Style up your pickup with a tonneau

Whether it is rain or dust, you may need to cover your pickup bed with a tonneau cover. It is helpful especially for people who like carrying things that don't rise above the cover of the bed.

We have some badly behaved characters in this country and this is not a good thing. Can someone really pick something from a moving pick-up? I don’t think so but if it is stationary then the answer is yes. In case you have stocked some matooke, cement, a sack of charcoal or whatever it is that you have brought from upcountry or you are taking upcountry, make sure your pick-up bed is covered lest you tempt some idle hands.

Why you need one
Unless you have some passengers behind, leaving unattended to stuff at the rear can be risky business. If you had bananas there and parked by Mabira forest to ease yourself, monkeys could raid your stalks or bunches and make a good script for DStv’s Monkey Life. But even rain can be a hazard for products such as cement, charcoal, sacks of sugar or salt among others. Too many times, pick up owners wait until it is too late. They had a chance to shield their truck bed, but unfortunately, the moment passed them by. Even those with a sheet-composite layered bed can attest to rusting, scratches, and the like. These problems don’t go away easily, if at all.

A pick-up bed cover also called a tonneau cover is a simple installation that solves the problem completely. Although these days some manufacturers such as Nissan have standard tonneau covers for the Navara and Hardbody or as Toyota has for the Hilux range, you can “raid” the aftermarkets if your lovely pick-up lacks one. In South Africa and Kenya, a number of companies custom fit them.

When a tonneau cover was first introduced to the market, it was offered as a soft tarp that snapped onto the edges of the truck bed. Luckily, the times have changed and now there are lots of other options. Though a soft cover is still a classic design, you can get solid protection for your cargo with a hard tonneau cover made of a sturdy material, such as aluminium, fiberglass, or hard plastic.

Today, tonneau covers roll-up, fold up, and retract, allowing you fast, easy and complete access to the bed. There is a solution even if you want to enjoy the benefits of both a toolbox and a tonneau cover. There is probably no better accessory for a pick-up than a durable and aerodynamic tonneau cover.
Not only does it protect your cargo from rain and road dust, but also brings the style of the pick-up to a completely new level.

jkatende@ug.nationmedia.com