After having two soft tops, I was always on the lookout for the right hard tonneau.  What kept me back was that most hard covers weigh too much (100-140 lbs), cost too much ($800-1500), and usually have an uneven surface that looks cheap.

The Undercover from VersaCover is different.  It is made of black textured ABS plastic (covered with some sort of exotic GE coating).  This gives it low weight, very high strength, and reasonable cost.  I couldn't be happier with the looks, function, and fit and finish.

My reservation was that, being plastic, it would look cheap.  Then I went to the 2003 SEMA show and met the fine folks from VersaCover and saw the product firsthand.  While I will admit that it may look out of place on many trucks or colors, I could see in my mind's eye that it would be perfect for my what-if-Porsche-made-a-truck styling goal.

The cover wraps nicely over the plastic bed rails for an OEM look.  While the black plastic matches the Lightning steps and bumper cover well, it does tend to emphasize the dorkiness of the gray plastic used by Ford for the rear window surround.  Painting the surround black is now on my to-do list.

Being injection-molded plastic, the Undercover is both incredibly strong and incredibly lightweight (about 50 lbs for a FlareSide).   How can plastic be stronger than fiberglass, you ask?

The lattice structure underneath makes the cover remarkably strong -- especially for its weight.  And with the textured finish, it will be much more forgiving of the occasional scuff.

Because I live alone and do not have a place to put a hoist, the ability to remove and replace the cover by myself was paramount.  With the Undercover, it is a snap.  This clinched the deal for me.

The cover is held on by four very strong pieces of powder-coated steel.  The supplied struts have just the right amount of tension and damping.  The cover pops right off by snapping off the struts and removing two snap rings at the front.  Removal can't take longer than two minutes.  VersaCover even provides a set of wall hooks for hanging the cover when it's off the truck.

The weather is sealed out with a thick foam rubber gasket.  The cover is secured with twin weather-resistant locks that have a neat feature where you can turn the tabs to secure the cover without having to actually lock the cover.  There is a battery-powered LED courtesy light at the rear.  The fit is simply perfect.  In short, it's difficult to fault the design or construction.

Installation was a breeze.  While the instructions could use some work, it was easy enough to figure out just by staring at the four mounting pieces.  It only took me about 30 minutes to install it -- at the truck depot!  The only tool required is a 1/2" wrench or socket.

You can get and Undercover for about $650 if have a business address or are willing to drive to your closest freight carrier office to pick it up.  It's a bit more for residential delivery.

The customer service from VersaCover was among the best I've ever seen.

Bottom line:  I give the Undercover a perfect 10 (which, if you know me well, is strong praise).