There must be a ton of experience here with truck caps. What are your opinions on aluminum versus fiberglass. Issues such as cost, weight, durability, sound while driving... whatever you think of.

Thanks.
Steve.

The rivets come loose/welds break on the aluminum ones.

I have owned 2 AL and 1 FG. All did the job, but the fiberglass one looked the best. It was also literally 10 times the price I paid for the used aluminum ones. If I was leaving it on all the time AND I had a new/nice looking truck I would go AL. If I was taking it off after the trip and/or it was going on an old beater, I might go AL to save some money.

Been carrying a cab high glass unit on my Ford for 10 years. No issues and looks good as new. My next unit, if needed, will be glass too.

I have a fiberglass that sweeps up a little higher than the cab of my 3/4 ton Dodge. That little bit of extra headroom makes all the difference in the world. I could never sleep good in the Al. cab highs I had before.

Mine has been on for 8 years and still looks good.

+1

Aluminum is considerably lighter but easier to damage and harder to repair.

I had a AL topper back in the 70's and would never consider any other than a plastic or fiberglass topper nowadays.

Do young guys in urban areas put their truck caps on backwards?

I had an older aluminum cap and it wasn't worth what I paid for it...which was nothin'!

Leaked like a sieve. Ugly as hell.

Glass is much nicer, but as you say, you pay for it.

About the only advantage to an aluminum one is its significantly lower weight.

Do they even make aluminum caps anymore. The only ones I see are old ones on older trucks.

Done it both ways. If you want something cheap that will only be on the truck occasionally aluminum is OK. I used to be able to take one off and put it on by myself. Fiberglass is best left on the truck all the time. While fiberglass is more expensive it will hold up and last much longer too.

But that lower weight means that it will be easier for you to put it back in the truck when it blows off. I couldn't tell what broke first on mine that caused the total structural failure and gave the air the required strength to lift it from the bed of my truck. The guy behind me said it was the most awesome thing he had seen in a long time. Just a big tearing noise and then nothing. It was laying upside down in the road. The aluminum cap was easy to fold up and stick in the bed of the truck and in only a few minutes of cleanup, I was back on the road.

Go with fiberglass. I did on my next one and it never disappointed me.

I've also had both types. I don't use one at all now but it I did, it would be FG for sure. Weight is the only issue. FG doors seal better, they're quieter, if you sleep in one, they're warmer, I could go on and on.
The last one I had was about a foot above cab height and I HIGHLY recommend that. The extra headroom was invaluable.

i've had both and much prefer fiberglass. it costs more generally but looks better and is heavier, which i prefer. it is good to have some weight on the ass-end of a big old truck in the winter time in these parts. it also is less likely to dent from flying rocks and falling branches.

I have to give this credit for my first laugh of the day.

I needed to replace mine, which was a 27 year old fiberglass cap that I had originally on a Nissan. (Now I have a Ranger -- it fits OK but not perfectly.) It has served me well, but the door struts are no good, the 'glass is cracked and the door won't seal. When you open it, it's hard to open, and when you close it, it's hard to close. Yesterday I bought the one pictured. >>>

When I went to look at it, I thought it was fiberglass. It turned out to be aluminum. It's much lighter than 'glass, but it's in perfect condition. I paid the man, we put it on my truck, and away I went. When I got up to about 60 mph, it created a humming sound. I don't know whether that's from the wind whipping through the ladder rack, or from the vibration of the aluminum.

I still might look for a fiberglass cap, as I think I can get my money back out of this one.

I think pretty good looking for aluminum cap, and the rack might be nice on occasion. But does anyone have ideas on what makes that noise?


Thanks.
Steve.

I haven't had an aluminum topper for a lot of years. They are much lighter. That is nice if you don't want it on your truck all the time. They don't offer a bunch of security, but some like out of sight, out of mind.

The cost difference isn't enough anymore for me to want an aluminum topper, and the fiberglass caps look a lot better on most trucks.

I'd say 95% chance the noise is the ladder rack. They're famous for that as they're not designed to be aerodynamic. Do any of the tubes have open ends? If so, fill them with caulk or cap them somehow. Open ends can really whistle in the wind. This cap has that cross rib right under the ladder cross bar. That can catch the wind and cause the whole top to vibrate. Aluminum is flexible enough to do stuff like that.

Another plus about FG - I believe they give you better traction on slick roads. It's not so much just the added weight but they have correct weight distribution. The center of gravity is right where it needs to be.

The first step in your decision making should be to examine WHY you want a "cap".[we call 'em "camper shells", but we still drive pickups, not trucks.]

Yep, for me it would be WHY do I want it.

For occasional use, like during deer season, I"ve been MUCH happier with a AL cap.

I"ve had caps since the late 70s.

I have had a couple of glass and if you want one on there permanenetly, they seem teh way to go. but I had to cut out rotten wood in mine once and replace along the bed stringers.

As to sleeping, I've slept in both a lot, and could never really tell the difference much.

RE noise, I"ve had AL on this last truck since 02. Off and on. I should not admit it, but the F350 has run every bit of 100 at times and never a vibration noise....

The only camper shell that I've had that made a difference in sleeping comfort was FG cap on a 86 Toyota but it also had a full carpet kit/plywood storage unit in it. It was warm and comfy.

"As to sleeping, I've slept in both a lot, and could never really tell the difference much."

My comment about sleeping better was because of the extra headroom in my FG one vs. the AL ones I've had before. Even when I was younger, getting up off the floor and getting my clothes on while staying on my knees was a bitch.

I carry a folding cot that just fits inside my 7 ft. bed and straddles the fender wells so I have room beside it. I can sit up in it without bumping my head, and get into my clothes without a struggle.

Everything I need to camp out 2 or 3 days is in my camper shell now, and will stay in there until hunting season ends in Jan.

I was told (2005) that AL ones couldn't even be purchased new anymore. I've had one of each, and left them on 99% of the time.

The FG are much much more durable -- and with more headroom -- but removing one is a 2-person job.

I was surprised that among all my photobook pictures, none showed my pickup. So... I took a couple just now.

'99 Dodge/Cummins. 300k + miles. The camper has been on for 200k.



My only problem was the door hinge kept breaking the edge off the door when the wind would catch it while open, since it hinged on the side and the wind ALWAYS blows where I'm at.

So.... I did a little Negro Adjusting and it works fine. Kinda like the Dutchman's daughter; Not much for looks, but hell for stout. [I'm an EO racist ]

I can understand that. I"m not quite 50 yet and still sleep on the ground or bed or floor typically in many things.

I just saw one post IIRC RE temps inside the campers.

Only one that is a bit warmer is our pop up slide in camper. And because its pop up its not much warmer....