Soft top or hard shell??

That looks like a real nice set up u have Marcoc . I went with the hard top found a color matched ARE CX on craiglist only $350 from N jersey wife loved it put a bed mat in there my dogs seam to like it. Carried a lot of golf equipment and some nice furniture no weather issues and u can lock it up. Top soil, fire wood u name it I have small trailer works out great What part of ct u from I'm in kensington

 

This is the first time I have seen the tan on a white truck...I actually like it. Plus I assume that it is cooler inside than a black one.

Good looking rig. I too have a white long bed, so it is nice to see a "mock up" of my truck. I am still debating between a Softopper and a hardshell though. I like the idea of the Softopper to be used as a bed mounted tent/awning for camping.

 

What he said........70mph no problem.....solid as a rock

 

All depends on your needs I guess. I need to load firewood, dirt, etc so need the ability to use the bed completely.

 

If I buy a new cap, it will be a snug top. But, nit sure how easy it will to get here as I don't think they have a shop east of the Mississippi.

Where in Maine did you rest for 4 years?

 

I lived in Topsham, right outside of Brunswick.

Was pre-commissioning a ship out of Bath in the mid 90s.

Loved it there, my wife worked at Maine Yankee before they shut it down.

 

Nice top, but your mpg gains were mostly due to loss in elevation or other factors on the drive back than the shell. I didn’t notice any gain or loss with the shell.

 

There was no loss or gain of elevation. This is flat land where I live. The mpg gains were a cause of less drag with the shell installed vs the open bed...

 

Very familiar with that area, My father worked for Topsham PD, I worked in a few places in Cooks Corner, and brother currently works at BIW.

 

Yep, loved living there, moved away right after they finished the bypass. Had a townhouse on munroe lane.

 

Used to love the food at Richards in Brunswick and the beale st bbq in Bath. Also ate a lot of pizza down at the Cabin across from BIW. Good times and memories. I miss living in Maine, prettiest state I've ever lived in.

 

Had some cabin pizza a few times.

 

Lexington is 1k ft ASL. I’d venture to say where you live is lower or at least the the route is a descent from KY.
And regarding drag, there is probably more with the shell. Drag is caused by the flat surface area in the back of your vehicle. Which is why you see big semi trucks with the tapering fins on the back. Sorry man, you’re not going to get almost 20% better mpg because of a shell.

 

how are soft tops with dogs? I have a big puppy. he's 80lbs at 10 months old. I may find a way to lock down a kennel for him in the box of the truck. hard to say. This would be for my 18 dcsb OR. i'm 50/50 with hardtop vs soft top...

 

My town is 612' ASL, the actual little town I went to is 794' ASL...neglible at best. Especially when you consider that difference was spread over almost 275 miles. I drove the exact same route at the exact same speed coming and going. Sorry to debunk your theory but yes, the shell DID make the difference. A tonneau and/or a cab height shell have both been proven to improve mpg's.
http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/ex...odynamics-testing-the-snugtop-speed-showdown/

 

I'm in Newington. Yea my yard has no room for a trailer plus just another thing to buy. Thanks for the compliment.

 

Softopper makes a screen rear window and The sides roll up......perfect for a Big puppy

 

Nice. That sounds kind of cool. Softopper and bestop are about 1k in Canada vs 2-3k for a hard top. I haven't seen either soft tops in person unfortunately

 

Love my are top

 

My Softopper never gets mold and I live in the NE with snow, heat, rain, etc. The fabric is stronger than you think and getting speared on the trails by a 3" branch maybe but small branches no way....too tough. Vandalism can happen any where on a truck, fiberglass you can smash a window out just as you can cut a Softopper with a quality blade. Have you had a Softopper to state your experience? I had 1 on my 2nd gen and now my 3rd gen and on the 2nd gen over 5 years and guess what it worked like the day I bought it and guess what it was black and didnt fade.........take care of things and they last bud.