Tonneau covers: What are they? Why do I want one?

Whether you are a new or prospective truck owner, there is a lot to wrap your mind around when you finally get the pickup of your dreams. However, this is just the first step. Any experienced truck owner will tell you that it's all about the accessories. I'm talking about steps, hitches, lights, exhaust, wings (I haven't seen it, but I'm sure someone has made a chitty-chitty-bang-bang pickup truck), and anything else you could think of. But the first, and maybe the most important, accessory you should look at for your new pickup truck is a tonneau cover (also known as a truck bed cover).

That Sounds Great, So Where Do I Start?

There is a lot to get into when choosing the right tonneau cover for your truck, but we are just going to cover the basics here. The rabbit hole of truck accessories is a deep one, so it's best to have a good understanding of the foundation. Like the title suggests, we're going to address two topics:

What is a tonneau cover?
Why do I want one?

What the Heck is a Tonneau and Why Do I Need to Cover It?

(And How Do I Even Pronounce It?)

To put it simply, a tonneau cover is something that sits over the bed of your truck to protect what's inside. There are plenty of types to choose from (read about them in more detail here). But they all serve that same general purpose.

Let's address the elephant in the room first, the name tonneau (pronounced tawn-oh) has nothing to do with some obscure truck part that only the elite truck owners know about. It's actually much simpler than that. The word tonneau originates from France, where it means barrel, cask, or container, and was a term used for centuries to describe open-air wagons used to haul goods. Over time, as protection from the elements, or from prying eyes, drivers would lay or tie down a tarp over their goods. Hence the first tonneau cover. While our trucks today are a far cry from the horse drawn carriages of generations past, the benefits of covering your things has lasted throughout the centuries. But enough of the history lesson, let's get on to...

Tonneau Covers Today

Tonneau covers come in a large variety of styles, all of which suit different needs and are custom fit for every truck. There are soft-top and hard-top tonneau covers, folding and rolling tonneau covers, retractable tonneau covers, and hatch style tonneau covers (for more information about them check out our article about tonneau cover types here). We won't go into too much detail, but here's enough information to get you started.

For covers other than hatch style or retractable, you'll find a combination of either soft or hard, and either rolling or folding (for example a soft rolling, soft folding, hard rolling, or hard folding cover).

Soft Tonneau Covers are made of a thick vinyl, and cover your truck bed to protect it from weather and prying eyes. They are a great low-cost option if you just want the basic protection.

Hard Tonneau Covers are made from aluminum, hard plastic, or fiberglass. They give all the benefits of privacy and weather protection, with the added benefit of being more durable and secure than their softer counterpart. These are generally more expensive as a result.

Rolling Tonneau Covers lie over the bed of your truck and can roll up to allow partial use of your truck bed. They can be secured near the cabin as well if they are completely rolled up and you don't want to utilize them. They can be time consuming to roll and unroll but offer lots of flexibility in their use.

Folding Tonneau Covers are segmented into two, three, or four sections. Like rolling covers, these also fold up to allow partial use of the truck bed. These are less time consuming to move around but generally offer fewer options for partial truck bed usage than a rolling cover because you can only fold them at specified segments and can't stop anywhere like a rolling cover.

Retractable Tonneau Covers offer some of the greatest flexibility and ease of use in the tonneau cover market. They can be partially opened or closed at any point like a rolling tonneau cover, and when they are fully opened, they are stored in a cannister at the front of the truck bed. However, they are easy to use like a folding tonneau cover. You can find manually operated retractable covers, as well as powered covers that are controlled by a fob or remote (or even some that operate via Bluetooth). These features come at a cost though, and this is usually the most expensive style of tonneau cover you'll find.

Hatch Tonneau Covers are a single piece of material that can be raised and lowered into your truck bed. They are difficult to remove once installed and offer little flexibility, but the security is second to none and they are often color-matched to the pickup for a very sleek look. They are more uncommon nowadays, and many retailers don't carry them at all, but it is worth noting what makes them different from other offerings.

I Heard They Save Gas Too, Is that True?

Security and Protection? Check. But one of the most easily overlooked benefits of a tonneau cover is the fuel efficiency. The bed of your truck can act like a parachute, trapping air as you drive down the road and increasing the drag on your forward momentum. With a tonneau cover installed on a vehicle, truck owners can notice a roughly 5.7% reduction in drag, which leads to almost a 1.8% increase in fuel efficiency. And while these numbers might not seem like much, when you consider that those are savings you will see throughout the lifetime of your truck, every time you fill up, it's easy to see how this value can add up over the lifetime of the vehicle.

This image shows the air flow around your truck while it is in motion. As air flows over your cabin to the bed of the truck, the tonneau cover directs air off of your vehicle, minimizing drag. Your truck bed without a tonneau cover captures the air (represented with the red arrows) which increases your drag and decreases your fuel efficiency

Sounds Like a Great Idea, Where Do I Go From Here?

This was just a basic overview of the benefits of using a tonneau cover on your truck, and the differences between the various styles. We encourage you to read our article on the differences in each tonneau cover type for some more information. However, if you feel like you have enough of a grasp on the subject and want to take a look at specific products, you can enter your specific vehicle to find a custom-fit tonneau cover with our fitguide.

We understand that accessorizing your truck is a major decision, and it pays to know as much as you can up front before you commit to anything. So whether you are in France, hauling casks of wine across the countryside in your horse-drawn wagon, or you have a truck bed full of tools and materials you want to keep safe for your latest DIY project, tonneau covers are the accessory to make sure your valuables arrive safely and securely.

About Jacob J.

To say that my path to etrailer was complicated would be an understatement. I have always had a passion for helping others, and throughout my education and career as a social worker or community liaison, I have loved writing as a hobby. When I found etrailer and was given the opportunity to turn something I enjoyed doing into a career that helped people access information and products they need to live the best life they possibly could, I was instantly interested.

I am a lover of the outdoors, have been loading and unloading trailers since I before I was old enough to drive them, and have spent my recent years working in and around the automotive industry. And I am excited to share all of the things I have learned (more often than not the hard way).

I consider myself a perpetual student, and etrailer gives me the opportunity to learn something new every day and share my findings with others. Which is something I am extremely grateful for. I look forward to continuing to help people find the answers they need to make memories for a lifetime.

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Written by: Jacob J.

Last Updated 8/3/22

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