Lightning Tonneau cover recommendations?

[dannynoone]

Hope you are still pleased. Price has increased, but I just ordered this item. Should be good for our mild weather.
Tyger Auto T3 Soft Tri-fold Truck Bed Tonneau Cover Compatible with 2021-2023 Ford F-150; Lightning | 5.5' (67") Bed | TG-BC3F1064 https://a.co/d/h5oVXNM

Still looks great and works well. Very pleased with it!

Sponsored

 

[9onmy6]

Still looks great and works well. Very pleased with it!

Got mine, see previously. Thanks @dannynoone

 

[swordfish]

I went with the Retrax PowerTraxPro MX. Very pricey, but love it.

https://retrax.com/powertraxpro-mx

My opinions...

Pros:
- Looks, Durability, Security
- Has been great with keeping bed dry even after a few hard rains (so far)
- Love having the powered cover and being able to stop it anywhere along the track
- Able to pair remote with visor homelink buttons. I have left button set to open the cover, center button for my garage door, and right button to close the cover.
- Additional light for the bed
- Fully open/retracted it does not obstruct rear window view
- This specific model has T-Track built into the sides so you can attach any cross bars, racks, etc...
- Straight forward self-install

Cons:
- Price
- Takes up room in our short 5'5" beds. I can still fit several sheets of 4'x8'.
- Covers up the 2x cab side box link attachments
- Price

For the majority of my personal needs/use of the Lightning bed the Retrax is a good fit. If you require the full use of the bed I would say to go with a different product.

 

[Capertrj]

I went with the Retrax PowerTraxPro MX. Very pricey, but love it.

https://retrax.com/powertraxpro-mx

My opinions...

Pros:
- Looks, Durability, Security
- Has been great with keeping bed dry even after a few hard rains (so far)
- Love having the powered cover and being able to stop it anywhere along the track
- Able to pair remote with visor homelink buttons. I have left button set to open the cover, center button for my garage door, and right button to close the cover.
- Additional light for the bed
- Fully open/retracted it does not obstruct rear window view
- This specific model has T-Track built into the sides so you can attach any cross bars, racks, etc...
- Straight forward self-install

Cons:
- Price
- Takes up room in our short 5'5" beds. I can still fit several sheets of 4'x8'.
- Covers up the 2x cab side box link attachments
- Price

For the majority of my personal needs/use of the Lightning bed the Retrax is a good fit. If you require the full use of the bed I would say to go with a different product.

Great breakdown. I have the same cover and love it!

 

[MM in SouthTX]

I bought a FlowTarp for $100 and I love it. Very versatile. Comes with extension straps for taller loads.
Hope this is not a violation of the promotion rules, which I could not find anywhere. Seems that there are a lot of people recommending products with web links, but my previous post about the FlowTarp was deleted. The product happens to be made by a friend of mine. Maybe that was the violation? I get nothing for mentioning the product. I just think it's slick and inexpensive.

 

[dannynoone]

Hope you are still pleased. Price has increased, but I just ordered this item. Should be good for our mild weather.
Tyger Auto T3 Soft Tri-fold Truck Bed Tonneau Cover Compatible with 2021-2023 Ford F-150; Lightning | 5.5' (67") Bed | TG-BC3F1064 https://a.co/d/h5oVXNM

Edit: received and that was an easy-peasy install. Exactly what I was wanting. Now I can get an extra 0.1 m/kw. Not really the reason for purchase. Needs to settle, but pleased.

Looks great, enjoy!

 

[peoples1234]

I bought the lo-max. Quality seems much better than the Bak Industries ones I have had on other trucks. Only time will tell.

Super easy install, no drains.

https://www.etrailer.com/Tonneau-Covers/Ford/F-150/2023/AB1010019.html?VehicleID=20231705025

 

[christian20]

Great breakdown. I have the same cover and love it!

Wanted to elaborate on this thread for anyone searching for retrax covers and boxlink compatibility. The retrax pro MX did cover the majority of the boxlink tie down cleats, but I was able to install the canister without removing the cleats, leaving just enough exposed to attach 1-2 bungee cords back there, which is all I need those cleats for right now.

It didn't expose enough that I could confidently tie down something real heavy on those cleats, but for stabilization/light items like bikes, the boxlink should remain compatible with the retrax covers

 

[Ishkatan]

I bought a FlowTarp for $100 and I love it. Very versatile. Comes with extension straps for taller loads.

The link is not working. Interesting option for hiding stuff for the short term.

 

[MM in SouthTX]

The link is not working. Interesting option for hiding stuff for the short term.

You're right. Not sure why. Type it in and it comes up for me.

 

[leonbell]

My truck is going into production this week. I'm starting to think of accessories. Any recommended tonneau covers that are known to fit the Lightning?

I bit the bullet and got a Renegade Cover. It is probably overkill for most people (possibly me included), but It’s as soldi as they get.
Pros:
1). Very durable and can hold a couple of thousand pounds on top.
2.).Fairly water proof/resistant
3) Locks down very securely
4) Tri-Fold design and can open the front separately.
5) Built in tracks on top with ability to insert anchors and other attachments on top for bike racks, tents, etc.

Cons:
1) Expensive
2) Long wait for delivery as they make them individually
3) Heavy. You can install everything yourself, but it really takes two people to set or lift the cover from the bed. Once the rails are installed easy to do, but a two person lift on and off.

 

[invertedspear]

You're right. Not sure why. Type it in and it comes up for me.

Annoying they want all my info before telling me how much it costs, I get why they want measurements, but they could at least say "average cost for a 5.7 ft bed is X, a 6.5 is Y, etc. What did you pay for yours?

 

[MM in SouthTX]

Annoying they want all my info before telling me how much it costs, I get why they want measurements, but they could at least say "average cost for a 5.7 ft bed is X, a 6.5 is Y, etc. What did you pay for yours?

$100
This is actually a friend of mine who has been a sailmaker and then an awning maker here for 30+ years. He makes bullet proof products for our windy/salty environment. The product is good, but his marketing pitch needs some help!

 

[invertedspear]

$100
This is actually a friend of mine who has been a sailmaker and then an awning maker here for 30+ years. He makes bullet proof products for our windy/salty environment. The product is good, but his marketing pitch needs some help!

Agreed, the product looks good, and would suit most people's needs. In fact it's probably a better product for me than the hard cover I got on craigslist. Also curious how that would hold up in the hot and dry dust of the desert, humid heat and dry heat are very different on materials.

It's hard for small-business types to get a good online presence when they don't have a huge bankroll for it. I'd suggest he look into something like the package deals from square, really makes it easy.

 

[CyclopsThere]

$100
This is actually a friend of mine who has been a sailmaker and then an awning maker here for 30+ years. He makes bullet proof products for our windy/salty environment. The product is good, but his marketing pitch needs some help!

You've done the measurements already for your lightning, mind providing those to us here? I would like to get an order in but can't get to the truck for a bit, this is exactly what I'm looking for.

Also, as a sailing fan I love the thought of a product for my truck made by a sailmaker. Perfect fit for me

Sponsored