Undercover Tonneau Review

[npep]

I wanted a hard cover that would look nice today and tomorrow. I also needed something that would be hassle free and water tight. Over the past several months I did a lot of research and looking. After much consideration, I narrowed down my tonneau cover choices to the following:
UnderCover
http://www.undercoverinfo.com/
ARE
http://www.4are.com/product/lsii/
Checker
http://checkerpro.com/
Checker covers looked very nice and had a super low profile. They were also very cheap…relative of course. I did not like the latch system that they have. It just did not seem as secure as the others. My biggest reason for not purchasing this cover was the finish. The black flat finish would be prone to scratches and would probably fade quicker over time. Checker seemed to encourage a paint job or to get it sprayed with a Line-X finish. I really wanted something I could put on right away and be done with it.

The ARE LSii covers were the nicest looking of the bunch. I really liked the excellent color match as well as the styling. The lock was better and the finish was incredible. I also found out that if you are a Costco member, you could get and extra 20% off here: http://www.4are.com/value/
The only issue I had with the LSii cover was the price and the height of the cover itself. Of the three, the LSii was the tallest on the truck which limited more of the already limited rear view. The LSii was also the most expensive, even with the 20% off. If you are looking for a cover that matches the color of your truck, this is the best one for the money!

Finally, the Undercover. This is the last and a latest entry in the race for tonneau cover. I found Undercover through some other posts. After looking at the online and in person, I was very impressed. Although it is only a big piece of plastic, it looks really good. Undercover put a texture on the cover that allows it to look nice and not so plastic looking. The installation was a breeze…30 minutes tops! Very simple to put on and take off. Undercover actually provides a couple of hooks to mount in your garage to hang the cover when you take it off. It fits very well on the truck and looks fantastic. I have a Smoke Titan and it looks great! Not sure how the cover would look on a red, white, green or blue Titan. The finish was actually the biggest seller for me. I really needed something that would be carefree and resist scratches. I work with a lot of students at our church and needed something durable. Walking out of church last night, I found three young ladies lying on the cover looking up at the stars. You can’t do that with the other covers. The only issue I have with the cover is the two lock system, no big deal, but you must put the key in each hole to lock the cover down. Everything else is great!

[mammoth]

Consider also the Gaylord cover. I have been to the Gaylord factory in SoCal, as well as to an ARE and Snug dealer to compare. I have no connection with any of them.

The Gaylord (despite the name disadvantage) has the following benefits, especially for Utilitrack owners:
1. Its hardware fits in the Utilitrack w/o interfering with bed extender even when it is set all the way to the cab.
2. The strong struts are in the front/cab end of bed, so loading large objects from back or side is much easier than ARE, and the hinge is far superior.
3. Removal is much simpler than ARE: 2 thumbscrews and you're out, and brackets stay put.
4. Finish quality is acceptable (comparable to Snug) although not as nice as ARE; but it is flat and sleek for those who prefer that.

Weakness is in the locks, if you want speed and ease. Right now they have twin side locks. They assert they will have a single-center lock and remote keyless option in a month.

[Quad T]

npep, nice review. The undercover is what I will be waiting for as they plan to have the KC version available later this summer. And as an FYI- a friend of mine has had one on his Silverado for years, he loves it and has had nothing but great luck with it. For me it is the light weight and not heavy fiberglass and durable finish that got me hooked.

[Calhoun687]

Mammoth
have you seen the X2000 cover by gaylord if so how does that look
I will be Trading in my 03 dodge at the end of the month and i am looking for a cover that looks good and removes easy so i can get my bikes inb and out on the weekends.
my intention is to buy a galaxy black titan and paint 2 silver port stripes down the middle of the truck including the bed cover
so one i buy the truck the mods will be coming fast so i am doing all my research early

[Quad T]

Originally Posted by Calhoun687

my intention is to buy a galaxy black titan and paint 2 silver port stripes down the middle of the truck including the bed cover
so one i buy the truck the mods will be coming fast so i am doing all my research early

I don't know anything about the X2000 cover by Gaylord, but I do know the Undercover plastic top has a distinct texture to the plastic, maybe the best way to describe it would be it is sort of like a crincle finish paint. This may or may not be something you want to put the stripes onto because they will never match the color of the stripes on the truck due to the very flat surface of the truck body and the differences in light reflection.

[Louist Truckster]

I also got an Undercover tonneau for my Titan. Wish I had waited as they are coming out with a paintable version this summer. Oh well! my brother in law bought a retrax roll up cover and he still has full use of his utilitrac system. He got it from the same place I got mu undercover. www.truckgadgets.com They claimed to offer 31 different types of bed covers.

[Clint]

I read somewhere all the Undercover tops are paintable now as long you you prep it correctly.

Clint

[Louist Truckster]

All Undercovers are paintable if you sand the finish smooth which is a lot of work. They are coming out with a smooth, paint prepped finish sometime this summer. My contact at truckgadgets.com said he would trade me out if I pay the freight. I am going to do it as soon as they are available.