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Tonneau cover vs. Cap?

Timothyd

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For me, I ultimately decided to go tonneau cover. The ability to haul larger-than-bedsize objects, without having to remove a cap, was of greater value to me than increased dry storage volume.

I'm also lukewarm on the looks of a cap and really only like the cab-height size, which are pretty small. They're generally investment grade products at around $3000, which makes the price-to-volume ratio pretty unfavorable to me.

I managed to find a deal on a BAK Revolver X4S and Elevate TS rails through a forum member. I plan to pair those with a set of DIY 80/20 bedbars and platform for those times I need additional capacity.

I'm still waiting on the shipment of my Maverick, so I don't actually have any real world input.
Doesn't take much experience to figure out they're pricey. Wonder if they'll come down?
 

Edge Haley

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Does yours leak a little at front?
I've had the Gator $230 tonneau for 1 yr 8 months not a drop of rain has gotten in the bed. I live in an area with very heavy rain fall. The Gator Tonneau is a tight fit and comes with a 1/2 round rubber seal that adheres to the underside of the tonneau edges, including tail gate lid, and that's probably why I have never had any leaks. Bed has a carpet in floor so if it leaked, I'd know it.

I've had a cap on my Ford Ranger and the biggest issue is when I have to take it off...royal pain to take off and put back on to make a Lowes material run. My little trailer covers most of my hauling. I tried a cap for camping, but a standup tent works better for me.
 
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SleepySin

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Been going back and forth on cap vs cover. Primarily because the style cap I want is the Smart Cap which has more rugged boxy look and various options while being offered in a textured black finish (I have a white Mav) but it’s also $4K+ so… a bit pricier than I’d prefer.

For my purposes, a cap makes more sense than a cover because of utility. Fitting two kiddos in the backrow while having space to store groceries and whatnot on errand runs. When going on mini road trips with the family, having the extra protected space also makes sense.

My husband has a ‘21 Bronco and during the warmer part of the year, we just liftoff the roof and suspend in the garage from pulleys - I’d imagine we can potentially do something similar with a cap if we went that direction.
 
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Had both on trucks.

Have a cover on my Mav because the bed is already so much smaller that capping it turns it into an SUV.
 

ychuck46

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Prefer the tonneau cover over the cap for our Maverick. Installed it myself, made darn sure it was tight, and we get absolutely no water in the bed even during the heaviest of rains. At $3-4K average for a cap on our $20K vehicle I just did not see the cost benefit of such an expensive addon.
 

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Been going back and forth on cap vs cover. Primarily because the style cap I want is the Smart Cap which has more rugged boxy look and various options while being offered in a textured black finish (I have a white Mav) but it’s also $4K+ so… a bit pricier than I’d prefer.

For my purposes, a cover makes more sense than a cover because of utility. Fitting two kiddos in the backrow while having space to store groceries and whatnot on errand runs. When going on mini road trips with the family, having the extra protected space also makes sense.

My husband has a ‘21 Bronco and during the warmer part of the year, we just liftoff the roof and suspend in the garage from pulleys - I’d imagine we can potentially do something similar with a cap if we went that direction.
Have you seen a Smartcap for the Mav yet? Last time I looked they didn’t have one for our application. I talked to their rep at Overland Expo last year and he could only say they will build one if the market allows, but that they didn’t have current plans.

They are the cat’s ass though.
 

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I've had the Gator $230 tonneau for 1 yr 8 months not a drop of rain has gotten in the bed. I live in an area with very heavy rain fall. The Gator Tonneau is a tight fit and comes with a 1/2 round rubber seal that adheres to the underside of the tonneau edges, including tail gate lid, and that's probably why I have never had any leaks. Bed has a carpet in floor so if it leaked, I'd know it.

I've had a cap on my Ford Ranger and the biggest issue is when I have to take it off...royal pain to take off and put back on to make a Lowes material run. My little trailer covers most of my hauling. I tried a cap for camping, but a standup tent works better for me.
Maybe I need to try a different gasket on front edge of my tonneau cover. But I’ve never had one that didn’t leak somewhere.
 

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Cap = SUV with a sealed cargo area.
Cover = Truck with a tonneau cover.

If you have to think about it, you don't need a cap.
 

Edge Haley

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Maybe I need to try a different gasket on front edge of my tonneau cover. But I’ve never had one that didn’t leak somewhere.
Auto store, Lowes, HDepot but best selections are on Amazon. What i got from Gator Tonneau is a very soft round rubber type strip (20 feet) that has a 3m adhesive strip that you pull off to attach to the bottom of the tonneau.
 

fang988

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Or get an inflatable topper and a cheap tonneau cover like this and use as needed. Costs 1k instead of 3k. Best of both worlds.

Ford Maverick Tonneau cover vs. Cap? IMG_20230702_201843
 
 







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