What are the top benefits of a tonneau cover? If you own a pickup you might be interested in one of the most popular truck accessories: a tonneau cover. Tonneaus are used to cover the bed of your pickup truck, but they have more benefits than that. Before you dive into the different styles and materials of tonneau covers, you might be asking: “Do I need a tonneau cover?”
We think the answer is a definite yes! If you want to get more out of your pickup truck, there are many reasons to complete it with a truck bed cover. Here are the top 5 tonneau cover benefits:
1. Protect Your Gear from the Elements
Are you tired of getting to your destination to find your gear dirty and dusty? It’s a pain! Not to mention the hassle of emptying your truck bed before a thunderstorm or blizzard so your stuff doesn’t get soaked. The most obvious tonneau cover benefit is to keep your belongings safe from the elements. Truck bed covers keep dust, mud, and water away from whatever you’re hauling. They even offer protection from UV rays which can damage any material over time. When you get where you’re going, you won’t need to dry or clean your stuff. You can even extend the life of your belongings like camping gear.
Although no tonneau is perfectly waterproof, they generally do a great job keeping most water out of your truck. The Sawtooth STRETCH expandable tonneau cover is 7 times thicker than other competing soft truck bed covers, making it very water resistant. It comes with easy-to-install aluminum crossbars that you can quickly put in place to keep your tonneau flat and prevent any pooling in the rain or snow.
2. Keep Your Cargo Safe from Theft
It stands to reason that keeping your things out of sight will keep them safer. The most common type of theft is a crime of opportunity. When someone walks by a truck bed full of expensive tools or gear the temptation may be high to swipe something out of the truck. If a would-be thief can’t see into your truck bed, it removes that temptation. Plus, they would need to open up your tonneau to even see what you have, so that’s another obstacle to theft.
Even without a lock, a truck bed cover will make a difference in keeping your belongings safe. You’ll have one less thing to worry about when you need to leave cargo in your truck bed while your vehicle is parked. Make sure you aren’t an easy target for potential thieves by keeping your truck bed covered with a tonneau.
3. Get More out of Your Truck
We’re willing to bet you don’t use your pickup the same way every day. One day you might be carrying a large item like a couch, while another day you’re bringing firewood home, and on a regular basis you might just keep a few small items in your truck. A tonneau helps you in all those situations and more. One of our favorite benefits of a tonneau cover is the flexibility to get even more out of your vehicle and face fewer limits on how you use your truck.
You might not always want your truck bed covered. Many tonneau covers can be shut over your truck bed or left open. Roll up covers, folding tonneaus, and the Sawtooth STRETCH are all able to fasten alongside the cab of your truck when not in use. That way, you can adjust your tonneau based on what you need to do with your truck that day. Some hard tonneau covers don’t offer this same benefit, like hinged fiberglass covers. Those need to be removed if you want to carry large cargo, and they usually take at least two people to uninstall.
The Sawtooth STRETCH stands out by offering the most flexibility for how you use your truck. With other tonneaus, if you want to carry cargo that is taller than your bed rails, you need to either remove the tonneau or leave it open. What’s the point of your tonneau if it can’t protect whatever you need to haul? The Sawtooth STRETCH is the only expandable tonneau cover that can stretch to cover tall and large cargo. If you don’t want it to cover your truck bed, it just takes one person to quickly unfasten it from the rails, roll it up, and secure it with buckles next to your cab. You get ultimate flexibility: cover all sizes of cargo or keep your tonneau rolled up within arm’s reach.
4. Organize Your Truck Bed
Have you ever arrived at your destination to find your gear isn’t in the same place you left it? Even worse, have you had cargo fly out of your truck bed on a windy day and end up on the side of the road? With a tonneau cover your stuff stays where you leave it. That makes organization one of the top benefits of a truck bed cover. Your tonneau will keep everything in your truck bed protected from wind and some can even hold cargo in place on a bumpy or winding road.
The Sawtooth STRETCH is unique because it’s the only tonneau that is meant to come in contact with your cargo. Other tonneau manufacturers void their warranties if you let the tonneau touch anything. The Sawtooth STRETCH is an expandable tonneau cover that is designed to be tough enough to come into contact with your bigger cargo. If you’re carrying a large item like a kayak, your tonneau can cover it and hold it in place. This means you don’t have to worry about tying it down or keeping an eye on your rearview mirror to make sure it’s sturdy. The Sawtooth STRETCH warranty is still valid after its composite textile comes in direct contact with your gear.
Your tonneau serves the dual purpose of protecting your gear and keeping it secure in place. With a neat truck bed it’s easier to find your things and even keep everything clean. You’ll get more use out of your storage space when things stay organized. Even mid and small sized trucks get more utility with a tonneau cover.
5. Potentially Save Money on Gas
There is some evidence that points to soft tonneaus giving you better gas mileage. The benefits of a tonneau cover could include up to a 12% improvement in gas mileage. That means you spend less at the gas pump and get even more value out of your truck. We know that one of the biggest cons to truck ownership is the high cost of gas. You can consider a soft truck bed cover an investment that pays for itself.
There are differing opinions on the gas mileage benefits of a tonneau. However, there’s no question that your truck is more streamlined with a truck bed cover. A tonneau helps your truck look sleek by keeping any cargo out of view.
Tonneau Covers Are a Worthwhile Investment
Between protecting your gear from weather and theft, giving you flexibility, organizing your stuff, and helping you get the most value from your truck, buying a tonneau cover is a no-brainer.
Those are the top 5 benefits of a tonneau cover, but they aren’t the only ones! Our truck experts are always available to discuss more tonneau cover benefits and help you find the best truck bed cover for your needs. Give us a call at 801-692-3368 or check out our expandable tonneau cover made for your truck model.