In-Depth Review: Tyger Auto T3 (2021)

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Soft tonneau covers are extremely popular with pickup truck owners for one simple reason: The best truck bed tonneau cover is a quick convenience in terms of set-up and use. Unlike metal varieties, softcovers are lighter in weight and often self-supporting, meaning they have less in terms of extra pieces and hardware. 

The Tyger Auto T3 is one such tri-fold tonneau cover that has a straightforward design that provides basic access to the truck bed without requiring complicated hardware and installation to work. As a soft, folding cover with a tear-resistant fabric, it makes a good case for being a top-quality, tri-fold truck bed tonneau cover for anyone looking to minimize truck bed access. 

The T3 has a classic tri-fold, low-profile design using soft fabric that makes for an effective retractable cover. The folding cover consists of a high-quality, dual-coated, heavy-duty, marine-grade vinyl sitting over an aluminum frame that folds in two separate locations around the truck bed cover. This folding tonneau cover design offers a bit more rigidity in the body than soft roll-up tonneau covers with just a fabric exterior. While it does nothing for the actual protective properties of the cover, it makes opening and closing it much more convenient.

The soft exterior of the cover is designed to offer a few advantages over hardcover varieties. For example, the soft fabric drastically decreases the weight of the cover, making it easier to lift, install, and use on the truck. The cover also offers better weather-resistant properties since it can absorb harder weather elements like hail and wind debris.

The entire cover comes mostly pre-assembled right out of the box. Unlike other cover models, there's also very little in terms of installation hardware. In fact, the cover only uses a few clamps to mount it to the bed rails securely in just a few minutes. For trucks with a bed liner, a few small holes may be required to accommodate the extra thickness in the bed.

With most retractable tonneau covers, installation can be a bit of a headache when dealing with multiple parts to secure onto the truck. This is one major advantage of simple softcover designs like the T3. For the most part, everything already comes pre-assembled and doesn't require much alignment or finessing in order to get it situated on the truck.

This holds true with the T3. Sitting on top of the bed rails, the built-in frame provides much of the support the truck cover needs to work. The lightweight nature of the fabric also means little else is required for the cover to support itself. Several clamps fasten down onto the bed rails to create a secure hold around the cover. The fasteners are designed to be used without the need for any extra tools and fasten down quickly in just a few seconds.

For the most part, the cover only takes a few minutes to get positioned and fastened down. The only major difficulty is getting it positioned in the first place. A proper fit is absolutely required, meaning you will have to find one specifically made for your truck’s make and model. It may also be a bit easier to have a helping hand when installing it.

Convenience is where the T3 really shines as a tonneau truck bed cover. Even though it lacks the quick-access capabilities of many rolling designs, it still allows you to get into your truck bed without much effort. Combined with the simplicity of the installation process, it makes a good case for being one of the most efficient cover designs available.

The folding panels give you roughly one- or two-thirds access to the bed when they are up. The panels fold and unfold with just a little bit of required strength. To open the cover, all you have to do is unlatch it from the tailgate and pull it up.

Unfortunately, this cover doesn't have any way to secure the panel sections in the folded position like hard folding options. This means you can't drive around with the cover partially open. Otherwise, you risk loosening the cover at high speeds or while driving on rough terrain. It is also not advisable to drive with the cover in the open position since it effectively reduces the number of fasteners holding the cover down to half.

Security-wise, the cover offers an amazing amount of protection from weather and would-be thieves. Weather-wise, the over-the-bed design does a great job of repelling most water, although a few drops around the corner may show up on some trucks. To prevent people from accessing the bed, things are a bit more complicated. The cover can only be accessed with the tailgate down, so there is no way to lift it up otherwise. Unfortunately, the soft fabric design makes it easy to cut into the cover.

When it comes to simplicity, the T3 is hard to beat. An easy installation process and lightweight, convenient use make it a good option when you want a quick and simple truck tonneau cover to set up and use for your bed.

If you don't need the most in terms of security and protection, you will find the T3 does a good job of providing a basic barrier to protect small items within the bed of the truck.

Final Verdict: A basic design offers a lot of conveniences and quick set-up with the T3, making it one of the best tonneau covers on the market.