Leer 180 on a 2011 Access Cab

I got the Leer 180 because I wanted to make a camper/sleeping platform with storage underneath.The platform is the height of the fender well and rim running around the composite bed (9.5"). The height from the platform to the roof of the cap is 31". The slight raise in the cap above the truck roof line doesn't look as bad to me as I thought it would, and the raised cap allows enough headroom for comfortable sleeping. Cap was $1425 including tax. Wood, rug, glue, hinge, and plastic boarder about $125. The mileage is a bit better with the cap. Off to the Grand Canyon and the Pacific Coast Highway.

 

Looks good man.

 

Be sure to drive thru Monument Valley. It's an amazing place! Not too far from the Canyon either.

 

Looks good.

I have been happy with my 180cc for the last 5 years. It is holding up well. One suggestion however. Get a product called LPS # 3. It is made for chains and cables. It kind of drys waxy. Spray some in each of the locks for the windows and you will never have a problem with them. I spray that stuff in every thing I have with a key lock on it. I have never had anything rust up or freeze in 10 years of using it.

 

Look great on the truck.

 

Curious to know how the Leer 180 is holding up. I have the same type of Tacoma, and am torn between ARE and Leer. I like the fact that the Leer's say the top is insulated. Do you ever have any condensation when sleeping inside? I am planning on driving the AlCan highway in 2015, once I retire.

 

I'd like to know about these higher shells, too. Currently, Leer has a promotion offering a free liner for the shell which would eliminate condensation problems. I'm also looking at windoors and the removable front slider window.

Like the OP, I'm going to build a fender well height platform, so I was interested in seeing the pics. Since I'll be traveling solo, the platform will be 30" wide, which will allow me to sit on it with my feet on the bed of the truck and make it easier to get in and out.

Anybody else camping in one of the taller shells?

edit: By the way, Buck, I rode the Alcan on my motorcycle this past summer. Be glad to try to answer any questions you might have.

 

If you can get the Leer 122 in your garage, go for it. That's the ultimate capper. I would have got another for the Gen II but it was too tall for the garage. The carpet on the roof is standard and that will keep the condensation off of you. The windoors, get them, at least get one. The Leer 122 is the best.

 

I would get the 180RCC

 

My cab high insulated leer gets installed on my access cab Saturday. OPs looks good!

 

Is it do-able for a middle-aged man and a Taco?

The following year I plan to go the other way, and get as far as at least Panama. And hopefully ship my truck from Panama to Colombia. One cannot drive the PanAmerican hwy into Colombia due to an impassible area called the Darien Gap.

By the time I do both trips, I'll be retired.

 

Sure, the Alcan's paved all the way. Of course, there's construction during the season every year, but that's not a big deal. The road is in generally good condition except for the stretch between Destruction Bay in the Yukon and the Alaska border. That part of the road has serious frost heaves, but if you slow down, they're manageable. The Milepost is a good resource for info about lodging, fuel, camping, food, etc. Everything is expensive, so plan for that. If you're camping in the back of your Taco, you'll definitely reduce the cost. Fuel will be the big expense. Lotsa mosquitoes, a headnet will improve your comfort. Going up through BC, there are two routes, the Alcan to the east and the Cassiar highway to the west. I went up the Cassiar and came back on the Alcan. The Cassiar intersects the Alcan in the Yukon to go the rest of the way to Alaska. It's a long ride, but the scenery is well worth it. On the way back, I made a side trip up to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. That was the high point of the trip. Loved it.

If you start reading about it now, you'll have a good idea what you'll want to see.

 

Thanks, that's the one I'm looking at. Haven't seen any used ones.

 

OK, why? What advantage does it offer?

 

Same here. I'm about to drive the AlCan later this month.

 

I bought a 2012 copy of the MilePost a couple of weeks ago.. I'll get a later version sometime in the future.

Curious to know how long it took you to go, each way, and how much time you spent in Alaska. Do the motels and campsites on the AlCan fill up at night?

When travelling on the Interstate, I sometimes have trouble finding a vacancy at any decent hotel. Driving back East from New Mexico, there were some motels that made me wish I had a shell on my truck, after being turned away from the better hotels due to no vacancy.

If I understood you correctly, you think the Cassiar is more scenic?

I've been to most states in the U.S. My goal is to hit all of them. Maybe I should expand that to include all Canadian provinces, too.

 

December? You got more guts than I do. Driving your Tacoma?

 

I report January 10th so no choice really. Yes we are.

 

Right-on. Sounds like an adventure.

 

Well, we've pretty well hijacked this thread, haven't we?

I spent the first two weeks of the trip riding in Colorado and South Dakota with my riding partner. He headed back to work and I went north. I flopped in Calgary, rode up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper and followed 16, the Yellowhead Hwy, to Prince George. We'll call that day 1. I flopped at the Prince Motel, a decent, reasonably priced motel. Not fancy, but clean. Next day, I continued on 16 to Kitwanga, the junction with the Cassiar Hwy and rode up to Meziadin Junction where 37A runs down to Stewart and Hyder. That's a spectacularly beautiful road. I spent the night in Hyder, AK. So that's day 2. Stewart has a campground and a couple of motels and the only gas station in the area, but it's in BC, so it's expensive and heavily taxed. Hyder, on the other hand, has no taxes, no gas station and rooms in the local bar. I've stayed there twice and enjoyed it. Next day, I rode the rest of the Cassiar to the junction with the Alcan, then headed east a few miles to Watson Lake, where I flopped at the Air Force Lodge. The highway runs along a beautiful mountain range and crosses the continental divide at Dease Lake. Watson Lake has a grocery, gas stations, camping, cabins, a couple of motels and restaurants. So that's day 3. Day 4 took me to Haines Junction. Flopped at the Cozy Motel. Decent room, coffee maker, fridge, no wifi. The more upscale places were booked. The town has gas, camping, motels, cabins and a really nice bakery/coffee shop. On day 5, I made the run to Tok. After Haines Junction the road begins to deteriorate. Beyond Destruction Bay, there are lots of frost heaves. Didn't slow me down much on the motorcycle, but the RVers were having a rough time. Tok has everything you need. Best place to eat is Fast Eddies. Day 5 was really a half day because I was ready for a break.

On the way back, I rode from Fairbanks to Haines Junction, then Watson Lake, then to just east of Dawson Creek. From there, I made a side trip up to Yellowknife, but could have made it home in about 6 days.

So, on a motorcycle, 10 days each way is probably reasonable. In a Taco, you can do longer days, so it shouldn't take as long. I had camping gear, but I'm an old geezer and would prefer not to sleep on the ground, so my daily runs were planned so that I could be where there was a good chance of finding a room. A motorcycle has somewhat limited fuel range and there are some long stretches without fuel, so you have to pay attention. In a Taco, it wouldn't be an issue. With respect to places being booked up, it wasn't a problem for me because I got on the road early and quit early each day. My body was running on east coast time, so that was easy. Places did tend to fill up later. I think I spent about 10 days in AK and found that there was plenty left to see next time. If you have the time, spend every bit of it that you can; there's lots to see. I spent about 6 weeks on the road and covered 15,000 miles.