Topper Questions - Looking for advice

Been lurking for a bit and this is my first time posting. Hope I'm not breaking any rules or whatever.

I've got a 2019 TRD Off Road DCLB in Cavalry Blue. Looking to start gearing this thing up for camping little by little. Right now it's naked. I know a lot of guys who have RTT's, but I think I'm gonna at least start off by getting a topper so I have a protected/enclosed space for day to day stuff and it seems like a decent/potentially better way to camp anyways.

I've been scanning around enough to know that there's a lot of different options and a lot of different brands. ARE/LEER/Snugtop. Also seems like toppers can get pretty damn expensive.

The way I see it, I don't want to skimp and get a temporary easy/cheap solution that I end up replacing later, but I don't want to break the bank buying something over the top either. I do want it to be something sleek that blends with the rest of the truck (Cab high I think?).

I'll just throw out a bunch of questions

• What are the most important options that should never get skimped on, especially if using for camping? Why?
• If I wanted to add a rack and potentially a RTT to the topper, would that eliminate a lot of options for topper choices? Are only certain ones designed to take a heavier load? Is this a bad idea?
• Would it be a bad idea to get... say... a used black topper and get it painted later? I feel like chances are low I'll find a used Cavalry Blue topper.
• On that note, does anybody here have a Cav Blue with black topper so I could see how that would look? I'm blacking out a lot of the trim on mine so I've half-wondered if a black topper would look good anyways.
• Seen lots of people make their own bed platforms to go with their toppers. Is there an after-market product that most would recommend or is the DIY bed platform the way to go?

 

Welcome to TW

 

Currently considering shells for my 19 DCLB TRDOR as well so I'll offer some tidbits from my research so far:

If you are looking at getting an RTT down the road, you're going to want to make sure you get a cap with a reinforced roof. Most standard caps are rated to only 150-200lbs of weight on the roof, but you can get reinforced options. If you are serious about an RTT though, I would ponder whether you really need a cap with it. You're going to have to pay extra on an already pricey accessory to make it compatible with an RTT, and considering you'd be sleeping in the RTT, that somewhat cancels out the major benefit of getting a cap (instead of other options) which is being able to sleep in it. Also your RTT would sit on top of the cap which is going to hurt your MPG (if you care about that).

All the major brands (Leer/ARE/Snugtop) make a pretty good product and you'll find posts on TW from people saying good things about all of them. With that said though, from reading posts on here, it seems like your experience with your cap is made or broken by the dealer you get your cap sourced and installed by. I would call around to all the places near you that sell caps and talk to them. In my case, I have Leer, ARE and Snugtop dealers all within 10 miles of me, but the ARE and Snugtop dealers were horrible to talk with on the phone and flat out couldn't answer what I thought were pretty basic questions about their product. By contrast, the Leer dealer near me is great and has been great to talk to on the phone and in person, so I'm definitely leaning leer if/when I get a cap.

In my case, I was dead set on getting a cap for a while, but now I'm weighing options between the cap or a combo of a bed rack and a Tonneau cover. Do lots of searching in both this forum and TW as a whole - there are a ton of discussions about caps and most any question you might have you can probably find an answer for.

 

I am in the same place as you. I purchased an ARE CX HD a few weeks ago and it should arrive within the next couple weeks. I ordered this shell since it has an internal frame and is strong if I decide to go the RTT route.

I also put on some bed stiffeners so it hopefully it can take anything I add down the road.

 

Yeah I suppose I'm not committed to the idea of an RTT, but I'd like to have the option. My primary would the bed cap, but I want the cap to be heavy duty enough to support... whatever. If I wanted to throw a rack and a bunch of gear on top, RTT or not.

But then I guess I dont know exactly what the price difference would be for reinforced vs. not.

Appreciate the thoughts.

Now I really hope I can find pictures of cav blue with non-matching toppers to see if there's a color that doesn't look bad.

 

Anyone have any advice on Ranch &/or Century toppers?
Moving to OK,& need shell to transport our zoo the 1100 miles. Searchingfor used DCSB, w/no luck.
Was quoted $2400 on ARE. Heard Leer’s are about the same. Just not sure I want to pay that much, for something I may rarely use.

 

If you are looking to get a cap and are already around the 3k mark, why not look at the alu cab or the rsd design cabs. They start around the 3k price and can handle anything you put up top. Are they as sleek? No but they look more rugged and i kind of like that look.

I price a few options from the big 3 recently and they all came in above the 3k price range. I figured if i am going to spend that much i am just going to go with alu cab or rsd designs. Get bare bones and add onto it later

 

Did you get the built in Thule rack option? If you only got tracks, the internal cage will do nothing to help support the cab as it does not even touch the shell. It only holds tool boxes and the Thule rack if you got it.

 

Yes I got the HD which comes with the racks which are attached to the internal frame. Is pretty beefy.

 

I have a Ranch cap. I paid $1250 brand new 2yrs ago. Reinforced top, carpet headliner, screened sliders. Love it.

 

Not to resurrect an old post but which model Ranch is that??

 

Sierra.