Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Truck toppers, canopies or whateverr you call them

Need a topperfor the new pickup- Looking mostly at Leer and ARE- can't see much difference- Have read some reviews, each have a couple of nay sayers, most other rave about whichever one they have.
Opinions?

I just picked up an ARE canopy for my truck and so far it has been great. What's the price difference between the ARE and Leer?

I highly recommend one that's higher than the cab. You wouldn't believe how much that extra space is worth sometimes, whether you sleep in it or not.

Mine is the mx series which is higher than the cab but not full on old dude super wedge.

I did have the canopy place install a small led rope light down the middle of the canopy that runs on the same switch as the dome light. Pretty nice to have light all the way to the front of the canopy. The rope light has velcro that sticks to the canopy carpet. So far so good. Rock Chuck is right about the slightly taller canopy for extra room if you don't mind the look. I have an easily removable OSMB sleeping shelf that rests on the canopy/truck bed rails. Pretty nice to have a warm dry place to sleep if necessary and I can put coolers and stuff underneath the shelf.

I have had both. I have an ARE Fiberglass on my Dodge.

I put the old style aluminum on my F150 work truck.

I would just go with the best price.

Very pleased with my aluminum Lifetime Workmate work shell. Easy access all around.

I've had Leer and Snugtop. I have a Snugtop on the current truck and would give the edge to Snugtop over Leer but only by a bit. They can get spendy when you start adding options.

One thing to consider when choosing a topper is get one that doesn't pour rain inside the bed when you open it or have it open.

Some do ... some don't.

I have an entry level ARE on my truck. I'm happy with it. I never cared for the ones that were taller than the cab...dad and grandfather both had them....always looked funny to me.

We all have our own ideas of what a truck should be. I figure that a truck is a work vehicle. If I want to load more stuff in it, a high shell is invaluable. I really don't care if it looks different. The last one I had was tall enough to load an ATV if I winched it in. I didn't have to take it off during hunting season to take the ATV and pull a camp trailer.

I have the top of the line ARE Z- series on a 2011 duramax. I have had to replace the lock/latch (under warranty) and have small but persistent troubles with water intrusion around the seals of the back glass. I also have a horrendous dust intrusion problem, but that's the fault of the bed design, with large open spaces that lead to the wheel wells. I taped it all up with gorilla tape and installed a tailgate seal and that helped a bunch, but 3 years later the tape needs to be redone. The cap looks great, but the water issue is aggravating.

I have an ARE on my Tacoma. I recommend the opening side window option. It's great when retrieving or placing things deep in the bed.
I was having a horrible dust problem but bought a gasket that does a decent job at sealing around the tailgate. I then went to Lowe's and bought some weatherstripping and placed it on the inside and at the bottom of the camper door which seals dust out there, too. it's not perfect but it's a whole lot better than before.

Find one on Craigslist that fits your truck and you will save a ton of money, even if you decide to get it painted to match. The price of a new camper shell or tonneau is absolutely nuts.

Snugtop has a channel on the rear window to prevent the water from coming in. I also recommend getting the taller than cab version for more room

I have an ARE on my Silverado and when it rains I get a little water inside the tail gate. It also has a bunch of hairline cracks in the fiberglass. The paint on the bottom ledge (aluminum I think) has peeled off in spots too. It has been on for 6 years.

I have been using Unicover for over 15 years with no problems. They are cheaper than Leer and have held up extremely well. I have taken 2 back windows out, backing unto the garage with the topper open, replaced the doors and kept right on going. They also fit correctly and I have never had leaking issues. The left is my 2008 Dodge, the right the 2012, both with the Unicover which I would highly recommend...

I'm unhappy with my Leer. The rear door flashing is held on with double sided foam tape and it falls off. I replaced it with pipe insulation. The Leer was 1/3 again the price of the ARE, and it looks the same quality. As for the extra height ,I would have gone with the higher one for my Tacoma, but they usually don't fit thru a garage door height wise. Fine if you keep your truck outside. I don't.

I have a century which is the cheap leer line.

get both side windows that open an double lock handles on the back.
it seems to be standing up, but keep the locks lubed...

ps. add a hard tined rake too. its handy for pulling and pushing stuff in the front.

when I built my garage, I used an 8' high door exactly for that sort of thing.