Bed Rack Vs Topper

KLAKEBRONCO

Adventurer
I think I'm missing something so I just have to ask.
Why has the bed rack gotten so popular?
You are essentially adding a topper that doesn't actually protect things from the environments. Is this a simple matter of load carrying capacity?
 

Umbrarian

Observer
EZ on/off, EZ access to sides, I already have a headache rack and transfer tank, so it integrates well. These are my reasons.
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
I think the access is the main driver. Truck bed racks have been around forever for carrying long stuff, lumber, ladders, etc. Dirtbags adopted them for carrying skis, kayaks, bikes and canoes.

The current popularity I think is partially a fad (generally speaking, though, there's always been a vanity element in 4WD, how many lift kits are installed on pavement queens?) but the basic reasons have always been true. Now I was a person who subscribed to the camper shell/topper with a Yakima on top philosophy as protection from elements and theft but admit to always wanting a topper with windoors because climbing in back kind of stinks.

Personally I think the only configuration that does not make sense is a bed rack with a soft topper. You don't save any weight over a hard shell and don't really have much theft protection. Sure, a regular soft topper is lighter and offers weather protection and access but when you go and add all that bar work I fail to grasp the utility. Perhaps being able to roll the side completely up would be handy.
 
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dman93

Adventurer
FWIW although I've never had a full bed rack (just a front bar that made it handy to carry longer lumber or pipe at an angle with one end in the bed, one end on the rack crossbar) nor a SoftTopper (but a couple of hard shells, one with crossbars), I think the bed rack plus SoftTopper seems like a great combo. Can carry long loads overhead, still have some security/weather protection for the bed, and easier to configure than a hard shell plus rack or crossbars.
 

BobsCreek

Adventurer
Or run a topper and bed rack.

If you can afford to, and have a way to move something so heavy I like a good commerical type cap that can easily hold an rtt.

Short of that I second the Softtopper and Bed rack combo, "reasonable" pricing and you can remove it all by yourself without a forklift!
 

BobsCreek

Adventurer
DaveinDenver, the weight of a Softtopper and bed rack should be less than a fiberglass cap, it's also a more versatile combo.
 

buellconvert

Active member
DaveinDenver, the weight of a Softtopper and bed rack should be less than a fiberglass cap, it's also a more versatile combo.
That's my take on it as well, will be adding a rack to mine sooner than later I hope, just haven't decided which direction to go with the rack yet...there are a lot of really decent options available

Sent from my HTCD160LVWPP using Tapatalk
 

Crazy Schooner

Fortune's A Mistress
Personally, a bed rack is cheaper than a hard shell. No worries about fiberglass cracking over rough roads due to my RTT sitting on top. Speaking of cost an aluminum topper is well over two thousand more then my rack has less visibility and would still need to be modified. Not everyone needs their stuff covered in the back. A bed rack is a solid, cheaper alternative.
 

02rangeredge

Adventurer
Personally, a bed rack is cheaper than a hard shell. No worries about fiberglass cracking over rough roads due to my RTT sitting on top. Speaking of cost an aluminum topper is well over two thousand more then my rack has less visibility and would still need to be modified. Not everyone needs their stuff covered in the back. A bed rack is a solid, cheaper alternative.

That really depends on really the availability around you, I found an aluminum cap for free because it needed a small square window, so 35 bucks in plexiglass, added cross bars for 90, and a can of black spray paint and my bed is enclosed completely
 

rickc

Adventurer
KLAKEBRONCO: A good question already answered well by many. I researched both for months before deciding on a canopy; my main reasons being keeping stuff clean and for security. I also have a 74" box so I can sleep in it if i choose to so another good reason to go with a canopy. Rack-wise, I really like the Leitner Designs and Wilco Offroad systems; if you want to carry a motorbike/snowmobile then there really is no other choice than a rack style unless you can easily remove/replace a canopy. The half rack styles are not as flexible for my purposes but make driving into a garage with an RTT an option.

I went overkill with an ARE CX HD canopy; it has an internal aluminum frame that connects directly to the cross bars so no weight is on the canopy shell. Expensive! I take the RTT on and off and put kayaks up top too. I chose to put a Rhino Rack Platform over the canopy for extra flexibility of use.

What do you use/plan to use your truck for?
 
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BobsCreek

Adventurer
Yeah, I liked a couple options from ARE, I just couldn't afford, I think the "cheapest" option for one I would want was about $2,700.

My truck is for work/travel/camping (which is all work related)
 

TwinStick

Explorer
I understand both. Each has it's pro's & con's. I went with what works best for us. I went with an ARE MX series cap. No windows except in the very front. Body colored win-doors on the sides & back. Dual handles/locks on each. Toolbox on d-side only. Full LED lighting, carpeted interior, cloths hanger, Yakima roof rack, 3-12v power outlets. Yup, it was stupid expensive. Yup, it does everything we wanted. It still does not leak but also has never been taken off either. I built my own 2 tiered bedslide. It works great but yeah, it is redneck-ish to be sure. I went with a self built bedslide for the following reason.

I asked a Contractor at HDepot, who pulled up in a brand new Ram 3500 with a brand new SpaceKap on it, about the BedGlide bedslide. He said to be careful of what you buy. He said a contractor friend of his bought a brand new one, from an authorized dealer, had it installed at that authorized dealer. It was rated at 2000 lbs. They put a pallet that weighed 1480 lbs on it, carefully with a fork lift, in the center of it, & it bent. The ultimate outcome was that the company said it was NOT evenly distributed & refused to cover it under warranty. I would NOT be a happy camper if that happened to me. Those things are uber expensive. If mine ever breaks or fails I am only out a few hundred dollars vs a few thousand & more for the install.
 

SnowedIn

Observer
I currently have a RTT mounted with Frontrunner load bars so that the top of the tent is a bit below the roof of the cab - off the top of my head, I think it's 8" above the bed rails. I'm now planning to pull that tent off and replace it with a cargo tray at the same height. I prefer that over other options because it's low profile and has a no-drill install.

I like an open bed + rack because it doesn't seem - to me - to be worth the effort making a cap dust-proof. If it's going to be filthy anyways, then I might as well put everything in watertight cases that I can pressure-wash off on the way home.

And then there is also all the stuff that you want "outside" the vehicle anyways - shovels, some recovery stuff, muddy boots, gas cans, etc.


The main drawback is security, however the large cases can't be removed without unlocking the tailgate or unbolting the load bars/tent, and the smaller fuel cans can be cable locked to something.
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
DaveinDenver, the weight of a Softtopper and bed rack should be less than a fiberglass cap, it's also a more versatile combo.
May very well be true, I don't know relative weight. My $900 Craigslist used topper, an ATC high rise but not sure of the exact model, is about 150 lbs. So I'd think a rack and soft top would be less than that. I run hard shells mainly because of theft, but like I say, I agree it would be nice to have better access to the front. I also sleep in the back of my truck often, so being somewhat insulated is nice in the winter and it's very weathertight with the exception of the gap around the tailgate.
 

Clutch

<---Pass
I like an open bed + rack because it doesn't seem - to me - to be worth the effort making a cap dust-proof. If it's going to be filthy anyways, then I might as well put everything in watertight cases that I can pressure-wash off on the way home.

it's very weathertight with the exception of the gap around the tailgate.

Used some bulb seal on the tailgate I had left over from when I re-did the lid on the Wildernest, seals it pretty dang well.

Open bed even with weather proof cases, is too dirty for me...having to get into those cases when covered with dust is a pain in the ********. While you can't keep dust out 100% with a shell, it sure cuts down on it.

Don't know why people keep on saying shells are expensive. Found my Snugtop for only $100, and my Wildernest was $700 that includes $100 worth of repairs I did to it. Best of both worlds as it is a topper and doubles as a RTT. :D


DaveInDenver said:
I agree it would be nice to have better access to the front.

Thinking about putting in windoors in mine. Though I keep all my water jugs in the front of the bed, not like I need access to those to pull out from the side.

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