If you’ve ever been camping in the Appalachian area of the Eastern United States, chances are at some point you’ve seen signs indicating the importance of properly storing your food to prevent bear attacks. The black bears that are common in that area behaviorally act more like giant racoons than alpha predators. Over the last several generations of interacting with human beings and our civilization, black bears have developed a habit of breaking into our trash, our camp coolers, and even our tents. Black bears have a stronger sense of smell than bloodhounds, and just like their smaller racoon cousins, they’ll scrounge anywhere to get to the food they detect. Every once in a while, you’ll see a set of photographs or a video showing the surprising damage a black bear can cause in their pursuit of food. More than once, some luckless camper has left a bag of food in a soft top jeep or some other poorly secured vehicle overnight, and been astonished by the results.
This actually can be a helpful lens through which to consider the choice of a bed cover for your truck. The purpose you have in mind for your bedcover will help you hone in on what type of bedcover to choose, and when you’re trying to determine that purpose, it may help to imagine that bear.
Chances are, one of the reasons you’ll have in mind is security. While that’s important, you’ll need to remember that security isn’t a “Secure or insecure” choice so much as it’s a spectrum. There’s a saying, “locks keep honest people honest,” and this holds true of bedcovers as well. No matter how much money you’re willing to spend, there is no bedcover that is absolutely and completely secured. You can certainly get “more secured” but if someone is truly determined to, they can break in. But if breaking into your bedcover requires power tools or a complicated lockpicking system, you gain more security in the hopes of the time and racket they cause getting that person caught. Conversely, in many cases, a soft top truck bedcover will keep the occasional person from curiously looking in your truck bed and thinking they could grab one of your tools in the grocery store parking lot and walking away.
This takes us back to the idea of the black bear we mentioned before. When considering types of bedcovers, it can be helpful to ask the question, “Do I want to prevent a bear from getting into my truck bed?” You may not really have to worry about a bear, but you may need to worry about a determined thief breaking into your truck bed to steal tools, construction supplies, or maybe your packed lunch. (Though chances are that last one is definitely a bear. Yogi or Booboo, we’re not sure.)
We carry a three major types of Truck Gear by Line-X bedliners here at Line-X of Northern Kentucky. First, our Roll-Up Tonneau Covers. This is the most basic bedcover you can ask for. This is going to first and foremost help protect any items you have in your truckbed from the elements. You can load a week’s worth of groceries on a wet and rainy day, and do the rest of your errands knowing you won’t come home to find soggy bread in the back. This will ensure your tools don’t go flying out on the highway, and helps keep any random passersby from nosing around in your stuff. But as the most basic bedcover, the roll up Tonneau covers offer the least security. Someone determined enough to force their way in might be able to cut through the fabric, either using a sturdy knife or their bear shaped claws. After the roll up covers, we offer the Soft Tri-Fold Tonneau Covers, which offer a little more security, as well as better appearance. Custom made for each truck, these covers have a lower profile and a secure latch that means you can drive even with it unfolded. A sturdy construction with the sectional pieces means there’s more resistance. A bear could probably still break into this bedliner, but it’ll make more ruckus and probably wake you up in time to chase it off. (very carefully)
Finally, we have the Retractable Hard Tonneau Covers from Truck Gear by Line-X. These covers are the most secure option in compared to the ones listed above. These covers can support up to 500+ pounds, and are some of the toughest and most secure on the market. That bear we’ve been thinking about would find itself rebuffed, as would most random thieves with their eye on your possessions. This is a rugged truck bed ready and willing to stand up to the abuse your working day or the environment may have for it.
Regardless of what type of bed cover works best for your truck, we’ve got you covered! We carry a number of different brands and styles, so come in to our shop today to see the options we have for yourself, and one of our staff will help you get all the information you need.