Tri-fold tonneau cover usable outside of vehicle

A tonneau cover structured to cover a pickup truck cargo bed, the tonneau cover comprising:

• a first cover panel having an exterior surface along a first side of the first_cover panel;
• a transition cover panel connected to the first cover panel so as to be rotatable with respect to the first cover panel about a first axis of rotation, to a first side of a first reference plane extending through the first cover panel parallel to the first cover panel exterior surface and through the first axis of rotation, and so as to enable the transition cover panel to be rotatable to a second side of the first reference plane opposite the first side of the first reference plane;
• and
• a second cover panel rotatably connected to the transition cover panel so as to be rotatable with respect to the transition cover panel about a second axis of rotation, to a first side of a second reference plane extending through both the first axis of rotation and the second axis of rotation, and also to a second side of the second reference plane opposite the first side of the second reference plane.