TopperEZLift

As well as this thing appears to have been thought out, I'm surprised it didn't come treated ?

Lot's of good products out there !

 

Maybe it did, I'm not positive. They call it waterproof canvas, so who knows. Even the best waterproof materials will get damp on the outer layer.

 

True dat.... Might be worth a call into them ?

Hell if it's dry on the inside and only wet on the outside, well, I'm OK with that !

 

I mainly say "hard sides" because with that, you could leave it raised and have some level of security for your belongings if you did a day trip away somewhere.

 

I talked with the guys at EXPO East this past year and they said it was made out of the same canvas used for boat covers.

I probably circled back 3-4 times to look at the thing more and talk with them as I came up with more questions. I was very impressed and it quickly rose to the shortlist of mods to do to my truck.

Most notably is their care for customer service. For those that were worried about the actuators bending or something I was told that if there is any issue with them that you could just call them up and they can send you a replacement.

I’ve also recently noticed that they are now on ARE’s website and last I looked there was a bundle deal that if you bought a topper and the lift together there was a discount.

 

This has been my experience. Even Gore-Tex gets wet on the outside

Sure, but it also only takes about 15 seconds to close the top, so it's super easy to pack up and move.

I concur with this. Tod, the owner, has been nothing but helpful and responsive. My experience has been great with this product and company.

 

its definitely a cool kit, but that price tag Is a bit painful. I think im going to build my own lift system and just order the canvas from them. I figure I can build the lift for under $300 in parts. I cant see it taking more then a couple hours to design and build some mounts that do the job.

 

Hey everyone, I'm working with Tod to be a point of contact for TopperLift here on TacomaWorld. If you haven't seen, we are in the process of setting up a group buy on coming up here in the next week, and lasting about 2 weeks. Feel free to ask questions on here or through a PM to me.

We have a new material that we are in the process of converting all our inventory and options to. It was developed by Clam Outdoors, the pop up ice house manufacturer. It is a double wall material and much thinner for roughly the same R-value of insulation compared to our current/previous quilted insulation.

Below is my setup if anyone is looking for inspiration. I spent 3 months and 12,000+ miles traveling across the Rockies this winter skiing all over in it!

 

The window covers have been tempting me a lot - maybe next winter - I still want Tod to build me a ceiling insulation panel as well, but haven't gained much traction.

 

Those privacy panels are the best thing I've added to my topper, especially given the condensation when winter camping.

Does that mean your topper is bare fiberglass? I did my bare topper with 3/8 denim barrier insulation from home depot. Then carpeted over. It was a pain but well worth it in the end. Trick is 3M high strength 90 to put up the insulation.

 

I'm finally working on installing my TopperEZLift Contractor in my 2013 DCLB! The 2nd gen bed rails seem to be closer to the top of the bed than 3rd gens and other trucks. It seems like the bottom of the canvas would be pinched and bent between the bed and topper when the topper is down, which could damage the canvas/velcro and prevent the topper from seating all the way. I'm considering trying to drop the actuator bracket down below the rail somehow. @gnardoggie, any comment to how this fits on yours?

 

In my 2007 DCLB with leer topper, it seats fine with no leaks. I’m opting to take my front bar off to improve how the topper seats with the drop down in the front of the box. I have not had any damage or wear to the fabric though. It is pretty tough 400 denier fabric. When you tuck the sidewalls in, just fold the material over at the velcro point. I like to also tuck my sidewalls up at the actuators.

 

Mine is installed that way and I have had no issues.

 

Seems like it would shed water better if the skirt terminated outside the bed with magnets. I realize it would interfere with close-up but having the skirt inside the rails just seems wrong. Definitely a cool idea though.

 

Maybe so, but I personally wouldn’t want to be magnetizing things to my dirty truck while camping. That’s just asking for paint damage. Depending on your topper it’s really a non issue as I’ve explained previously in this thread.

 

Sorry but I have a thing about tents that leak. Topper brand shouldn't matter unless the topper itself leaks.
Non issue for you maybe but not much water isn't the same as none, especially if it gets the mattress wet, not a problem if you canp alone on a narrow bed but a virtual certainty for a full width mattress. Maybe it's just me but I think it's a design flaw and won't spend that kind of money on it as it is. Don't like magnets? Fine, a weighted skirt then, it's up to their engineers to solve the problem not me. I'm sure they've tossed around a few different ideas and this is what they have marketed. It doesn't mean it's the best solution. Improvements come when people demand better. It may sound harsh and I don't wish to be mean, just honest.

 

Actually, the type of topper that you have sure can have a possible impact on the experience. Some toppers sit directly on the bedrails, others are overhung over the bed rails. One will let water drip down more than the other, and could create and issue with moisture. Additionally, with the way that the actuators are situated you most likely will not have a full width mattress (I could be wrong, but you would need to make a fully custom mattress if you were to go full side-to-side).

I personally don't have any issue with the velcro as it has been designed, and the minimal risk of some dripping into my plastic truck bed outweighs having magnets or weighted fabric hitting the side of my truck and scratching it. There's a user on here who has created a setup like this though, maybe he will chime in.

Not to say there aren't room for improvements, but the reality is that you haven't experienced the product as it is currently, and thus would be hard pressed to make a judgement beyond hearing from other's experiences. Just being honest.

 

I recently sold my set up- but agree the idea of not Eliminating leaks led me to design and sew my own tent design, but will echo all the good things that have been said about topper-ez-lift. the lifts and mount design is really good and the customer service is TOP notch. Here are a few pics of what I did. I used magnets and a stiff carbon rod so that the tent stayed firmly against the outside of the truck. As for the wind question. never had a problem but on the few occasions it was really blowing (>15-20 mph) i would lower it some once we were in and ready to sleep. (i added a keyfob remote instead of the switch it came with)

 

@bagleboy, On behalf of TopperLift, I appreciate your concern. In practice this leaking has not been a problem for the vast majority of our customers. There are ways to improve any leaks with proper application of velcro in the corners of the truck bed. As a company, we have to prioritize our resources to the improvements we see most vital to our current and future customers. Some of these improvements include our window design, fabric material/construction, a new tent model we are working on, and accessories such as our window panels. We do sell a rigid velcro kit that creates a stronger seal between the fabric and the bed. We want all our customers to be completely satisfied. If any customer has problems with their system, we will work to make it right, whether that means a voice/video chat or even returning the system.

 

Thanks for the responses guys. Flyguy seems to have nailed it. First time I saw the ezlift system I said wow, way cool and just what I need so don’t be overly concerned with my criticism, the op mentioned a slight leak and for me that’s a deal killer since bedding would be against that Velcro and once even slightly damp would wick and stay damp an entire trip. I’ve experienced hypothermia from being stuck with a tent that allowed the bedding to get wet in near zero temps and slept comfortably in well below freezing when things stayed dry so I’m more than a little zealous on the topic.