camper shell/topper

[TimW]

http://mountaineercampers.com/ sorry this is the one I can't find the tops that they make.

x's 2

 

[Flagster]

Bringing back this thread as I was just in the Reno, NV area the past couple of weeks and these camper shells are everywhere...
Seem like many of the state agencies have a contract with Caravan Campers. All the game and fish trucks have the campers...they look really stout

 

[Casper]

They are based in Reno. That is most likely the reason you saw so many.

I had been trying to look at a Softopper shell in person for a long time, never saw one though. Then I moved to just outside Boulder, Co and saw them every day. Go figure, they are based out of Boulder.

Anyway, back the to original thread.

JP

 

[vtarider]

Check out "Tradesman Campers" in Nor Ca Napa area all Al /lightweight

 

[1stDeuce]

They probably hold up quite well in a nice dry arid environment like the desert SW, but if you live where they use chemicals or salt on the road, that topper is going to look like crap rather quickly... If all the older service body trucks in your area still look good, then you have no worries. If they're rusted around all the doors and latches, then you probably should think twice about getting a steel topper... Strength wise, I bet they're comparable to fiberglass. Of course Aluminum comes apart the fastest if you put a bunch of weight on the roof. Not sure why everyone thinks fiberglass toppers are so flimsy... Perhaps some are, or were, but my experience with any newer ones is that they're plenty heavy and strong!!! I think they used to crack on older trucks, where the frame flexed a lot, but newer trucks are so stiff that it really isn't a concern anymore... and older trucks could take apart an aluminum topper FAST! (I know, I welded my aluminum topper up several times on my old 78 Chevy, and I never put weight on the roof!)

Now that I think about it, I bet this one I saw at OE14 was from Caravancampers...
Nice looking topper!! Sorry this is the only picture I got of it. Was digging the doors and bumper at the time...

 

[modernbeat]

Yes, the Caravan Tops are popular in Nevada. I had never seen one until last year, and then started seeing more of them. Spotted this one in Vegas while I was there for SEMA last year.

 

[uscg2008]

I'm pretty sure that that is petersons 4wheel magazine tow rig

 

[laidback]

I personally would like a very very low profile over the cab extension, just big enough to crab clothes, blankets, and smaller items in, but I don't ever see fiber or metal shells with a subtle low profile over the cab feature, say just about a 9 to 12 inches in height.

Same here

 

[lzpup]

Saw one of these on a tacoma on a trip up in Canada http://tradesmantrucktops.com/ it was awesome, great customer service. I am considering one

 

[1 Bored Clerk]

I practically grew up in a Caravan Camper on an F350. It was a crazy stout camper (VERY heavy). We had that thing for 20 years or so and it always served us well. There was some surface rust starting inside the camper; condensation is tough on steel campers. If I had a full size truck and wanted a really well built camper, I'd talk to caravan in a second. We had the dual back doors and the framing and support for the back doors was way beyond any other camper that I've seen since. Big money, really heavy, very stout.