Buyers remorse...

I haven't seen one that seals against the glass.
The accordion style sounds like a winner, but how difficult is it to disconnect for the occasional hauling job?

 

I hadn't either, but the cap, topper, shell...LOL that I bought was an older ARE Z series that has a boot, so I guess that since about 2005, at least, they have been doing them this way.

The accordion boot presses over the metal lip of the cab. I think it has little metal tabs so I imagine it holds on pretty good...

 

After having a Softtopper for a while I decided I wanted a cap. I loved the softtopper but wanted something more secure.
I couldn't live without my cap now. Best purchase I ever made. My Lab cannot ride in the truck with me. She enjoys swimming and really loves it in the cap.
I have a double atv trailer for hauling my atv's and anything that is too large to fit inside the cap.

 

It's not just about looks for me either. There are a couple things about my cap/canopy/shell that annoy me.

1) It's higher than the cab, so my dog really struggles jumping in there. She doesn't have the "ups" as other dogs. She also slips on the tailgate, which is dangerous, so I have to keep a pad in there. She has actually hit her paw on the tailgate loading up once and was limping for a while because of it.

2) If my dog is in the cap, then the sliders need to be open for airflow. On my model of cap the sliders' latch is in the the middle and they open toward the front of the vehicle. This means I need to crawl in to do this every time my dog is in there, and do the same every time she gets out.

3) On a hot day when all sliders are open it gets LOUD traveling on the highway. I could just have her in the cab with the AC and it's nice and quiet.

I think the dog platform and tonneau may be the way to go (for me).

If I try the tonneau route, then I'll keep rags in the bed/cab and clean her off as much as possible when she's wet. Throw the dirty rags in the bed and have her on some blankets on the dog platform, and clean the blankets when necessary.

The cap/canopy/shell will come off and on a few times a year: road trips, etc. I'll just keep it suspended in the garage for the rest of the time. I don't think I'll sell because I think it has it's usefulness a few times a year.

I camp and backpack A LOT, but I'm an ultralight backpacker and have minimal gear, even when car camping. I also never sleep in my truck; I always have tent. So not quite sure if I need the shell for the majority of the time.

 

Holy crap. The dog platform idea is great. I am definitely going to make one for my dog.

I am however, still getting a shell. One of the reasons I am getting a truck is because I take my dog to the beach every day and my X3 is FULL of sand. The sand it literally everywhere. Seat rails, switches, knobs, every single spot where sand can get into is full of sand and I go to one of those car washes that lets you use their commercial vacuums on weekly basis and spend an hour vacuuming.

Most of the time my dog rides shotgun, unless he decides to go back and lay down. Once i get the truck, he will definitely stay in the back of the truck (in the shell) on the way home from the beach

Going to build one of these to fit between the wheel wells in the bed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG3pNLApteY

But there is no way I will make this guy stay in the uncovered bed.

 

Beautiful dog. That's a vizsla, right? I'm doing some research and really thinking about getting one

 

I never really cared for caps I had one for my first gen Tacoma. This is what happened to it this weekend. I needed a way to carry my 12 foot boat so I killed the old cap.

 

Yep, he's a Vizsla.

They require insane amounts of exercise, this is why we go to dog beach *at least* 5 days a week and spend 2 hours there. Then on the weekends with go to the mountains with 2 other Vizslas.

Make sure you find a good breeder and prepare to wait for 6-12 months (sometimes more) to get a puppy.

PM me if you have any questions about them I'll be glad to help!

 

I lived around the corner from Cap World when I was a kid (early 80's), so never knew of them as anything but caps.

 

+1. I had a F250 with the rubber boot- thought it would somehow be useful. I don't think I ever climbed through it and always had the windows closed.

I still call shells, "shells! "

 

Real nice looking Vizsla, buddy of mine breeds them. They seem to be a good utility breed for pointing, retrieving, and family pet. As mentioned, research your breeders. A good resource on gentic issues in dog breeds can be found here: http://www.upei.ca/~cidd/intro.htm
OP, sorry for hijacking the thread.

 

just let the dog ride in the bed