Soft topper

[roosiebull]

I’m considering a soft topper, but I don’t know anyone who personally has one. For those who have them, do you like them? What are their notable shortcomings?

I have no interest in a hard shell, but it would be handy at times to have, the soft topper seems like a good option, but how are they in real world use?

 

[resident vs nonresident]

I’m in your boat. Looking at softtoper for new truck. I saw they have new Premium Twill material that looks very good (spec wise)

 

[stank.243]

I had a Fastop on my last truck and I enjoyed it. It kept my things dry and no one ever cut through it and robbed me. After awhile though it only went on the truck about once a year since the Fastop (and maybe others) have a combo with a tonneau cover. The tonneau I used every day, and the topper stayed in the garage until a hunting or camping trip. The biggest down fall was how dirty the "windows" got. I couldn't use my rearview mirror with it on. I never sealed my truck box either so it was a vacuum for dust with the topper or tonneau on.
When needed it was great, but if I had to leave it on all year I don't think I would have been as happy with it.

 

[OH_Tony]

I have had mine since 2023. It's been great. Folds out of the way any time I need full access to the bed for hauling something in about 2 minutes and back up in the same amount of time. Still looks very good and has held up well through a few winters and through the summer sun. Bought it for a trip from OH to Montana to rifle hunt in 23 and have had it on since. The only drawback I could point out is the obvious lack of security compared to a shell. However, from a simple space standpoint and keeping things out of the weather and gaining to height in the bed it has been fantastic. One of the snaps broke a few months ago that that you unbutton every time you open the hatch. It looks like an easy/simple thing to replace but it hasn't changed the performance at all so I have just left it alone.

 

[roosiebull]

I have had mine since 2023. It's been great. Folds out of the way any time I need full access to the bed for hauling something in about 2 minutes and back up in the same amount of time. Still looks very good and has held up well through a few winters and through the summer sun. Bought it for a trip from OH to Montana to rifle hunt in 23 and have had it on since. The only drawback I could point out is the obvious lack of security compared to a shell. However, from a simple space standpoint and keeping things out of the weather and gaining to height in the bed it has been fantastic. One of the snaps broke a few months ago that that you unbutton every time you open the hatch. It looks like an easy/simple thing to replace but it hasn't changed the performance at all so I have just left it alone.

Thanks for the reply, I know it’s not a secure place in any way if someone wanted in, it would just be nice to have dry-ish storage at times, and I really like it can easily be folded forward out of the way when I need full bed access. Figured it would be nice for truck camping too when I don’t want to set up a tent and just get up in the morning and go.

If your experience is common, that is why I want one, and they are reasonably priced. I have survived just fine without a topper, and don’t want a hard shell, but it would be nice to have storage fairly often

Even when I have things in the back that could fly out in the wind, or winter steelhead fishing with wet waders and rain gear that I can’t leave in an open bed for a couple reasons, or late season hunting wet weather, it would be nice to not have to put a drenched pack and wet gear in the cab

I personally don’t like tonneau covers, I have tried them and they don’t suit me well.

One more concern I have, is does the hardware on a soft topper get rusty, or is it stainless?

 

[eamyrick]

I love mine. Sometimes I’ll take it off in the summer but for the most part it lives on my truck all hunting season. Mine is 3 years old and holding up well. Almost completely waterproof. I’ve gone 70 for hours it solid rain and only had a few drips. I did apply seam seal myself on the inside.

 

[OH_Tony]

Thanks for the reply, I know it’s not a secure place in any way if someone wanted in, it would just be nice to have dry-ish storage at times, and I really like it can easily be folded forward out of the way when I need full bed access. Figured it would be nice for truck camping too when I don’t want to set up a tent and just get up in the morning and go.

If your experience is common, that is why I want one, and they are reasonably priced. I have survived just fine without a topper, and don’t want a hard shell, but it would be nice to have storage fairly often

Even when I have things in the back that could fly out in the wind, or winter steelhead fishing with wet waders and rain gear that I can’t leave in an open bed for a couple reasons, or late season hunting wet weather, it would be nice to not have to put a drenched pack and wet gear in the cab

I personally don’t like tonneau covers, I have tried them and they don’t suit me well.

One more concern I have, is does the hardware on a soft topper get rusty, or is it stainless?

I have zero rust on mine so far. Aside from the broken snap, my only other issue is the zippers can get a little sticky after being in the weather. This is more of just an annoyance though, they are very heavy duty and durable zippers and it only takes a few seconds of messing with them to get them up after they've been closed a long time. In the grand scheme of things, with the price of a hard top these days and not really liking tonneau covers I am really happy I went this route. I thought I would fold it down and take it off all the time but it has been on since I bought it and only folded down when needed. It's proven helpful for long trips, quick vacations with the family, truck camping, and fall/winter steelhead fishing. I knew I wasn't getting the security of a hard top when I bought it so it's really been no issue for me. The biggest thing I wanted was more covered space in the truck bed so I can stack gear efficiently when I go on trips and it gave me that perfectly. I don't have to mess with straps and constantly be worried about something blowing out of the bed

 

[V2Pnutrition]

I've had the SoftTopper brand on two different trucks and loved them. I'd buy another if my current hadn't came with a a hard top.

Here's a few random observations that might help:

• I've not seen any issues with their hardware rusting or having any issues- on either of them.
• I've also had them in some pretty gnarly wind storms and was really impressed with their ability to withstand it.
• I seam-sealed both myself and didn't have any issues. You might get a little leaking in the front corners, but some rearrangement of the front flaps can help manage this really well (think drops...not whole puddles).
• They suck to see out of without side-view windows and very limited filed of view out the back "window".
• The hardware that mounts the webbing from the cover to the rails of the bed is a bit anemic (I have bent them just pulling the webbing too taught). They're easily shaped though and never caused any real issues.
• Their customer service was excellent.

Hope that helps!

 

[IN2HNTN]

Ran a hard topper for about 15 years. Transitioned to the the Soft topper about 3 years ago. Very happy with the change, easy to either collapse or remove completely. Keeps everything in the bed dry during rain events.
I really have no complaints has held up very well. It does shake a bit at highway speeds with 30+ mph winds but it has never blown off. Fingers crossed!

 

[sveltri]

I've been very happy with mine over the last 2 years. I very rarely take it off. I too broke a male snap on the rail. They sent me a new one that has performed flawlessly since I replaced it. I would definitely buy another.

 

[limpet]

I’ve had mine since 2021. It’s worked well for my purpose of keeping gear dry certain times of year. Like others have said visibility is pretty limited and the back window gets dirty quick. I’ve taken to leaving the back window rolled up bin the summer it’ll suck dust in like crazy. I also noticed it reduced my fuel mpg a little bit on longer road trips. However I can take it off and put it on all by myself in 5-10 minutes, do that with a hard shell. It also takes up almost no room in my garage.

 

[jags]

I've had mine on my truck pretty much full time since 2017, has held up great even in the Wy/MT winds although some days I was really watching it. I had to replace the back panel, don't mess with that window panel when it's -13 out. LOL

Worst thing I hate is the back panel is just always dirty, especially if you do a lot of dirt/gravel roads. And the back window is just impossible to keep clean it gets so caked with dirt. Thank goodness for backup cameras.

 

[Hunter26]

Interesting, any certain brands that people prefer over others? Anybody had one on an 8 foot bed?

 

[roosiebull]

I appreciate the feedback, and it’s good to hear that the shortcomings are pretty much limited to the obvious

 

[mtwarden]

Mine (softtopper) is 12 years old on my Tacoma and still going strong—has never leaked.

The only drawback I can think of is the vinyl "windows" get dirty and you lose your rearview mirror, but you still have two mirrors and a backup camera

Mine is on a shortbed so it doesn't give me full coverage for sleeping in the rear; however I found I can rig two trekking poles (with the tailgate down) to lift the rear portion affording me a little more coverage for my feet area.

 

[BBob]

Interesting, any certain brands that people prefer over others? Anybody had one on an 8 foot bed?

Yep. Softopper on a full size, full length Ram.

 

[vermeire]

I've had mine on my truck pretty much full time since 2017, has held up great even in the Wy/MT winds although some days I was really watching it. I had to replace the back panel, don't mess with that window panel when it's -13 out. LOL

Worst thing I hate is the back panel is just always dirty, especially if you do a lot of dirt/gravel roads. And the back window is just impossible to keep clean it gets so caked with dirt. Thank goodness for backup cameras.

This pretty much matches my experiences, including the broken window. I even put mine on in the same year.

Someone else mentioned water coming in the front corners; that's the only place I had water worth mentioning come in. The front panel wraps around the sides and mine wasn't adjusted properly; heavy wind, heavy rain, and a slight sidehill combined for a wet corner in the truck bed. I didn't put any sort of seam sealer on and I consider it dry enough to sleep in.

The only other item I'll mention is that my buckles on the outside are getting pretty faded. I plan to replace them with some metal G buckles soon.

 

[satchamo]

I have a fastop. It actually has a topper and a regular tonneau built into the same unit. I run it as a tonneau 98% of the time but when I need the topper, I can pop it up quickly or keep it stowed away in the bed. It just folds down into the front of the bed out of sight.

I’ve had it for 4 years.

Things I like:

-2 in 1 - tonneau and topper so it’s there when you need it and not when you don’t.
-easy setup
-has stood up to all kinds of weather and wind

Things I don’t like:

-absolute dust vacuum but that’s all toppers
-windows are shit and never really get clean and you can’t see from them
-back window dry rotted on me and broke during a hunt in AZ last year so that was a pain in the ass. I ended up duct taping it the best I could to get by.

-zippers suck and jam all the time
-the back doesn’t sit over my entire tailgate top, so it literally has water running down it and into my bed.
-access through the back is such a pain because you have to unzip zippers, get dust everywhere and try and wrestle zippers that never cooperate.

If I was to do it again I’d probably give up some convenience and go with a softopper as they seem a bit better designed. Or pony up for a hard topper.

 

[kswaterfowl]

Ive been looking at the wildtop truck caps for my tacoma. It's a little more than the softtopper, but it has a built in roof rack that can support 700 lbs.

 

[Sizthediz]

Had one on a silverado. Florida to Missouri and back. Handled Highway Mile's, no problems at all. Other than the dust. But I was driving up and down dry dirt roads for a week. Hung on my garage wall when off my truck