If you have been contemplating a soft pickup truck bed cover but have not yet weighed all of the benefits against the installation price, then you have come to the right place. There are actually many benefits of soft pickup truck bed covers, not all of which are immediately obvious:
• Flexibility – hard pickup truck bed covers are stronger than their more malleable “soft” counterparts, but that rigidity is both a blessing and a curse. Extra strength offered by solid designs translates into greater weight and reduced flexibility for carrying larger and/or unusually shaped loads, both of which are benefits of soft pickup truck bed covers.
• A solid seal – A solid seal can be important to keeping the contents of a pickup truck bed safe during transit. Both hard and soft pickup truck bed covers should perform this particular task equally well unless the cargo is unusually shaped and thus precludes the possibility of anything but a soft pickup truck bed cover.
• Safety at speed – Having items flying out of the bed while in transit is dangerous, even if the items are small grains of sand. Not only can items leaving the truck bed be dangerous to other motorists, it could be illegal to knowingly allow such a condition exist or to be operating a vehicle while negligent of such a situation.
• Long term resale value – Keeping the contents of the bed in the bed, especially if the bed is already lined, is a great way to reduce paint chipping and additional wear and tear that can reduce the resale value of a pickup truck. It might seem counterintuitive to think that a pickup truck would be rated on looks, but the bottom line is that attention to detail is expected of buyers trying to get the best deal. Any detail that looks as if it could be a sign of neglect is the equivalent of a red flag, even chips in the paint around the exterior of the bed near the top.
• Immediate increase in vehicle value – Adding anything to a vehicle, unless tasteless or damaging in some way, increases its immediate value. While it would be unusual to find any upgrade to a vehicle that resulted in a 100% return on immediate value, a soft pickup truck bed cover is generally capable of increasing the value of a vehicle by a significant portion of the pickup truck bed cover’s retail value.
• Easy to install – There are few upgrades to a pickup truck that are easier to install than a soft pickup truck bed cover. Most soft pickup truck bed covers come in roll up form, but there are also easy to install fold up and tilt models as well. Generally speaking, it takes few tools and only a few moments to properly install soft pickup truck bed covers. Of course, the local garage is more than likely to be willing to accommodate a simple installation for an hour or two of labor if the customer is so inclined.
• Low price options – Most roll up style soft pickup truck be covers are very cost effective upgrades. Add to the aforementioned fact that self-install is easy, and the low price is doubly relevant for anyone looking for a cost effective solution. Initial cost is not the only reason that many people consider soft pickup truck bed covers to be advantageous…
• Better mileage & less wear and tear – While not many people associate pickup trucks with great mileage, it does not mean that any pickup truck owner should resign themselves to a life of wishing that they had invested a substantial amount of money in petroleum stocks. While soft pickup truck bed covers can do nothing about the weight of most pickup trucks, they can help reduce the incredible amount of drag that tailgates create. This drag lowers performance and economy while simultaneously costing the owner of the pickup more money on fuel and wear and tear on the drivetrain.