School me on Truck Toppers

[easyrdr]

I have had both Leer and A.R.E toppers over the years. I quit the Leer because the latch closing system sucked, (replaced it twice, got rid of it when it broke the third time). Have had A.R.E toppers on my last two trucks, no complaints or problems yet.

[ASmileyFace]

One last update from my search.

I ended up finding a 2021 Leer 180 for 1k from a friend of a friend. It's cosmetically in great shape and has most of the features I was looking for. The lack of side windoors is my biggest gripe and the strange way the glass in the rear makes a ledge on the top of the tail gate, but otherwise I'm pleased considering I paid 1/4th the cost of something new. I'll probably update this thread some time in the future when I have a season or two using it.

[El Chupacabra]

Bump old thread -- but maybe the most recent/ most relevant one, so...

Am casually considering picking up a fiberglass shell/topper for my old truck -- would be a used one. If what I find doesn't have tracks for a roof rack, are shells usually marked somehow for where to drill to mount a rack? No qualms about drilling the shell to bolt on a rack.

Not totally sold on getting a shell though -- weighing the pros/cons still. As I see it, for my uses:

Pros: weather protection, semi-secure space (though would need to add a tailgate lock), less concern about anything blowing/falling out, wouldn't have to clear snow out of bed in winter.

Cons: would have to get rid of cross-bed toolbox, find some other way to securely store tools & recovery stuff in bed, harder to transport tall items (though I don't do that very often).

[XXX-er]

Bump old thread -- but maybe the most recent/ most relevant one, so...

Am casually considering picking up a fiberglass shell/topper for my old truck -- would be a used one. If what I find doesn't have tracks for a roof rack, are shells usually marked somehow for where to drill to mount a rack? No qualms about drilling the shell to bolt on a rack.

Not totally sold on getting a shell though -- weighing the pros/cons still. As I see it, for my uses:

Pros: weather protection, semi-secure space (though would need to add a tailgate lock), less concern about anything blowing/falling out, wouldn't have to clear snow out of bed in winter.

Cons: would have to get rid of cross-bed toolbox, find some other way to securely store tools & recovery stuff in bed, harder to transport tall items (though I don't do that very often).

I didn't see any markings on the Leer, I have a rear Yakima rack with drip rail towers so I drill the canopy for those plates that will mount the drip rail towers, you kind of measure things a bunch hold breath and drill holes,

I use a yakima bar with padz on the truck roof to get enough seperation/ length between bars to carry 17ft seakayaks

Tacoma has a locking tailgate so which is secure enough for my mtn bike cuz you can;t get the bike thru with the tailgate locked

[SoVT Joey]

Check out dealerships in your area for people that trade trucks in with caps on them. Dealers will normally sell them cheap. Truck caps have worse depreciation then 1990s pop up campers. Install is easy for roof, my racks came with a template. I only use my cap in the winter. Takes ten minutes and a buddy to get it on and off. I have a Decked system in my bed and then I also have a tool box in for the summer. I take the tool box out and throw my cap on. Love my cap for the winter, can’t stand it in the summer though. Mostly due to my line of work and using my truck bed.

Decked system is pretty sweet. Makes for a killer platform for a queen mattress as well, plus all the grill and camp essentials fit in the drawers.


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[SnowMachine]

My Leer came with roof rails installed. I'm sure you could drill/install your own.

My thoughts: love the utility during the winter, but kind of a bitch during the summer (loading bicycles over the tailgate is possible, but sucks). Harder to see out of the truck (my wife really hates driving it with the shell on). The Leer shell on my Ram 2500 took the paint off of the bed sides and tailgate (I'd be pissed if it weren't an old truck).

I think my next go will be a removable tonneau cover. Weather tech or the like. The only time I prefer the topper is on big road or camping trips where the space is necessary.

[El Chupacabra]

Thanks all - yeah, I'm not sold on going with a shell. Other than winter and road trips (camping trips), i wouldn't really need it.

Truck bed currently has a toolbox up front with a Tacoma bed track bolted on top, holding fork mounts - - used for transporting bikes while towing the travel trailer. Also have a set of old Thule Xsporter racks and a rocketbox - - used mostly in winter, have only rarely used the Xsporter rack as a ladder rack for moving very long objects.

[Dantheman]

I had a topper on my old truck and have a tonneau on my new truck (both came with the respective truck). Both only used late November through late March-ish. Overall I prefered the topper, but not enough to buy one for the new truck. The tonneau is easier to remove, but I had a pretty good system rigged up to take the topper off and store it hanging from the ceiling in my carport. I could install/remove by myself in 15-20 minutes. If you'll only use it seasonally and don't have overhead space like that to store it a topper becomes a lot harder to justify.

Living somewhere snowy without some kind of bed cover for the winter sounds super annoying.

[ASmileyFace]

Hey I remember this thread!

Two years in the only complaints I have about my Leer are the paint on the top started to crack and leak during heavy spring storms (but I sanded, epoxyed, repainted the problem areas and have not had issues since), dust finds it's way into the bed through little gaps near the corners, and the absolutely dumbshit ledge on the top of the tailgate that accumulates snow and causes the latch to freeze up.

But I paid 1k and it does everything I need it to do so I am happy

[XXX-er]

Yeah those canopies are maybe weather proof-ish but water gets in

btw on a leer the back openning will slide all over the place if you leave it open while driving and when it does you can't close it until you move it back ( not so easy ) so the thing to do is locate the door by drilling some holes in the hinge and screwing in a couple of sheet metal screw so the door can't move sideways more than a half inch or so

[Toddball]

Anyone install roof rails on a fiberglass SnugTop without the reinforced roof option? Should I be worried about doing so for hauling a ski box/miscellaneous recreation gear? Kind of thinking it will be fine for payload < 200 lbs, but never done this before.

This guy seems to have made it work but it's only hauling a surfboard:
https://trailtacoma.com/diy/diy-budg...-camper-shell/

[Micol]

never drive with the hatch open...one good bump shattered mine an eon ago into a meelion pieces

[XXX-er]

I just sold the cap off my tacoma,

I paid 2500-ish and I got 2000,

they sure have gone up cuz a new cap is 3500