Thoughts on Camper shells

What shell is that? That's an awesome setup!

 

Thanks. It's a Snugtop Hi-liner ("mid rise"). The extra height inside is really handy if you sleep back there. I put a frontrunner slimline tray on top.

 

I know this is useless without pictures, but just picked up the Alucab canopy for my '18 long bed. It is replacing a mid-height bed rack that served its purposed, but left me wanting more space and to keep items in the bed dry. I will report back in once the install is complete!

 

Are those folding steps on the back corner of the shell? Is the shell reinforced in that area?
I'm sure they work great for getting up top. Nice setup you have there!

 

I exactly where you are about a month ago. I wanted a way to secure things in the bed of my truck without any worry of it getting broken into. I read dozens and dozens of pages on here about both options and found that there are benefits to both. Here are a couple:

Shell: a shell gives you more room in your bed to put things that are taller. This means you could throw bikes or other bigger things inside without any real worry of it getting wet or beaten by the elements. However, a shell is known for severely reducing the visibility through your rear view mirror (especially if the shell is tinted) so that often bothers people. A shell also doesn't have the weight capacity to be able to put a bunch of things on top of you need to move something bigger than the size of your bed. A good shell brand new will run you anywhere from $2500-3500 depending on options unless you find one used. Lastly, if you need to take your shell off then storing it is a much bigger hassle because of the size and fragility of the fiberglass.

Diamondback: for starters these are the most secure way to lock up items in your bed hands down. There's no glass that can be broken and no way of cutting it open to access the inside. The downside is if you want to transport something bigger than the height of your bed then you will need to put it on top of the cover which exposes it to the elements. Depending on the model for a diamond back you either have a 400lbs weight capacity (about what a shell could hold) or 1600lbs weight capacity. I've seen photos of guys loading up shop tool boxes on top of their covers with no issues. Most guys like that they can put stuff on top of their cover and still have their whole bed for storage if needed.
With the cover you have no impact to the visibility out the back unless you put on a rack and even with that it's only slight reduced. That leads me to the next point and that is that you can customize your cover to be able to hold what you want. Bed racks, bike racks, kayaks, etc can be installed where and how you want. There's a thread on here for diamondback modifications that will give you an idea. The most expensive cover is the HD which is 2k, and the cheapest one is 1600.

Ultimately it comes down to what you plan on doing with your truck. If you want to camp out of the bed or want to safely protect things that will be higher than your bed height, go with the shell. If your want to spend less and have more protection, customization, and plan on getting a RTT, go with the cover. Hope that helped!

Edit: I also saw you were asking about dust and I went on a rant haha. From what I've read they both keep out dust pretty well. The diamondback has a thick gasket, and the shell will use weather strips. Just make sure you seal up your corners and whatnot with silicon.

 

Yes; folding steps from Sportsmans Warehouse (I think). Snugtop puts extra layers of fiberglass in the corners with the 'Sportsmans package'. I put a little plate on the inside.

 

You need to do a lot of stuff to keep dust and water out of the bed. Pull the bedside caps and put silicone under them, same with front cap. Front corners are a pain. Cubbies need to be sealed up. I think I'm still getting moisture and dust in from the holes where the tracks are attached(!)

Also the tailgate seal kit.

 

Well done sir! That's a really clean setup!

 

Unrelated but were you in Nebraska here? The background looks so much like the Sandhills area.

 

Just got my Cap-It Bulldog HR up here in BC. It's Cap-It's house brand of canopies. Trying to build some form of sleeping platform but can't seem to find the energy on my off days.

 

This is a sweet rig. I wish I had went high rise shell on my 3rd gen......

 

Thanks, I get some feelings of claustrophobia when I don't have a lot of space over me when I'm trying to sleep. Tents are fine because they typically billow out quite far but a cab height shell would be much too low with a wheel well height sleeping platform. Figured a high rise at this price point was a fantastic idea but we'll have to see how the quality is over the next few years. Latches seem a little cheap but I have a feeling that may just be the reality of handle latches.

 

Wow, you nailed it. This was on the public land south of Natick/Halsey. Also spent some time up on Valentine NWR. Chasing sharp-tails and ducks. Loved the area and I really want to come back next fall.

 

I want a soft topper for my real off-roading truck, but I must like what shells have to offer apparently. This is the 4th shell I’ve had on this truck in 5 years lol

Sold the previous one with a broken window and bought this one today all in one day. Cost $350 more than what I sold my one with the broken window for which is around the same cost to fix the old one which didn’t match the color of my truck:

 

Lol lucky guess on my part! I love the area too, simple beauty and you can guarantee you won’t be bothered by a single soul. I try to camp around there at least a couple times a year.

 

Design advice needed with color contrast. I am playing the color roulette wheel with a used shell for my 22 Tacoma long bed OR Double cab. I have the Magnetic gray and found a shell in Cement gray. Do you think it would be classy or not so much to do the contrasting colors, I have a feeling it would be either really great or horrible but nothing in-between and the only way would be to see it on the truck. However any thoughts on contrast. ps I did get away with a white shell on a silver Tacoma and it was pretty much okay years ago.

 

Gen2 owner here but I am fan of caps... had them on all rigs dating back to 1996.
Leer 100 has been a solid choice. I upgraded to carpet (no condensation), Thule rack on top, cargo net in headliner, and removable front glass.

R shown on my 2014, had an XR on my 2006

 

You guys don't like the metal ones?, I got an RSI Smart Cap EvoA (Adventure) and I love it!

 

Aluminum ones rock

 

The metal ones are a very stout looking setup, has an industrial look as apposed to frameless windows and flowing curves that are a more refined look of the Leer Xr 100 that is my first choice. I am a fan of the utility look in general, the polished look of the leer is compelling.

I was told that the Leer is about 130 pounds which does not sound heavy. What do the metal ones weigh?