Truck caps

[meekhotglass]

So I'm contemplating a cap for my short bed F150 towing a 21NE. Anyone have something they'd recommend? Any look-outs from good/bad experiences?

Thanks!

[MVA]

I have an Undercover one piece lid:
https://undercoverinfo.com/undercover-classic

It is removed easily when you need to haul larger loads and it can be hung on your garage wall. I have used a truck cap and do not like the loss in visibility. The folding truck bed lids have no security; lots of vidoes on how to open them with a wire in a second.

2 cents

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by meekhotglass

So I'm contemplating a cap for my short bed F150 towing a 21NE. Anyone have something they'd recommend? Any look-outs from good/bad experiences?

Thanks!

I've had a couple, I think all the major brands are similar, Leer, ARE, Snugtop.
I'd pick the brand based on what a decent local truck top dealer sells.

I would suggest you get one with a front window that opens downwards, so you can clean the cab facing side and the back of your cab's rear window without having to remove the shell. I've bought a couple late model used ones that were exact fits for my various trucks, these all leaked, so its probably worth getting a new one. The ones with a single rear latch in the middle of the back window have funky cable mechanisms to latch the two sides, I'd suggest sticking with two separate latch handles even tho its less convenient to open.

1 cap:

Snugtop on a 2008 Tacoma 4x4 w/ 6' bed

2 cap:

Leer on a 2002 Ford F250 4x4 w/ 8' bed

[Ops]

I have a short box Tundra Crewmax with a cap/canopy. I added a "Pop-Lock" to this truck when I first purchased it. I had it wired into the Tundra so that it would unlock the tailgate at the same time as the 4 doors, all with the Tundra's key fob.

https://vehiclesecurityinnovators.co...gory/pop-lock/

When I ordered the new canopy, I ordered it with an electric lock/unlock and a single latch button which was also configured to unlock with the Tundra key fob.

I won't go back to a manual lock for either a tailgate or canopy if I ever replace it with a new Tundra or Toyota Sequoia. You don't realize how often you lock/unlock a canopy when you're getting stuff in and out of the bed of the truck.

To me, anything that makes it easier to secure items from growing two legs and walking away is worth it in the long term.

For what it's worth, I've never had an issue with the lock on the tailgate or the canopy in the last 4.5 years, or with the key fob working with these aftermarket locks.

Of course, living on Vancouver Island mitigates potential (cold, snow, ice) climate related problems, something that you may have to consider.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

I've had a couple, I think all the major brands are similar, Leer, ARE, Snugtop.
I'd pick the brand based on what a decent local truck top dealer sells.

I would suggest you get one with a front window that opens downwards, so you can clean the cab facing side and the back of your cab's rear window without having to remove the shell. I've bought a couple late model used ones that were exact fits for my various trucks, these all leaked, so its probably worth getting a new one. The ones with a single rear latch in the middle of the back window have funky cable mechanisms to latch the two sides, I'd suggest sticking with two separate latch handles even tho its less convenient to open.

1 cap:

Snugtop on a 2008 Tacoma 4x4 w/ 6' bed

2 cap:

Leer on a 2002 Ford F250 4x4 w/ 8' bed

I would agree about the drop down window on the shell but we make it work . But we luckily found a excellent 1991 Snugtop shell for our 1992 Ford with a 8 ft bed didn’t want to spend 5 times the money . Also has the 2 separate locks on back window . There is no leaking . Bought from a dealer and our snug rubber was in great shape . As a per caution they added a thin extra rubber layer . We were very lucky to find this shell and have been very happy . Made slides etc in bed and glad to get back with a shell as opposed to a topper , which we sold . Pat

[brroberts]

I’ve always just bought cheap used ones, but prefer a tonneau if that creates enough space. Sometimes it doesn’t.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by brroberts

I’ve always just bought cheap used ones, but prefer a tonneau if that creates enough space. Sometimes it doesn’t.

Hi Randy Snugtop aren’t cheap ! But we changed from cover because our truck is so high It is a F250 , hard to get stuff so this way I made slides and the cover is more secure and usable . Last Sunday took truck all the way up the coast , Did 600 miles Have curtains and a portable toilet and we were pretty comfortable . Now years ago had a Nissan Frontier and we could get things along the side , no problem , not as tall as the Ford , even had a Toyota that we bought a shell for but really didn’t need as much as the big Ford . But the tops have their place too. Just love going to the shell now . Pat

[John in Santa Cruz]

I *need* a cap as I transport expensive amateur astronomy gear in the back of my truck.


minimum astronomy gear,

(thats an Obsession 20" f/5 Classic, the yellow Pelican case has my eyepieces, the white plastic bin has my miscellaneous accessories, the grey vinyl bag has the poles for the telescope, the ladder is needed to reach the eyepiece, and the silver aluminum ramps are for loading/unloading the scope).

rest of the load for a major road trip...

[John in Santa Cruz]

p.s. here's that telescope setup next to my former Tacoma...

[brroberts]

I’ve had Leer, Snugtop, ARE, just used. All between $140 - $450 installed and painted to match. I’ve never bought a new shell, even for new trucks.

I don’t really have a travel scope anymore. I have a 10” Dob as my grab and go and a C!4 in my home built dome. I do have a few 2” - 4” scopes, usually they are just mounted with the C14. I don’t take my astronomy too seriously. I just like to look at stuff. I found the more serious I took it, the less I enjoyed it. So I backed off and now I just look at stuff and show stuff to others.

For the new truck, we went the tonneau route because Barb only wants to travel with bikes on the local trips and not the long ones.

I use a cargo trailer for work. There’s no way the stuff would fit in either truck.

[gbaglo]

My brother was heavily into astronomy for a while. Set up his huge telescope in front of my house and I saw several fuzzy blobs of light.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by brroberts

I’ve had Leer, Snugtop, ARE, just used. All between $140 - $450 installed and painted to match. I’ve never bought a new shell, even for new trucks.

I don’t really have a travel scope anymore. I have a 10” Dob as my grab and go and a C!4 in my home built dome. I do have a few 2” - 4” scopes, usually they are just mounted with the C14. I don’t take my astronomy too seriously. I just like to look at stuff. I found the more serious I took it, the less I enjoyed it. So I backed off and now I just look at stuff and show stuff to others.

For the new truck, we went the tonneau route because Barb only wants to travel with bikes on the local trips and not the long ones.

I use a cargo trailer for work. There’s no way the stuff would fit in either truck.

Wow great prices ! We talked them down to 600 from 700 finding such a great shape as this fiberglass shell was just about impossible especially being for a older truck and 8 ft bed much better then 3000 though . We just needed better ways to carry items especially extra water because our tank is only 20 gal . So we can carry if needed extra 20 gal etc stuff Pat

[Doug2000]

Getting a truck cap or topper, get the options

Carpet lined, drop down front window, so you can clean the glass, side sliders with screens and get the premium rear glass.

[John in Santa Cruz]

re: telescopes, I started with a Celestron 8" SCT (Schmidt Cassegrain) about 20 years ago... used it a lot for awhile, got bored... but I was the web and email guy for the local astronomy club... someone contacted me, wanted to get rid of a old 10" dobson, so I grabed it, it was in sad shape, but I fixed it up as optically it was pretty good, that got me jazzed again. after a ubnhc of years, I decided I wanted something bigger, and someone local was selling a 17.5" 'truss dobson' Discovery, so I picked it up, it was awesome, could see detail in stuff htat used to just be faint fuzzy blobs... and within a couple moon cycles --er-- months, a former club member donated this Obsession, which has lived in my possession since because noone else wants to deal with it. Meanwhile I've collected a $1000 or so worth of decent eyepieces which work with any scope.

[WillyB]

Originally Posted by meekhotglass

So I'm contemplating a cap for my short bed F150 towing a 21NE. Anyone have something they'd recommend? Any look-outs from good/bad experiences?

Thanks!

I have the UnderCover Elite on my 2016 F150 5'-6" bed and love it

https://undercoverinfo.com/undercover-elite

I plan on mounting brackets so we can carry our kayaks on top.

I've had several shells over the years and found I kept taking them off for various reasons. By the way if anyone has a 2001 Toyota Tundra there's a real nice one sitting out back for free.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Doug2000

Getting a truck cap or topper, get the options

Carpet lined, drop down front window, so you can clean the glass, side sliders with screens and get the premium rear glass.

Yes on the sliders which we got with this shell . And yes on the carpet too . This shell didn’t come with but they gave me carpet I did install . I don’t have the drop down window , I don’t think they had it then but the front window does slide so we can clean both sides . Pat

[John in Santa Cruz]

I didn't clean that back-of-cab window for a couple years and realized it was getting FILTHY

after going through a ton of paper towels, going black in one swipe and smearing mud around, I ended up dragging a garden hose into the bed of the truck, and washed first the back of the truck cab window, and then both sides of the truck cap window. I put the front wheels of the truck on my service ramps so the water would run out of the bed faster. I ended up soaking wet myself, but it was a nice warm day, so no biggie.

my truck has the sliding panel in the rear window, but its pretty useless with the shell on the bed, and further, just not big enough to be of any use for cleaning more than a few square feet in the middle

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

I didn't clean that back-of-cab window for a couple years and realized it was getting FILTHY

after going through a ton of paper towels, going black in one swipe and smearing mud around, I ended up dragging a garden hose into the bed of the truck, and washed first the back of the truck cab window, and then both sides of the truck cap window. I put the front wheels of the truck on my service ramps so the water would run out of the bed faster. I ended up soaking wet myself, but it was a nice warm day, so no biggie.

my truck has the sliding panel in the rear window, but its pretty useless with the shell on the bed, and further, just not big enough to be of any use for cleaning more than a few square feet in the middle

John I use a metal thin ruler with the yellow towels from Costco , same ones we dry the trailer with .inside the truck get the backsides of the windows . The metal ruler is after opening sliding windows in the shell . Works pretty easy but definetly would get the fold down windows if they had them . But don’t think not in 1991 . Hey before I built out the back of truck bed , many times used the hose to clean up ! Pat

[MyronL]

I prefer a Tonneau cover, why I don't know. Found this cheap one on eBay. Needed one I could fold open to carry big tall stuff when needed. This one claims you can stand on it. (I don't think so.) You get what you pay for, I guess. Looks good, was very easy to install, but the hold-down latches do not inspire confidence. In fact, I busted one and now have to use a rubber bungy to hold the rear most folding segment down.

[brroberts]

One truck with a shell, one with a tonneau. They each have pluses and minuses.