Bed Rack Over Softtopper: Request for Advice, Reviews, Videos, or Input

I have read that other thread dozens of times, but as I’m zeroing in on my overland build for maximum flexibility (including various configurations of bikes, dogs, family, friends, weather, etc), I really like the idea of a bed rack over a softtopper. I had a ST before and it was fantastic. Never had a bed rack, but I intend to primarily put Trax, water, fuel, and maybe some tools on the thing. Perhaps a RTT in the future, but not a priority for now. It’d be nice to have the option.

I typically use my tailgate pad for mountain bikes, and I think I can just drop the ST and put the bikes in under the rearmost bar, in almost all cases. I will not be mounting bike racks on the top or sides (based on experience).

Anyway, I think I’ve narrowed it down to the following, it it is insanely hard to find videos or reviews on these things. Does anyone have any videos or information they can share on any of these? Here are the finalists.


Bed Racks for Softtopper

• Mobtown - I don’t love the looks of this one, but it’d probably get the job done. https://mobtownoffroad.com/product/2005-2020-toyota-tacoma-softopper-bed-rack/
• Datin - I like how tight this is to the topper. https://datinfab.com/tacoma-canvas-cage-bed-rack-gen-3/
• SOS OffRoad - I like this one but it looks super high. Love the old style. http://sosoffroadconcepts.com/tacoma-bestop-softopper-bedrack/
• UpTop SoftTruss - I like that this is adjustable. Don’t love their return policy / warranty. https://www.uptopoverland.com/products/uptop-truss-tacoma-soft-top-2005-2020
• KB Voodoo / Max Modular. Don’t love the silver crossbars, but I really like KB stuff. https://www.max-modular.com/shop-max-modular/topper-max-truck-bed-rack
• Dissent - This one is new to me -- not a ton of information, but looks great. https://dissentoffroad.com/
• Victory 4x4 - Word on the street is that they're working on this problem, too. Can't wait to see what they come up with! https://www.victory4x4.com/
• RCI - I spoke with them and they are not doing anything with this just now (as of 01/2021)
• Xtrusion Overland - this looks promising, and a couple of guys here have them. Check out pics here https://xtrusion-overland.com/collections/cargo-racks-modular-universal/products/xtr1-for-2005-toyota-tacoma

Any helpful input or reviews are very welcome. Thanks!

 

Dissent offroad makes a aluminum version as well that goes over the soft topper. I can’t speak to the other brands, but it is challenging to retract the soft topper with the dissent bed rack installed

 

Nice. Thanks for the tip -- I remember seeing something from this dude on the Forums and I thought he had stopped making them. Regarding the rack getting in the way, I know that some brands (most notably UpTop) says to remove the middle truss bar if you're going to be retracting the Soft Topper. Probably hurts your overall load capabilities, but I'm not sure I care that much. Thanks for the info! Any more pics you have would be super cool -- particularly how it mounts (I assume under the SoftTopper rails, but I'm always curious)

 

@upTOPoverland get’s my vote.

 

I'm leaning that way also -- my only concern is how far out to the side it sticks out. Add some gas / water tanks and it might not fit in the garage.

 

Ping them for the dimensions. Shouldn’t stick out father than your mirrors with tanks on.

 

I've got the Mobtown offroad rack and love it. I'm not super into the blocky modern military look that the other options give, hence the reason i went with the mobtown. I plan on ordering the side panels eventually, I think it will complete the look of the rack and really offer some much needed storage on the outside of the vehicle.

Pros:
+looks great on the truck!
+Assembly is very straight forward
+simple design that makes sense
+sits low and pretty snug to the top of the soft topper
+quality construction

No cons really, just some things that bothered me a little:
-the mounting brackets that fit into the track system were too tall to fit, I ended up having to spend some time with a grinder taking them down to make them work.
-came up short on some hardware when everything arrived.
-there's a little bit of porosity in some of the welds(wasn't noticeable until after powdercoat until rust started creeping through)

My final opinion: Great product, customer service and communication was pretty on point, wait time was a little longer than expected, but I'm happy with the end result. They're a small shop that's doing their best to meet a high demand, in a trying time for a well designed and built product. I think they could focus a little more effort on quality control before sending the product out the door.

As a former metal fab shop owner, I fully understand what they're going through with vendors failing to deliver which delays their delivery schedule. I couldn't imagine dealing with what COVID caused when half the country is shut down, so I applaud them for even managing to stay a little bit on top of their game during the shit show of 2020.

 

I bought the uptop overland truss rack back in October, still waiting on my shipping info. They said 6-8 week lead time and we’re going on 11 weeks now. I’m really hoping the build quality and installation is good because my last three trips were shot because I was waiting on the rack.

 

still wont protrude past mirrors

 

Does the install of this mess with the snaps/cover of the SoftTopper at all or can you mount both on the rails with no issues (leaking, spacing, etc)? Looks great!

 

Hey guys, Wanted to get your feedback on a couple things I am most likely leaning towards a softtopper that way I can take it off during the summer week days and etc. But me and my lady are into kayaking so I am curious what rack you would rec for kayaks to go on?

 

I ordered the Max Modular rack yesterday. My softopper is scheduled to arrive tomorow. I was leaning hard towards Mobtown because I think its just a cleaner look than the modular designs, but reading about the long wait and poor communication put me off. KB Voodoo answered my email in about 5 mins after business hours on availability.

I'll use it mainly for transporting kayaks, and I think the Max Modular will work better than some of the other designs with 3 support posts or a prisnu style rack for my purpose. Those will be fine if you lay 2 boats flat on the hull or use J cradle type racks. I usually haul more than 2 boats on shuttle and use a stacker, with 4 or 5 boats on their side. While I think the prisnu style racks with multiple cross bars will work with that setup, I liked the spacing between the cross bars on the Max Modular the best.

 

Thanks for the heads up yeah I looked at that one as well and I think it would work pretty good for two yaks. I think I would mount the J cradles on the top. You think they will fit?

 

Honestly not sure as I don't have the rack yet. I have a set of Yakima Jaylow cradles and a Frontloader bike rack in the shed, but my guess is they will not fit the Max Modular rack without some mods because the crossbars are too large. I'll update when I get everthing installed, hopefully in the next few weeks.

 

I have a Dissent Offroad rack. It's absolutely fantastic. The nuts are pressed in which means to install it, you just need an impact with the right socket. Took me maybe 1.5hrs to install the softtopper and the bed rack.

That said, his only options for mounting things on the side of the rack are retractable doors, which don't work for my setup, so I'm having to make my own side rails to mount rotopax and maxtrax.

Quality is top notch though. As far as Ben still making them or not... I doubt he'd stop. But, you can always call him and leave a voicemail. He got back to me within 24hrs most of the time. Nice guy. His operation is growing last I heard, which is a good thing.

Also the price point is very good for the quality you get.

 

Man, those look fantastic, thanks for the high quality pics! Yeah, I'd love to support him, but I'm not sure I have time to mod things, and I defintely want to mount a few things (really mostly just water, shovel, and trax). Love the fist logo, too.

 

Xtrusion Overland is new to the market but they have a rack for over the softopper. After a couple small hiccups I think I will have the first softopper version for a Tacoma. @OldSkoolArcher also has one getting delivered soon. LINK

 

Would any of these work with a Diamond Back cover?

 

Probably not. The racks all taper towards the top like the softopper. The diamond back would probably only open a couple inches before contacting the rack. If you found a rack with completely vertical sides then maybe it would work.

 

They were definitely not on my radar. Thanks! If you all haven't noticed, I'm updating the list in the original post with your helpful info for future information-seekers like me.