Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Tacoma Cap?

I am looking for a new Cap for my Tacoma, Access Cab, 6 foot bed.

I can not decide between A.R.E., Leer or Snug Top, or ???

I want something sleek and don't trust the frameless rear doors.

I'd stay away from Leers.I have had two and not happy with them .Ditto on the frame less doors.The bottom flashing that covers the top of the tail gate is put on with double sided foam tape.That doesn't last very long.One thing I wish I would have got was side doors along the bed.

Three years on my ARE without problems but I'm not hard on em either.

I agree on the frameless doors.

My cap had bedliner material accents that really make it look good on my Tacoma.

I went with the snugtop on mine. Comparing them side by I felt that the build quality was a little better on the snugtop and I preferred the built in gasket on the snugtop. It has been trouble free and I will buy another soon for my full size truck. The dealer I used carried snugtop, are, and atc so it was nice being able to see them side by side.

I really like my Snugtop. Carpet lined, interior light, I got the feature where the topper locks when you lock the truck.

A.R.E on my F-150 and it has been dust and trouble free. I learned my lesson with a cheapo aluminum cap that rattled and never fit well. Light weight if you wanted to take it off, but I never did. My old Glastite cap grew mold on the ceiling because I camped out in it and the fiberglass wasn’t covered with anything. Not so the A.R.E with that carpeted ceiling and sides. It has that dark tinted glass that is a little too dark, especially driving at night. The place that sold it to me told me not to ever break that back seamless window because I won’t like the price. The paint match was perfect to the rest of the truck. So far so good.

In mid February I bought a 2020 Tacoma. Three weeks ago I ordered an ARE CX Classic and it was installed yesterday, ironically. So far all is well except for the fact that the interior cap lights only come on when you flip the switch on the dash or open the truck door.......I'll have to figure something out with that. LOL

I had an ARE Z Series on my 2011 Tacoma that I bought in 2011 and traded in for the 2020 above. The "frame less" door was really great other than the latch handle was starting to go but still worked fine. I decided not to spend the extra money for the Z Series for the new truck this time.

I have had a Snugtop on my 2007 from day one, they are really heavy... and I mean really heavy (almost too much for one guy to put on / take off) by himself even with tools / hoists...

ARE are really good, LEER quality has fallen off lately, Snugtop doesn’t have a great dealer chain like ARE does.

I am getting a 2020 Tundra in 2 weeks - it will wear a ARE Z series.

I had a lLEER on my last Taco and had no issues in 200 k and 15 years.
This time I looked at LEER and A.R.E. and A.R.E. was having delivery delays so I Went LEER once again

I’ve got an ARE z series and an ARE CX, both on 3/4 ton’s. Both are great. I like the CX better than the Z, especially the sliding windows, but the Z is a little nicer looking. Make sure you get the fold in rear window, otherwise it is darn near impossible to clean the back glass of the truck/front glass of the shell.

I'd change that in a hurry with a switch in the back of the shell. I'd use a full time hot wire so I could turn it on without having to turn the key.

I don't have a Tacoma. However, I have an ARE on my Tundra. It is OK, but I don't think you can get the best advice until you really define what "you" want/expect from the cap.

For example:

1. Are you expecting it to be 100% waterproof?
2. Are you expecting it to be relatively dust free?
3. Do you plan to install rack(s) on top? If so, how much weight do you want to carry?
4. What sort of use? Grocery getter/pavement pounder, or rough roads? Rough roads can be hell on a cap.

I think that if you do a little digging, you'll find that most of the consumer caps are pretty flimsy in construction, and often lack quality workmanship. This includes common models from ARE, Leer, Snugtop, etc. A few years ago, when I was shopping, there were some really good Youtube videos showing common weaknesses from all of them. But, I'd recommend that you visit a few dealers and see for yourself how the different brands are constructed. Sheetmetal screws into window frames, for example. Rough, poorly made cuts in the fiberglass and plastic trim pieces. Misaligned rear windows, etc. All the brands, not just one.

The next thing to consider is the local dealer. Some are absolute pieces of work. The dealer that I bought my cap from was very upfront about not guaranteeing any of the brands to be waterproof. In terms of dust, he said that most would be good, only because of the particular bed design of the Tundra. Once you start looking, there's differences in how the various truck manufacturers bend their sheet metal to form a bed. Or form the plastic for a Taco. In the end, my canopy leaked water until I got the clamp configuration figured out. Now, it's good.

If you determine that you need a heavy duty canopy, there are welded aluminum and all-steel options. Think commercial, forest service, mining, parks, emergency response, etc. type applications. These are heavier and more expensive than the flimsy fiberglass shells to cover groceries, fishing poles, and coolers They are designed to be used on rough roads, day after day.

For me, I bought an ARE CX. I expected it to be waterproof, but not that great at dust. I have a BedRug though, and think it helps a lot with the dust. I don't expect it to last the life of the truck. It was $1800, and less than 1/2 the cost of a heavy duty aluminum or steel alternative. I am 100% OK with throwing that ARE in the dump, and buying a replacement if it cracks. However, I realize that I drive fast on rough roads, and that is part of the price to pay.

I’ve had my ARE Z series for 9 years and have done 130k with thousands of miles on dirt roads in a rough(er) riding 3/4 ton. No cracks or abnormal structural wear in the shell. I have had a few small issues. The bed lets dust in and the interface between the back glass mount and shell needed to be sealed because it leaked from day 1. I had to replace the gas struts after maybe 7 years of use. $45 from amazon and 10 minutes. The Z series uses a plastic nut to hold on the latch on the back glass. It works fine, but a spring arm bears against it and eventually cuts a groove in the plastic. It is easy to replace and doesn’t effect function in any way, but the latch is floppy if you don’t fix it. Most folks don’t let it bother them.

What about the carpet headliner option??

This is not a hunting vehicle. It is a daily driver, haul dogs and to and from the rifle and skeet ranges.

It was "included" in my deal. $1850 plus tax included rope lights, traditional light (for lack of a better term), sliding tilt down front window and side sliding windows plus the carpeted headliner.

Mine is a daily driver too along with everything else I do.

You really, really want the carpet.

Whether you know it, or not.....

+10 what k1500 said.
First one did not have that feature, second one sure does.
Would likely be less important in dry climate!

They ran a wire to hot for topper light, bu not real well done.
I would really prefer a couple of stick on battery powered LEDs.

It depends. One of my buddies likes to spray down the bed and canopy, frequently with a garden hose. No carpet makes it quick and easy for him. Dust and fur don't stick to fiberglass, as bad as carpet.