Stick with a bed rack or buy a camper shell

Bed Shell hands down

 

just in case he wanted to keep things secure or dry and still mount a rtt. Personally I’m looking to keep the soft topper and find a bed rack to go over it

 

Shell baby

 

I think the rack will hold more weight as well. I think to get a cap strong enough, I’ll pay out the nose for it

 

They both have their pros and cons but after 3 trucks, I finally put a cap on it and I love it for camping and keeping gear out of the elements.

 

I wanted a light weight setup that was easy to put on and off. I ended up with a RTT (135lbs) and two small racks I made. The racks sit on the bed rails and I tie them down to the truck with tie downs. The RTT bolts to the racks. So once its tied into the bed, its locked in. Seriously locked in, high speed across the desert. no issues. I have the RTT hanging from the ceiling in the garage... I just drop it on the bed, tie it in. Takes about 10 mins to go on and off. For all the trip gear, I switched from bins, boxes to duffle bags. I run a cable lock through those. Not meant to leave it out over night (theft prevention) but for stops where you have to leave the truck for a bit its secure enough. For items I don't trust in the bed of the truck, I fold the rear seats down and put them back there. works for me...

 

I had a camper shell and would regularly hit my head when climbing around in there getting to my things. It was really annoying. That sort of thing is a good theft detourant but where I live and go I've never had theft issues. So I took it off. Now I have waterproof cargo bags (uhaul makes them) to keep my stuff dry and simple bed bars to carry my 12ft kayak above the cab. That was another thing it's way easier to be able to stand in the bed and get kayaks down off of bars vs trying to get it off the top of the camper shell rack while standing on the ground. Just a thought if you plan on putting one up there.

 

i was thinking about doing this, but wasn’t sure if the tonneau cover would open with the rack. I have a voodoo rack, what is your set up?

 

I've been running my shell since January 2017 and super happy with the shell's utility. Not only does it keep my bikes safer back there on a daily basis but I've used it for all sorts of things. The rooftop tent up there for the past 3 years has also made my excursions easier. And lastly, costco runs are great when I can leave stuff locked back there.

 

A bed rack can look really cool with all the stuff bolted to it, tent on top, etc. I was tempted to get one but lack of secure storage from people and wildlife is a concern. I went with a cap and love it. I do not keep it on all the time though. I also like the tonneau and use it when I want more secure storage. A tonneau with a rack over it is a good compromise. Choose what fits your needs.

 

I used to have a voodoo rack with a RTT on top. It worked fine, but left all of your gear out in the open. There was also no way to really secure any of it if you left the truck to go on a hike. I would always have to put the more expensive items inside of the truck every time we went somewhere.

I ended up ordering the ARE CX HD model with the internal frame about a year ago. It was definitely worth the money. Now I can load up the back and lock it up so it doesn’t walk away. It also protects everything from the weather and lets me run a fridge back there. If you do go with a shell I’d suggest the windoors. They keep you from having to crawl up into the bed to reach everything. I have run my RTT on top multiple trips without any issues. It’s just a pain getting it up there and back off.

 

I have a ARE shell, mainly to carry my dogs in year round, but also to safely keep things in it. For me and my needs a shell just is better.