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R1T bed and Tonneau cover concerns

MReda

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I wonder how this powered cover would work in a place with extreme winters. I'm from Canada and this might be a major concern/factor. Does anyone have experience to share. I've never owned a pick-up truck but have been debating on changing my pre order from an R1S to R1T.

Thanks
In my experience, any tonneau cover can be a hassle in the winter, especially if they have had some time to really ice over. Luckily, with the gear tunnel and frunk, I think it will be easy to avoid using the bed for casual small items on a snowy day, and maybe open it and leave it open if you need it for larger items. Really depends on what you're putting in it.
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The thing I want to see is will a front wheel from a motorcycle hit at the top of the tonneau enclosure. Will it be structurally good enough to lash the bike forward against it?
 

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I wonder how this powered cover would work in a place with extreme winters. I'm from Canada and this might be a major concern/factor. Does anyone have experience to share. I've never owned a pick-up truck but have been debating on changing my pre order from an R1S to R1T.

Thanks
I have similar concerns since I'm in Alaska but I'll likely be moving south in about 8 years when I retire so I can deal with it for about 7 years ?
 

SeanK

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I ordered an Adventure, but I may end up switching to an Explore edition if the power tonneau cannot be deleted from the package. The reason being is that it takes up valuable space, as others have mentioned, and also I like the ability to put things on top of the cover. I currently have a Diamondback SE on my Tacoma, and it can hold 400lbs on top. I use this for example when getting lumber or hauling slightly awkward sized items. Being able to put things on top means I don't have to remove my always loaded gear (recovery, emergency, adventure). And now I'm rambling. Guess I'll wait and see what the load capacity is and reevaluate then. Maybe I'll just get a utility trailer.
 

ElectricDan

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I ordered an Adventure, but I may end up switching to an Explore edition if the power tonneau cannot be deleted from the package. The reason being is that it takes up valuable space, as others have mentioned, and also I like the ability to put things on top of the cover. I currently have a Diamondback SE on my Tacoma, and it can hold 400lbs on top. I use this for example when getting lumber or hauling slightly awkward sized items. Being able to put things on top means I don't have to remove my always loaded gear (recovery, emergency, adventure). And now I'm rambling. Guess I'll wait and see what the load capacity is and reevaluate then. Maybe I'll just get a utility trailer.
I bought a used 12x8 utility trailer last year for just under 1k. Solid purchase and highly recommend if its not too much trouble to store. I've recently been waffling back and forth between the LE I have configured or waiting a little while for the reviews to come out and bugs be addressed. Then at that point I could configure a explore with max pack for near the same price.

Before I was dead set on the LE/adventure trim because I wanted the ruggedized battery pack and compressor. But in reality I don't do any rock crawling and I've been carrying an air compressor in my vehicles for years, so I could just continue to do that.

Ive also thought of buying a tesla M3 in the meantime if the 7k tax credit comes to fruition. But I guess I'll do what everyone else does and make a decision when more information is released and a test drive is available.
 

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Chiz

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I know that you are discussing the impact of snow and ice on the tonneau cover and its strength to hold heavier items on it like a motor cycle. My question is a bit simpler. Do you know if either of the covers available will be weather proof? My aim is to use the space to transport food items to customers and wonder in the wet weather of Scotland will it keep out the elements?
 

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I know that you are discussing the impact of snow and ice on the tonneau cover and its strength to hold heavier items on it like a motor cycle. My question is a bit simpler. Do you know if either of the covers available will be weather proof? My aim is to use the space to transport food items to customers and wonder in the wet weather of Scotland will it keep out the elements?
Edit: Both the powered and unpowered are weatherproof and lockable. Screenshot from the Rivian website below

Rivian R1T R1S R1T bed and Tonneau cover concerns 4DF53F48-50C7-4D1E-9415-E6FFD559C7CF
 

skyote

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I know that you are discussing the impact of snow and ice on the tonneau cover and its strength to hold heavier items on it like a motor cycle. My question is a bit simpler. Do you know if either of the covers available will be weather proof? My aim is to use the space to transport food items to customers and wonder in the wet weather of Scotland will it keep out the elements?
1) You definitely don't want to put something as heavy as a motorcycle on a retractable tonneau. Even claimed capacities are for while sitting still, and are 100-200 lbs at most.

2) I've had several different styles of retractable & foldable hard tonneau covers. They are fairly weatherproof, but at least some drips of water find their way in. Not much, but I'd recommend keeping anything sensitive away from the outside perimeter and up off the bed itself a bit.
 

Zoidz

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Thanks for the info in this thread. Now I'm not sure if I want the powered tonneau in the Adventure package I ordered. I have a Chevy Avalanche, the cover is 3 removable panels and does support weight. Covered with snow/ice, I brush it off and there's no problem. I'm concerned that the Rivian automatic feature may not perform well in snow/ice conditions even after clearing it off. It's also not clear to me whether we lose bed space due to the storage of the automatic top. I'm used to removing the panels on the Avalanche, so it's not a big deal to me on the Rivian.
 

acacia328

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Thanks for the info in this thread. Now I'm not sure if I want the powered tonneau in the Adventure package I ordered. I have a Chevy Avalanche, the cover is 3 removable panels and does support weight. Covered with snow/ice, I brush it off and there's no problem. I'm concerned that the Rivian automatic feature may not perform well in snow/ice conditions even after clearing it off. It's also not clear to me whether we lose bed space due to the storage of the automatic top. I'm used to removing the panels on the Avalanche, so it's not a big deal to me on the Rivian.
In regards to losing space, I have been told that the tonneau will retract fully into the housing and not protrude out into the bed like a lot of other roll up tonneau covers do. The overhead shots posted from the drone footage seem to confirm this which is good.
 

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Zoidz

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I know that you are discussing the impact of snow and ice on the tonneau cover and its strength to hold heavier items on it like a motor cycle. My question is a bit simpler. Do you know if either of the covers available will be weather proof? My aim is to use the space to transport food items to customers and wonder in the wet weather of Scotland will it keep out the elements?
It is marketed as weatherproof. But you should assume that it's not going to be 100% water tight forever. The issue with bed covers is that since they are horizontal, water will tend to accumulate somewhere instead of running off. Over time, the weather seals shrink/harden, and water is going to seep in somewhere, somehow. Ask anyone who owns a Chevy Avalanche.
 

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Kind of interesting that if you go with the “cheaper” manual option that it can be snapped together as a camp table, but if you pay more for the powered option you don’t get a camp table.
 

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Kind of interesting that if you go with the “cheaper” manual option that it can be snapped together as a camp table, but if you pay more for the powered option you don’t get a camp table.
If you pay even more you can just get the camp kitchen, lol.
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