Comparisons
BAKFlip MX4 vs BAKFlip G2
Same company, same clamp-on fit, same drainage idea. The gap is 100 lb of rating and two years of warranty - and whether that matters is a question about you.
By Michael W. · Published October 5, 2026
Cover & Cargo earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend or the order we rank things in — here is how we choose and here is the full disclosure.
What this is based on: published manufacturer specifications and warranty terms, cited on each cover; independent published tests where they exist, named and linked; and verifiable owner reports of specific failure modes. We have not fitted these covers to a truck, we do not run a test lab, and we do not claim a test we did not run. Where the evidence for a cover is thin, the page says it is thin.
Quick picks
| # | Cover | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  BAKFlip MX4The default hard folding cover, and the one most buyers should start from: 400 lb rating, a 5-year warranty, 100 percent bed access, and a seal design the maker revised specifically to stop bulkhead seepage. | If anything goes on top | 8.4out of 10 | |
| 2 |  BAKFlip G2The MX4's older, cheaper sibling. Same no-drill clamp-on fit and the same drainage idea, with a 300 lb rating instead of 400 and a 3-year warranty instead of 5. | If nothing does | 8.0out of 10 |
Scores are our own editorial judgment on the rubric published at our editorial policy page, weighing security, weather sealing, bed access, install effort, durability, value. They are read off published specifications, warranty terms and sourced owner reports. They are not measurements we took, and they are not user ratings.
The short answer
Buy the G2 if nothing ever goes on top of the cover. It does everything the MX4 does, in a 300 lb / 3-year package instead of 400 lb / 5-year.
Buy the MX4 if anything does — or if you intend to keep the truck long enough for the extra two years of warranty to be worth something.
The published difference, in full
| BAKFlip MX4 | BAKFlip G2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Load rating | 400 lb, evenly distributed | 300 lb, evenly distributed |
| Warranty | 5 years | 3 years |
| Construction | Multi-layer aluminum, polymer-reinforced top panels | Aircraft-grade aluminum, solid-core panels |
| Finish | Textured matte black | Semi-gloss black, corrosion-resistant coating |
| Sealing | Revised EPDM perimeter seals, tight-fit clamps, integrated drainage | Precision-fit EPDM seals, rounded hinges, integrated drainage |
| Install | 30 minutes or less, no drilling | 30 minutes or less, no-drill clamp-on |
| Bed access | 100 percent, folds flush against the cab | 100 percent, panels fold forward to the cab |
Both are BAK Industries products with the same no-drill clamp-on fit, the same EPDM perimeter sealing approach and the same published 30-minute install. BAK publishes its warranty as not transferable on both.
The 100 lb question
This is what you are actually deciding. 400 lb against 300 lb, both evenly distributed. For a cover that never carries anything, the difference is zero. For one that regularly holds a toolbox, a bag of material or a person reaching a roof rack, it is the whole purchase.
Be honest about which you are. Most people say they will put things on the cover and then never do. If that is you, the G2 is not a downgrade — it is the right product, and the extra money is better spent on a cover that locks properly if security is a concern.
The two-year question
Five years against three. Both published as not transferable, so neither follows the truck to a new owner.
Two extra years of coverage on a product you expect to keep for a decade is worth real money, and it is also a signal: a manufacturer that doubles the warranty length on a higher model is telling you something about its own expectations. Weigh it as information rather than just as insurance.
The finish difference, which nobody mentions
The MX4 is textured matte black. The G2 is semi-gloss with a corrosion-resistant coating. That is not a trivial difference in use.
Texture hides water spotting, dust and light scratching. Semi-gloss hides none of those, but it also does not hold dirt in the way a texture does and it wipes cleaner. If the truck lives outside under trees, the textured MX4 will look better longer. If it lives in a garage and gets washed, the G2 will.
The verdict
This is one of the genuinely close ones. Both are good covers from a manufacturer with real warranty infrastructure, both fit in half an hour with no drilling, and both seal properly with drain tubes.
The single thing that should tip you: whether anything will ever sit on the cover. Yes means MX4. No means G2 and the difference stays in your pocket. Everything else between them is a preference, not a specification.
If neither, look at the Revolver X4s
Both of these latch to a closed tailgate. If what you actually want is better security from BAK, the Revolver X4s is the same 400 lb and 5-year warranty with rotational locking rails and automatic slam latches instead — on the roll-up page.
The picks in detail
#1 · Most truck owners
BAKFlip MX4
BAK Industries · Hard folding
The default hard folding cover, and the one most buyers should start from: 400 lb rating, a 5-year warranty, 100 percent bed access, and a seal design the maker revised specifically to stop bulkhead seepage.
What it does well
- 400 lb evenly distributed rating is at the top of the folding class, and it is published rather than implied
- The revised EPDM perimeter seal plus drain system targets the bulkhead, which is where folding covers actually leak
- Folds flat against the cab for full bed access without taking the cover off the truck
- 5-year warranty is longer than most hard folding covers in the same bracket
Where it gives way
- Folded open it occupies roughly the front third of the bed — the published 100 percent access means the bed is reachable, not that the space is free
- Textured black finish shows water spotting on dark trucks more than a gloss panel does
- No published figure for cover weight, so the one-person-install question is unanswered by the maker
Skip it if: Anyone who needs the bed open and covered at the same time all day. Folded against the cab it eats the front third of the bed, and nothing folding escapes that.
| Construction | Multi-layer aluminum, polymer-reinforced top panels |
|---|---|
| Finish | Textured matte black |
| Load rating | 400 lb, evenly distributed |
| Warranty | 5 years |
| Stated install time | 30 minutes or less |
| Drilling | None required on most trucks |
| Bed access | 100 percent — folds flush against the cab |
| Sealing | EPDM perimeter seals, integrated drainage |
Specifications read from RealTruck — BAKFlip MX4 (Gen 3) published specifications.
#ad We show no price until we can verify one. How this is funded
#2 · Spending less for folding
BAKFlip G2
BAK Industries · Hard folding
The MX4's older, cheaper sibling. Same no-drill clamp-on fit and the same drainage idea, with a 300 lb rating instead of 400 and a 3-year warranty instead of 5.
What it does well
- Gets you into aluminum hard folding without the flagship price
- Same no-drill clamp-on install as the MX4, same stated 30-minute figure
- Semi-gloss finish hides water spotting better than the MX4's texture
Where it gives way
- 300 lb rating against the MX4's 400 lb — a real difference if you ever put anything on top
- 3-year warranty against the MX4's 5
- Semi-gloss shows swirl marks from dry-wiping in a way textured panels do not
Skip it if: Anyone planning to stand on it or carry load on top. The published rating is 100 lb lower than the MX4's and that gap is the reason the two exist.
| Construction | Aircraft-grade aluminum, solid-core panels |
|---|---|
| Finish | Semi-gloss black, corrosion-resistant coating |
| Load rating | 300 lb, evenly distributed |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Stated install time | 30 minutes or less |
| Drilling | None — clamp-on |
| Bed access | 100 percent — panels fold forward to the cab |
| Sealing | EPDM perimeter seals, rounded hinges, integrated drainage |
Specifications read from RealTruck — BAKFlip G2 published specifications.
#ad We show no price until we can verify one. How this is funded
Common questions
What is the difference between the BAKFlip MX4 and G2?
Load rating and warranty, mostly. The MX4 publishes 400 lb evenly distributed and a 5-year warranty; the G2 publishes 300 lb and 3 years. Both are no-drill clamp-on fits with a published 30-minute install, EPDM perimeter seals and integrated drainage. The MX4 is textured matte black, the G2 semi-gloss.
Is the BAKFlip MX4 worth the extra over the G2?
Only if something will sit on the cover, or if you will keep the truck long enough for two extra warranty years to matter. If the cover is purely a lid, the G2 does the same job and the difference is better spent elsewhere.
Do BAKFlip warranties transfer if I sell the truck?
No. BAK publishes its coverage as not transferable on both the MX4 and the G2. If you are buying a used truck with a BAKFlip fitted, assume the warranty did not come with it.
Which BAKFlip finish holds up better?
It depends where the truck lives. The MX4's textured matte finish hides water spotting, dust and light scratching, which suits a truck parked outside. The G2's semi-gloss shows those more but wipes cleaner and does not hold dirt the way a texture does.
Sources
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