I am starting to think maybe a truck cap is the way to go. Any regrets for those of you who have one?

[Patriot Motor Sports USA]

I have had two different ARE Toppers on my 2500 and now my 3500 MegaCab Limited and I Love having the topper for security, keeping items out of site, the reduction of road noise and the added fuel economy.

On my 2021 3500 Limited I had to extend the rearview mirror camera and mount it where the 3rd brake light is now... it works great and gives me a much broader perspective of the traffic behind my truck as well as any boats I am hauling. I can see into the boats on most trips which helps. I saw one person comment the Toppers do not help with mileage and I am one to say they make a huge difference if you drive as many miles as I do on the freeway, especially if you are hauling something behind the truck.

 

[CJM]

I had a Leer Cap on the Ford F350 I sold. I liked the cap but there is one thing I would avoid if I ordered a cap for my truck.
Leer offers "Skirted Sides", it is a extension of the cap that comes down past the bed rails to make a seamless look. Although it looks
nice, this extension chaffed on the side of the truck box so bad that it chewed the paint down to the bare aluminum. I had to leave the
cap on the truck when I sold it because it was going to cost more to have the paint fixed than the value of the cap. And, definitely, get
the fold down front window! Mine didn't have it and it was a pain trying to wash between the truck and cap.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

I have had two different ARE Toppers on my 2500 and now my 3500 MegaCab Limited and I Love having the topper for security, keeping items out of site, the reduction of road noise and the added fuel economy.

On my 2021 3500 Limited I had to extend the rearview mirror camera and mount it where the 3rd brake light is now... it works great and gives me a much broader perspective of the traffic behind my truck as well as any boats I am hauling. I can see into the boats on most trips which helps. I saw one person comment the Toppers do not help with mileage and I am one to say they make a huge difference if you drive as many miles as I do on the freeway, especially if you are hauling something behind the truck.

View attachment 20571

View attachment 20572

Why spend so much money on such nice things and then not get a color matched topper?

 

[Metternacht]

Anyone else look at the RSI Smartcaps? This is the rout I am going. Placed it on order. Only problem due to arrive Jan ‘22

 

[dm6]

I just went on a little trip to the ocean a few hours away and someone else used their truck that has a cap and we packed that thing with bikes, luggage, etc. all the way to the roof. I really think I am going to need one even more now because it sure was nice to not have to worry about rain, or tying anything down, and locking it up. I guess while I do like the look without it, I'll have to go for function over style.

On another note, can someone tell me how tall it is inside from the bed to the roof of the cap (considering a cab height cap) and the height of the door opening?

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

I just went on a little trip to the ocean a few hours away and someone else used their truck that has a cap and we packed that thing with bikes, luggage, etc. all the way to the roof. I really think I am going to need one even more now because it sure was nice to not have to worry about rain, or tying anything down, and locking it up. I guess while I do like the look without it, I'll have to go for function over style.

On another note, can someone tell me how tall it is inside from the bed to the roof of the cap (considering a cab height cap) and the height of the door opening?

Toppers really shine on vacation

ARE overland, Deezee bed mat (1/2” thick approx)

Shortest vertical measurement at the hinge, center of width, with a rubber bed mat, is 38-3/8”

max interior height in center of bed, centered between wheel wells, with bed mat, is 41-3/4”

 

[UglyViking]

Thus far on my trucks I've had an open bed, a decked HD cover, an ARE cap and a cheap crossbed toolbox from lowes (current setup). There is no free lunch and they all have pros and cons, I'm still not 100% happy with my current setup so who knows where I'll end up.

As others have said a dropdown window in the front of the cap is basically a requirement if you value the ability to use your rear visibility at all.

I think if I were to do a cap again, and even with the cons you'll see below I'm toying with the idea, I'd look into a bedslide and possibly a decked system (if I could fit the dog crate in the bed with all that crap).

Cap Pros

• "Secure" place to store gear and keep it dry. This really can't be overstated with how important this part is. Even for all the cons this pro could be repeated multiple times.
• Easy snow removal
• Good spot to mount a fishing pole holder or carry kayaks (a bit of a pain to get stuff up onto the topper but is possible)

Cap Cons

• The look. Some trucks look great with them on, others look like old man rigs. I prefer the look of a truck over one of an elongated SUV, so I dislike the look of a cap overall
• Cleaning the windows between truck and cap is annoying. Flip down window is basically a requirement.
• If hard keyed it's annoying to have to keep manually pulling out a key to lock/unlock the bed. I kept mine unlocked 99% of the time due to this, but you're always risking someone snagging whatever haul gear you keep in the bed. If I did one again I'd 100% go with an option for keyless entry, even still from my research this doesn't connect into the "key in pocket" unlock offered on these trucks, which is a huge bummer.
• Lose ability to use bed camera (except for RSI, although I'm not sure how well it works). You could prob mod something but keeping that space clean has to be a pain.
• If you add a toolbox you lose bed length, if you add decked you lose height. Both options are a bummer.
• You can add those small toolboxes near the tailgate that fold out, but I've not heard great things about their durability, especially when it comes to heavy items.
• Caps contain heat, so if you're parking inside in the winter that thing is gonna fog up quick, and there are no current caps that include defoggers (again, you can prob mod this)
• Cost is high, 90% of them are fiberglass so while they don't need to be babied it's def something you don't wanna treat like an ape

If anyone has questions about a diamondback I'm happy to answer specifics as well, although there are a ton of youtube vids as well. I also feel positive towards the diamondback covers.

 

[el_barto]

Thus far on my trucks I've had an open bed, a decked HD cover, an ARE cap and a cheap crossbed toolbox from lowes (current setup). There is no free lunch and they all have pros and cons, I'm still not 100% happy with my current setup so who knows where I'll end up.

As others have said a dropdown window in the front of the cap is basically a requirement if you value the ability to use your rear visibility at all.

I think if I were to do a cap again, and even with the cons you'll see below I'm toying with the idea, I'd look into a bedslide and possibly a decked system (if I could fit the dog crate in the bed with all that crap).

Cap Pros

• "Secure" place to store gear and keep it dry. This really can't be overstated with how important this part is. Even for all the cons this pro could be repeated multiple times.
• Easy snow removal
• Good spot to mount a fishing pole holder or carry kayaks (a bit of a pain to get stuff up onto the topper but is possible)

Cap Cons

• The look. Some trucks look great with them on, others look like old man rigs. I prefer the look of a truck over one of an elongated SUV, so I dislike the look of a cap overall
• Cleaning the windows between truck and cap is annoying. Flip down window is basically a requirement.
• If hard keyed it's annoying to have to keep manually pulling out a key to lock/unlock the bed. I kept mine unlocked 99% of the time due to this, but you're always risking someone snagging whatever haul gear you keep in the bed. If I did one again I'd 100% go with an option for keyless entry, even still from my research this doesn't connect into the "key in pocket" unlock offered on these trucks, which is a huge bummer.
• Lose ability to use bed camera (except for RSI, although I'm not sure how well it works). You could prob mod something but keeping that space clean has to be a pain.
• If you add a toolbox you lose bed length, if you add decked you lose height. Both options are a bummer.
• You can add those small toolboxes near the tailgate that fold out, but I've not heard great things about their durability, especially when it comes to heavy items.
• Caps contain heat, so if you're parking inside in the winter that thing is gonna fog up quick, and there are no current caps that include defoggers (again, you can prob mod this)
• Cost is high, 90% of them are fiberglass so while they don't need to be babied it's def something you don't wanna treat like an ape

If anyone has questions about a diamondback I'm happy to answer specifics as well, although there are a ton of youtube vids as well. I also feel positive towards the diamondback covers.

Nailed it.

I just sold my Diamondback HD bed cover a couple weeks ago and have an ARE V series topper on order.

I ordered it with side windoors which will hopefully make access to things at the front of the bed easier.

I will have to look into a remote unlock system, for the rear door at least. Since it will have Windoors on the sides but I can’t imagine how much it will cost/headache it might be to add remote unlock for those since they have 2 t-handles each.

I do plan to add a rear defroster (clearview). I did not consider the internal condensation, only the fact that wagons/hatchbacks get a lot of dust/snow sticking to the rear window due to the aerodynamic effects and road spray.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

As far as aesthetics go, Ford trucks look best with caps (IMO). Something to do with the truck roof line and cap roof line. Tundras look the worst and Rams fall somewhere in the middle.
Our roof line slopes down slightly from front to back, and the cap exacerbates that look but it isn’t awful.

 

[dm6]

These are all such great points and really helping me out. I see so many trucks with nothing, not even a tonneau cover, and just don't understand how they are useful at all. But I guess if the truck is a daily driver, people probably just throw their everyday stuff in the back seat when they go to work and if they need the bed, they are not leaving stuff back there. Maybe weather has something to do with it too. If you live in a dry place, you can haul stuff around without it getting wet. It just makes me wonder what most people use trucks for. Since there are so many trucks out there, I would imagine many people just have one to have one and never even use the bed!

With all that being said, I think I am more convinced that I would benefit from one. Since this will be used for recreation and parked in the garage the rest of the time, I had a chance to bring it camping once so far. I put 3 bikes back there, which I had to tie down, a couple of coolers, and a few other things. Fortunately it was nice weather but sometimes it rains and then I can imagine it really being beneficial. Plus, if I want to stop along the way, I wouldn't want to do it with all of my stuff out in the open. I am also thinking about when I go skiing, it would be nice to throw all the wet stuff back there or go back there to get dressed out of the weather. It sounds like a good setup for a dog too. I guess for me, the only con may be the aesthetics of it. I'll have to look at more pictures but the cab height ones with a frame less type of window doesn't look too bad.

 

[dm6]

I had a Leer Cap on the Ford F350 I sold. I liked the cap but there is one thing I would avoid if I ordered a cap for my truck.
Leer offers "Skirted Sides", it is a extension of the cap that comes down past the bed rails to make a seamless look. Although it looks
nice, this extension chaffed on the side of the truck box so bad that it chewed the paint down to the bare aluminum. I had to leave the
cap on the truck when I sold it because it was going to cost more to have the paint fixed than the value of the cap. And, definitely, get
the fold down front window! Mine didn't have it and it was a pain trying to wash between the truck and cap.

View attachment 20574

Don't they all overhang the bed rails a little bit? And if so, do you have to get these on perfectly so they don't scratch the truck?