Flated Truck Toppers

I think they’re super cool and haven’t heard any problems with them. I think if they were coming in at $500-$700 I’d already have one.

I just can’t justify the $1,900 price vs a new Softopper, new boots, power station, diesel heater, and all my freeze dried for the year and still have money left.
 
I checked these out at the Great American Outdoor Show in PA and they are top notch. The team there was super helpful in explaining all aspects of the topper. Once you get your hands on it, you can definitely tell the quality there. The ease of use is amazing and as the founder already stated, it only takes up a small space for storage, taking it off is a easy one person job without using aides and the material is strong like SUPs and rafts and you won't be putting it through the same rough terrain as those.
 
alexnelon said:
I think they’re super cool and haven’t heard any problems with them. I think if they were coming in at $500-$700 I’d already have one.

I just can’t justify the $1,900 price vs a new Softopper, new boots, power station, diesel heater, and all my freeze dried for the year and still have money left.
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I know they are expensive as hell
 
I didn’t think they were horribly priced.

Softopper is about 500 bucks cheaper all said and done (Tacoma sized) but it’s not as compact and easy to store. Flated allows you to put things on top of it as well. Flated doesn’t have any mounting hardware.

500 bucks extra for some of that might not be that bad of a deal.

You all priced out hard shells recently? A basic ARE starts in the high two thousands.
 
CorbLand said:
I didn’t think they were horribly priced.

Softopper is about 500 bucks cheaper all said and done (Tacoma sized) but it’s not as compact and easy to store. Flated allows you to put things on top of it as well. Flated doesn’t have any mounting hardware.

500 bucks extra for some of that might not be that bad of a deal.

You all priced out hard shells recently? A basic ARE starts in the high two thousands.
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It's about $800 more than a new softopper around here and I can get a used ARE for $1,500-$1,800 all day.

I'm more attached to my money than most people, I'll admit. I just get frustrated with this one specifically because it's a product that is awesome and I would love one, it fits perfectly into the niche of a topper that you only use for 4-6 weeks out of the year, stores away nice and tidy, easy to take off and put on, will probably last a long time because you only use it seasonally, but then it's priced like something you use every day.

The first time I saw it I thought for sure it would be under $800 and I still can't see why it's well over double that (and I know what PVC coated nylon costs which makes it even more confusing).
 
alexnelon said:
It's about $800 more than a new softopper around here and I can get a used ARE for $1,500-$1,800 all day.

I'm more attached to my money than most people, I'll admit. I just get frustrated with this one specifically because it's a product that is awesome and I would love one, it fits perfectly into the niche of a topper that you only use for 4-6 weeks out of the year, stores away nice and tidy, easy to take off and put on, will probably last a long time because you only use it seasonally, but then it's priced like something you use every day.

The first time I saw it I thought for sure it would be under $800 and I still can't see why it's well over double that (and I know what PVC coated nylon costs which makes it even more confusing).
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Where you getting brand new Softoppers for ~800 bucks? Like legit brand Softopper or others?

Yes, generally the spread between a new item and a used item gets closer but it’s not apples to apples.

You ever had to store a fiberglass topper? Ever had to take one on and off a lot of times? They suck and it’s a two person job.

When you add in the ability to store them as easy as they seem to be and how easy they seem to be able to put on and off, it really doesn’t seem bad. Sometimes your paying for things that you can’t quantitate. In this case, convenience is what your paying for. The price is not just indicative of the actual product your getting.

I am not sold on one but I like the idea. I would like to see one in person.
 
CorbLand said:
Where you getting brand new Softoppers for ~800 bucks? Like legit brand Softopper or others?

Yes, generally the spread between a new item and a used item gets closer but it’s not apples to apples.

You ever had to store a fiberglass topper? Ever had to take one on and off a lot of times? They suck and it’s a two person job.

When you add in the ability to store them as easy as they seem to be and how easy they seem to be able to put on and off, it really doesn’t seem bad. Sometimes your paying things that you can’t quantitate. In this case, convenience is what your paying for.

I am not sold on one but I like the idea. I would like to see one in person.
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There are a lot of local dealers moving them for $800-$1,000 depending on time of year.

Moving a fiberglass top twice a year doesn't chafe me much, but I also don't really have to ever take it off because it's not going to deteriorate in the sun or deflate and tear.

I can pretty accurately quantify what my time is worth, but I'm not seeing a difference in how much time it actually takes to install/uninstall. If anything it may take longer to inflate than it would to put on the hard top.

The big draw is it's way easier to store for long periods, but that's probably more valuable to people who live in apartments or something. I can just put stuff in the shed and leave it til next year.

They are awesome though I just won't get one til they're under $1,000.
 
alexnelon said:
There are a lot of local dealers moving them for $800-$1,000 depending on time of year.

Moving a fiberglass top twice a year doesn't chafe me much, but I also don't really have to ever take it off because it's not going to deteriorate in the sun or deflate and tear.

I can pretty accurately quantify what my time is worth, but I'm not seeing a difference in how much time it actually takes to install/uninstall. If anything it may take longer to inflate than it would to put on the hard top.

The big draw is it's way easier to store for long periods, but that's probably more valuable to people who live in apartments or something. I can just put stuff in the shed and leave it til next year.

They are awesome though I just won't get one til they're under $1,000.
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Where are these dealers? Softoppers are in the running and the cheapest I have found them is 11-1200 bucks. If I could get one for 800, that would probably push me that way.
 
CorbLand said:
Where are these dealers? Softoppers are in the running and the cheapest I have found them is 11-1200 bucks. If I could get one for 800, that would probably push me that way.
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If you're on facebook, I'd save a marketplace search for one. It took me a month, but I got one for a shortbed tacoma for $500 used that way.

As long as you don't need to put weight on top of the topper, I really like the softopper. Super easy to fold up when you need to haul something tall and does a good job keeping dust and moisture out.

The biggest cons on the softopper are no weight on top, and the crappy back window made of plastic. They're real prone to cracking in the cold (<20F) and you can't really see through it after 6 months of UV and a coating of dirt on it.
 
mlevimadden said:
If you're on facebook, I'd save a marketplace search for one. It took me a month, but I got one for a shortbed tacoma for $500 used that way.

As long as you don't need to put weight on top of the topper, I really like the softopper. Super easy to fold up when you need to haul something tall and does a good job keeping dust and moisture out.

The biggest cons on the softopper are no weight on top, and the crappy back window made of plastic. They're real prone to cracking in the cold (<20F) and you can't really see through it after 6 months of UV and a coating of dirt on it.
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I keep an eye there but nothing has popped up. The cold on the windows is my biggest concern. It gets cold where I live. We have had a weeks of negative temps.

Cold is my biggest concern with anything but a hard topper.

Anyone have experience with a Softopper and snow? I can’t fit two cars in my garage so the pickup is outside. We have woken up to 12 inches of snow before.
 
CorbLand said:
I keep an eye there but nothing has popped up. The cold on the windows is my biggest concern. It gets cold where I live. We have had a weeks of negative temps.

Cold is my biggest concern with anything but a hard topper.

Anyone have experience with a Softopper and snow? I can’t fit two cars in my garage so the pickup is outside. We have woken up to 12 inches of snow before.
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The cloth material does fine in the bitter cold. The window also does fine if you aren't using it. If you're opening it and folding it, it just gets brittle and can crack. The other option is a mesh back window, but then you'd get a ton of dust in the bed, so I haven't tried it yet.

I have left my truck outside in some pretty good wet snows. I've only had it for a couple years, so I think the biggest was about 10". The metal frame is pretty solid for static loads spread evenly across the top, especially when the material is tight, so I wouldn't be worried about snow load unless you started talking pretty crazy amounts like over 2 ft.
 
This is very cool.

I have an Opus camper so am well acquainted with the benefits and limitations of inflatable items. I’d love to see one of these in person.


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