Tradesman Truck Tops commercial style topper/shell

Does anyone with a tradesman cap find that the back door makes contact with the tailgate’s paint when shut? I can’t tell from the pictures if it only touches the plastic and was thinking of adding helicopter tape if there’s a chance it will rub the paint.

 

No contact with the tailgate paint, or any factory paint for that matter. You might be able to get a sense of it from these images: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacomarin’s-chubby-unicorn-build.536001/#post-17448308

 

Thank you for letting me know so fast! I’m putting some over the cab for the roof rack and this will save me some precious time. They really did think of everything, didn’t they? I’m hoping my canopy will be done for a 2,000 mile road trip I’m starting this weekend, looking forward to having one of these great caps! I think I finally have everything waterproofed and ready

You have a beautiful build, by the way. Someday!

 

Thanks for the kind words! Yeah the caps are really well built for sure. Good luck with getting yours on time and be sure to report back in!

 

I know this is a Tradesman thread and I wish it was cheaper and A LOT closer to me....but I did get an ARE DCU today which looks pretty good so far. I'd like to thank the OP and others with the Tradesman for pointing me towards the higher commercial type caps. I replaced my Snugtop Rebel with this DCU since it has more usable space and looks much better with the way my truck is set up. The DCU is 26" high. Before and after.
ETA- this is just a basic DCU, no tool boxes, no insulation, no interior skin, nothing fancy and it won't be slept in. I will however, insulate it next summer and put a plastic shower board on the inside to help protect it against dents, etc.

 

I agree that the typical smooth and sleek fiberglass shell doesn’t really complement the rugged off-road vibe.

Your new ARE shell looks good tho! I’m glad this thread helped you out.

 

I like the new look and glad this thread helped you out!

 

Very nice. I use my truck for work more than play and that shell is just right.
Thanks

 

Here’s the report: I love it. I can’t stop staring at it, honestly! I dig it in Cavalry Blue. It wasn’t done until the tail end of our road trip, but enough time to swing by and pick it up without having it shipped was worthwhile enough. The dog approves which is all that matters in the end! Cannot recommend Tradesman and Maria enough. I would have ordered it a little earlier if I did it all over again, but the trip was fine enough with a tent! Will be camping in it tonight to break it in. Thank you all for posting about yours, I never thought I’d be so excited about a canopy.

 

Nice

 

Does anyone have good pictures of the 30" high tradesman truck top that displays its height in correlation to the cabin roof ? Most tradesmen truck tops ive seen on TW have been the 24" high version, just curious to understand how much more space 6" would be in this truck top.

 

I can't speak for everyone, but my Tradesman topper is 26" high. I believe @Toynado (the OP)'s is too.

 

@BongoTheOneEyed

Here are a few pics of my wedge. It is 26 at the front, and rises to 32 at the rear. Plenty of head space. I had a 23" (cab high) but it was just a bit too short for long trips

 

Thanks Kyle,

Do you have any shots of where the front slant meets the cab roof ? whats your experience sitting up and moving around back there ?

 

The slant starts right at the front, then rises 6 inches in the first 2 feet. Then its 32 the rest of the way back. I've got a 12ish inch drawer system with a 3 or 4 inch foam topper. And still have room to sit up all the way straight. With a slight recline (or with the pad off) I can sit upright with my back aganst the glass at the front end too. Or I fold things over and use the toolbox as a backrest.
With a lady and a growing dog, I'm second guessing installing the side toolbox, but were not big!

 

looks awesome

 

White Rim trail? We recently got back from a trip to Utah and looks similar. We used our RCI bed rack and a CVT tent and are looking to upgrade to a canopy. Like the room yours provide. I think I have it down to a Tradesman or an RLD. Can I ask what you paid for yours and how long it took to build?

 

Does anybody use a “boot” between the cab and canopy? I’d like to open the window without wind noise and allow the bed to warm up or cool down at least a little while driving. I also feel like it’d come in handy so my cat can jump from the back to front at her leisure if I ever take her along for a trip. Anyways, I digress...
What I’ve seen for sale look like a pretty cheap pool float and they dont have great reviews, not sure if anyone has found anything that works, I noticed that the gap widens towards the top of the cab, so hoping it’s possible. I just don’t want to reinvent the wheel if anybody with a Tradesman has found a good solution.

 

The gap on mine is pretty constant. This won’t help if you’ve already had your topper built, but you do have a choice with Tradesman between a vertical front and one that leans in towards the cab. I went with the latter.

 

Kind of a thing the past. Snap style was the thing then to a rubber boot style. They rub your paint off and not great from what I understand.