dman93
Adventurer
I have a double-cab short bed Tacoma, first double-cab pickup after 3 extended cabs. Used for everything from daily driver to extended camping trips in the Western US. I bought it with a shell, and recently added an RTT which I've already used about 20 times. I wanted the double-cab specifically for occasional passenger duty, since we sold our "family" car as part of the deal, but our kids live out of state so typical usage is just me and my wife. I wanted the shell because we often bring our bikes, and I wanted to be able to put them inside out of the weather and away from prying eyes. However, because of a specific multi-week trip where I needed to fill the bed with cargo, I bought a hitch rack for the bikes. Yeah, they got wet and dirty, but it's so much easier, especially for my wife, than loading them in the back of my 5' bed, arranged just right to fit. And speaking of my wife, she's really not tall enough to deploy the RTT on her own either.
So, after a few months, I am coming to the conclusion that I've lost a lot of the versatility of a pickup, not to mention adding several hundred pounds extra weight, and restricted visibility, and reduced overhead trail clearance, with a shell that I may not really need. And, if I got rid of the shell and continue to use the bike rack, I could put the RTT on a a bed-high rack and reduce drag AND get it low enough for my wife to deploy. And if I had the RTT mounted low, I could back the truck into the garage and remove the RTT solo and hang it from the rafters, easily opening up the bed to use as a real pickup. OTOH, I do find myself filling up the available covered space, but probably because I bring too much crap. When I was younger four of us would go camping in my 2 door Civic hatch. Or two of us plus all gear except 5 gallon water jug behind the seats of my Datsin KingCab.
Anyway, too much info perhaps, but I wanted to provide some context, and would specifically like to hear from folks who have gone back to traveling with an open bed truck after having a shell, especially with a low-mount RTT. And, how to deal with dust, rain, bear-proofing etc. Thanks.
So, after a few months, I am coming to the conclusion that I've lost a lot of the versatility of a pickup, not to mention adding several hundred pounds extra weight, and restricted visibility, and reduced overhead trail clearance, with a shell that I may not really need. And, if I got rid of the shell and continue to use the bike rack, I could put the RTT on a a bed-high rack and reduce drag AND get it low enough for my wife to deploy. And if I had the RTT mounted low, I could back the truck into the garage and remove the RTT solo and hang it from the rafters, easily opening up the bed to use as a real pickup. OTOH, I do find myself filling up the available covered space, but probably because I bring too much crap. When I was younger four of us would go camping in my 2 door Civic hatch. Or two of us plus all gear except 5 gallon water jug behind the seats of my Datsin KingCab.
Anyway, too much info perhaps, but I wanted to provide some context, and would specifically like to hear from folks who have gone back to traveling with an open bed truck after having a shell, especially with a low-mount RTT. And, how to deal with dust, rain, bear-proofing etc. Thanks.
With my wife's bike, the bars clear but even with the dropper seat post all the way down, the saddle rubs the top of the window frame when sliding the bike in vertically. And my my bike clears neither the bars nor the seat lowered all the way. Even with the bed mat removed. These bikes are tall and have to be maneuvered into the bed. It took multiple tries to locate the fork mounts just right for everything to clear.
