Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Camper shells/truck toppers

Or what ever you want to call them. Who's got one and how do you like it given your lifestyle? I have a 2009 GMC Sierra 4x4 and was thinking I would like to have one. Sure would be nice to put the huntin',fishing gear back there and stay dry and safe. Probably a great place for the dog too. I would like to hear the pros and cons of them.

I wouldn't want a truck without one. Lots of guys wouldn't want one.

I use mine to keep camp/hunting gear dry and locked up. I can hose the back out much easier than a SUV if I haul something that makes a mess. It does limit what you can haul in the bed, but I have a 10' utility trailer if I need to haul anything too big for the truck with the shell on it.


We've gone the SUV route in the past, but feel a 4 door pickup with a shell is a better use of money unless you need a 3rd row of seating. A 4 door truck + the cost of the shell is several thousand less than a comparable SUV to start with. I've also found that a truck of any kind holds a much higher percentage of its re-sale value when trade in time comes. Much better than the SUV's.

Mine is about a foot higher than the cab. That extra headroom in invaluable sometimes. I can even winch my 4 wheeler in there.

JRM40 I have a 12' utility trailer also in case I need to haul more. Thanks

Lawman, I see them as both good and bad..handy when you need them, in the way when you don't. I have one on one of my Tacoma's and just leave it on. I have a tool box on my other Tacoma and it is handier most of the time. Around here the Leer cap rules, but they are made close by. If I were to buy another, I would sure try to get one with the side window which open up and not just slide for air. This way you can reach into your bed and grab stuff. Mine don't have them and you have to crawl into the bed to retrieve things. Always full of road dust and can't avoid coming out dirty.. JMO..

I have a cab-high Leer shell on my 2001 F250, since it was new. Love it. I have a 16' flatbed trailer for serious cargo.

I picked up a very nice one really cheap for my last truck off of craiqs list.

I had also rigged up a simple hoist in my garage to lift it on/off. Could have it off in about 10 minutes, just by myself. And put it back on in about 15 minutes. (10 foot side walls in my garage)


More pro's than cons, but with my simple little rig I could take it off easily enough and store it up out of the way in a matter of minutes.

Another way to do that outside is to put 4 posts in the ground with 2 cross bars (pipes work great) that are held to to the posts by brackets or sliding through holes in the posts. Back between the posts, lift the shell enough to slide the crossbars under it and through the brackets on the posts, then drive out from under it.

I've had one on my 1991 Tacoma for 20.5 years. Wouldn't have a pickup for hunting without one. Secure, weatherproof storage for gear, that doesn't fit in the cab.

I know for a fact that a large bull moose (58" wide 189 6/8 B&C) cut into 7 pieces, will fit into the back of a high rise capped Tacoma.

Using a secured cap also prevents people from fiddling around with your critter when you are in the service station/restaurant.

One downside, hard to absolutely prevent dust entering the cap. However, don't have to worry about blood or smells like you would with a SUV.

One of the best features: "No buddy/co-worker/acquaintance, your large piece of furniture/appliance will not fit in my truck. Sorry. No, I can't/won't remove my cap, it's sealed to prevent dust."

I have a F150 on order, and have a new cap ready for immediate installation. It is a Raider, an affiliate of Leer (matter of fact, it's hard to tell them apart, but the Raider is a little cheaper.)

I have one and won't have a truck without one anymore.

Mine is a Leer with the Thule rack system on it. The only con is when you want to haul something that is taller than the cab, you need to pull the topper off. Not really a big deal IMO.

I like it for hunting a lot. I leave all my gear in the back and grab it on my way out in the morning instead of adding more of a mess to camp.

It is great for a one or two night camping trip too.

Since mine is a foot taller than the cab, a cot fits great in it. I can sit up on the cot and put on my boots without hunching over, not to mention all the extra crap I can squeeze in.

have one, cause we have to haul paper in wet weather at times at work......looking for a cheaper work truck without one for around town but for general use for us wouldnt be without one.....have had wind storms that would have ruined a camping trip had we not had one......get an air mattress that fits the bed of the truck and it works like a small hard side camper.....not great for a week long trip in chitty weather but to get yah through a sudden storm that blows up on a weekend it beats sleeping in the cab.....

Mine has a slide-in bed liner. The only thing I like about it is the pockets for laying 2x4's crossways. We put in a couple of those, lay some plywood on them, then put in a queen size airbed. We still have the headroom and have a foot of storage underneath. It's an 8' truck bed so I have the plywood cut to 6.5' so we can sit on the end with our feet on the floor.

I hate the bedliner, though, because they're too slick. On every corner or hard stop, everything slides around.

I like the better visibilty without a shell. I just have a toolbox on my extended cab pickup. I had a shell on an old f-150, but it sure didn't help the rear visibility, any, and the riff-raff liked to break into it. It came off and went away.

I have had one on every truck but one that I have owned for the last twenty years or so. Have a Leer just over bed height on my 2005 Tacoma and, like most of the posters above, find it very useful for hunting gear, fishing gear and travel items. I have a utility trailer with a 6' bed for smaller items that won't fit under the camper shell and a 12' double axle flatbed trailer for the really big stuff.

My wife hates them, though. Says that a pickup should have an open bed so that one can haul anything that will fit between the rails. We were looking at new Ford pickups this past week and she make me promise that I wouldn't put a camper shell on the new one. I promised, "at least not right away".

I hate them.

Dad had an '88 Toyota when I was growing up, I got it for high school and college. The day he handed me the keys in 1996, the topper came off and never put back on. He had bought it for the security on hunting trips. Those trips were far outnumbered by the times we didn't need it and it was in the way.

He has never bought one for any of his trucks in the last 15 years. I do admit in certain instances, it would be handy and give peace of mind, just not the way we typically hunt. This past fall we took a buddy pheasant hunting, he insisted we take his truck due to it having a topper. Yeah, it was safer and let us not fear all our gear being stolen, but it was a pain in the butt trying to climb over the dog box to get to the shell box, or to get to the boots, or cooler for a gatorade. If we had taken one of our trucks, its all accessible, when we stop to eat the guns go in the cab and covered with coats. If somebody wants to steal our cooler, they can have the loaf of bread and ham.

It can be a real pain trying to retrieve things out of a canopy, so I carry a appropriate-length stick (a broom handle, I think)with a sturdy hook clamped to the end of it. I got the idea from a buddy, and it really works great.

DOn't have one but would love one...who is giving them away?

I have had them on most of the pick up trucks I have owned and for me they are almost essential. I typically put a removable shelf system resting on the top of the sides and have used that area as a sleeping platform and it also hides from view whatever you put underneath. The ones with side windows/doors that open help in reaching stuff on the top of the shelf. Generally pretty easy to remove if needed for larger items. Leer is my favorite.

Have used camper shells on all my trucks and would not want to head out on a hunting trip without one.

When traveling long distance to hunt and arriving late I will skip sitting up the tent the first night. By packing most of my gear in large action packer tubs and I can slide a few of them out quickly when toss in my pad and sleeping bag.