Fiberglass tonneau cover vs Undercover?

swoleymammoth · November 29, 2018

Hey everyone,

So I currently have a tyger tri-fold soft cover on my truck, but I'm looking to eventually upgrade to something that is a little better looking with a bit more security and weather protection. I love the look of the paint to match fiberglass tonneau covers with the contoured lines. I just think they look sleek and complement the truck nicely.

I'm curious to know if anyone here has one of these covers or one of the undercover ABS painted covers on their truck? I've been specifically looking at the Undercover Elite LX and the ARE LSX Ultra. If you could post some pictures that would be appreciated. Also, what pros or cons are there between the fiberglass vs the undercover ABS covers? How easy or difficult is each one to remove? Which one do you use and why? Thank you all in advance for your replies!

Edited November 29, 2018 by swoleymammoth

1SLOW1500 · November 29, 2018

I dont care for one piece, very limiting yo the bed use. That said there are only a few one piece I would ever run but the cost is much to high for the average joe.

Nasty · November 29, 2018

Yup if you dont put big stuff in the bed then 1 piece is fine. If not you want a hard roll up

Grjfer · November 30, 2018

Been running an undercover SE for the last 5 years. I wouldn't be without one. Keeps everything dry and secure. Lightweight and comes off and under 5 minutes. If I need to haul something tall I just remove it.

swoleymammoth · November 30, 2018

@1SLOW1500 Which one piece cover?

@Nasty Most of the time I just have snowboards, hunting/camping gear, or groceries back there so I figure if the one piece ones are relatively easy to take off I'd be ok. Are the hard roll up covers pretty waterproof?

@Grjfer Is it painted? I'm kind of curious as to how well the paint holds up on these.

Thank you all for the replies. It seems choosing a tonneau cover is surprisingly difficult, there's just so many options!

Grjfer · November 30, 2018

@swoleymammoth Mine is not painted

1SLOW1500 · November 30, 2018

Mine is the BakFlip F1 triangle fold. But there are smooth to the bed rail cove. That are one piece, pop the two shocks off lift to a angle and you can just remove the whole cover. Made out of fiberglass,aluminum,or carbon fiber.
Years ago buddy had the fiberglass one. You cant see it unless you are right up on truck and nothing weights less other than a soft cover. Racers also love them or just make them. Also no paint needed.
Every week I use my bed. And I cant set down kegs. So one flip and the bed straps are perfect same with wood.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Donstar · November 30, 2018

The folding or roll-up box covers are useful for keeping smaller items secure and dry. They will also easily retract when you need to carry larger objects. One piece solid box covers leave you with a very large sedan with a humungous trunk. I faced a similar dilemma years ago and decided on a color matched canopy. Tall loads are no longer possible (without significant effort to re and re) but for these rare occasions my utility trailer does the job. Functionality is more van-like. All have trade-offs and advantages over a bare pick-up but a solid cover would not be an upgrade to your tri-fold cover, imo.

Bizzer · November 30, 2018

Hey OP,

I was recently in the same position as you. I decided on the Undercover Elite LX as it is lighter and easier to remove than the painted fiberglass covers. I chose the hard over the 3 piece or soft roll up because I like the look better and don't need the flexibility of the others. The only things I put in the bed regularly are my golf clubs and hockey gear which will fit under the cover. I am currently looking at roof racks for my surf boards but that's another thread. The sales guy did say that the fiberglass is more secure than the plastic but that wasn't a huge concern for me. I would have liked the wireless unlocking function available on the ARE but for the added cost it wasn't worth it to me.

I should have my new cover on next week and will give you a review and post some pics.

Cheers,

PS first post!

swoleymammoth · December 1, 2018

11 hours ago, Bizzer said:

Hey OP,

I was recently in the same position as you. I decided on the Undercover Elite LX as it is lighter and easier to remove than the painted fiberglass covers. I chose the hard over the 3 piece or soft roll up because I like the look better and don't need the flexibility of the others. The only things I put in the bed regularly are my golf clubs and hockey gear which will fit under the cover. I am currently looking at roof racks for my surf boards but that's another thread. The sales guy did say that the fiberglass is more secure than the plastic but that wasn't a huge concern for me. I would have liked the wireless unlocking function available on the ARE but for the added cost it wasn't worth it to me.

I should have my new cover on next week and will give you a review and post some pics.

Cheers,

PS first post!

Thanks for the reply! The ability to unlock the cover with the key fob would be very nice but it's not a deal breaker. Let me know when you have your cover on, I'd love to see some pics and hear how you like it. I'm especially interested to find out how good the paint quality is on those covers. I know they have a lifetime paint warranty which is nice.

Bizzer · December 3, 2018

Hi Swoley,

So I got the cover on and am please with the look and fit. The latch works as I had expected except that it is not keyed the same as my truck key. The people at the place I ordered this through claimed that they have had nothing but trouble with the locks keyed the same as your ignition. I would recommend the cover and do no regret my decision. There was a minor imperfection that was pointed out to me and they gave me the choice to wait and have a new one sent or get a credit. I chose the 400CAD credit over waiting for a new one as you have to squint and look at it at the right angle to see the imperfection. I tried to take a picture of it but you can't tell in the photo. I took some quick pictures at work but unfortunately the glare from the sun highlighted the dusty truck more than the cover. I will try to get some better ones at a later date. If you have anything else you would like to know just ask.

Cheers,

Donstar · December 3, 2018

On ‎2018‎-‎11‎-‎30 at 12:21 PM, Bizzer said:

Hey OP,

I was recently in the same position as you. I decided on the Undercover Elite LX as it is lighter and easier to remove than the painted fiberglass covers. I chose the hard over the 3 piece or soft roll up because I like the look better and don't need the flexibility of the others. The only things I put in the bed regularly are my golf clubs and hockey gear which will fit under the cover. I am currently looking at roof racks for my surf boards but that's another thread. The sales guy did say that the fiberglass is more secure than the plastic but that wasn't a huge concern for me. I would have liked the wireless unlocking function available on the ARE but for the added cost it wasn't worth it to me.

I should have my new cover on next week and will give you a review and post some pics.

Cheers,

PS first post!

Welcome to the forum! You're a ferry ride away now but I was born and raised in your city!

swoleymammoth · December 14, 2018

@Bizzer Thank you for the pics! The cover looks really good and I look forward to hearing how you like it long term.

Jimmyc! · December 14, 2018

I've had the same undercover SE on 3 trucks. Safe, secure, and bulletproof. Easy to remove if needed and keeps things nice and dry come rain, snow, or car wash.

Docksider · December 17, 2018

I got the Undercover Elite and love it. I don't haul much tall stuff, so it works fine for me. Due to the design, it seals over top of the bed to eliminate any chance of water entering.