LEER 180 v. A.RE. MX ???

I plan to purchase a mid height truck cap for my DCSB in the next month or so, and have narrowed it down to either the LEER 180 or the A.R.E. MX. I am undecided on regular sliding sides v. windoors, but either cap would be carpet lined and have a folding front window. I am unsure of price for either one but I hope to call local dealers tomorrow to secure a price for each.

For those that have made the purchase before, thoughts?

 

I love having a cap and can't imagine not having one. Hope I can help you out. I've had a few caps in my time and here are my thoughts…

1. Neither of these caps have a rain gutter over the rear glass. If you live in an area where it rains a lot (I live in Oregon) then this is super useful, without it water runs into the bed from the top on both sides when the glass is lifted. BTW, I don't have a rain gutter on my current shell and sure do miss it - I think only Snugtop offers this feature.

2a. I like the single lock handle on the rear instead of two separate ones. I lock and unlock mine often and it saves a lot of time.

2b. If you camp in the back or have people ride back there a lock that can be locked and unlocked from the inside the bed is a nice feature, again I think only Snugtop offers the single lock with ability to lock/unlock from inside the bed.

3. I like the slider windows over the win-doors. I had a guy pry my win-doors open with a pry bar, jack wrench, screwdriver, or something. And my truck is lifted so reaching into the bed from there is impractical anyway. In addition to sliders I have window screens that are in little frames that pop in and out of the sliders, again really nice for camping in the bed, or transporting pets so they are not hanging out the windows.

4. Skip the carpeted cap. My current shell has carpeting sprayed into the cap and it looks nice but really serves no useful purpose and adds weight and can be annoying to clean, say after hauling a load of yard clippings small twigs and stuff get embedded in there and dust gets caked into the carpeting also, I even have to fight mold. Next time I'll not be getting the carpeting.

To be clear, I do have a carpeted bed mat I can easily pop in and out and clean effectively when needed.

5. Get a cap designed to handle roof racks on top. These caps have reinforcement and a thicker top panel. Of course that assumes you'll eventually want to haul stuff around on your roof. I cary two bikes and a large and long cargo box on my roof when I take long trips.

6. My last cap had the fold down front window and I think I put it down 2 times to clean between the glass. My current cap doesn't but has a slider window. I've never had any difficulty cleaning the glass between the cap and cab. So, I'd skip the fold down window.

Final thoughts…

The Tacoma has a wonky bed and it's pretty uneven front to back and not flat along the bed rails. They need to use thicker foam tape then on other installs. After they install it walk around the cap on the sides of the truck with a hose and spray water from a hose upwards under the lip between the cap and bed. Then open the back and look for water, might have to hop in and feel along the crack for it. Any leaks make them pull it off and redo it. Some installers have down Tacomas and know how to do it right, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

Thanks for the input. The ARE dealer impressed me a lot more than the LEER dealer on her knowledge of her product for the Tacoma (particularly the peculiarities of installation), as such I am leaning that way for now.

The one downside to owning a Blue Ribbon Metallic 2014 is NOTHING has hit the used market yet.