Rough Country Soft Roll-Up Bed Cover Review

Who this cover is for

The Rough Country soft roll-up is a bed cover for a truck that hauls groceries and luggage, not tools. It keeps your stuff covered and out of sight, and it rolls all the way up so you get your whole bed back.

If you need security, this isn't it. I'd go with a hard cover. I'll explain that below.

Why I bought a soft cover anyway

I recently picked up a used 2014 F-150, and it's going to be a family car. We're going to drive it around and go on road trips, so I needed a cover for the bed.

I asked a couple buddies of mine, and they 100% recommended a hard cover or a fold-up cover. But my truck has the short bed, the 5'7" one, and I wanted to keep the full length of it. Some of those tri-fold covers don't let you use as much of the bed, and the ones that fold all the way up cost more.

So I wanted something affordable that still gave me the whole bed. I did a quick search, came across Rough Country, and bought this one with my own money.

What's in the box

The cover comes rolled up and wrapped in plastic. The two side rails are wrapped separately and clearly marked left and right. Then there's a bag of hardware.

You get six clamps that you twist down by hand, so no tool for those. There's one Allen wrench, and Rough Country says that's the only tool you need. They're right. You also get little plastic covers that go over the ends of the clamp screws.

The cover is marine-grade vinyl in matte black on a black powder-coated aluminum frame. It carries a five-year warranty.

Installing it, and where I got hung up

The instructions are three steps. Set the side rails on the bed. Set the cover at the front and bolt the rails to it. Put on the clamps.

My first hang-up was the bolt. I was trying to slide the side rail into the bulkhead with the bolt only loosened, and it wouldn't go. Once I backed the bolt out all the way, the rail slid right into the groove and I tightened it down. Way better.

There's also a rubber seal piece that goes on the outside of the bed to keep it from leaking. Make sure you get that positioned before you tighten anything.

The clamps slide into a groove on the rail and screw down. Super easy. Then you put the little plastic covers on the screws so you don't snag anything when you're loading the truck. Those were more fiddly than the whole rest of the install. You wouldn't really have to put them on if you didn't care.

The snag that was my fault

The first time I went to unroll it, it caught. One of my clamps was in just a little too far. I didn't notice it at first, and it was my fault by far.

I loosened it, pulled it back, and tried again. Here's the tell. The middle clamp on each side should sit right in line with the cover's crossbar. Once mine did, it worked.

Getting it tight against the tailgate

When I first unrolled it, it was coming up just a touch at the back. There are adjusters inside that slide forward or backward to make it tighter or looser.

I went a little tighter and tried it again, and it snapped down real tight against the tailgate. After that, I was very happy with how it laid out. It looks super good.

Opening and closing it

The back latches down, and the sides are Velcro the whole length. You just press them down and they kind of snap themselves into place.

Rolling it back is pretty easy. You undo the latch, roll it up to the front, and snap two clips down to hold it. Unrolling it is pretty fast too.

One thing I didn't expect. It's crazy how quickly this thing gets hot in the sun. Very hot. Just know that before you grab it.

The catch: it's not secure

It seems solidly built from what I can tell. But it is definitely a soft cover, so there's limited security.

All somebody has to do is take a razor blade and cut right through it. If security is what you're after, go with a hard cover.

Which F-150s it fits

Mine is on a 2014 F-150 with the 5'7" bed. The version for 2004 to 2014 F-150s with that bed is Rough Country part number 42509550.

Check the years before you order. Amazon carries the 2015 and newer fitment, which is a different part.

Would I buy it again?

So far, yes. For the money, it's a great entry-level cover that gets you started and lets you haul groceries back there. That was the big thing I wanted it for.

We had a road trip coming up a couple weeks after I put it on, and there's not a ton of room for luggage inside the cab. I think it's absolutely going to serve the purpose I bought it for, and it didn't break the bank.

This is an install and a first look. I'll tell you how it holds up after a full season of weather.