Pick up truck caps ?

[fastfredracing]

Finally replaced my 250,000 mile 2500 hd work truck. I got myself a 2015 gmc 1500. Bought it with a bad transmission, paid the guys loan off and gave him my old truck. Pretty good deal for me .
For the last 15 years, it seems as if I am the rain god.
As soon as I load my truck with tools, lumber, carpet or furniture, the skies open up .
I decided to try a cap.
My buddy says that you have to be over 65, and wear knee high dress socks with shorts to have a cap .
I love the fact, that I can lock it, and leave my tools , warm, dry and secure back there , all week if I want to . The bed mat is never dirty, or filled with leaves, or snow .
I am guessing that the rear glass , hinges, and latches will not last long . I use my truck a lot . I feel like I am constantly opening and closing that back glass .
I got a few sheets of plywood tonight , and had to figure out how to tie the glass down, so it would not flap in the wind ( 6.5 ft bet, 8 ft lumber ) .
I will have to use my other truck for gravel, and mulch I guess
Long ladders will be a challenge also . I may have to get roof racks for it .
I will have to see if the novelty will wear off over time .
Do you like them ?

[cabmandone]

Had one on a F150 I owned several years ago. I like my hard folding tonneau better. I can have it off in about a minute if I need the full bed and people can't see what's in the bed when it's closed.
My tonneau is a rugged liner. My old truck cap had a single handle to open the rear glass. I'd take a piece of rope and tie it off on my trailer hitch when I hauled something that was longer and I had to keep the back window up.

[A930Rocket]

The glass doesn’t latch to the sides of the cap?

I’d have thought you’d have the tailgate open and close the glass portion.

[recycled sixtie]

Have been looking at small single cab pickup trucks lately. Some have those caps on the back but would prefer a vinyl cover. The cap would be suitable for some folks but if I load some broken concrete sidewalk then I have limited use of the truck with a cap on it and unloading it at the dump would be that much harder.

In addition how could I get a cap off a truck by myself(a winch in the garage?) and then where would I put it? Caps might be good for some but not for everybody. It sounds like it is suitable for you Fred.

[porsche4life]

I have a cap on my dodge and I’m not even 30 yet. It’s great for trips and hauling and long as it’s not tall stuff. I recent went to the salvage and got a roof rack off a Chevy trailblazer. It works great and cost me $30. I used it to haul my porta bote on a thousand mile road trip and it worked great!

[Dantilla]

It's not a permanent installation
My cap is on & off several times a year, depending on the current job.
Mostly on in winter, mostly off in summer.

[rockfan4]

I wish my current truck had a topper, but not enough to pay for a new one. Also it seems like lately the main use the truck gets is either helping one of the step-kids move, or bringing one of them furniture, so the cap wouldn't work for that.

I'm disappointed GM stopped making a 1/2 ton extended cab with a 8' bed, so I'll keep my 2010 for now. I can fit a queen size bed, a chest of drawers and a nightstand with the tailgate up.

[SCadaddle]

I once thought the Subaru Baja would be a nice little "truck", but IF you could fit it with a "cap" or "topper", it wouldn't look as nice nor have any more function as the Subaru Legacy Outback wagon I was already driving....

[ted]

With the taller cap it's easier to use an engine hoist and drop an engine in the truck bed.
Also helps deflect air around the car trailer.
Decided on no side window, last cap had side windows that were vandalized.
Too heavy to remove so to it stays on all time.

[Porchdog]

My 98 came with a color matched aluminum cap. I added a ladder rack to that. I did find that I took it off fairly often to haul things when I needed an open bed. It was also a pain to access items at the front of the bed.

My son now owns that truck and uses it for work, so he's hauling ladders and pipe quite a bit.

If I was buying another hard cap I would go contractor style with cabinets on one side and access doors on the other.

My new truck has a Softopper that I really like. Easy to use and it folds forward if it's in the way. The only downsides are restricted rear visibility and it's not very secure.

https://softopper.com/products/categories/truck-tops/

I very recently got a bed rail mounted rack that fits over the soft top.

https://www.discountramps.com/truck/ladder-rack/p/CAP-RACK-ALUM/

It makes the cap a bit harder to use but it's a really sturdy rack and so far doesn't seem to affect gas mileage.

[1990C4S]

Isn't this Kachi's area of expertise??

[URY914]

I used to have a 8' bed p/u with a topper. It had it's pro's and cons. I lived in South Florida at the time and it was needed for the security. People would take just about anything of value out of an open truck bed.

[vash]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

I have a cap on my dodge and I’m not even 30 yet. It’s great for trips and hauling and long as it’s not tall stuff. I recent went to the salvage and got a roof rack off a Chevy trailblazer. It works great and cost me $30. I used it to haul my porta bote on a thousand mile road trip and it worked great!

What year is that? 06?

Nice rig. My retired boss has an 06 that gets good mpg.

[Dantilla]

Nice thing about taking it on & off seasonally- It's like getting a new truck twice a year.

Winter:
Hey! Everything stays dry, and secure, hidden behind tinted windows.

Summer:
Hey! I can just reach over the sides, instead of everything going through the back. What great visibility when backing!

[craigster59]

I have a Peragon cover on my F-150. Works great, easy on/off....

https://www.peragon.com/shop/trucks/view

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by Porchdog

My new truck has a Softopper that I really like. Easy to use and it folds forward if it's in the way. The only downsides are restricted rear visibility and it's not very secure.

https://softopper.com/products/categories/truck-tops/

That is really nice, love it.

gumby79 on ecomodder.com built an aerodynamic cap that tilts up that I like (stringers and fabric).

Ideas on many other DIY efforts Google Images: aerocap site:ecomodder.com

https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/roof-spoiler-pick-up-truck-cab-phase-1-a-19525-7.html#post517520



https://www.dieselbombers.com/1st-generation-dodge-cummins-89-93/136472-lag-master-not.html



Some effort, a real project but will save you gas.

However the plug-n-play softopper.com products are looking sharp in my opinion.

[oldE]

Eventually every truck I have owned was fitted with a cap. Usually a high rise. If I needed more headroom, I would back up to a hay wagon, undo four clamps and a jack for the high mounted brake light and slide it off. They seemed to be about 100 pounds. I wouldn't have a truck without one.
These days I don't have to pull a horse trailer so no truck.

Best
Les

[wdfifteen]

I have an ARE cap on my Tundra and it's great. The windows don't leak, but the rear hatch isn't exactly water tight.






I put a BedRug in it shortly after I got it. It's held up really well and does a good job of keeping things from sliding around. Plus if you have to crawl into the bed it's easy on your knees.



A keep a "gitter" in the back so I can drag things to the tailgate without crawling into the truck. It's hard to keep it in there because people think it's a garden tool.

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by vash

What year is that? 06?

Nice rig. My retired boss has an 06 that gets good mpg.

04. I really wanted the newer interior of the 06 but I found this one with low miles and like new inside and out for a good deal. After adding the shell and upgrading the radio it’s a great road trip ride! I’m hoping to hit mountain lakes this summer with my porta bote!

[onewhippedpuppy]

I have the Patrick setup on my F250, topper with a Bedrug. My truck mostly gets used for lake trips so it’s very handy. Really the only limitation was when I had to haul a fridge, I just loaded it horizontally and had to leave it sit vertically in my kitchen for a while before I could start it up. My last two trucks had a BakFlip hard folding tonneau and then a full fiberglass one piece tonneau before that, I like the topper the best of the bunch.