PLEASE! How to seal my tailgate w/ camper shell!?

Shoot so I guess if it leaks anymore I’ll have to remove the shell again and seal the bed rails. But my shell has a lip that hangs farther over past the bed rails. Hoping that will help cut down on the water. We will see

 

I had this issue too and used the weather stripping like others have posted here. I don't get water in through those areas so much as I do dust though.

I get water from basically everywhere else though... -_-;

 

Where else you getting water?

 

I think a colander might keep water out better than my truck cap / bed situation. Not all of it is the caps fault, but all of it is certainly frustrating.

- The front window has begun leaking around the seal recently during hard rain & driving.
- The rear hatch's seal has come out and now when the hatch is lifted it flexes a bit, and any water on the glass will run down and drip in the bed. Problematic when you're sleeping there and your sleeping bags and mattress get soaked.

- Leakage from the side rails in the bed. A fair bit here.
- Leakage from the front corners (not where the holes in the bed were, I've closed those up with expansion foam), but leakage from where the cap sits on the truck.
- Actually, basically leakage from where the cap sits on the truck around the whole thing.

 

Haven't gotten to the cubbies yet but the installer put down a gasket and sealed the caps.

 

Jesus that’s a lot! Have you brought back to manufacturer

 

Maybe if I get any more water leaking in I’ll bring it back AGAIN and show them this post. Maybe they need to have put the seal inside the truck bed rail caps

 

For the cubbies. Worth every penny:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bed-cubby-caps.491909/

Nah. I've read enough to know that the customer service for these things, no matter the brand, is absolutely terrible. Best I could do is take it back to the installer and see if I can't get help resealing everything. Trouble is, I've had the cap for a while and have only really noticed the water problem now because we go like 9 months without rain here. I sort of attributed leakage during a carwash to an extreme circumstance.... Probably won't next time.

 

True, and yes I meant the installer not the manufacturer. I hope someday there will be a shell that won’t freaking leak ever for these trucks. I really am liking the possibility of camping in this thing in the winter, but it looks like we may just have to do it when it’s not raining

 

To be fair, so long as you have your sleeping stuff off the bottom of the bed - like with gym flooring, a cot, or anything really, it's not sooooo bad. Like yeah I had to be careful when I opened the hatch and there were some wet spots on our mattress but we were able to sleep comfortably once parked. We did put a tent foot print down (always be prepared!) over the wet spots on the mattress though. Finally, it had also been 11 hours of driving in TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. Like, wipers maxed out for 11 hours straight. My nerves were fried to say the least.

I think it'll be fine in the rain, but not the "ultra dry haven" that I had envisioned when I started this build.

 

Thanks for the input. I think it’ll be okay as well, although I’ll need to design some sort of suspended platform. Since I got a cab height, I was thinking of buying this to save some headroom -
https://www.realtruck.com/airbedz-p...MIufP7z7Ss3wIVEiCtBh0USAM3EAQYAiABEgIIufD_BwE


But i am sure if I build a platform I can get something a little smaller than that bed to keep me comfortable and also spare some headroom.

 

Currently I'm using a trifold bouldering crash pad for rock climbing and a 2-inch memory foam topper cut to size. It's comfortable enough, though I would like something a little softer and lower profile.

 

I haven't spent much time testing where water gets in but suspect the front corners is where it sneaks in. How have you guys sealed these?

I'm worried my cargo will get wet if I drive through a rainstorm. I wouldn't worry about the minimal water if I get a bed mat but haven't been able acquire a used one.

 

I used expansion foam for the holes in the front corners. Though the connection of the cap to the truck still leaks.

If you need a cheap and quick "bed mat" use interlocking gym flooring.

$26 ProsourceFit Puzzle Exercise Mat ½ in, EVA Interlocking Foam Floor Tiles for Home Gym, Mat for Home Workout Equipment, Floor Padding for Kids, Black, 24 in x 24 in x ½ in, 24 Sq Ft - 6 Tiles

https://www.amazon.com/ProSource-fs...4270&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=gym+flooring&psc=1

 

just because I left it out in my previous post I got so frustrated I ended up literally running a bead of silicone all the way around where the cap meets the bed, both sides and the back, I have a bunch of reflectix that I bought for the windows that I was probably just going to cut up and try and rig something up just to block rain and snow from the mattress

 

Not a bad idea. Did that bead help you everywhere?

 

Had more leakage the other day while the truck was parked. Decided to take it through the car wash with me sitting in the bed to identify where its leaking. Every. Single. Window leaks. I also have leakaged in the corners (no surprise there), and through the openings at the tailgate (also no surprise, and frankly not the fault of the cap itself).

But what frustrates me is how the windows are leaking. The gasketing on the rear hatch is coming off on both the outside and the inside. Taking it to the cap installer tomorrow to see what he can do. He says its out of warranty but he'll see what he can do.

Fingers crossed.

 

If your bedsides are now out of plumb due the cap weight, you may need this.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bedside-reinforcements-tie-downs-in-stock.476123/

While it won't 'seal the gap', it may make the gap smaller and easier to seal.

 

This basically sums up everything I'm experiencing on my 2020 Leer 180. "Good" to see that it's consistent and the manufacturers haven't done anything to improve their designs. I'm taking it back to the installer in a couple weeks to see if they can do anything to fix it. Any recommendations on best practices they should follow? I have seepage around the sides, through the back hatch, through the ceiling (has roof rack tracks) and the solid pane front window.

 

This basically sums up everything I'm experiencing on my 2020 Leer 180. "Good" to see that it's consistent and the manufacturers haven't done anything to improve their designs. I'm taking it back to the installer in a couple weeks to see if they can do anything to fix it. Any recommendations on best practices they should follow? I have seepage around the sides, through the back hatch, through the ceiling (has roof rack tracks) and the solid pane front window.