Soft topper with cut bed rails??

Fullsendcf · Jun 20, 2022

Had a question regarding soft topper installation.

Would there be any issues installing the soft topper over cut bed rail caps? I cut my rail caps as I previously had the OEM Tonneau cover.

Any help would be appreciated!

tonered · Jun 20, 2022

Fullsendcf[OP] initial post: ↑

Had a question regarding soft topper installation.

Would there be any issues installing the soft topper over cut bed rail caps? I cut my rail caps as I previously had the OEM Tonneau cover.

Any help would be appreciated!
Click to expand...

I don't think the cuts would be an issue other than likely needing to place the clamps where the rail isn't cut. I don't think you want to have those studs that the tonneau latched on to though.

Here's pics from mine. Never had the OEM tonneau though.

tonered said: ↑

Softopper Stuff

I recommend pulling the rails, protecting the paint, and sealing. I had some wear spots from my tonneau and jumping over the side.

I'll get some better shots in the morning.

A couple installation things. The alignment pic they show for the rails is a 2nd Gen. Sight to the bed itself, not the header rail. Interestingly, the screw-in snaps went in the header rail. I was expecting them to go into the composite bed itself. That was a pleasant surprise.

The Softopper is much nicer than expected and works great on a quick highway run.

Alright. Here are the pics that I promised.

Doing the tuck:

I over exposed these to get an alignment view of the rails:

This is just a great amount of space:

Snap locations for me:

I dropped the tension a notch:

Front corner:

Gap at the cab:

I'm an idiot. The buckles at REI were damn close. The Softopper male end fit the female side nicely, but the REI male end was a scosche too wide. Trimming it would not have worked since it would weaken the clasp. But on the idiot side, the ROK strap buckle does work with a tiny mod.

I'm solid now!

I installed some 2in clear film. So running untucked will be no problem.

I also put a strap in while I had the fasteners out:

And, we just had a hard squall pass through. I hit some standing water pretty hard in a couple spots. There was a bit of water in the bed but nothing dripping down or that would be a problem camping.

Thanks to @dilbert 's recommendation, I got a 3rd brake light rigged up.

This is the LED strip:

Led World Black PCB 5M 5050 SMD 300 Leds Red Color Waterproof Flexible Strip Lights DC12V

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MNCASKK?ie=UTF8

This is the 2in one wrap:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I0TTVVC?ie=UTF8

Full 1in or 1.5in would be just fine.

I crazy glued and used some fishing braid to stitch the LED strip to the one wrap. I tapped the drivers side brake light and put an SAE connector in the middle for dropping the Softopper.

It is the right brightness, IMO. It balances with the stock tails nicely.

Painted the mounting rails and fittings:

I finally had a chance to camp out of the Softopper. It was everything that I had hoped it would be. Effortless setup and no wet tent to mess with.

I used a doubled up camp pad to keep the cold out, a used Thermorest on the bottom and my softly inflated Exped on the top. My 20deg bag did great in slightly below freezing and wet conditions.

I have no real pics of the set up, but there was nothing amazing to see either. Parked at camp:

The ST works great with an HF motorcycle carrier though. I was worried that wide bars with barkbusters would hit the window. Plenty of space:

Click to expand...

Fullsendcf · Jun 20, 2022

tonered said: ↑

I don't think the cuts would be an issue other than likely needing to place the clamps where the rail isn't cut. I don't think you want to have those studs that the tonneau latched on to though.

Here's pics from mine. Never had the OEM tonneau though.
Click to expand...

gotchu! Appreciate it. That’s what I figured - will just have to place the clamps accordingly. Also I’ll just silicone the cuts as well as covering the exposed holes

tonered · Jun 20, 2022

No problem.

That sounds like a good plan.

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Soft topper with cut bed rails??

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Fullsendcf [OP] Well-Known Member

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Soft topper with cut bed rails??

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tonered bartheloni

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Fullsendcf [OP] Well-Known Member

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