Both these covers have a very similar working mechanism but they are very different, and in the end, its up to your needs, which cover is more suitable to you.
The Trifecta 2.0 is a trifold but it made out of a softer material, the cover looks great and is very easy to set up. And in terms of it’s price tag, it sits with premium soft roll up covers and budget pick hard trifolds.
And on the other side, the famous BAKflip’s FiberMax is also worth looking at, given that you have more budget. But the cover provides you more protection with its coating.
Let’s check out both of these covers:
Table of Contents
Looking at their designs:
Starting with Extang’s boy Trifecta 2.0, the cover is not as strong as a hard one, but it’s definitely a step up from the soft roll up ones.
So it’s a soft tri folding cover made out of canvas, giving you a very different look which appears more softer and smoother. The leather grain fiber with it’s factory finished matte black accent simply looks cool.
But looks are subjective.
And besides looks, the company’s main focus was to keep things light in weight, keeping “Ease of Use” as their main priority with this cover.
The cover has Jaw Grip and EZ lock clamps that are engineered in such a manner that they require minimal effort to operate. (It takes less than 30 seconds to roll them up and back down).
The Jaw Grip latches are located on either side, under the cover, so you can trigger the cover open from both sides.
The cover can also be secured at 2/3rd position (with buckle straps) and can also be removed in minutes (under 5), if you wish to use full bed.
Note: You can’t access full bed with this cover on. There are no propping rods with this one.
The cover has dual tail gate sealing, so the tail gate can be opened and closed with cover in any position.
Other than this, the cover is solid with its sturdy frame composed of lightweight aircraft-grade aluminum.
And comes with good multi lip sealing for weather protection.
Also this things going to cost you almost same as a premium soft roll up cover, and it comes in 2 sizes (5 foot 7 inch bed and other 6 foot 4 inch bed).
On the other hand, if we look at BAKflip FiberMax, the cover also sits very flushed but provides you with better durability.
It features aluminum plates which are of aircraft grade and they can take more abuse in comparison.
But as its name suggests, the highlighting feature of this cover is its FIber Glass coating also called the FRP (fiberglass-reinforced polymer).
This layer of polymer provides your truck with extra protection from elements like dirt, moisture and they are no able to penetrate the material, so it lasts longer.
(Note, the Extang’s cover here does not provide with any type of coating).
Other than this, the cover comes with EPDM rubber seals and water drainage system, which you may have to install by drilling.
The covers can also be secured to partial positions and you can also have full bed access with them (with prop rods).
They also have bumpers (although smaller than the Extang’s Trifecta, but still providing equal protection to plates by preventing to rub each other.
The bumpers are also useful when the cover leans on your cabin (in last position) and where on the other cover, it was blocking the whole rear of the truck, the Fibermax does not cover the 3rd brake light in the middle.
Protection and Durability
Although, Extang’s main focus with this cover is not durability, the cover still provides you with good enough protection.
It can take hailing and storms like a pro, with it’s weight bearing capacity similar to premium soft covers as its fabric is made out of marine grade material.
The cover also comes with upgraded hinges and frames with sturdy corners over it’s previous model.
It has double pivot hinges and exclusive snap on seals (which eliminate adhesive and stay in place) providing good weather protection.
The multiple lip sealing also ensures that the cover stays water tight.
But this cover would not be able to provide you with the same protection as a premium hard folding cover.
And as the cover also does not provide you with any coating on top, so its not going to protect your cover from UV. (But the cover itself is a good deflector and a nice heat insulator keeping your stuff cooler underneath).
But still it’s no match to BAKflip’s “Fiber”max with its fiberglass coating which is exclusively made to resist the UV rays.
So the Fibermax is going to last longer, and would be able to sustain more damage and at the same time being better heat insulator (keeping your stuff cooler in comparison).
Other than this, with the cover’s durable design, it provides overall better protection which the soft cover of Extang can not handle.
It can bear up to 300 lbs of weight (evenly distributed) with its tough core aluminum panels, so you don’t have to worry about any damage from weather.
Note: The 300 lbs rating is almost the lowest, when it comes to trifolds ratings.
The Bakflip Fibermax offers a good deal of protection against water leakage as well.
Fibermax with 2 robust seals combined with 2 draining tubes provide you with better efficacy here.
And besides having a better draining system, the cover has flushed hinges and they are placed between the plates/panels and they makes sure that the panels remain straight and don’t bow in the middle (which would make a water puddle instead and would leak).
Working and Installation:
The Trifecta 2.0 offers the fastest installation process.
It comes all gathered so no need for any complex tools or rails.
I am actually going to go as far and say that it would take longer for you to take it out of the box, then put it on your truck.
On the other side, for Fibermax, you may have to put in a whole hour to set it up.
As you have bed rails, panels, clamps, drain tubes, and all of them have to be installed.
Other than this, both covers have sealing with the tail gate so both of them have the dual action tail gate feature, where you can close the cover without worrying about the position of your tailgate.
And yes, both covers also have automatic latching mechanism and they lock automatically on closing panels.
Both covers can also be be locked at 2/3rd partially open position (with the help of buckles/straps), and also the last standing position with the help of prop rods.
So What’s the Verdict?
Well if you don’t need as much durability as a hard folding cover, and yes don’t want to pay as much as well, you can definitely check Trifecta out.
The cover is for Trifold lovers, and at the same time provides your truck with impressive looks while protecting it from harsh weathers.
Otherwise you can never go wrong with the superior protection of FRP in Bakflip FiberMax.
But for me personally, their best selling point is their customer service.