I picked this up on CL last year for $350! Lined with cedar and insulated. Had a crappy bed/storage box with it which I removed. It is perfect for my needs as it is just myself and my dog. I am still debating on whether to keep the factory bed or convert to a custom flat bed. With a flat bed I can have lots of external storage with bottom boxes and two side boxes on top in place of the regular bed side rails. That is probably what I will do.
I need to convert the latches on the opening side windows to some type of internal handles and add screens. I will be adding an overhead fan and some intake vents in the back doors down low. The vents will have covers so dust won't get sucked in while driving down dirt roads. I have a Breezer removable back window with boot for the truck so I will be able to have a pass through large enough to squeeze through.
I will do an internal build with bed on one side and cabinets on the other. Awning on passenger side and black PVC tube on driver's side for external shower. Will eventually have solar panels on top and an internal battery. It is not tall enough to stand up but is enough so I can sit upright on a bed without being hunched over.
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THIS! Except for the what looks like, and it may just be perspective issues, the abundance of 3/4" plywood which adds up quickly.
Picture this topper, a bit taller though, on a 6.5 foot bed '04-'08 F150 super cab, the left door window blanked out and replaced with a window unit AC. The ones I see locally are 40", so given the 22" depth of the F150 cargo box that gives me 62", not standing room, but not what I am going for anyway, keep reading...
Bed platform / organizers TBD, but I am leaning toward a 3/4" ply topper, and 2x2 framed platform / storage. The idea will be to support a shortnened Queen memory foam mattress. An 8 or 10" Gel Memory foam mattress. Platform piano hinged over the wheel well sides, and front.
Insulation is a MUST, as is as you said, an interior operating to the windows, and preferrably a roof vent. I am uncertain of what material to trim the interior in. Given the need for insulation value, I was thinking a bedrug on the lower part of the truck bed, and foam board in the cap covered in rat fur carpeting. I am a CPAP user so I would need a shelf for my CPAP, and a battery compartment for my power box...
Need to give serious consideration to some sort of tarp rig to give additional coverage. DIY awning? Just learn to quickly and securely pitch a tarp rig attached to the cap? Need to figure that out. A DIY awning is great, but if you use the truck / cap as a primary support, you can start off with a low cost 12x24 tarp, some poles, guylines and stakes and get really creative and give yourself a lot, or a little depending on your needs, of sheltered space...
The idea here is I want a cap I can make the bed platform in, and sit up in bed. an area that can offer privacy when we climb out of bed to get changed, and some sun / rain sheltered space for a kitchen.
One item to note: It varies depending on the market in your area. I happen to know of 2 or 3 of this style shell that are basically about halfway between the height of the one you show, and that Ranger shown earlier, It's basically an aluminum box with reinforced aluminum doors that clamps to the bed of the truck. Nice and light.
Given that these caps rise above the cab a decent distance, and are shaped similar to a brick, a wind deflector attached to the truck roof may be in order to help with MPG, and reduce wind noise
And given that my truck at least is a half ton, well, what they at one time called a heavy half, nobody really makes a TRUE half ton truck any more. But I digress. Given this is a half ton, and there are some non negotiable items. Sufficient water supply, flushing toilet, comfortable mattress, Small AC, I need to be sensible about other gear and supplies. Liquid fuel stove that can use spare gas for the truck instead of bulky, heavy 20lb tanks, battery lanterns instead of fueled, Coleman PackAway kitchen, the small one, instead of my Cabelas Deluxe etc...
There were weight gains in adding the winch, bigger tires, and weight losses by removing the tailgate to accomodate the double door cap.
LOTS of considerations to have. But nothing that should keep me from making a good run at it and doing what overlanding I can between Belize and Alaska at least. The F150 is the Lobo in Mexico, and plenty of parts there, Canada is no problem, and I am not rock crawling in a full size IFS 4x4 truck. I am driving logging roads, beaches, and lots of dirt / gravel back roads and 4x4 trails.
