Interesting thread. Got some input, maybe...the de-evolution of caps on my truck.
To minimize weight is always a consideration with expo vehicles, so I was wondering what bed caps you guys have chosen for your trucks with that in mind. What options have you opted for when buying your cap? Have there been problems with your model, what features do you like best, etc. Pictures of your capped trucks would be great.
First think about why you want a cap. Is it security for your stuff? Is it shelter?
I have been through two caps. The Snugtop has already been mentioned, mine had the boot between cab and cap.
It made a great shelter, weather was never an issue. I wish I had the bug screens on the windows, and the sliding windows rather than screenless pop-outs. Screened sliders means more air circulation, and no "friends" coming to visit in the night.
It was hard to see out the back. I never liked that. On the other hand, when you close it, you're pretty much sealed from the weather. Great, until the locking mechanism busts and you're inside it.
At the end of the day, it was a 200+ lb (maybe 300, I dunno) rigid tent, which got in the way of rearward vision, and made it difficult to access all the heavy, but necessary, stuff that's inevitably loaded at the front of the bed (where it should be). It also makes the roof line longer, which may or may not be an issue where you drive. Finally, it's a couple hundred pounds of dead weight, with a center of gravity about five feet off the ground. Cap on vs cap off made a huge difference, driving around.
I sold it, and got a canvas topper instead. Tell you what, if you want to look all expeditioned out, nothing beats a canvas topper...nothing. The only thing better would be having a snorkel and limb wires along with a canvas topper, and the spare tire on the roof...that really tells everybody at the mall that you're out to take on the world.
Functionally...overall, I liked it better than the hard shell. I still have it, along with the bed of the truck. Even used it last summer for a couple trips.
When the weather is good, and assuming all your stuff is stashed properly, the sides come up, the back comes up, and you have shade along with visibility. When the weather is complete crap, it seals just fine...I've driven dusty backroads and Midwest blizzards, with no ill effects other than the odd drip and a little dust.
It's easy to flip up part of the side, dig around in a tote for your boots/stove/book/tools, and close everything up.
Visibility, obviously, was nonexistent. Also, when it got really, properly cold, the plastic windows became brittle, and the rear window shattered...no more weatherproof cap. Wish I'd known that, before starting to bend the window up to grab something.
It was certainly less convenient to seal from the inside, but after doing it once, not a big deal.
It came with a couple bars for a roof rack. I used it to carry a kayak for a while. Kayaks are light...but still noticed the weight up top. Total cap weight was about 80#, plus rack accessories.
Overall, not bad, for a big piece of cotton and some webbing. Actually, that's an understatement, it's awesome. Most of the time, I just left it on the truck with the sides & back rolled up, because it was really quick to drop everything if the weather turned.
Eventually, I realized that all my gear was sitting in little boxes inside a big box (the bed), none of it was above the bed rail, and really the caps were just keeping all my weatherproof boxes from getting dusty or wet. Tent-like functionality was negated as soon as the group became three guys in a truck. Even if we felt like getting all cozy in the bed (srsly, nfw), all our stuff was taking up the bed space. All I had was a big cotton blind, for myself when looking rearward, and for the general public so they couldn't see our stuff. Even if it was just me + girl, there was still the matter of stuff where we wanted to sleep, that had to be unloaded...or a deck built, and subsequent total lack of headroom accepted.
I could've used a cap at the level of the bedrail, been able to see better, had a lower center of gravity, and gear pack & stow really wouldn't have changed.
Shortly after, the bed came off, and I started doing unnatural things to the back of the truck.
It works for me, because I use a ground tent. When I get my hands on an RTT, it'll just go on top of the cage.
YMMV. Personally, I'd suggest thinking about whether you need a cap at all. Some do. In some situations, I'd far prefer a cap...like long trips to the middle of nowhere, where visibility and clearance aren't an issue, but weather is.
Most situations, I bet it's just gonna be dead weight.
Not that I'm saying caps are useless...rather, I'm recommending you evaluate whether a cap satisfies a
specific need for shelter or security (or both), or if something smaller and lighter would do the trick. There's the tent & bed cover, then the folding canvas topper, then the CanBack style canvas, next fiberglass hardshells, and then that awesome flip top setup. Figure out what
need you have, and do what most efficiently meets that need...don't just throw money & gear at it.
-Sean