Do you want a tonneau cover for your pickup truck bed? With the rising cost of gas, more people opt to drive trucks than ever before. A tonneau cover is a must-have accessory if you are looking to get the most out of your vehicle and its truck bed. Not only does it give you additional storage space for your stuff, but it also protects your truck bed from dirt, debris, and water.
Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Cover
- High-quality soft roll-up tonneau cover
- Easy install
- Comes with everything you need for installation
- Inexpensive and provides a good level of protection against the elements
- Very sturdy
- The Gator can be used For “Everyday Use”
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That’s why we are going to look at the Gator ETX Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover and see if it’s worth adding to our pickup truck’s storage space. Here’s our Gator ETX Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover review.
Gator ETX Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover Review
Gator Tonneau Cover Review, The Gator ETX, is a soft cover made of a breathable fabric. It’s wind-resistant and has a double zipper closure so that you can close it with one hand. It has a thick, durable base made of high-density foam with an aluminum frame that makes it more stable. It has eight UPF 50 and above UV Protection to help protect your pickup truck from the sun’s harmful rays. The Gator ETX comes with everything you need to set it up in your truck bed, including mounting brackets and straps.
What you need to set up and use in the first place: You’ll need four screws and nuts to secure the cover onto your pickup truck’s bed, so make sure you have them before starting the installation process. Then you will need two straps that fit over the rails of your bed (we recommend getting two extra – one for each side) and an adjustable ratchet strap to tighten the cover.
If you’re using a pickup truck with a low bed rail, you may need to get shorter straps. You’ll also need two ladder clamps (one for each side) to secure the Gator ETX to the truck. And, of course, you will need a power drill and some drill bits to mount the Gator on your truck bed.
The installation takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Overall, the Gator ETX can be considered a high-quality tonneau cover at a reasonable price that would be perfect for anyone looking for one of these products. Best Uses for The Gator ETX: The Gator is ideal if you need a tonneau cover that: Keeps stuff dry and safe while parked in your driveway or garage.
Pros & Cons of The Gator ETX
The ratcheting clamps (3rd hand) makes installation easier as it can secure the bed rails in place while you’re attaching or tightening up the clamps.
For the price, I’m rather impressed with how watertight it is. Depending on how your vehicle is parked and rain intensity, a drop or two of water might come in towards the front of the box.
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Nevertheless, it’s still better than what I had expected. At highway speed, there is some flutter of the tonneau tarp seen in the rear view mirror, which was to be expected and not unpleasant enough that I could hear it or detect it otherwise.
Now that we’ve taken a look at the Gator ETX Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover and learned how easy it is to install and use, let’s take a look at some advantages and disadvantages of this product.
- High-quality soft roll-up tonneau cover
- Easy install
- Comes with everything you need for installation
- Inexpensive and provides a good level of protection against the elements
- Very sturdy
- The Gator can be used For “Everyday Use”
- Very lightweight cover
- Little bit pricey
- It’s relatively easy to damage the cover
- Average security capabilities
Recommendation
This cover looks great and is very low profile. It definitely gives my F-150 that finishing touch.
The installation was relatively easy, taking me about an hour. I took my time and enjoyed doing it carefully.
I have a few things to say about how this product fits and one thing I don’t like. To start, I want to mention that my truck has a Ford drop-in plastic bedliner that was installed by the dealership. The side rails are too long to install without making some changes first. Specifically, I had to remove the two little foam rubber seals from the back of the side rails. They just peel out. The side rails fit properly after the old ones are removed, and the tailgate closes without difficulty. I attempted by leaving them on and slamming the tailgate, but it wouldn’t close. The rubber flap spanning across the rear tonneau crossbar sits over this region, and it should keep water out.
Clamps
The clamps are flimsy and poorly made. To keep the clamps aligned straight while tightening the screws, it’s quite difficult. The bottom edge should be interlocked so that they can interlock at the bottom, as with more expensive tonneau kits. I’ll make some tiny aluminum spacers to place in the bottom to maintain the clamp spacing apart, allowing for equal clamping pressure with the fasteners.
For a truck that’s been sitting for two years, it was remarkable. The cover is currently installed on my vehicle and I’ve driven over 100 kilometers since putting it on the truck, much of which was at highway speeds. There has been no flapping or rippling. I anticipate excellent service and durability from the cover once the clamps are modified slightly. Would recommend purchasing, but only by people with an open mind who can think outside the box for small repairs.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, The Gator ETX Soft Roll Up Truck Bed Tonneau Cover is a great tonneau cover for those who need something to protect their truck from everything in its truck bed, whether the bed is full of debris or has no problems at all. You won’t have to worry about this being a product that will crack and break if used every day – but you will get all you need for installation with this one. The Gator is highly recommended for “everyday use.”
Would fully advocate checking out pricing for this cover and comparable brands. The price of this item changes frequently on Amazon, but if you’re savvy you may score a great bargain if you know what to look for!