New in the USA: RLD Design

Shoot, for $30 I'll take it...

 

Anyone know what the side door opening dimensions are ?

 

Beautiful setup. Tell us more about this bushing system. I assume this is something you designed, as opposed to the standard RLD cross bars and roof rack?

 

My canopy took six months to arrive after I ordered it from Adventure Mobile/RLD USA. Despite that, I absolutely love it. Now thinking about a roof rack system, possibly FrontRunner, but I’m not too familiar with how they work and am having trouble envisioning the best way to utilize the canopy holes and keep everything as low-pro as possible (garage clearance). Seems like the method of mounting a roof rack to tracks just adds height unnecessarily. Again, maybe I’m missing something.

 

Great looking rig! If you're going to mount the rack using mounting feet the roof tracks aren't going to raise the height by more than 1/8", the mounting feet themselves will add the height. You can mount the rack directly to the canopy using the holes on the ribs which would save you the .5", 1" or 1.5" from the actual mounting feet.

I've gone the track route and like the versatility of being able to use Thule load bars or my platform rack without having to unbolt anything from the inside (running a half cabinet as well). First thing I'd consider is what you're actually using the rack for and what's going up there. Personally, I've gone to a wedge style tent to keep roof space vs my old Smittybilt and Yakima tents so now I'm rethinking my need for the platform rack altogether since the tent itself has load bars, etc. So, now I'm going back to 2 or 3 load bars...it's a never ending dilemma and ongoing transformation for most builds so thinking ahead to what you may want down the road is the best place to start, in my opinion.

Good luck\m/

 

What are Thule load bars for? Seems like the roof rack (I think you called it a platform rack) lets you mount anything you'd need to it, no?

 

Thule load bars are the more traditional load bars that use mounting feet or boots like you'd see on a fiberglass topper. Best for mounting bikes, kayaks, cargo boxes/baskets, etc. The platform racks can do the same and offer more real estate for mounting Max Traxx, propane tanks, water tanks...

However, if you're planing on mounting a rooftop tent to the canopy like I did you may not need to spend the money for a platform rack since the tent eats up the entire rack. Especially if you're going with a tent like the Mt Hood which has load bars on the roof already and t-tracks all around for mounting awnings, shovels, lights or whatever else you'd mount to the platform.

Saving money and shedding weight are always on my mind, hence the rant above, hahaha! Feel free to DM if you have any specific questions or want to see any pics, like everyone else on this forum I've gone down the rabbit holes and love to share what was at the bottom.

 

Gotcha. I don't screw with bicycles and kayaks, so I think a full rack that can have Maxtrax, water tanks, awnings, storage boxes, etc. is what I'd want.

 

If your going to go with bars then the only ones that would make sense would Yakima HD bars. You can mount them directly to the canopy to keep the height down and can attach just about anything directly to them. I’ve mounted ARB awning brackets directly to them, a CVT tent, Maxtrax boards, a Roadshower, etc. Doesn’t make sense to use Thule or any other kind of bars. So if you don’t want to go with a full rack then the Yakima HD bars is a good option.

Anybody looking for a rail slider? Have a brand new full rail slider that was purchased new from RLD. Would cost close to $500 to have a new one shipped to you. Willing to let mine go for just $20. Never been mounted. It’s stainless steel and powder coated just like the canopies. Just $20. Won’t ship it but if your around the Bend Oregon area or passing through this is a no brainer purchase for $20 if you have an RLD canopy.

 

Would they run lengthwise or side-to-side?

 

If you want a rack and not cross bars, I highly recommend the new design Rhino platforms. The new ones have fully adjustable support bars underneath that can be set to the correct centers for the holes. You just need to get some hardware to mount it directly to the cap and you're good to go. Added just the height of the rack to my Gladiator and it's been rock solid for over a year now with about 100# of crap attached to it 24/7.

 

Hey Everyone!
I was able to find, purchase, and have my RLD Canopy shipped within about a week and a half… NO LIE! I couldn’t find any around me in Ohio so I started looking at dealers from other states on RLDdesignsusa.com… I stumbled on Altitude Industries out of Colorado. He only had a couple left but said they had a shipment on the way.
Anyways, they were a SUPER informative, small run business and he shipped it to me in the crate, I picked it up from my local freight company (or you can have it shipped to your house for an extra fee). I installed it myself with just help from one buddy to lift it on the bed.
I highly recommend these guys. Lee, one of the owners, answered questions I didn’t even know I had, lol.

Go check them out!
https://www.altitude-industries.com/

Storms hitting good today.. the cap does leak more than I was hoping.. gotta figure out if I didn’t tighten down enough to press the seal down more or what the case may be.. I know it’s not gonna be 100% water tight.


I’m trying to figure out how to wire up this dang 3rd break light though..

 

Keep us updated. This is the Information we can't find. Other than bed leaking didn't know of water problems on rld canopy

 

Looks great!

I wire tapped into the 3rd brake light on the left side using a quick wire splice set from Harbor Freight ( ). You can get them from AutoZone or any auto shop as well. Been taking the truck off road, no issues from vibrations, etc.

After having the canopy & traveling in the truck full time I've experienced leaks from the stock top bolt hole covers.

 

I would recommend posi-taps over the quick splice style for anyone wiring their 3rd brake lights:
https://www.posi-products.com/posiplug.html

 

Hey all!
Here is a link to a YouTube video I made showing how I wired up the 3rd brake light for the RLD Design canopy..
Sorry if the video is grainy.

https://youtu.be/gvyE2F25ezk

 

I've had my RLD for a while now and the only leak I had was from the rivets on the pressure vent. A quick once over with silicone fixed the problem and been leak free ever since. Also sealed the two front corners where the canopy meets the bed when I did the install with RVT

 

Here’s a quick wrap-up video

https://youtu.be/qDmjywePjas

 

Anyone find a solution to

Apologies, never made it to your area due to the storm the occurred when I traveled towards Oregon. Ended up side tracking my route. Hope you were able to sell it. Will have to make a trip back to Oregon when weather warms up a little bit.