180 vs 100xr 3rd gen short bed

I have a 2018 short bed and want to get a shell for it. Torn between the 100xr and 180. I won't be sleeping in it unless I'm in a pinch. But will be building a drawer system for tools for daily job and camping gear. Have 2 dogs that will be put in back as well. Will be hauling a kayak and ladders often. Will the 180 take away that much of the rail system for the rack to make that much of a difference? Thanks for any and all answers

 

I have a Leer 180 on my TRD OR AC (long bed).
Not sure what you're getting at with this question, unless you're referring to the front, sloped portion of the roof. The front end of the rails are about 15" back of the cab. Hopefully your ladders aren't too long and you can balance the weight equally on the 2 cross bars.

 

I currently have a 100 and had a 180 on my previous truck. The extra space inside the 180 was nice. I estimate the front & rear crossbars will be about 3’ apart on a short bed which will still be okay for kayaks as long as you tie down the bow and stern as recommended. The downside is it is a little tougher to load boats onto the higher roof of the 180 vs the cab high 100. The extra loading height is not a dealbreaker, but is something to consider. That said, if your dogs aren’t huge, they will have room on top of your storage platform with a 100, your boats and ladder will be easier to load, and your crossbars will be about 4’ apart, supporting the boats a slight bit better. Good luck and enjoy whichever you ultimately pick.

 

@CT Yankee thanks for the response and yea I guess i wasnt that clear with the question but you gave me a good starting point. Better question would have been what is the difference on how far you can spread the cross bars apart on 100 vs 180 and would is the 180 worth really worth the extra head room.

 

@hillcoach thanks for the response! Exactly what I was wondering now i know it will be about a foot difference was expecting around 8 to 10 inches. I have 2 chocolate labs so decent size. Do you wish you had the extra head room again or not that bbig of a deal to you?

 

@hillcoach just saw the pictures after I replied. Nice truck. Is the silver one a long bed?

 

@Seth003 yes both trucks have the 6’ bed. I don’t miss the extra height of the 180. It is easier to load the boats on the cap high 100, I don’t sleep in the back, I don’t have a large dog anymore, and the lower height has minimal, if any negative impact on mpg. That said, it’s still easy enough to load gear on a 180. I would estimate the extra height of 180 would decrease your highway mpg about 0.5/mpg vs cab high. If it would suit your dogs and in bed storage needs better, the 180 is the way to go.

 

@hillcoach thanks for the info

 

Have you looked into an RSI camper?

 

@Drahcir never even heard of that one. Looks sick though. What did that cost you if you don't mind me asking?

 

It was $4k OTD with installation and taxes. I was looking into fiberglass toppers but after doing so much research, I learned that they don't support the same amount of weight and the ones that get close lose a lot of space due to the interior framing. The cost of a fully built out and customized fiberglass topper is just a few hundred shy of what I paid. The RSI has a little more headroom than a standard cab height fiberglass shell, and has gullwing doors that open bigger than any windoor. It's made of automotive stainless steel so I found an easy lighting solution with magnetic LED strips that're USB chargeable. I just got it a week ago so I'll have to put it through its paces, but I couldn't be happier with my purchase.