Simple Houseware 58 × 24 × 48 in, 600D, 2 in straps

Because a cover that is an inch short does not cover. The three 58-inch covers on this shelf are 45 inches tall (iCOVER and COMFY LIME), 43 (VIBOOS) and 48 here — a five-inch spread on the dimension that has to clear the lid when it is closed, plus any warming rack, side shelf or thermometer stem that stands above it. A cover that stops short leaves the back of the lid exposed, which is exactly where rain collects and where a stainless hinge rusts. Measure your grill from the ground to the highest point with the lid down, then add the two or three inches you need to get the cover on and off without dragging it over sharp edges.

Wider is better, and only two makers here tell you. This cover has two 2-inch straps; Unicook publishes 1.5 inches; ZHSX, SunPatio, Tuyeho and YWWQYBYQ all have straps and publish no width. It matters because the strap is what takes the load in a gust, and a narrow strap concentrates that load on a short run of stitching — which is where covers tear. A 2-inch strap spreads it. Against that, iCOVER and Summerset use a drawstring instead, which pulls the whole hem in at once, and VIBOOS has both a drawstring and straps for $12.99.

It is a thread weight, not a guarantee, but it is more than most of this shelf publishes. Denier measures the mass of the yarn: 600D is the common heavy-duty grade and five covers here claim it — this one, ZHSX, COMFY LIME, YWWQYBYQ and, at 900D, Tuyeho stands above them all. Six covers publish no figure at all, including the $7.99 iCOVER and the $156.75 Summerset. What denier does not tell you is the coating, and that is what actually keeps water out: this one is vinyl, YWWQYBYQ uses PU, Tuyeho uses PVC. A high denier with a thin coating still wets through at the seams.