So I think I've decided on the RNL over the Retrax Pro, primarily because I don't like how much of the bed the Retrax cannister took up. I'm not looking to debate between those two, as I know there are plenty of "which bedcover?" posts out there which do just that. What I'm curious to know is if it's possible to modify the RNL so that it gives a little bit more flexibility like the Retrax when it comes to opening the tailgate.

The one feature I really like on the Retrax is that you can open the tailgate without having to retract the cover. I envision many times just wanting to open the tailgate to grab some stuff out, without having to go through the extra steps of first unlocking the RNL and retracting it back first. RNL doesn't allow for this because it has that piece you attach to the tailgate that the cover then hooks onto. However, I recently discovered that if you just turn the key lock on the RNL that it won't retract back, even if it's not connected to the tailgate. In other words, if your tailgate is already down, and you lock your RNL, then the cover will still stay in place. This tells me that if I remove that tailgate piece, then it should accomplish what I'm hoping to do.

The only concern I have is how flush will it still be to the tailgate. Will there now be a large gap that would allow water in. Has anyone tried anything like this before?