Bed covers/caps/slides

[Jtholland]

Would appreciate any help on covers or caps for full timing. Also bedslides or decked systems for full time streaming. I have a f350 longbed powerstroke. Any suggestions would help.

[bweybright]

Please let us know more about your needs. Trust me, you will get more than an earful of advice.
But more specifics as to what you want/need/intend to do will help you get better information. As compared to a "I like mine for -insert your own opinion- here"
The process of thinking through how to better direct questions for advice can also help you to figure out what you do want to do if uncertain.
An example, my truck set up (tonneau with bed rails I can clamp racks to) drives my son nuts....except that he was totally happy when I hauled his four bikes to the Breck Epic, with extra wheels....then he saw my point of view.
A solid question, just give us a bit more info to help you out.
Bob

[pjshier]

The answer is: yes.

But seriously - it depends on your mission. We started with a simple roll-up cover. Now with a couple of eBikes and a fire pit and a generator and some tools back there, a cap is on order. And a BIG cap, so I am less hunkered over while putting and taking. Still trying to work out a slick way to secure my bike (hers rides on the Fiamma rack on the AS) in the bed quickly and easily.

The large opening was required because I also do not want to disassemble the bike to put it away.

End of the day: think about your likely mission and plan accordingly. The are some great solutions in the threads on this site. Search terms as listed above plus ebike or heavy bike.

[Jtholland]

I look at my truck bed as my garage if I’m full timing which is our ultimate goal at retirement in 2-3 years so all the things you would need as you travel the lower 48, thus the longbed 1 Ton. Just don’t want to trial and error in outfitting TV. Wondered what everyone else prefers.

[nvestysly]

I'm going through a similar thought process so I'll chime in here to see if it helps the OP. And... as bweybright said, there are many ways to address the issues at hand and every situation is different.

I'm coming from a 15 year tour with 2500 (3/4 ton) Suburbans. In the back of the 1996 we utilized an ExtendoBed and it was the Mac Daddy of such products. Heavy duty, pulled out 110%, no problems except for the fact that it was heavy and I mean HEAVY! The unit weighed over 450 pounds. It was rated to carry 1200 pounds.

In the 2005 Suburban we installed a BedSlide. The BedSlide for our Suburban weighs right at 200 pounds. It's major drawback is it only extends 70% of the distance so I have to access about 1/3 of the items from inside the Suburban. That's not too much of a problem because it's a Suburban and access to the front of the BedSlide is available from the middle row seat.

We purchased both the ExtendoBed and the BedSlide on the used market from eBay and Craigslist respectively. I see both brands and other listed for sale so don't overlook that method of purchase and save some $$.

So now we have a pickup truck. Do we want to make the truck into something that looks like a Suburban, i.e. with a camper shell? Or, do we want to maintain more of the truck appearance and use a tonneau cover? I'm currently leaning toward a hard-shell tonneau cover and will probably purchase from the local Leer or A.R.E. dealer. The camper shells are in the $3,000 range and the hard-shell tonneau's are approximately $1,600.

In either case we will use a slide system of some sort but it will need to extend at least 100% and perhaps more so we can access everything on the slide. There are many brands of slides but I recently came across SlideMaster (www.slide-master.com) and like them because you can buy just the frame and build your own platform. For me that's a benefit because I want a custom platform with a shelf and some other unusual features. So between my fabrication and maybe a welding shop I can get the platform I want. The SlideMaster products can be configured on their web site (including platform if you want that) to determine the price. If you call them ask for George and tell them Lucius sent you. I don't get a price break.

Back to the hard-shell tonneau or the camper shell... I like the idea of buying it with rails for future use such as bicycle racks, kayaks, etc.

If you purchase a Leer camper shell be sure to check out the Leer Locker system. Wow, is that ever cool! Sort of a slide system for lightweight items but it's located in roof of the camper shell.

[rmkrum]

I must admit to liking the setup with a cab-high cap.

[Kanusport]

I really like the diamond back brand tonneau covers they lock tight and support weight if you want to carry loads on top. They look sharp too.

[moosetags]

We prefer a cab-high topper. I prefer the aluminum topper with a custom side tool box configuration. I have had two Swiss Capp toppers. The are very well made and custom configured to your specifications. They are a little commercial looking, but that is what works for me.

Brian

[KK4YZ]

I saw a setup with a topper. The guy built shelves to accommodate his tools & accessories. He also left room down the middle to accommodate longer items. My thought at the time was “it’s like a garage”...

That’s what I think of when I hear what you’re wanting to do.

[PKilday]

We pull our Flying Cloud with a 2017 Titan XD Diesel. We just got an A.R.E camper cover. Travel just got a whole lot easier. We are laying off buying a slider system for now.

[WIZ]

Originally Posted by PKilday

We pull our Flying Cloud with a 2017 Titan XD Diesel. We just got an A.R.E camper cover. Travel just got a whole lot easier. We are laying off buying a slider system for now.

Our 2017 GMC Sierra Diesel 2500 HD is furnished with A.R.E. cap. It greatly added storage. Yakima roof rack will become helpful to transport kayaks.

[nryn]

We are a family of four and always travel with bikes (to date, tent camping--first Airstream trip this year). I looked hard at those metal retractable tonneau covers with the racks on top and I was initially leaning toward that. But a friend talked me into a cap, saying that not only does he like the increased storage that is both dry and relatively secure, but also that sometimes the kids like to sleep in the truck to get away from the parents.

Here's a post on the ARE Z-series cap and bedrug I bought (I decided against a slider).

[KCCO]

Originally Posted by Kanusport

I really like the diamond back brand tonneau covers they lock tight and support weight if you want to carry loads on top. They look sharp too.

I have been looking at these as well, and agree they look sharp - can you tell me whether or not the diamond back covers the hold in the bed rail, and eliminating your ability to install a bike rack, etc.

Also - how easy is it to remove the panels completely if you need to put something larger in the bed?

Thanks

[ksteve06]

We also have an ARE Z series cap for our F350, and it works great. [ATTACH]332762

[ksteve06]

We also have an ARE Z series cap for our F350, and it works great. [ATTACH]

[roddenby51]

Originally Posted by KCCO

I have been looking at these as well, and agree they look sharp - can you tell me whether or not the diamond back covers the hold in the bed rail, and eliminating your ability to install a bike rack, etc.

Also - how easy is it to remove the panels completely if you need to put something larger in the bed?

Thanks

8' HD DiamondBack cover on my 2500 Ram covers the stake pockets... possible to mount bike rack directly to cover.

Complete (or partial) cover removal for large item carry is reasonable, HD model carries up to 1600 lb. on top.

[majorairhead]

Leer. Want dry storage for all sorts of stuff. Bikes, grill, propane, firewood, chairs, rugs, tools, and any goodies we might pick up along the way.

[Mollysdad]

I have a hard tonneau by Leer, but I don't full time.
I wanted maximum security.
If I were to full time I'd get a cap (yeah, grandpa look) but it holds a lot more.
Or <gasp> a 3/4 ton van.

[Len n Jeanne]

We have a Leer cap over our Tundra truck bed. We like it a lot. Ample extra storage for gear. Because the top of the cap is level with the top of the truck cab, it works well for transporting a canoe.

[TouringDan]

The Leer cap in post #17 looks fine. My Leer cap on my 08 Tundra doesn’t fit very well at all. The problem is the rear corners where it sits on the bed. That is my fault. I didn’t do my homework. I did it on the truck but not the cap. I have seen ARE caps on Tundras that look great. Make sure that you look at the cap carefully and how it fits your model truck before you buy.

One more point. I don’t typically load the bed up any higher than the top of the truck bed, so a tonneau cover would probably work fine for me. I wish I would have bought a tonneau cover instead of a cap. The cap really hurts your rear visibility a lot. The tonneau would have been a lot less expensive also. I would consider just buying the tonneau cover and see how this works for you. You can always buy a cap later.

Dan