Here is the scoop on pickup bed covers

Bed covers rate right up there with side steps and splash guards as the most popular accessories for pickups, so if you’re new to the game or even a veteran, there are some things you need to know.

First, there are several categories of covers, ranging from soft vinyl roll-ups starting around $500 and soft tri-folds for around $650, to hard tri- or quad-folds starting from $800 and one-piece, paint-matched fibreglass covers that can cost upward of $1,800.

The one-piece units provide the most protection against the elements, but none are truly watertight. One-piece covers also come with a major drawback — they’re hinged at the front and only open a few feet at the rear. This makes carrying anything taller than the bed sides impossible unless you first remove the cover, and that isn’t a one-person job.

Soft vinyl covers, whether they are the roll-up or tri-fold type, simply aren’t made for Canadian winters. Unless you’re going to pull them off and store them inside every time the forecast calls for freezing rain or heavy snow, forget them.

The other major drawback with soft tri-fold — vinyl covers mounted on three-hinged frames — is that most of them attach to the truck by means of a spring-loaded hand latch. After some use, these latches require adjustments to ensure they remain tight. If you skip this service, they can easily fly off on the highway, or even if you’re parked and it’s very windy.

If you have one and have never checked the latches, do so before your next trip. Adjusting them is easy and usually requires no tools; they should take some force to close with a solid snap. As well, buy yourself a good quality vinyl top treatment to keep the material from dry cracking.

If you want something that can stand up to our winters and provide the flexibility of being able to haul taller objects without full removal, a hard-folding cover is your best option.

Certain brands, such as Bakflip, even offer two support rods that allow panels to be stored upright against the back window of the cab, exposing as much of the bed as possible for larger loads. This feature does come at a cost, though: covers like this run at least $200 more than conventional hard-folding covers.

If you’re at all handy, you can convert your own hard-folding cover into a similar style with a couple of hinged prop rods. Simply measure and cut the rods to fit, mount them to the inside edge of the bed side rail near the front, add a couple of brackets to the underside of the forward-most panel, and you’re good to go.