Toyota Tacoma Canopies
- Thread starter DirtyDog
- Start date
mountainpete
Spamicus Eliminatus
What year and model of Tacoma do you have?
I have a Range Rider canopy which as proved to be solid, however like some others on the site I regret not purchasing an ARE canopy. It's not necessarily because of a better design or construction, it's that ARE offers side win-doors. They make access to the bed while in camp much easier.
As for holding the weight of a roof-top tent and people, this has been the topic of much discussion on ExPo. Some people have had good experience while others have decided they need to reinforce their canopy prior to using a RTT or get rid of it all together. I would suggest doing a search on canopies and you will see a number of threads on the subject.
Pete
I have a Range Rider canopy which as proved to be solid, however like some others on the site I regret not purchasing an ARE canopy. It's not necessarily because of a better design or construction, it's that ARE offers side win-doors. They make access to the bed while in camp much easier.
As for holding the weight of a roof-top tent and people, this has been the topic of much discussion on ExPo. Some people have had good experience while others have decided they need to reinforce their canopy prior to using a RTT or get rid of it all together. I would suggest doing a search on canopies and you will see a number of threads on the subject.
Pete
Streakerfreak
Jan-Kee
mountainpete said:
Yup, that's how I feel. I wish I had gone with ARE.
I wanted to put an RTT on my canopy, but I am rather hesitant due to the weight. That said, HMR has been running a Maggiolina on top of his for a while now and he seems to be doing just fine. I can't remember what brand he is running off the top of my head though.
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mountainpete
Spamicus Eliminatus
DirtyDog said:
Tell us more about how you travel, where you travel, how many occupants you have and what your plans are... There are a number of members who have had both or have lot of experience in both.
Pete
mountainpete
Spamicus Eliminatus
FshTaco99 said:
Big difference between the CanBack and Besttop (besides the materials used) is the ratings of the roof rack. Although I haven't owned either, from the time I have spent inspecting both, I would never trust the BesTop with a tent.
Love to hear other opinions on that though...
Pete
mountainpete said:
My primary interest is to access old mine sites in the Western US. Probably won't be doing a lot of rock crawling or heavy 4x4, but I'll definitely be off the beaten track. The FJ is a great rig and it is certainly capable for the trips I want to do. The problem that it is lacking on the homefront, where I could use a truck to haul around dirty dogs, my lawnmower, etc. However, if the canopy/rtt combo is going to cause any difficulty I think I'll just stick with the FJ.
StumpXJ
SE Expedition Society
I have said it before and I will say it again, my ARE has held up wonderfully. I have had an RTT on it with a Heavy rack and lights and Jerry cans before, with zero problems. I have easily had 400 pounds on top of my ARE with no problems, no cracking, noise or anything. I just took my shell, rack and RTT off a few days ago, and there is no sign of cracking or anything. I have also wheeled pretty hard with lots of flexing with all of it on the rack.
Too bad you are not in Germany, my ARE is for sale for 200 bucks.
~James
Too bad you are not in Germany, my ARE is for sale for 200 bucks.
~James
I just wanted the bestop because I still have the covering but I can also remove it when I want. I'm switching from a Cherokee to a Taco so I'm still adjusting to the amount of room. The Cherokee wasn't really a good idea for putting dead animals in the back or a wet dog. Def. for the better I bought the Tacoma. I'd like a roof rack on top but the boxes in my bed now should be adequate enough. If it came down to it, I can build a cage inside the Bestop so it can support a rack but that's way down the road.
greenhorn
Adventurer
I'm on my second ARE shell, the one from my old Tacoma wouln't fit the new one. I have the side windoors and feel that was the best thing I did. One note about the load rating though: I called and spoke directly with ARE because I was trying to decide between the DCU series and the fiberglass. They said the weight rating on both was 200 pounds. I've never exceded that but, I've been close. I've never had any problems. I think a RTT would be pushing it with two people rolling around in it. I'm overdue for pics of my truck, I'll try and see if I can get some for you.
Off-Grid Engineering
Active member
I love my shell! Windoors are the best!
BTW, I would imagine this shell could hold a fair bit of weight. If you get the CX series or higher, you get a double wall fiberglass construction w/ lifetime warranty.... The shell is almost an inch thick! Also, my shell with almost every option including carpet only weighs in at around 150 - 200 lbs. That's like having an adult riding in your back seat.
BTW, I would imagine this shell could hold a fair bit of weight. If you get the CX series or higher, you get a double wall fiberglass construction w/ lifetime warranty.... The shell is almost an inch thick! Also, my shell with almost every option including carpet only weighs in at around 150 - 200 lbs. That's like having an adult riding in your back seat.