Alu-Cab Explorer Canopy on 2019 DCSB

I just finished with the biggest mod to my 2019 DCSB yet, the install of a Alu-Cab Explorer Canopy. Fit to the truck was excellent. The front of my box is about 1/8" higher than the sides. That makes it hard to get the front corners clamped down good, but I managed to get it to where the only gap between the Cap and the bed rails is at the front corners. That isn't Alu-Cab's fault. That is where Toyota put the channel in the top of the bed rail plastic, like it was designed to let water in. I had to stick foam there to seal my tonneau cover. I'll do the same for the Canopy.

Build quality was good. It has been raining every day since the install. I have no more than a few spots of water on the bed mat, about 2-3" in diameter. I think that came in from a couple of the rivets that hold the roof rails on. I can easily resolve that with a bit of caulk.

So far, I am very happy with my purchase. Had it just been my wife and I, I absolutely would have bought the Go Fast Camper from Hondo's.

I have 2 little ones though and need at least a queen size / 4+ tent so no GFC for me.

I was set on the Overland AT Habitat as I could sleep 4 with fill in panels. I took a new job in Utah and live about 3-4 miles from the office. The Hab would have been perfect for us. Then I got assigned to a client that is 45 miles away, on the other side of SLC. Making that drive with my gas guzzler MT with the Hab catching the wind the whole way would have been too expensive for me.

I ended up deciding on the Explorer Cap. I'll be running a 23 Zero Byron tent on quick mounts for weekend camping trips, and will pull the tent off when not planning a camping trip for another few weeks. I figure a tent is much easier to hoist off up under the garage ceiling than the Hab would have been.

As to the color, I live in the desert. Nothing should be black in the desert. I think it looks cool and is utilitarian in appearance. I am still waiting for the Kitchen storage kit for the driver side. I also have load bars for the top, the Alu-Cab table, and the under ceiling table storage brackets.

I ordered from OK4WD. Rin and Brian were very helpful.

Enjoy the pics...

Came well packed and protected.







Welds on the corners are good enough for my eye. There is a good seal at the top of the tailgate, plus this big rain ledge:


Fit at the front was very good:



Room for my tire repair kit, recovery bag, and air compressor. I'll probably eventually hard mount the compressor. I bought one that can be portable or mounted.


Fits, just. Would be better to mount the compressor high on a shelf. That would be a good aluminum craft project.


If you look closely, you can see the Toyota-supplied gap at the front-left corner. Thanks Toyota for having zero regard for how your trucks will be used. This photo is after a rain. Dry enough for me. I won't expect perfect dryness. I didn't with the tonneau cover either.



Driving with it on has been a non-issue. I find that it doesn't obscure any blind spots. I look out the rear windows for that, not the back window. The view out the back is constricted, but good enough, especially since I have the backup camera.

I'll report back if I find any reduced fuel economy with the clean roof configuration.

 

Your cab looks great! Poachers do suck.

 

Gorgeous man,

I want a 6’ one in silver for my 2015.

 

Awesome. Thank you for posting- I want one even more now!!

 

Looking sharp. I'm considering a black one for my truck.

 

Use some RV sealant in the corners, they also make a putty tape to put on the rails there. I used both on my leer and no leaks

 

Looks great man! I ordered a custom one with Windoors and sliding front window in black. Probably most expensive mod I will buy for the truck. Mine should be arriving in the next few weeks, I have been waiting 3 months. I already have the Alu-Cab load bars and a Tuff Stuff Ranger tent to mount on top.

I never see many photos of the inside roof of them, how many cross bars are there to mount stuff too?

 

Looks good. I’ve had mine for about 6 months and have an Autohome Maggiolina on top. So far it’s been great. There are a couple small quality issues but nothing that can’t easily be fixed. It seems like they made everything easily serviceable.

 

Looks Awesome! Is that gray a standard color? I have only ever seen the black.

 

Yup, the standard color everywhere except in the US. In the US, black is more common. I live in Utah though and black would be the worst idea ever with our sun.

 

You probably have yours already, but here is a picture of the interior. There are 4 crossbars under the roof. I have a storage bin on each side and a table mounted under the roof, so not much space left for anything else.

 

Time for some photos of it in use. I love the setup, but I did have to go to aftermarket springs in the rear for better load carrying with my setup. I went with the OME lift, light in the front, heavy in the rear with an AAL. Man is it a nice ride offroad! On road it drives like a truck should. Not too jarring, but about as firm on pot holes as a sports car with low profile tires.

Driving by Flaming Gorge headed out of the eastern Uintas:


Dispersed camping on BLM land near Capital Reef NP:


Camped out at Cathedral Valley in Capital Reef NP:

 

Truck is looking amazing. Very clean build.

 

Love mine. Utilize those ceiling tracks.

 

do these have any interior LED lights ? or has anyone installed any. how does stuff mount to the tracks on the inside roof? also what does the top of the roof look like?

 

Yes interior led light that needs to be hard wired. The tracks on the ceiling are just like on the crossbars. My traction boards are mounted with tie downs attached to Front runner tie down rings and my shovel is mounted to quickfists that attach in the tracks with standard metric bolts, I think m8.

 

Update on mine. Came in last month the day of our trip. Love this thing. Biggest issue I have is mine seems to leak pretty bad in some areas. I'll just need to seal it and it will be goo . Besides that it's well built and sturdy.

 

what options did u get with urs? looks like side windows and back sliding window?
what was the lead time? did you order it from OK4WD ?

 

Yes I got it from OK4WD and it took about 4 months. The only options I got were the windows on each side and front slide .

 

Wow! Looks like an awesome setup!

I had some minor water leaks as well. So far, I'm not concerned enough to do any sealing as my front box corners have a leak spot I haven't sealed, the box sides leak where the steel meets the plastic when driving through water, and I don't have a tailgate seal so I get severe dust on desert roads. So, I keep everything in 56 qt Plano tubs (161901) for the dust if nothing else. The 56qt tub is a great size for packing in a Tacoma. I put three across between the wheel wells and stack them two high for 6 tubs total. We put food, clothes, bedding, everything in those tubs. They keep everything perfectly dry and dust free. Plus, as a bonus, they are sized perfectly to go in and out through the side doors ahead of my two storage cubies (kitchen and tool storage).

I've also done a pile of electrical work the last few weeks that I am very proud of. Wife said she wanted a fridge, I said hell yes!

CTEK 20A DC-DC charger and the jump start switch to tie the two systems together if my main battery fails. (The aux battery charges to 12.8, the max my main battery charges to is 12.5)


Aux battery install:


Power routing to the canopy:


Power distribution and hard mounted onboard air system (passenger side)


Switch panel:


Driver's side air line.


Ready for the fridge, whenever I order it. It is frigid cold here, so I'm not in a hurry to purchase one right now.