Protective tailgate covers are commonly used on trucks for outdoor sporting pursuits such as bicycling and surfing, allowing gear to be easily and safely transported in the bed of a pickup truck. The pad is attached to the tailgate and prevents damage to the tailgate as well as protecting the sporting equipment when loading and transporting. The invention proposed herein is an improvement over the prior art in that it provides additional function as a seating apparatus, providing a comfortable seat and backrest on the tailgate.
Protective tailgate pads are well established in the marketplace and have been commercially available for years (Dakine, Yakima, Softride, Evoc, Thule and RaceFace are examples of currently commercially available product). In the established configuration, the pad consists of two “flaps”, or a single flap that wraps in a C shape around the tailgate, with a first portion of the flap (or half) covering the front and the second portion covering the rear of the tailgate. The pad attaches to the tailgate of a truck using straps, snaps, dips or other attachment apparatus. The pad provides a protective barrier between the sporting equipment being transported and the tailgate, thereby preventing damage to both. The soft surface can also prevent the equipment from shifting and sliding during transport as opposed to the hard surface of a normal tailgate. Shifting can also be eliminated with fixing straps implemented into the pad. Several bicycles and/or surfboards can be loaded in one pick up, making it an attractive alternative to a hitch or roof style rack. These covers provide simplicity, lower cost and easier loading versus other recreational gear racks and therefore appeals to many users.