Aluminum "commercial style" camper shell
One of the commenters here asked me to post photos of my commercial-style aluminum camper shell, so here they are. I had originally planned on going with a nice ARE fiberglass unit but I decided to go with a more heavy-duty unit for a number of reasons. First, I didn't want to worry about weight on the roof, and I wanted to add a RTT at some point. I also wanted flip-up sides so I could get at stuff in the bed of the truck without having to crawl over everything. Some of the A.R.E. models offer that too, but some do not. I also liked the idea of security screening to protect my gear from thieves and also to protect the windows themselves from stuff moving around inside the shell. However, the most important concern for me had to do with the long-term durability of fiberglass. I've seen more than a few cracked fiberglass shells over the years, and having lived in the desert southwest for many years I knew that they don't hold up particularly well in brutal sun. Maybe they are better now, but that has been my experience. Since I plan on keeping this truck for many years, I just didn't want to worry about that possibility. Sure, steel and aluminum campers can crack too, especially if used a lot offroad, but when I weighed everything, the aluminum commercial style seemed like a better fit for me. And speaking of weight, the shell I ended up with is quite a bit lighter than the ARE fiberglass model I was originally considering.
A.R.E. makes a commercial shell like this too, but they are boxy and aren't made to match the angles and contours of specific truck models. You'll notice on mine that the sides are angled to match the lines of the truck cab. The front of the shell is also angled slightly to match the angle of the back of the cab. The A.R.E. commercial models aren't like that, and one size fits all, so you end up with boxy sides and a grandpa-looking truck. I ended up going with the Workmate model by Lifetime (
www.workmate.us). They have a manufacturing facility in San Bernardino, California near where I was living at the time. I could pretty much order any option I wanted, so I got the flip-up sides, extra crossmembers and bracing in the interior for extra roof strength, insulation, security screening, the ladder rack, and lights over all the doors. They also build their shells to match the lines of your particular truck, so it ends up looking a lot better. Essentially you're getting a custom shell made just for you. In the end it cost me $2,200, which was cheaper than a comparable A.R.E. aluminum commercial model which would have been a few hundred dollars more and a lot uglier. By comparison, a fiberglass A.R.E. shell with flip-up sides and a few other options was going to cost around $1,600. This shell was $2,200 so for an extra $600 I got exactly what I wanted. I've had it for four years and it still looks brand new. All of the hardware is heavy duty and the doors are very secure. No rattles, squeks, or other annoyances. The Lifetime guys did a really great job and the workmanship was top rate. The standard color is white, but they can be painted to match whatever you want, for extra $$$ of course. Since my truck is white I didn't have to pay for paint. It matches perfectly.
The only thing I'm not crazy about is the ladder rack. It's functional but it's kind of goofy looking. It's removable but I usually leave it on for convenience in case I need to haul lumber or something. I've thought of having a rack made that looks better but I guess I haven't been bothered by it enough to actually get around to it.
I realize that some people don't like the looks of these types of shells. That's cool, but I dig it. I was going for something that was truly utilitarian that would hold up for many years. My wife is not a fan of the shell. She says I look like a Border Patrol guy or a game warden. Another guy said my truck looked like a giant refrigerator. Whatever. I like it and I'm keeping it!
