New pickup tonneaus, truck caps from Leer
So you love your pickup, but there are times when you wish you could find a means for more security for the stuff you carry in its bed. A sport utility vehicle really isn’t the answer for you because (a) you sometimes need to carry stuff too tall or otherwise too bulky to fit inside an SUV and/or (b) you sometimes carry stuff that’s dirty — gravel, dirt, bloody stuff from a hunting trip — and the inside of an SUV doesn’t take well to power washing.
But there are solutions, several of them provided by Elkhart, Indiana-based Leer, which has been manufacturing fiberglass pickup caps and tonneaus for more than 40 years.
Leer recently introduced several new truck bed accessories, including the Trilogy X2T, Ricochet and Ricochet XRT, Velocity and the 100XL and 100XR.
The Trilogy X2T is Leer’s new folding hard tonneau, which has been updated to be easier to install or remove (no tools or drilling required), easier to use with Leer’s patent-pending pinch-release latches (thus no cables to pull), and improved water resistance (without the need for drain tubes).
Trilogy X2T also is available with built-in LED lighting and an accessories track system for hooks, clips, etc.
Ricochet and Ricochet XRT are tonneau covers that Leer says combine a soft, roll-up tonneau cover design with the security of a metal cover. Installation takes about 10 minutes and the bed can be accessed from either the driver’s or passenger’s side via pinch-release latches. Ricochet tonneaus can be used open or closed or partially open with “secure stops” every 12 inches along the rails.
A canister at the cab-end of the pickup holds the cover when the bed is open or partially open.
Velocity is Leer’s new entry-level roll-up, soft tonneau. Again, no tools are needed for installation; the tonneau has pinch-release latches and access is available from either side of the truck.
The 100XL and 100XR are custom-fitting, premium fiberglass bed caps with SUV-style side windows and twist-out vents designed exclusively to fit the 2017 Honda Ridgeline pickup. The 100XR includes window screens and a curved, all-glass rear door. Also available are interior lighting, clothes hangers, overhead gear net or storage bin, various roof-rack systems, and special Adventure Sports or Wilderness packages.
Leer also has a new Ultra Roof system for mounting various roof rack systems on top of its products.
Leer is part of the Truck Accessories Group LLC, which produces fiberglass or aluminum truck caps and tonneaus. Leer products are manufactured in Elkhart, Indiana; Milton, Pennsylvania; and Woodland, California. They are sold through truck accessory dealers across the country.
For more information, visit www.Leer.com.
Larry Edsall is a Phoenix-based freelance writer. You can reach him at ledsall@cox.net.