The debate is heated: to shell or not to shell. If you’re planning on carrying anything that might not easily withstand rain or moisture, a camper shell is pretty much a necessity. But at times they’re constricting, too; you’ll never move anything that sticks up higher than the cab.
What’s your take on this classic question? Is you’re truck equipped with a shell, or do you drive it au natural? Let us know in comments.
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October 30th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
A shell gets you a staion wagon for stuff too dirty for a station wagon.
October 30th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Camper Shells must make excellent fire extinguishers because…
Pickup = HOT!!!
Pickup+Campershell=Not
A shell gets you the joy of banging your head while simultaneously crawling on your hands and knees, as you retrieve the 5 bags of sack-crete that slid to the front of the bed.
October 30th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
I enjoy driving too much to get excited about spending time in the truck, but because camping rocks, and a shell facilitates that, I endure it. Therefore I say HOT. Unless you need the bed access, or enjoy getting your stuff stolen, or enjoy sleeping in the open bed of a pickup during the winter while driving 500 or 600 miles to pick up a project on the cheap….
October 30th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Having had trucks both ways, I prefer without since it’s easier to haul stuff like motorcycles and barkdust, plus rear visibility is better. On the other hand, dry covered space is nice to have and in New York the presence or absence of a cap determines where you can drive. If you have a shell on your truck you can register it as a car and drive on the parkways, otherwise you register as a truck, and if you have a business name on the doors you can park in loading zones in new York City.
October 30th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Not Hot and ned.ludd has never heard of a tent or sleeping under the stars.If he doesn’t like sleeping in a tent in the winter,he should get a car and sleep in Motel-8.I have a truck and knock wood my stuff has never been stolen.A truck is for carrying stuff and yes sometimes there is so much stuff that it extends above the roof.
Pickup is HOT!HOT!
Pickup+Campershell=A BIG Laugh
October 30th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
I’m of the hard, removable tonneau cover school of thought. I’ve done it a bunch of different ways (open bed, soft cover, camper shell, fiberglass lift top, folding locking hard cover) and this seems to work the best for me. If I need to haul stuff that wont fit under the lid I leave the cover in the garage before I leave. Otherwise it gives me secure storage without obscuring my view. Fortunately this new cover is quite light while still being easy to handle and sturdy, mine is about 45 pounds and is load bearing.
October 30th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
Utility bodies hot. Caps NOT. If you want a cover get a suburban or a bronco, or if thats not enough space for you, a van.
http://www.readingbody.com/prod-classic.html
October 30th, 2007 at 10:24 pm
@Ken: Yes, I have heard of a tent, actually own several, and I’ve backpacked through the Sierras with nothing more than a tarp for years. I just don’t feel like setting up in rest areas when I’m driving someplace and *camping* is not the ultimate destination. Try parking in a town like West Philly for a couple days. Your stuff WILL get messed with.
October 31st, 2007 at 7:42 am
I guess it depends on how you use the truck. I have a shell on my truck and I love it. I can put things in the back that won’t get stolen or wet. You might say well you can get a bed cover for that. Well, I could but since the dogs like to ride in the back, it would be a pain in the but to take it off or roll it up. I just open the side windows and the dogs can get their heads out and get air. When I stop in town, I don’t have to worry about them jumping out of the back the truck.
I can say if it is hot or not, because I like it, but I also like trucks that have bed covers.
BTW, get your bed sprayed and you don’t have to worry about things sliding to the front. Never had the bags of salt or anything else slide forward.
October 31st, 2007 at 9:08 am
I drive a long bed Ranger with a tall rack, a steel plate on the bed, and a Tommy Lift. No way I’d put a shell on that.
October 31st, 2007 at 10:18 am
I’ve had both too, and while it has some advantages, no more shells for me thank you. If you want a van or SUV, buy one in the first place.
October 31st, 2007 at 3:12 pm
For me- Hot.
For someone else- Up to them.
I did an 8000 mile road trip with a bed, large cooler, mountain bike, clothes, food, camp stove, and even a groover (ask a river guide) all in the back under the cap, with a folding hitch rack modified to secure the tailgate and cap window with two padlocks. I could pull over anyplace that was mostly level (I had some wood to drive up on for leveling if needed), climb in the back on my comfy futon matress, attach my velcro curtains, and go to sleep. Then I’d wake up, make breakfast, maybe hit the groover, climb out, and get back on the road. I could do this just as easily in a parking lot in a city if needed, where tents aren’t welcome, and I’ve even convinced women to come along sometimes.
Got home, pulled the stuff out, got back to work, no problem! Plus, if I ever decided I didn’t want the cap on it, I could take it off.
October 31st, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Hot for me. Unless I’m moving my motorcycle (and if you ever see it on a truck, assume it’s being stolen) then the cap works best. I’m not a contractor, so I’ve never had any problem with “not enough space”. I can keep a small chest in the back for tools and gear, and then have plenty of storage for, well, anything. Cap off, and I can’t keep nothin’ in there, even if I lock it down. It just gets messed with. I have an open bed for one weekend where I lived, and I ended up with tossed beer cans in the back. Who the hell wants that aggravation Sunday morning?
October 31st, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Not. I’ve had caps, but never liked them much. They have their uses, but they mostly seem to get in the way.
October 31st, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Have had cap, no cap, hard cover, soft cover, and now a spiffy rolling hard cover. If I didn’t have the rolbak cover I’d have a cap. Nothing worse than coming out to a empty truck bed that wasn’t that way when you left it. Frankly I think those fiberglass covers are the biggest joke ever, turns a perfectly useful bed into a nearly useless and hard to get at trunk.
October 31st, 2007 at 8:35 pm
I use a Softopper, after years of having to get help to wrestle a standard shell off and on. The Softopper folds away in a minute or so and costs less as well. No real security of course, but that’s the case even with a fiberglass shell (just keeping stuff out of sight seems to be enough). Visibility is not as good as a topper with glass windows, but that’s the only negative I’ve found.
(They’re at softopper.com - I’m just a happy customer)
October 31st, 2007 at 9:25 pm
Hmm. I posted in this thread but it never showed. Oh well.
I put pictures of my red truck in the Flickr pool. I’ve got a Reading utility body like Putnam describes. It’s really handy in that I can haul big stuff in the bed (motorcycle, wood, big appliances), but I still have a whole bunch of sealed locking compartments to haul stuff in that needs to be kept dry and secure. The forward side comparments are huge, and the long ones in the middle have a ton of room as well.
November 1st, 2007 at 7:10 am
@ned.lud:Why would anybody in their right mind want to park in west Philly for a couple of days.
February 7th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Aluminum camper shell = HOT. Goes on and comes off quickly and easily, cheap enough where if it gets beat up in storage you’re not out a whole lot of money. I use one in the winter only.
August 3rd, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Used to have a roll-up vinyl/velcro tonneau cover which was pretty good, but limited tool space quite a bit, and was a nightmare on the jobsite when it rained and I needed something in or out of the bed. Bought a shell and made my own bedslide with wood and garage door bearings. Now I can pull the drawer out and access stuff with very little effort/time in all kinds of weather.
January 28th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
cover improves gas mpg unless you have a vent tailgate, some have side access or tool boxes i them them but with the window up helps with visibility teaches you to use your mirrors.