Bed Cover Comparisons

General talk about the Subaru Baja.

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TenPA
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Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by TenPA »

Looking for opinions on bed covers. As far as I know there're the A.R.E., the SnugTop tonneau cover, and the factory soft cover.

I have a SnugTop on mine and it's been nothing but headache. The fit was poor so every time it shut it damaged the paint and it doesn't really seal out water. So in the end I have a leaky trunk, but it does a good job of protecting all of the vinyl bits. I had the rails modified by a local welder to fix the fitment issue and added some protective tape to prevent damage to the paint. I've also upgraded the lock to the SnugTop prolock that can turn and open without a key as well as upgrading the light to an LED light for better illumination in the bed.

After modifying the SnugTop I don't hate it and would still keep it to protect the plastic bed parts, but I would love to hear your opinions on the A.R.E and factory covers. The factory cover doesn't seem to cover very much and appears to leak/degrade in the sun. The A.R.E. looks like it protects all of the bed parts and provides additional storage, but how does it hold up in the rain? How's the fit? Can you still use the bed extender?
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anarchy1024
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by anarchy1024 »

The Ozzbros tonneau cover is another option. I've had it since 2010, and it seems to be pretty good. Not watertight around the edges or the gap between the two sections, though, so might not be ideal for you. Hasn't degraded that I can tell, even in the California sun and Canadian winters.
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by Twempie »

I've had an A.R.E. on my Baja since 2006 with a Yakima rack. It's a solid piece of kit. I had the cover installed at the place where I bought it, and they said that once the A.R.E. cover is on the car, it shouldn't be removed. Not exactly sure why, but I could hazard a guess or two...
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by greymud »

IMO, Snuglid is the best. ARE makes it more of an outback, the rest tend to leak.
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TenPA
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by TenPA »

The ozzbros looks like the factory option for the bed cover. Because it sits down inside of the bed I can't see it sealing very well. The A.R.E. looks great because there are a lot of times where the Snuglid is too restrictive with the height of things I want to put in the back.
Twempie wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2025 9:15 am I've had an A.R.E. on my Baja since 2006 with a Yakima rack. It's a solid piece of kit. I had the cover installed at the place where I bought it, and they said that once the A.R.E. cover is on the car, it shouldn't be removed. Not exactly sure why, but I could hazard a guess or two...
How much drilling and cutting did they have to do to put it on back there?
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by Twempie »

TenPA wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2025 5:36 pm The ozzbros looks like the factory option for the bed cover. Because it sits down inside of the bed I can't see it sealing very well. The A.R.E. looks great because there are a lot of times where the Snuglid is too restrictive with the height of things I want to put in the back.
Twempie wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2025 9:15 am I've had an A.R.E. on my Baja since 2006 with a Yakima rack. It's a solid piece of kit. I had the cover installed at the place where I bought it, and they said that once the A.R.E. cover is on the car, it shouldn't be removed. Not exactly sure why, but I could hazard a guess or two...
How much drilling and cutting did they have to do to put it on back there?
I have no idea, maybe someone else can chime in on those specifics. The cap's been on since a month or two after I purchased the Baja in 2006. Here's an old photo that shows capabilities that was on Subaru's website for a while, along with a more recent photo from a couple of months ago. Still going strong.

Image

Image
TenPA
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by TenPA »

That's some serious capacity for a Baja. You've taken good care of it, but I can't help but notice the gas cap. Mine fell off some time ago and I was rocking the grey cap for years. Feels good knowing it wasn't just me.
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anarchy1024
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by anarchy1024 »

TenPA wrote: Fri Jan 31, 2025 4:44 pm Mine fell off some time ago and I was rocking the grey cap for years. Feels good knowing it wasn't just me.
Apparently a known issue: viewtopic.php?t=4286
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by Twempie »

anarchy1024 wrote: Fri Jan 31, 2025 8:26 pm
TenPA wrote: Fri Jan 31, 2025 4:44 pm Mine fell off some time ago and I was rocking the grey cap for years. Feels good knowing it wasn't just me.
Apparently a known issue: viewtopic.php?t=4286
By the time the gas cap door fell off, Subaru only sold the unpainted replacement. That grey one has been held on with zip ties for several years - and I check it every now and then.
20Baja06
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by 20Baja06 »

So, I’ll ask the dumb question.

Does anyone have pictures of each type of cover, for reference?
Last edited by 20Baja06 on Sat Feb 08, 2025 10:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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greymud
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by greymud »

Brian - pretty simple google image search for each.

Penda baja cover
Ozzbros baja cover
Snuglid baja cover
The ARE is shown here.

Many are DIY a version of Ozzbros. Start with cardboard for template, cut marine plywood, seal, cover with a bit of foam and pleather to suit your style.
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TenPA
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by TenPA »

20Baja06 wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2025 10:09 am So, I’ll all the dumb question.

Does anyone have pictures of each type of cover, for reference?
Here's my SnugTop. I upgrade the lock to their prolock and had a welder modify the mounting rails. When it was installed it would hit the sides of the car every time it shut. Otherwise, the side rails mount inside the bed by using 3 bolts that it replaces so there's no drilling involved. I had to buy spacers to properly fit the rails because they only used these rubber pads and the side panels were caving in from the bolt clamp.
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20Baja06
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by 20Baja06 »

So, this is the extent of it?

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-Brian
greymud
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by greymud »

That's the list I know of, and I looked.

Many people are using a cardboard template to DIY an Ozzbros clone. Most use a marine plywood.
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20Baja06
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Re: Bed Cover Comparisons

Post by 20Baja06 »

Well, cool! It was only a point of curiosity for me and consolidating the information. I didn’t know the Penda existed or, rather, that was what it was called.

I have one of the OzzBro covers so I’m all set! Thanks for the guidance!
-Brian
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