What is the Best Camper Shell?

I've owned two Snugtops - one for my Chevy 3/4 ton and one for my new 2014 Tocoma. Both have been well built, fit well, no leaks and great paint matching. I had my Snugtop on my Chevy for 6 years and never had a problem with the paint. The Snugtop's also have rain channels on the rear glass which keep water from dripping in to the bed of the truck when you open the back window - very handy if you plan to sleep in the back of the truck.

 

I'm a big fan of my Snugtop XTR. From my experience and comparisons I think Snugtops are the best built with the best options and have the best lines.

 

Sexy gen 1 omg

 

I've been looking at the camper shells for the 2017 Tacoma DBL cab and right now there is a VERY limited availability from any manufacturer. I sent out some requests to a few manufacturers to notify me of availability so now I wait.....

 

keep an eye out on here, on craigslist.org, and ebay.
i found mine on ebay the guy had 2 so i messaged him and got one for $400 and spent $50 for new lock
exact same color of my truck ARE shell with fold down front window, carpet inside and lights. couldn't go wrong lol

 

I have been extremely happy with my Snugtop XTR as well... well built topper!

 

ARE Z series with rails on roof and remote lock/unlock (factory keyfob)!

 

Ali-Cab are making a killer camper shell that can handle a massive RTT. Prolly spend, but solid as hell for sure.

 

My old 1992 one owner Toyota PU truck (still running well after 28 years) had a Gem Top which was off the lot back then, same Green Forest Metallic color match, did not have to special order, was around $1600, had the high pitch toward the back with slightly higher roof line. It was made out of PLASTIC and back then the dealer said that was some wonderful new thing because it was light weight. Well over the years it started to crack and I have made various repairs to hold it together, but it still works well, given how old it is and how Gem Top is no longer in business, probably thanks to their plastic shells being unable to stand up over time the way fiberglass does.

So now I am shopping for my new 2019 Tacoma Access Cab full bed size 4x4 which I finally got up to 800 miles and just had its 6 month free Toyota servicing at only 600 miles. I got a $200 vinyl tri-fold tonneau cover off Amazon and it fits and works okay. I don't know about rain yet but from how it seals not so well at the front corners, I expect it to leak and need more padding up there to keep excess water out.

It's "okay" for now but as I am shopping for a camper shell, I found one dealer handling A.R.E., Snugtop and Leer.

He showed me that Leer's honeycomb on top is thinner than the A.R.E. or Snugtop brands which are thicker. I forget the exact thickness but he suggested don't go with Leer, that A.R.E. is pricier but better constructed and Snugtop is okay too but takes less time to order and arrive.

He gave me 6 weeks for A.R.E. and about 4 weeks for Snugtop, order to arrival.

Another dealer sells ATC brand and his start out at $1600 low end pricing, options like carpet interior and fold down front sliding window were in the $200 each range, so probably around $2000 versus $2400 to $2600 pricing for A.R.E.

I don't know much about ATC though and how it compares quality wise - and all of them are very high priced. I will still be looking around for used and some dealers who keep shells in inventory on their lots and might find something that way too, as well as Craigslist.

I installed the running boards on my own, 6" wide, from just in front of front door to just far enough behind the rear door to allow step up to the bed from the front side, also from Amazon, iBoard brand, was just over $200 including sales tax with free shipping. It's been only about 5 months since March, installing them, hotter weather and I notice the rear passenger side rubber top cover starting to pucker up which means not enough glue at that point when it was manufactured - I messaged the seller today online by Amazon and if they give me an email, will send them photos. It's not horrible but this morning was very cool temperature and the thing remained puckered. So if it's going to eventually pop off or need glued down, which is inaccessible to get under there, then I need their advice, so will wait and see. But for $200 that was better than what dealers wanted to install skinnier shorter styles and I needed wide running boards in order to climb up in there, given my physical limitations.

For mud flaps, also got from Amazon, much less than dealership and easy to install, pre-drilled custom fitted, attached easily, for about $90 total for 4, including tax, free shipping, brand name was Rekgen and those so far look very good and do not seem to be affected by the heat. For the price, compared to what dealers charge, I can't complain.

If I end up with ATC I will post further information later on down the line. I still have not firmly settled on any of those brands. It would be nice to drive to a dealership with a huge inventory where you drive in, find a shell in the right size and color, they install it then and there and you drive off again. That was how it was in 1992 - but in 2019 I guess you have to order first and then wait for delivery, they don't keep inventory in stock like they did in the good old days.

And between lock downs, pandemics, shut downs, economic losses and other problems going on these days - I hate to custom order paying 50% deposit and then something never shows up - because factory or dealer goes out of business or supply lines shut down. Or wait too long and an economic crash sends prices soaring or makes availability impossible. But I don't want to rush an order w/o more research first.

If I do end up with ATC, then I will post further information later. I still have not decided. Information on the running boards and mud flaps may be of interest to someone shopping around for those.

Thanks for discussion information above, it has been helpful too.