Job sites of all kinds can be messy places, especially during rainy seasons. We’ve seen pickup truck bed covers come in handy for everyone from construction crews to photographers, travel writers, pet grooming and walking services and furniture makers. If you’re working on any project where you need to transport tools, materials, and supplies, the bed of your truck can help you get the job done. That’s why you should consider buying a pickup truck bed cover to maximize your utility.
Protect and Organize Your Cargo at Work
At the job site, the bed of your pickup is a valuable asset for organizing and protecting gear. A pickup truck bed cover helps give you the ability to create separate areas to store different types of materials and equipment. It can help you protect and organize large items like lumber, furniture pieces, or supplies that don’t fit inside your truck’s cab without them being exposed to the elements.
You can also use a pickup truck bed cover to create a secure area to store materials that can be messy, like sand, gravel, or mulch. You can even store tools in your truck’s bed when they’re not in use, which can save you room inside your pickup AND offer increased security.
Keep Tools, Equipment and Supplies Dry
Working in the elements can be challenging, especially when you’re keeping your hands busy. You can’t always stop working just because it starts raining, snowing or what-ever-elsing, which is where a truck bed cover can come in handy. Keeping your gear, tools, and supplies dry in the back of your ‘mobile office’ is the best way to keep getting your work done without having to ‘call it’ for the day. Whether you’re trying to keep building materials from getting wet and warped, adventure gear from getting mildewy, camera gear dry and fog free, a truck cap keeps you at it.
The same is true for the sun’s damaging UV rays. We all know it sucks to pick up a hot piece of metal that’s been baking in the midday summer and a truck shell helps put that to and end. If you work on the more “tech” side of things, you can haul more of your sensitive computer, photography equipment, sensor, laser or other similar types of equipment without having to worry about chips and motherboards overheating.
Transport Large Items with Ease
If you frequently have to haul large items, a shell can help put your mind at ease. This can be especially helpful when transporting items that may be awkward to handle and store in the cab of your pickup. For instance, if you’re a landscaper and frequently haul sensitive plants , a pickup truck bed cover can help keep them from blowing over and making a mess in the bed of your rig.
If you use a pickup truck bed cover, you can also select a “contractor” model with storage shelves built in to not only help organize smaller gear and tools but also keep it at arms reach when you need those tools often. This can can also help prevent items from sliding around in the bed of your truck, which can lead to damage to both the items and your truck.
Lock Up Cargo Safely When You’re Not Using it
When you’re not using a pickup truck bed cover, you can use it to lock up your cargo in the bed of your truck. This can be especially helpful if you’re storing valuable items in the bed of your truck that you don’t want falling out or getting stolen. They can also be used for storing and locking up important items like ladders or construction materials that may be difficult to replace.
Key Things to Look for in a Pickup Truck Bed Cover
– Durability: The pickup truck bed cover you purchase should be built to last, so you can get the most use out of it for years to come. Pickup truck bed covers are made from a variety of materials, including aluminum, fiberglass, and even fabric. The material you choose will depend on whether you’re looking for a more durable or lighter option.
– Size: You’ll want to think about the size of the pickup truck bed cover you purchase. Many shells come in options ranging from “Cab High” to “High Rise” which will give you a varied range of room from top to bottom. You can choose either based on esthetics or payload considerations.
– Ease of Use: You should also think about how easy the shell makes your life. There are so many options to choose from when it comes to making your shell your own that you can easily customize to gain easy access to your particular type of cargo in what ever way you choose. Sliding front windows, flip up windoors (windows that tilt up on the side), standard rear windows, side shelves, keyless entry… the sky is the limit with what you can do.
Drawbacks of a Pickup Truck Bed Cover
– They may not fit every vehicle: If you are looking to put something on a newer model truck, you will sometime have to wait for production to catch up to demand and vehicle design changes. Also, if you have a vehicle over 25 years old, you might also be out of luck with which models might be available.
– They can be pricey: A pickup truck bed cover is an investment and sometimes, not the cheapest. If you consider the benefits and the fact that, when taken care of, they will last as long as your truck itself, you can weigh the personal pros and cons of price to what it is you will be getting out of it. We recommend buy nice or cry twice (or however that saying goes).
– Cargo size limitations: A shell will not only change the way your pickup looks on the outside, but the overall capacity inside will be a factor to consider as well. If you often have to haul oversized or tall items, a shell might get in the way. Fortunately, if you know this in advance, you can also prepare to remove the shell and safely store it aside when you need your bed space back for “custom” loads.