- Dec 8, 2011
- 501
This might be of interest to those of you with full size PUs, GMT 800, 900, or GMT K2XX. I thought I'd do a review of this tonneau cover because most of the reviews I found were 4 or 5 years old. And from what I've read, Extang redesigned the seals recently. I've had the cover for a couple of months now.
When we bought our Sierra it had a cap on it. While it was a nice looking cap, neither my wife or I are big fans of caps. Makes 'em look like work trucks and really cuts down on visibility. Plus the way we planned on using it, the cap seemed more of a hinderance. Quite a few members here liked it and suggested I keep it. I toyed with the idea of using the cap, even testing out loading it for camping, like putting our bikes inside with the front wheels off, etc. But in the end, my wife being short and not being able to reach the cap window when it was open, we decided to sell it. Got a pretty good buck for it, and that almost covered then entire cost of the Extang. BTW, the trailer you see next to my driveway is my dad's old '77 Jayco. My 2013 Jayco sits behind it.
I did a lot of research on this before the purchase because 1) solid/secure covers are not cheap and I didn't want to end up disapointed 2) the replacement for the cap had to be relatively secure and keep the inside dry 3) it had to be easy enough for my wife to use, at least to open at the gate 4) it has to allow full bed access for carrying bicycles standing up and other large loads.
Here were the options I considered:
BakFlip G2/Undercover Flex (these 2 are nearly identical), Extang Solid Fold, and Rugged Cover II. I think there are a couple of more out there but these seemed to be the most popular. The BakFlip G2 seems to be the prefered tonneau cover on a lot of truck forums. A retractable cover would have been ideal, but far too expensive. Soft covers look great and are easy to use, but don't have any real security.
I quickly narrowed it down to the BakFlip G2 and the Extang Solid Fold. The Solid Fold won for few reasons. There is no hardware to install, no rails, no drains. It has a 3 year warranty. The BakFlip G2 only has a 1 year warranty. The BakFlip G2 has the advatage of being able to fully expose the bed without removing, but at the expense of visbility because it blocks the cab window. I like to keep an eye on my load. The BakFlip G2 requires you to open the end panel to open the tail gate. It also seems less secure and people who have compared both side by side said the Solid Fold is far more secure.
Installation.
First time installation was a piece of cake. It took me about 10 minutes. And that's only because I had to figure out how to line it up. Sebsequent removals and reinstalls take less than 5 minutes. I won't post photos of the install because Extang has some pretty good videos on how to do it. http://www.extang.com/videos/solidFoldVideo.html. What I really like about this is the ease at which the tailgate panel can be disconnected and flipped over to reach in. It can be flip up and secured on the end to allow 2/3 access to the bed without fully removing the cover.
Customer service.
This is something that seems to get mixed reviews, again they are older reviews. Two seals on my tonneau cover were compressed on delivery, one was really bad to the point that you could see light through from the bed and when it rained allowed water to get in. The not so bad one eventually expanded on its own. I called Extang and they sent out replacement seals for both sides right away. However it was cold and rainy the following 2 weeks. I may have to call again this summer about leaks...
Leaks.
Of course the cover leaked a little bit where the seal was compressed. I put on the new seal and not too long after it poured while I was on my home from work. Not a drop of water inside. A few days later, truck sitting on the street, more heavy rain. A little bit of water got in. I also took it through high pressure washes a couple of times, once a little water, second time none. The leaks appear to be coming from random areas and is worse if the truck is parked on a slight incline and the bed is level allowing water to pool on the cover. I'm thinking that when I get bed rail caps that may help stop the leaks because some of the water appears to be seeping in under the seals. The seals look tight, but all it takes is a little dirt to leave a small channel for water flow. What's been getting in so far is pretty insignigicant except for one time when I got quite a bit. While I don't like it, its not enough to cause me any real problems. If the leaks continue after getting the bed rail caps I'll call Extang and report back.
Day to day useability.
This was a really important consideration and where this tonneau cover really shines for our needs. We use the bed like a trunk 90% of the time. I keep a cargo bar toward the gate to put in grocery bags, boxes, etc. When camping the cargo bar goes to the front to store things like containers and what not. Then the area close to the tailgate is open for hauling fire wood to our campsite. And visibility without the cap is excellent.
Conclusion.
I'd rate this tonneau cover an 8 out 10. It lost 2 points because of the leaks. Again this isn't earth shattering but it could be an issue from time to time and certainly could be a problem for some others. Other than that I really love this cover. I'm really comfortable leaving things in the bed without worry that someone's going to get in too easily. And opening and removing the cover is very easy and fast to do. Knowing what I know now I might have been more inclined to get the BakFlip G2 but I'm not sorry I bought the Extang either.
When we bought our Sierra it had a cap on it. While it was a nice looking cap, neither my wife or I are big fans of caps. Makes 'em look like work trucks and really cuts down on visibility. Plus the way we planned on using it, the cap seemed more of a hinderance. Quite a few members here liked it and suggested I keep it. I toyed with the idea of using the cap, even testing out loading it for camping, like putting our bikes inside with the front wheels off, etc. But in the end, my wife being short and not being able to reach the cap window when it was open, we decided to sell it. Got a pretty good buck for it, and that almost covered then entire cost of the Extang. BTW, the trailer you see next to my driveway is my dad's old '77 Jayco. My 2013 Jayco sits behind it.
I did a lot of research on this before the purchase because 1) solid/secure covers are not cheap and I didn't want to end up disapointed 2) the replacement for the cap had to be relatively secure and keep the inside dry 3) it had to be easy enough for my wife to use, at least to open at the gate 4) it has to allow full bed access for carrying bicycles standing up and other large loads.
Here were the options I considered:
BakFlip G2/Undercover Flex (these 2 are nearly identical), Extang Solid Fold, and Rugged Cover II. I think there are a couple of more out there but these seemed to be the most popular. The BakFlip G2 seems to be the prefered tonneau cover on a lot of truck forums. A retractable cover would have been ideal, but far too expensive. Soft covers look great and are easy to use, but don't have any real security.
I quickly narrowed it down to the BakFlip G2 and the Extang Solid Fold. The Solid Fold won for few reasons. There is no hardware to install, no rails, no drains. It has a 3 year warranty. The BakFlip G2 only has a 1 year warranty. The BakFlip G2 has the advatage of being able to fully expose the bed without removing, but at the expense of visbility because it blocks the cab window. I like to keep an eye on my load. The BakFlip G2 requires you to open the end panel to open the tail gate. It also seems less secure and people who have compared both side by side said the Solid Fold is far more secure.
Installation.
First time installation was a piece of cake. It took me about 10 minutes. And that's only because I had to figure out how to line it up. Sebsequent removals and reinstalls take less than 5 minutes. I won't post photos of the install because Extang has some pretty good videos on how to do it. http://www.extang.com/videos/solidFoldVideo.html. What I really like about this is the ease at which the tailgate panel can be disconnected and flipped over to reach in. It can be flip up and secured on the end to allow 2/3 access to the bed without fully removing the cover.
Customer service.
This is something that seems to get mixed reviews, again they are older reviews. Two seals on my tonneau cover were compressed on delivery, one was really bad to the point that you could see light through from the bed and when it rained allowed water to get in. The not so bad one eventually expanded on its own. I called Extang and they sent out replacement seals for both sides right away. However it was cold and rainy the following 2 weeks. I may have to call again this summer about leaks...
Leaks.
Of course the cover leaked a little bit where the seal was compressed. I put on the new seal and not too long after it poured while I was on my home from work. Not a drop of water inside. A few days later, truck sitting on the street, more heavy rain. A little bit of water got in. I also took it through high pressure washes a couple of times, once a little water, second time none. The leaks appear to be coming from random areas and is worse if the truck is parked on a slight incline and the bed is level allowing water to pool on the cover. I'm thinking that when I get bed rail caps that may help stop the leaks because some of the water appears to be seeping in under the seals. The seals look tight, but all it takes is a little dirt to leave a small channel for water flow. What's been getting in so far is pretty insignigicant except for one time when I got quite a bit. While I don't like it, its not enough to cause me any real problems. If the leaks continue after getting the bed rail caps I'll call Extang and report back.
Day to day useability.
This was a really important consideration and where this tonneau cover really shines for our needs. We use the bed like a trunk 90% of the time. I keep a cargo bar toward the gate to put in grocery bags, boxes, etc. When camping the cargo bar goes to the front to store things like containers and what not. Then the area close to the tailgate is open for hauling fire wood to our campsite. And visibility without the cap is excellent.
Conclusion.
I'd rate this tonneau cover an 8 out 10. It lost 2 points because of the leaks. Again this isn't earth shattering but it could be an issue from time to time and certainly could be a problem for some others. Other than that I really love this cover. I'm really comfortable leaving things in the bed without worry that someone's going to get in too easily. And opening and removing the cover is very easy and fast to do. Knowing what I know now I might have been more inclined to get the BakFlip G2 but I'm not sorry I bought the Extang either.
