Softtopper vs camper shell

I passed a guy with a soft topper on his truck a couple days ago. It was starting to look a little ragged, with some peeling or tearing of the material.

 

Here you go:


It should sit pretty tight.

If you look closely at the instructions, the pic they show is a 2nd Gen with no front rail. You have to sight through the rail to the bed wall to get it aligned properly.

Also, use the optional snaps for the front flap. Way better than hook tape.



The slider still lets in good airflow.

 

One more vote for ST. I've been a fan for years. They keep your stuff dry on the road, and they fold away when you don't need it.
They also keep your stuff out of "line of sight" for most crackheads.

Plus, for the upcoming holidays, they are great for doing whimsical shit like this:

 

Whimsical haha

 

This is why...

 

I've got a DCLB with a softopper, and I'm happy with it.

Is it 100% waterproof? No.
Is it lockable? No.
Is it convenient when moving big stuff? Absolutely! Just fold that sucka down.

About cold weather: when it's below 40 degrees, the material is stiff. That makes it hard to put up. The tension holding it in place is supposed to be split between the straps and the actual material. With the material that cold, it's tough to do. It has also been said that the clear rear window can crack opening in cold weather. I bought a solid material rear for mine which eliminated that issue AND creates the facade of security. Things in the bed are, at least, out of sight.

I never wanted to tie myself down and lose functionality. Obviously, there's always compromises, but there's flexibility with a softopper.

 

I love my Softopper actually getting an Aluminum Bed Rack that goes over it for my RTT. This is the rack I'm getting and the truck it's going on in the 2nd picture

 

Just sold my Leer 180. We used it to sleep in the truck bed (cuz me and the wife are short enough).

Hard shell Pros:
- Secure (though I don't really worry about it. If someone wants to break in, they gonna.)
- Absolute protection from the wind when sleeping in the back of it.
- Can store stuff on top of it.
- Built in LED light.
- Mine was carpet lined, which was very nice and cozy.
- Mine also had a mesh cargo storage inside which came in very handy.

Hard shell Cons: (some of these are just my experience though, results vary)
- Leaked like a sieve in the rain. Seriously, why did I buy this thing again?
- Sometimes the locks would freeze, making it difficult to get into. Once I had to heat up water and pour it over the locks to get them to turn. This was only the 3rd month of ownership.
- Heavy. Mine was +200lbs. Removing it was a huge pain. Especially after I sealed everything with silicon to keep the rain out.
- Expensive! Mine was $3200 (not including the Thule rack, that was another $400 I believe).
- Not a very good resale value due to how specific people's needs are. I sold mine for $1900 and that was after trying for like 4 months on several different platforms.
- Was very difficult to mount my awning without spending a lot of money, and is honestly the reason I ended up selling it. I was getting worried that my roof rack was going to break under the weight of the awning.

Softopper Pros:
- Cheap compared to a hard shell.
- Extremely easy to remove, or fold down.
- Can roll up the sides to access parts of the bed. Though this is kind of negated if you're short and have a lift.
- Can get an external rack from @Dissent86 at Dissent Offroad. I've got mine coming, hopefully very soon! https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/over-canopy-modular-bed-rack-intrest.483934/
- This will allow you to store stuff on top of it and on the sides. Also it seems like it doesn't make taking everything off super hard.
- Finally, the cost of the base rack + the softopper is still less than a hard shell.

Softopper Cons:
- Less "security". Though without side windows to see in, a thief would be hard pressed for a quick snatch and grab. I also keep most of my stuff in bins.
- Have to by a rack that fits over it to put stuff on top of it.
- The flap in the back is kind of annoying.
- The snaps in the front window wouldn't have been taught enough for me so I had to use the Velcro. Also, would have required me to drill into my truck (which I'm fine with, but you may not be). We shall see how the Velcro holds.
- Less visibility out the back when driving. The soft windows are harder to see through than glass, and also there are no side windows on the Softopper brand.
- Darker in the bed due to no side windows. Makes seeing a little more difficult when you're digging around. I'm going to put a light in eventually, but until then...

Softopper things I can't speak to:
- Haven't had mine long so, I'm not sure how weather proof it is. We camp in the SHITTIEST weather imaginable, so I'm hoping and praying it keeps the water out.
- Not sure how easy it is to clean.
- Not sure how badly it attracts dust.
- Durability is untested for me.
- Again, please God be waterproof....


Hope this helps!

 

Perfect, thanks! The guy who had his on that I saw just have fucked it up or something because yours look perfect like everyone else on TW.

 

You're welcome.

Thanks! It seems to work great there, including folded.

It sounds like it. This is the pic from the instructions. It took me a moment to figure it out because the arrow for the Flush callout kind of hid that the 3rd Gen front rail was not there.

 

lookin' good!

 

Hahaha! Thanks!

Yours also. Close cousins. The flares on the OR look good.

 

user name checks out...

but really, if you are knifing a Softopper that’s just being a dick. You can unbutton it with one good yank.

 

Oh yeah; Softopper ftw

 

I love the way access cabs look. This looks slick

 

Caps just don't look as good

 

I have a well used soft topper and like it very much for camping.

One word if caution if you live in a rainy climate, I have had trouble with mildew.

It is mostly waterproof, but with constant condensation, things can still get gross. I'll be scrubbing mine down carefully going into the rainy season this year.

 

Live in Western WA. Had mine for 2 years now. Zero mildew.

 

The ST will be on through our wet winter here, but the Taco is parked in our garage every night. Where were you seeing mildew? On the canvas or some trapped areas?

With my much less sealed roll up tonneau which used similar fabric, I had no issues for the past couple winters.


Thanks!

 

I went with a softopper for all the reasons already stated above. So versatile its ridiculous. I have slept out of it so many times I can't count and it just makes everything so easy. Then when my girlfriend needs to use the back of the truck for a home depot run it just folds down in seconds...and folds right back up when we are finished. Can't recommend enough!