ARE Camper Shells are for old guys - so says my wife

So we just purchased a Qucksand 2017 Tacoma SRD sport Double Cab short bed. We have a popup camper that we have been pulling with our old tacoma. That tacoma has a rugged cover 3 section hard cover for the bed.

I found that when camping that tall coolers (like a Yeti) don't fit with the hard shell down and often I needed more room than the short bed could handle with the bed cover (that sits flush with the top of the bed).

So I am trying to convince her that a ARE Z series camper shell would be helpful to us as well as look nice on the truck.

She is worried that it will make the truck look like an old guys truck (no offence to old guys whoever that is...)

If anyone has a 2016 Quicksand tacoma or any color tacoma with a z series on it we would love to see a picture of it...and any comments for or against getting a camper shell for our soon to be delivered 2017 SRD Sport sound off in the comments.

Thanks from the newbie member

Randy

 

you're bound to find something in this thread. Enjoy

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2016-shell-pics.399254/page-28#post-12547362

 

I've got a Leer on my Quicksand, ARE wouldn't look too different. Besides, who cares how it looks, all about functionality.

 

Love that Ferry pic!!!

Nothing wrong with a camper shell. Old guys that I've seen here, who have camper shells have nothing but beer cans in them for recycling and are usually very low to the ground because they need easy ingress/ egress. I'm not seeing that type of vehicle in these pics. Do it!!! Unless.... you just want to stockpile on recyclables to pay for your gas.

 

It depends . Do you buy something because its "hot or in " or what you need ? Old man is a relative term . Once I no longer cared what others felt and focused on what I felt i wanted , it was much easier to decide . then again I posted i built the perfect old mans truck , he he !

 

Love the pictures so far thanks for the help...

 

This just in...wife (after looking at the pics) says go for it...Thanks forty2.

 

@forty2 Tell me about your boats on the leer. I was worried I might need a roof rack as well. How long is your boat?

 

Take a look at the "old guy" tonneau I had installed today. As you can see it has a higher stature than some. Maybe something like this will handle your Yeti

 

Not an ARE Z, rather an Overland for your consideration:

 

I actually kind of agree. I have nothing against them at all if you need one, but almost every non-work truck I see with a shell is being driven by an old dude. lol

 

A lot of the 3rd gens I see have caps. Mind you a lot of the ones I see are from City Of Toronto lol. They updated their fleet and bought a bunch of new 3rd gens so they all have the cap.

I see no problem with them depending what your application of the truck is.
To be honest I would love to have one for camping. But my truck will also work as a work truck for side jobs and such and I do not want the restricted height you get of a cap (restricted of what you can put in it height wise)

So I'll likely never own one since they're around $2500+ here from what I've seen.
Most likely going to just get a bed cage or a soft cap.

 

I think a DCSB with a shell looks far better than one without it. It looks weird without it, the proportions seem more "off" to me.

 

I have a silver 2016 DCSB with a Z Series. I wanted a shell, and found my truck used with the shell mounted. After some bed-sealing it works very well, watertight and nicely finished, but ....
- First, specific to the Z Series, it has large sturdy hinges which protrude a lot into the rear opening, unlike the more typical extruded hinge above the opening. This really makes it hard to put large items in the back.
- More generally, the DCSB doesn't have a very large bed (duh). Adding a cap, especially bed high and with the sleek, sloped rear window of the Z Series, just makes it even smaller. After 6 months and 20K miles, I'm wondering if I really want to even keep it. Obviously I lose security and weather protection, but I think I may gain more versatility that I'll value more.

A search should find pictures I've posted of my rig.

 

My boat is the longer of the 2 at 17' 6", I use foam kayak blocks between the boat and the bars, a cinch strap at each bar, and a stern line to the hitch. The other boat, my kid's 10', and my wife's ~13' SUP are stacked. The SUP is directly on the bars and there is a set of foam kayak blocks under the kid's boat. Each item uses a pair of cinch straps, no stern line on the kid's boat. We normally just go about 20 miles from home on the highway (up to ~65 mph max) to play in the water but have done a few longer trips with this setup.

 

Get ready to upgrade your leaf springs. I've had my ARE on for just about a year now, and my rear end is already sagging. The rear end of my truck is sagging too.

 

Im constantly told by everyone especially young ladies that a cap is for old guys, im in my late 20s and i find that a cap would make a truck a lot more useful especially since i have 2 dogs and i also like to go camping. So call me old but any truck i get will have a cap.

 

Just tell them the cap offers a space for all the fun activities.

 

I want a shell for mine. Wife says same damn thing...it will make me look like i drive an old man truck. She calls me old man. I dont get it.

 

In my area all the cool kids have caps for kayak/mountain bikes/ Rock climbing gear. Add stickers so they know you are legit