. Open the cover, jump into the bed, tether it with the 2 bungees, remove 2 carabiner safety straps, pull down on the release cord, pull the cover up a few inches then slide it back. It's off leaving behind the 2 side rails that are clamped to the truck.
To reinstall, same process in reverse; holding the rear of the cover up a few inches, slide the cover forward until it stops, lower the rear of the cover to engage the latches, connect the 2 carabiner safety straps, un-bungee and close it.