Bed rack or Hardshell?

So I plan on buying a bed rack or Hardshell bed cover like ARE for my truck want to know people's thoughts on both or why you have one over the other
I like the look of the bed racks a lot but I can see many situations in which a hard shell truck cap would be handy so please help me out on my decision
Thanks guys

 

Depends on what you're going to use it for. I had a shell but realized that for the amount of off-road use that my truck sees the fiberglass wasn't going to hold up over time, especially since I had planned on getting a roof top tent. I'm much more comfortable knowing that the rack I've build will hold up to the abuse, the rtt's additional weight and also be more versatile for my situation. It all depends on what you plan on using it for, how durable it needs to be, or if you need to be able to lock things up. Both have their good and bad.

 

Yeah I do a lot of going out and camping and I feel like it would be more useful for a hard shell because it's covered and secured but I haven't thought about the wear down of it
Also with having things exposed is a big on against a bed rack but I do like them a lot they look to be very useful

 

Cap with a Prinsu rack

 

Thoughts on why this is your opinion?

 

Bed rack because it looks bad ass haha

No but honestly, there are times I wish I had the security of a hard shell, but I personally don't like the look. If there's anything super valuable I just put it in the backseat. Plus my RTT stays on 365 days a year, and a tent on top of a hardshell would be a little too high for my taste. I mean, my rack is still pretty high, but I have it so that the fairing thats on the roof rack (on the cab portion of truck) is level with the tent. But also keep in mind that with bed racks you can get them at any height.

Here's mine:

 

Because it's the best of both options

 

I went with a cap and yakima racks. Nothing worse than being out on the open lot during a huge sale while mall crawling and getting stuff ripped off! I also have small kids, so with car seats, the back seat is gone. Everything is inside, locked, dry, and clean. $1400 topper + $300 racks. Not a cheap experience. But now when Black Friday hits, I can slam it in 4 low and hammer it around the crazy mall bitches in style.

 

FWIW, this was a pretty good price on a Moab with free shipping.
http://www.rackattack.com/product-pages/thule-690xt-moab-basket.asp

 

Have you considered a bestop or Softopper with a rack built over it? Pretty sure I'm gonna build a rack over top my bestop to put an RTT on.

 

How about a shell......with a rack.

 

Full custom rack with shell.


Thread here. Post #16, http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/19193-Custom-Roof-Rack-for-Tacoma/page2

 

I had the same dilemma. Ended up going with a bed rack and tonneau cover. This way, I have some covered storage in the bed. I wanted a bed rack for my RTT and sometimes need to fit tall stuff in the bed. For me, this was the best of both worlds.

 

Yeah I'm leaning more towards a bed rack for the reason I do take stuff that would be limited in a shell but the reason I was considering a shell was it is very useful I'm just not to sold on the look really Sean's defconbrix is one that I did kind of like the look on

 

Not sure how a cap limits what you can haul in the bed but a full bed cage does not

 

ATC and Snugtop pro offer over cab racks that sit on the shell (not on bed rails) for about $750 plus the cost of a commercial cap with a 400 to 500 lb load capacity. Caps are easily removed.

 

I've had multiple instances where I need to transport a tall appliance like a stove or washing machine. In some of those instances, the height of the appliance would have been too tall to fit under a cap. But, with the bed rack, I can angle the appliance in under the first horizontal bar of the bed rack and let it stand in the bed with the top in between the rear and middle horizontal bed rack bars. Not sure if I'm explaining it well, but basically, things can sit higher than the top of the bed rack between the bed rack bars.

Yes, you can take a cap off and you can also easily take the bed rack off. It was more important to me to minimize the instances when I'd actually need to take it off. Of course, to each his or her own. Everyone has different requirements, needs and opinions on aesthetics. In the end, it's just nice to have the different to options to weigh against for your own personal needs.

 

Bedrack...I like the look and now that Pelfreybilt makes them out of aluminum they're lighter and you can customize them to fit your needs.

 

Yeah def leaning towards bed rack

 

I think both options have their uses and that is something you have to weigh if both arent affordable. There are plenty of design options for the racks.
Here is how my cbi offroad aluminum rack is mounted nd is easily removed in less than 5 minutes if needed. As I remember it weighs about 35 lbs and easily supports an RTT with company. I had them weld gussets in the corners as well as side boards for mounting various off road tools.