So you put a lift on your truck and got some bigger wheels and tires, but what about the spare?  Where are you going to put that 5th 35 inch tire?  This is a question that went through my head over and over again.  Should I store it in the bed with a lock, add a spare tire holder to the tailgate, or did I even want to spend the extra money for that 5th tire?  Well, I optioned to get that full size spare for my truck, but it sat in the garage for about six months before I finally chose a tonneau cover for the truck.

When searching for a tonneau cover, I looked for the type and style that would best suit the truck and what I needed it to do.  I wanted to store my tire, jack, and bag of goodies full of tools and parts that I might need one day.  I had to figure out if I wanted a folding, one-piece hinged, retractable, roll up, or sectional tonneau cover.  Since I am a part-time midget and have a lifted truck, I figured folding and sectional tonneau covers might not work for me because I wouldn’t be able to reach the latch to make all sections fold when I was outside of the truck bed.  As for retractable and roll up covers, I had these on my mini trucks back in the day and I wanted a different style for this truck.

I ended up with a one-piece hinged tonneau cover with a single lock that will help keep my stuff safe at night from the Boogie Man.  Some of the added features are the lid light and pull strap for the vertically challenged, such as myself.  I was able to use the color code off of the truck to have it painted to match without any color variance.  As with every addition to your truck, you take the good with the bad.  The bad is that if you have a tall item that needs to go in the bed, you have to drive with the truck lid open.  However, the good outweighs the bad by a landslide!  You can put whatever you want under the lockable lid and it will not be seen.  When friends ask you to help them move, you have a built-in excuse: “Oh, sorry man, my truck has a lid and I cannot move your bed or the rest of your apartment.”  Of course, you can take it off with a little help from a friend but they don’t need to know this.

In the end, what is best for you is not necessarily what is best for everyone.  So, if you are in the market to get a new cover, be sure to check out all of your options and get the tonneau cover that suits your needs and wants.

4 Wheel Parts carries a large selection of tonneau covers

Agri-Cover Tonneau Cover
BAK Tonneau Cover
BedRug Conneaut Cover
Extang Tonneau Cover
Lund Tonneau Cover
Truxedo Tonneau Cover
Pace Edwards JackRabbit Tonneau Cover