I am looking to purchase a bed cap for my '05 Taco D/C short bed. I am torn between Bestop's soft canopy or a normal, hard canopy. I really like the versatility of the soft top, but it's non-load bearing but, it's also $1000 cheaper. What do I do?

 

i just installed the bestop last week. took it on a 2000km trip on the weekend and it did fine. encountered 10cm of freezing rain and 30cm of snow and was glad to see it didnt fall apart. it leaks a little but that can be fixed with some canvas sealant spray and some tweaking of the weather stripping.

its a bit of a pain in the ass but a hardtop wasnt for me and i wanted to be able to sleep in the bed, so tonneau covers were out. atleast with this i can remove it fairly quickly and store it in the closet till i need it.

one other thing, make sure the canvas is as warm as possible before installing or you'll have a hell of a time like i did.

 

Good to know.

 

I've had the Bestop since last June and love it. Sure it has some drawbacks to a hard shell but it's easier for me to fold it forward if I need to load tall objects in the bed. It's also a lot easier to store than a hard shell.

Scott

 

How secure is the soft cover? Could a potential thief simply use a knife to get in and steal your stuff?

If so, not only would it be ruined which would cost money, but the stuff that is stolen would cost as well. In this case, the hard top, which is harder to damage and break into, could save you money.

The hard top isn't impossible to break into. However, the more trouble it is for a thief to get into, the chances are greater that the thief will go looking for an easier target.

 

Well it's a soft top with zippers so you sure it can be broken in to but I don't leave anything valuable in the back unless it's parked in my garage and we don't have a lot of theft here in Colorado Springs.

Scott

 

Hey AppleJAck:
The Soft side would be easy, but anybody can get into one or decide to slice it with a rope wrench.
When I was looking for canopies for my '05 I looked at a canopy made in Canada by Raider: Link-Raider.ca
I was impressed by the quality and the price, 2 years ago I could have gotten one for under $1K. The wait was going to be about 3-4 weeks, only reason I went with a Leer Canopy was that the local dealer had one in stock my color and I needed it quick for an unexpected trip.

 

I like it, it's relatively cheap ($500) and it can be removed in 1 minute with only one person.

Comes with locks, LED Bed Light and quick disconnects for easy removal. They also threw in a tailgate seal. With this installed, the entire truck bed is sealed from the environment.

 

Yeah, I'm kinda leanin' towards the hard topper, but alas I still can't make up my mind. If I could find one for a grand or less, even a decent used one, I'd be all over it. I am trying to sweet talk a local canopy dealer but so far all he's coming down to is $1650 on a new color matched SnugTop. I'll check out those Raiders. Thanx!!

 

$1650 for a SnugTop?! I'm looking at paying $1995 for my XTR!

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What are you intending on using it for?

If you plan on leaving lots of gear back there all the time, then I would go for the hard top.

If the soft top is just for camping, moving things in the rain, just occasional use, go with the soft top.

 

As previously stated the Bestop is not secure. I put the Bestop on my 06 Tacoma for the ease of removal and set up. I had a hardshell on my 03 Tacoma and did not like it because of the added weight and need for 2 people to take it off everytime I needed to haul something larger than it would allow. I have been happy with the Bestop.

Jacque

 

Yes. I did just that, I went with the Bestop, and think I'll be glad I did. Already I've had to fold it down twice to haul taller items and it's only been on a week!

 

Would you mind posting exterior and interior shots of it?

Also, keep us posted on the leaking (if there is any).

Thanks man.

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