Hesitant to purchase a topper

It was time for another vehicle. My wife somehow convinced me to let her drive my 2015 TRD ORDC manual. So I went ahead and just got another 2021 TRD Sport Cement.

The tacos do everything we need it to do, except for providing enough space for our entire family when we need to haul the dogs. So I was considering getting a topper like the Lear 100XL, but I'm afraid I won't love the look of the truck with a cap on it.

Those with toppers, did you experience this same scenario? Any with cement tacos and toppers that can share photos, please do. I've been going through the cement thread already and viewing what others have posted but it takes a while getting through the chatter and finding actual photos.

 

Check out the topper/cap thread, and also Goggle it. There is plenty of pictures.

 

I honestly have had every bed setup minus bed bars. Tonneau cover both soft, roll up, DB. Also, Softopper, shell etc. Honestly, minus the loss of overhead cargo capabilities my favorite setup was my snugtop rebel shell. If I were to do it again I’d probably find a way to be able to pulley it off and lower it back on so that have the option to transport larger items

 

Looks better with goggles obviously. Good call. Lol

 

ARE. With and without cargo racks. Regarding if you will like how it looks: MAKE SURE YOU GET FRAMELESS SIDE WINDOWS. Night and day comparison, with or without them. Pretty trick with them.





This setup would look AWESOME in cement!

 

I've had a cap on every truck I've owned for over 40 years. I like the look, and you can't beat the versatility. We've traveled, camped, and hunted from Miami to Maine and Montana in a truck with a cap on it. My gear is dry and secure in the back and if I need to haul a load of something dirty, I can hose it out. Which is a lot harder to do with an SUV. I have a rack on the top for kayaks and other bulky gear. And I've been known to sleep back there. Wouldn't have a truck without a cap on it.

They do make it harder to haul some larger items. But the 1st thing I did when trading a 1/2 ton for a Tacoma was buy a 10X6 utility trailer. Did that before the cap. You aren't going to haul much weight in the bed of a Tacoma anyway. I can haul more firewood in my trailer than I could put in the bed of a 3/4 ton truck with an 8' bed. And it is easier to load and unload.

 

The snugtop is way nicer than the comparable ARE; better hardware, better materials, better clamp system, better fit and finish.

 

I’m just shocked at the pricing of toppers. I saw one guy paid $4,400 for his. Nice looking but damn, better be made of gold.

 

Same here; had hard tonneau, bed bars w/ tonneau, bed rack mid height, bed rack cab height, and topper. There's not a single mod to my truck that could ever come close to the topper; its the very best by far, and I wouldn't think twice about buying another for any future truck. As for looks, I love the look of cab height toppers; not a fan of high rise toppers, but I'd consider if it was a dedicated camping/hunting type rig/not a daily driver.

 

I had a topper on my first taco and absolutely loved it. I'm currently running a CBI bed rack and can't wait to swap it out for a shell. The only thing holding me up is that the ARE I have my eye on is 5K new. yikes...

 

I started with a 79 toyota weren't called tacomas back then. Have had a shell on everyone since
Small trucks without alot of payload capicity (springs) so I use trailers (finally down to 3 trailers)
for the big ugly stuff to haul. If needed a work truck anymore it would be a 3/4 ton deisel. But
toyota doesn't make one.

 

For sure! Totally agree

 

They don't have to be; you can get a color matched fiberglass topper from around $1500-3k depending on add on options. Some of these "overland" type company's toppers are just outrageous, and $5k+ for a metal shell with a roof rack and windoors is just crazy

 

#1 gripe and why I eventually got rid of the SmartCap (which I loved most of the time) was it limiting my cargo capacity to whatever fit inside.

I regret selling the topper because it was so nice, but not having a quick way to remove the top solo was a total deal breaker due to how badly it limited cargo, which was the whole reason for getting a Tacoma over the 4Runner.

 

For that price I'd go for the GFC topper over a fiberglass one.

 

Could you do a hoist on the garage roof (if you have one) similar to what people use for RTT removal?

 

ARE Z Series. Raptor Liner in Black.

 

If you are unsure, you might consider a soft topper? It is the perfect balance for me.

As an alternative to fiberglas canopies, friends have liked the RSi SmartCap?

Pics of both:

 

Unfortunately I don't have a garage or that would've been what I'd concocted. The guy it sold to had one and it was popped off near effortlessly in ~5 minutes. Had me all kinds of jealous.