Pickup truck accessories often make trucks more useful. One common addition that meets the practical description is a truck bed cover. To secure cargo, the right bed covers keep cargo out of sight and in some cases locked away. Depending on your needs, a cover may only cost a little. Following are the major types of bed covers with some reasons to choose each type.

Soft Covers

For just a couple of hundred dollars you can get a custom fit soft cover for your truck. Get the right model and you may have the best bargain in a cover. "Soft" doesn't mean wimpy either. The better covers are plenty tough. Though these are certainly easier to get into than the hard covers described below, by hiding cargo under cargo, you automatically get improved protection.

Most commonly, these models are roll-forward designs that allow access to the entire truck bed. That way you can haul anything that fits in the bed and can get to any part of the bed at any time too. Other soft covers come in tilt-forward models as well as folding models, but the simple roll-up version is hard to beat.

Look for a clamp-in mounting system to make mounting easier. Avoid snap closure too for less aggravation.

Folding Hard Covers

For an even more secure cover, look at the hard material tonneaus. One easy to use version folds forward to provide bed access. Usually made in three sections, these are moderate in price, but long on practical value and luxury looks too. With the best folding covers, the pickup bed turns into a locking box much like a locking vault. That goes beyond protection by just hiding what you haul, it protects by making your stuff hard to get at.

Tilting Lids

Imagine a giant trunk as a pickup bed and the tilting hard covers best provide that look and description. Often made of fiberglass, these big "lids" lock away the bed and also make for a really sleek look that can be painted to match the rest of your pickup.

The material may be actually fiberglass, but it may be other materials too. For example, tough plastics weigh far less and provide even better impact protection too. Imagine just 58 pounds for a giant tilting cover for a full-size pickup. That's a typical plastic cover weight.

Retractable Hard Covers

Secure cargo under a metal sheet with the best covers available. A selling point for retractable covers is the low-profile look too. Mounted just even with the bed rails, this may be the cleanest look available. Then you can choose retractable models that open and close by remote control. That sounds like a bit of excess, but it's really no different from remote control trunks. That seems now like a standard expectation. After all, a bed cover turns a pickup bed to a mega-trunk. Why not get easy access with a retractable cover? Does the convenience justify the price? Only you can answer that one...

Pickup truck accessories often make trucks more useful. The right bed covers do just that. Often for very little money, you get an improved pickup that's more valuable.