Looking for input on a tonneau cover.

Dr1ft3r · January 27, 2023

On 1/26/2023 at 5:11 PM, Dr1ft3r said:

I'm a fan of the Diamondback covers. They are pricey but are also more secure than other options if you want to store expensive gear in your bed. I like that I can carry my ATV on top of the cover and store gear under it while towing my travel trailer.

https://diamondbackcovers.com/products/diamondbackatvr?variant=29046282057

They also state that their covers can hold up to 2 ATVs with a weight under 1,600 pounds. But from what I read in the owners manual our trucks box walls are only rated for up to 1,000 pounds. So keep that in mind.

An alternative that I have also considered is from Renegade.

https://renegadecovers.com/

There are pros and cons between them and Diamondback. Going all-in the renegade cover would cost me more, since they don't include loading ramps in the cost and Diamondback also offers free shipping (Renegade wants $460 to ship what I would want). There is also a 3-4 month lead time with Renegade and Diamondback can ship out within 3 to 10 days.

I do know that with Renegade you can fold up the cover and still use a gooseneck/5th wheel. Something that can't be done with a Diamondback without completely removing the cover. I also like the L-Track on the Renegade.

Edit:

I really wanted to like the Renegade cover. From a design perspective it seems to be superior to the Diamondback. However, after searching the internet I find numerous cases of people waiting for up to a year to get their cover and receiving very poor communication with the seller is extremely common. I even read some reports of people having to return the cover due to defects after waiting a year to receive it, then they still hadn't received a refund a month later according to their review. There are also reports of water leaks. Not from the edges like one might expect due to an installation error, but from between the panels as shown in this review:

The final nail in the coffin for this cover for me was reports of the steel mounting mechanism for the cover rusting after a year or two of use. For the cost of this cover they should be using stainless steel, not galvanized steel for the steel components. If it were just some bolts that I could replace I might reconsider. I can envision trying to unlock the cover one day after not using it for a few weeks and find that the mechanism will not unlock due to rust.

I believe the Diamondback is the better value here, in spite of it's limitations in comparison to the Renegade. If you’re watching videos of reviews on YouTube you'll notice most of the positive reviews are from Renegade themselves. It's a shame, because this could have been a great cover.

Edited January 30, 2023 by Dr1ft3r

Stand By · February 24, 2023

Thinking of pulling the trigger on a retractable this year, myself. A concern for me as already mentioned was winter freeze up. Figuring I'll try to take advantage of the built in inverter in the bed and try running some heat tape along the bottom or back side of the box the cover rolls into. Should warm it up enough on a longer drive to keep it thawed, hopefully.